Belgium - Conveniently based in Ranst near Antwerp in the north of Belgium, the ASP Group has just been nominated as a new L-Acoustics V-Dosc Partner and dV- Dosc Provider for Belgium. ASP Audiologic, the pro-audio department of the ASP Group, focuses on the professional audio market demands and has an extensive stock of specialised audio equipment.

Yves Quireyns, managing director of ASP Audiologic says: "During the 22 years that we have been in the business, we have extensively tested many systems, this one being by far the best we have ever heard. It sounds fantastic in every location and leaves it's competitors far behind."ASP has already invested in 18 dV- Dosc, 16 V- Dosc, 6 dV-Sub, 16 SB218 subs and L-Acoustics amplifiers.

When ASP is asked why they made the choice to go with L-Acoustics, they say that "the superior quality of the L-Acoustics systems, com

UK - XL Video UK is supplying Barco O-Lite tiles, Element Labs control, Chroma-Q ColorBlocks and two V4 Catalyst digital media servers for dance act Daft Punk's headline shows on their current European and Japanese festival tour. It's the band's first tour since 1997, and their distinctive pyramid shaped set was designed to maximise impact.

The set was originally conceived for a one-off at the Coachella Valley Music Festival, where it was such a success that they decided to tour the design involving four separate but linked layers of video.

The pyramid is the show's main visual device, and is reliant on all the video technologies working in unison with the lighting cues. LD Martin Phillips is looking after the general visual aesthetics, and he suggested that the tour needed a dedicated video partner, hence XL Video UK's involvement in the project. Project manager Phil Mercer s

The Netherlands - For the tour by the popular Dutch singer Jan Smit, the rental company Triple Showtechniek invested in an extensive audio package that included systems from Electro-Voice, Klark Teknik and Midas.

Jan Smit first achieved stardom in his native Holland nine years ago. Since then, the vocalist has matured into an internationally acclaimed performer whose tours are among the most successful and lavish productions in the pop business.

The rental company responsible for Smit's upcoming tour of the Netherlands and Germany is Triple Showtechniek based in Purmerend. With a view to achieving perfect results acoustically, the Dutch touring company's audio specialists launched an investment offensive ordering an extensive package of Electro-Voice, Klark Teknik and Midas pro audio systems from the Dutch EV distributor, Electric Audio B.V and Midas Consoles Holland.

The sh

USA - HME announces the appointment of Technology K.A.R. of Egypt; Audiopro SRO of the Czech Republic; Venuetech LLC. of the United Arab Emirates; Lydrommet AS of Norway; Audigys of Greece; and Gotham AG of Switzerland as the latest international distributors to join HME's Pro Audio network.

Founded in 1996, Technology K.A.R. has provided communications solutions for over 10 years, featuring wireless systems for the professional and broadcasting markets throughout Egypt. Audiopro SRO is the leader in communications solutions for the Czech Republic, featuring specialised audio systems for professional and broadcasting markets. Venuetech offers full support and services for professional audio and broadcasting markets for the United Arab Emirates.

Lydrommet is Norway's leading distributor for sound systems. Audigys offers audio-light and vision integrated turnkey solutions. Gotha

UK - "Reliability is one of the things that sets us apart from the competition," said Simon Wood, sales and marketing director at Stage One. This was demonstrated recently when, for the 13th year running, Stage One's set building expertise was called into play for one of the most high profile AGM's in the business calendar, that of Marks & Spencer. Held at the ICC, Birmingham, Stage One was asked by Jack Morton Worldwide to build extensive sets for a registration area, main auditorium and an exhibition area.

"Repeat business is vital in our industry and the fact that we've been working with many of the same clients for a number of years is testament to the quality of our work," said Simon. He added, "Our clients know that we can consistently produce a top quality service on time and on budget."

Stage One's work in the main auditorium included: bui

UK - For the second year running, large format projection specialists E//T//C UK are projecting giant images onto the castle walls for the 2006 Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

E//T//C's Ross Ashton was asked back after last year's show that introduced projection into the visual mix for the first time in the event's 57 year history. The dramatic 60 metre wide by 30 metre tall moving pictures are covering the Castle battlements and Gatehouse.

This year the theme for a specially produced six minute projection show was a tribute to 370 years of Scottish soldiery, performed by the Bands of the Coldstream and Scots Guards. It was also marked the end of a 12-year reign by the Tattoo's chief executive and producer, Brigadier Melville Jameson CBE DL.

In conjunction with Jameson, 2006 Tattoo director of music, Lt. Col. Robert Owen and Major Graham Jones, director of music for the Co

Worldwide - Bruce Springsteen's long-time FOH engineer John Cooper is one of the newest converts to the Digidesign Venue live sound environment. Springsteen is on a worldwide tour until 2007 promoting his latest recording, The Seeger Sessions. Some of the tour highlights to date have been The New Orleans Jazz Festival, and television appearances on The Tonight Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brian. Cooper is using Venue to mix all of Springsteen's live shows, along with Pro Tools to record and later remix the songs for a subsequent live release and for use on the Internet.

Cooper chose a 96-input/16-output Venue system when searching for a higher quality FOH mixing platform for Springsteen. The system's plug-in architecture was a big selling point (some of Cooper's favorite plug-ins include the Bomb Factory BF76 compressor, BF-3A compressor, and Fairchild 660 limi

UK - Harman UK has supplied indie-pop band Franz Ferdinand with a dbx IEM (in-ear monitor) processor unit for use during the band's 2006 Festival Tour. The charismatic four-piece from Scotland burst onto the chart scene in 2004 with their best-selling, eponymous debut album, which won the much coveted Mercury Music Prize. The band's current tour takes in numerous venues around Europe and includes appearances at the Carling Weekend Reading and Leeds Festivals later this summer.

Franz Ferdinand's live sound engineer Tilde Bruynooghe ordered the IEM unit initially for use at the NEC in Birmingham. The IEM processor was designed with the simple aim of enhancing the sonic quality of all in-ear monitor applications, while providing the necessary audio level protection that both artists and engineers require. Ideally suited as a tool for fine-tuning mix monitoring for in-ear monitoring

Denmark - DPA Microphones continued its sponsorship of the annual Copenhagen Jazz Festival this summer, working as acoustic consultants and providing technical support throughout the festival. DPA also provided a large quantity of microphones including 3521 compact stereo mic'ing kits, 4011 cardioids, 4021 compact cardioids, 4015 wide cardioids, 4007 high SPL mics and a selection of mounting accessories. The jazz festival was also an excellent opportunity to showcase the new DPA 4091 omnidirectional microphone, designed as an instrument mic.

The primary sites that DPA worked on were the new Copenhagen Opera House which opened last year, and the Glassalen, a beautiful 1,000 seat glass concert hall in the Tivoli Gardens. A similar selection of mics were used across both venues, including 4091s for guitar and bass amps. The 144 dB SPL handling of this recently-introduced mic means

UK - Rosco has launched a new custom gobo manufacturing facility for the European market. Rosco has a long history of producing custom metal and glass gobos. The addition of DHA Lighting, one of the UK's leading custom gobo supplier, to the company last year, has achieved a level of knowledge that is unique.

"Both Rosco and DHA's colour custom gobos have traditionally been produced overseas," says Steve Connolly who has been brought in as head of gobo business development for the new venture. "The service is already excellent, but actually being able to manufacture such gobos on site at our facility in London means that much of the margin for error that is inevitable when you employ the services of outside contractors, such as shipping services, is more or less eliminated."

Connolly's involvement to the industry dates back to 1975 when he started working fo

UK - Industry innovators Global Design Solutions (GDS), whose Blues System will be on show at PLASA 06 next month (10-13 September, Earls Court, London), have been recognised for their inspirational business ideas and approach, having been selected as winners of the South West Angel and Investor Network (SWAIN) unique business investor opportunity competition.

GDS provides forward-thinking new technical product design and business consultancy services to the entertainment, leisure and associated industries. The company also specialises in bespoke design and installation of high-end integrated control systems, ranging from residential to marine, offering both third party development and working for end clients.

Having impressed the judges and been crowned winners of the competition, GDS were given the opportunity to discuss their business plan over a private lunch to SWAIN dire

UK - Midas and Klark Teknik have provided pioneering audio engineering college Deep Blue Sound in Plymouth with a range of industry-standard mixing consoles and signal processors. The equipment is central to the country's first-ever accredited Live Sound HNC (Higher National Certificate) being developed by industry expert and leading sound engineer Simon Honywill.

Deep Blue Sound began life as a commercial recording facility, moving into education four years ago. Its first foray into live sound education was the inclusion of a six-week Live Sound module into its Music Production diploma earlier this year. The new Live Sound HNC is a one-year higher education course aimed at training students for work in the industry and providing an academic qualification. The course will be a combination of practical workshops and lectures, together with work-based learning in 'real-life' envir

UK - KV2 Audio Ltd has announced the appointment of two, new, key members of staff to work from their recently opened headquarters in Harrogate, UK. Mick Butler joins KV2 from Fuzion plc, as UK sales manager, handling sales for KV2 Audio products as well as KV2's distributed lines Vieta loudspeakers and Apex signal processing. Butler commented: "This is a dream job for me, I've long been an admirer of KV2's products but didn't realise how good the systems were until I heard them first-hand. It really makes my job enjoyable to get behind product lines I can really believe in, that and joining a team of people who clearly enjoy what they do, I can't wait to get out there and start spreading the word!"

KV2's operations director Andy Simmons commented: "To have someone of Mick's calibre join our team has already made a difference to everyone here at KV2. Mick's a grea

France - Blackout were engaged to provide a dramatic environment for a country-wide launch of the new Peugeot 207 to French motor dealers and customers.

The launch was held simultaneously in eight different cities across France including Paris, Lyon, Lille, Nancy, Nantes, Bordeaux, Avignon and Le Mans.

Working closely with events production company Communication 105, in each of the venues, Blackout created an elliptical box-shaped auditorium that had a sophisticated set-up of Blackout tracking systems.

A total of over 1,400 metres of drape was used across all venues. During each presentation, specific drapes surrounding the auditorium were opened so that guests could walk out into numerous exhibit areas. Here, Blackout's lightweight Easi-Build Pipe and Drape system was provided on 9m x 3.5m backdrops and formed a stylish way to showcase large photographs of the new car and

UK - UK distributor for HME's range of advanced wireless intercom products - audio experts Orbital Sound - is delighted to announce that since the launch of the new HME WH200 ComLink at The ABTT Theatre Show 2006, it has made an impact as the only digital 2.4 Ghz 'all in one' headset that offers a total comms solution.

ComLink comes complete with the entire range of functions offered by the standard BP200 belt pack. As a first of its kind, ComLink significantly enhances the potential of two-way communications in the UK's broadcast, live performance, corporate presentation and installed sound markets.

Making its West End debut on Sunday in the Park with George at The Wyndams, ComLink was deployed on this Menier Chocolate Factory production, which celebrates the life of poitillist painter, Georges Seurat and boasts a score by Stephen Sondheim. Four WH200 head-sets were co

UK - As the name suggests, Hybrid are something of an anomaly, an amalgam of many elements that don't at first seem to fit together. Mike Truman and Chris Healings are producers and remixers, but they're also artists in their own right. They make breakbeat-driven dance music, but they're into albums, such as the cinematic Morning Sci-Fi, rather than singles. And although they've been known to spend months or even years tweaking meticulous productions like Finished Symphony or Know Your Enemy, unlike many studio-based obsessives, they get out there and play live too, adding vocalists, guitarists, bassists and drummers when required.

Hybrid are currently building up to the release of their third album, I Choose Noise, which is due out in September, and they previewed some of their new tracks at the end of July on stage at the UK's Global Gathering festi

Europe - Since the acquisition by the Genlyte Group of Strand Lighting Inc, and the closure of Strand Lighting UK Ltd last month, Strand Lighting Inc reports that it has been working on interim arrangements to provide "the best possible levels of support for our valued European dealers and end users".

For the present, Strand says its products will be supplied to European customers from Strand's US and Hong Kong warehouses, with customer service being carried out in the Strand Lighting Inc facility in Cypress, California. Technical Support is once again available in Europe for all Strand products, and will be provided by field service technicians under contract to Strand Lighting Inc (see contact details below). Further support for project planning and commissioning will, for the time being, be provided by Strand Lighting Inc application engineers and field service tech

Germany - tarm Showlaser GmbH has reported the best first half in the company's history. Among numerous other first half highlights were the opening festivities of the 2006 Paralympics in Turin; The Night of the Astronauts for the European Space Agency in Barcelona; the presentation of telephone-company ETISALAT's new logo in Dubai; the presentation of Porsche's new GT3 at the Porsche Sports Cup races at the Hockenheim-Ring; Vodafone's kick-off in Bucharest; and the opening ceremonies of the FIFA World Soccer Championship's Fan Festival in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on 7 June.

The company already has a substantial backlog for the second half, which, according to managing director Ralf Lottig, demonstrates that technical know-how, uncompromising devotion to quality, and creativity pay off.

tarm Showlaser GmbH will be exhibiting at PLASA 06 on stand - P54.

(Chri

UK - The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) has awarded Prof. Dr. Jorg Sennheiser the title of "Companion." With this award, LIPA is expressing its gratitude to the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of audio specialist Sennheiser, both for his pre-eminence in the field of sound engineering and his long lasting support for the Institute.

The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts awards the title 'Companion' in recognition of outstanding achievement in the service of art and entertainment, and honours those who share their knowledge and their experience with the students. Mark Featherstone-Witty, who co-founded LIPA with Sir Paul McCartney, says: "Sennheiser provides the fuel of support to propel the vehicle of future talent. Their practical friendship is treasured."

According to Prof. Dr. Jorg Sennheiser, "We were fascinated right from the

UK / Finland - Clockaudio Limited has appointed Starlike Oy as its Finnish distributor. Starlike will be responsible for the sales and distribution of Clockaudio's extensive line of microphones, mixers, headsets and accessories within the growing Finnish market.

Located in Vantaa, close by Helsinki city centre, Starlike Oy is a professional sound and lighting company that was founded in 1986. Its services include system design, installation and manufacturing as well as distribution and sales.

Starlike pro audio sales manager, Pauli Molner, comments: "We are proud and excited to be taking on the distribution of Clockaudio products in Finland. Clockaudio is synonymous with good quality, reliability and flexibility. We are looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship with Clockaudio.

"Our clients include public and private organisations, construction industry,

UK / Italy - A.C. Lighting has been appointed as the sole UK distributor for D.T.S. show products and will launch final production models of the innovative new Delta LED IP rated moving light range at the PLASA show.

Until recently, D.T.S. has been known as a high volume manufacturer of branded and OEM lighting products combining excellent build quality, performance and reliability at an affordable price. However, as a result of long-term investment in state-of-the-art R&D and manufacturing facilities in Italy, the company has developed a new generation of advanced products aimed at the professional end of the entertainment market.

The new distribution deal will exploit A.C. Lighting's position as a leading one-stop supplier of cutting-edge entertainment technologies to the most demanding users in all areas of professional and architectural lighting applications. The deal cove

Worldwide - LaserNet's summer began with a bang when it was selected to join the 20th Anniversary tour of the legendary rock band, Poison. The rigorous tour schedule, 55 cities in 65 days, proved to be no problem for the rugged Verde projector, and LaserNet's 20W Verde Beam Raider - an air-cooled, green-only laser system - made its tour debut. Poison's tour manager Mark Hogue says: "We were very pleased with the reliability of the LaserNet system, it never missed a beat. Plus, never having to mess with water hoses made it a dream come true."

LD Mark Miller added: "The laser projector is very well built and we have worked it hard with no problems. I can see more rock and roll in its future and even corporate gigs."

LaserNet's president, Tom Harman noted: "The Beam Raider system has been very successful in clubs, but getting it on the road was the acid t

UK - Coinciding with the recent hike in interest rates and amid concerns that levels of borrowing are escalating, a new analysis by industry specialists Plimsoll Publishing has looked at how high levels of debt are impacting on the financial health of the top 200 sound equipment companies.

It found that 80 of the 200 companies analysed are in fact, in more debt now than they have been in the last four years. Using other people's money to finance your company is, it seems, an increasing trend.

David Pattison, head of research at Plimsoll, commented. "We are always surprised how no one at these companies seems to realise their debts are rising and the effect it's having on the overall financial strength of the company. Unfortunately it's not something they tend to measure until it's too late. Our analysis spots these problems earlier."

The Plimsoll analysis points to

Belgium - The perennial Rock Werchter festival was held again at Werchter Park in Hasselt, Belgium, from 29 June to 2 July. Rock Werchter is one of Europe's largest music festivals, with over 300,000 people attending each year, and over 60 artists performing on two stages throughout the four-day festival.

30 Bands including The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Who, Arctic Monkeys, Black Eyed Peas, Depeche Mode, and Kanye West graced the main stage while Collective Soul, Death Cab for Cutie, Elbow, The Streets and many others were featured on the second Pyramid Marquee stage.

EML Belgium, who have been associated with the festival for the past 20 years, was contracted to provide the sound system and design. They know exactly what the demands are, and each year aim to fine-tune and deliver what has become one of the largest Adamson Systems Arrays used in an out-door even

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