UK - ACC Productions of Belfast has become the first company in Northern Ireland to purchase HK Audio's Cheddar Compact Coherent Dynamic Response Array system.

"We are trying to expand the market to which our sound systems are pitched," says ACC owner Alsatian Kerri. "We do a lot of theatre and corporate events that our existing HK systems are great for, but we want to start looking at systems for bands and small outdoor festivals for which the Cheddar is ideal."

ACC has purchased 16 CDR 108 mid/high units, eight CDR 210 C sub woofers and two PRO amp racks with additional controllers to enable two smaller systems to go out on hire at the same time. The company already has a substantial inventory of HK AUDIO systems.

Access introduction to Cheddar Compact came about when UK distributor John Horny Skews brought over a demo system for the Indian Community Me

UK - Stage Electrics is now supplying ice rinks as well as more traditional lighting and sound kit they are known for providing. The company has become the sole UK distributor for the Dutch company Ice World, providing rinks and boots throughout the UK.

Stage Electrics is providing the ice and infrastructure, including lighting and PA equipment for venues ranging from shopping malls to parks across the UK. A more unusual location for one of the rinks is on the first floor of a shopping centre in London's Victoria.

Stage Electrics' production manager Andy Loveday last week led the team which tested the first rink to be delivered from Holland. Working in partnership with Aggreko who provide the chilling equipment, a 30m x 10m rink was constructed in an empty warehouse close to the company's branch in Avonmouth, Bristol. "It's been a new experience for us," he said, &qu

In case anyone had forgotten what happens to the audio at the end of all these systems, Renkus-Heinz exhibited some good old-fashioned loudspeakers. The Iconyx column speakers are very discreet, but have sonic performance specifications that will attract reverberant applications such as houses of worship. "We tackle the acoustics by having a tall array of very compact drivers, so we're able to achieve tight pattern control in the vertical plane," explained VP Ralph Heinz. "Plus, by applying DSP, we're able to do some beam steerage as well."Beam steerage in a church . . . now there's a revelation.

UK- Trafalgar Square 200 'The Spirit of Nelson' show was authored and created by production company Innovision and staged in London's most famous Square in front of 10,000 people. The hour-long live show celebrated the Royal Navy's role at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and at other crucial points in the history of Britain.

Innovision called in the services of leading production industry companies, including large format projection specialist E/T/C UK and rigging specialist Summit Steel. Durham Marenghi came on board as lighting designer.Projection was beamed onto a special retractable 'sail' made from Sunbaba's Austronet 204FR fabric, and rigged onto the centre of three masts depicting a symbolic version of Nelson's flagship, HMS Victory.

The PIGI 6kW projector (complete with 'hot' backup) was located in a specially built hide, with a 17m throw distance, and fitted with a Ba

UK - The newly-opened Alma De Cuba restaurant in Liverpool, owned by the Lyceum Group, is housed in a converted church. Dating back to the late Eighteenth century, the building has been vacant since 1976 but has now undergone a major refurbishment programme.

It has been sympathetically restored and many original features have been retained including stained glass windows and archaic artwork.

The sound system has been carefully designed and installed by B+S Sound & Light of Liverpool to overcome the inevitable difficulties of such a wide open reverberant space and to provide the required music level in each of the six designated zones.

Depending on the restaurant activity and time of day, volume can be adjusted via three simple controls positioned in the main bar area. The system uses a Cloud Z8 zoner, 4 x Tannoy TDX1 and Ecler amps to drive an array of Tannoy speakers in var

In truth, it isn't often that the AES Convention - or any pro audio trade exhibition, for that matter - throws up a genuine surprise. Revelations are normally confined to the Gideon's Bible in everyone's hotel room, and not even New York itself can always liven up the routine of stage-managed marketeering.

However, EAW drew genuine intakes of breath with the - for once - justified expedient of white drapes over a mysterious bulging chassis, which turned out to be the UMX.96 digital mixing console. The model ID may not be as exciting in itself, but the arrival of a totally unexpected new player on the digital live console pitch certainly stirs things up plenty.

The formation of Loud Technologies in September 2003 has clearly influenced the kind of technical cross-fertilization behind the UMX. Teams involved in the product have included the DSP team at Acuma Labs in Victoria, BC; the a

L-Acoustics announced the new, self-powered P Series - currently comprised of the 108P and 112P. These are 2-way loudspeaker enclosures combining proprietary coaxial point source technology with self-powered performance and DSP.

The 108P is a bi-amplified, digitally processed, full-range loudspeaker containing a 1" exit HF compression driver coaxially loaded into an 8" LF transducer. The coaxial approach is designed to provide coherent point source radiation and 100° axisymmetrical directivity - i.e. identical horizontal, vertical and axial coverage. The coaxial design is also said to offer superimposed LF/HF dispersion characteristics, free of the polar lobing effects typical of traditional horn and woofer combinations.

Intended for touring or fixed installation, the 112P features rigging accessories, digital system EQ and network control and monitoring. Four application-

The whole EAW event came to somewhat overshadow the launch of the other digital live console du jour, Yamaha's M7CL - which, having first been unveiled to the world in the UK at PLASA, was receiving a slightly lower-gear US debut. Yamaha Corporation Of America's Larry Italia and Dan Craik did the honours, however, and the booth was busy for the whole show with visitors weighing up the potential impact of this desk on the US market. With or without the presence of the UMX.96, that impact is likely to be substantial much further down the verticalities of end user territory - where budget means what it always implies.

UK - Islington's Salmon & Compass independent dance clubs has undergone a major £500,000 refurbishment programme. The interior has been completely gutted and replaced by an industrial brushed stainless steel look and a Turbosound PA system from Sound Division. At the same time, club capacity has increased to 280.

"The owners, the Loizou family, wanted a sound system with full clubbing capabilities," explains Sound Division's installation manager Elliott Patterson, "and after consideration we recommended a Turbosound TCS-56/TCS-215 system, powered by Crown XS amplification, along with a new mixer."

(Jim Evans)

UK - HRH Princess Alexandra officially opened the a new £1.75m Sports Hall and Performing Arts Centre at Coombe Girls School in New Malden last month, featuring separate dedicated spaces for sports, music technology, drama and recital.

Stuart Graham's fast-expanding company, Clarity in Sound, Light & Vision, has done much in the past year to bring high production values into the educational sector; their £70,000 sound, lighting and projection design and fit for Coombe Girls School was based on industry standard devices.

With a roll of 1,500 students (including 500 attending Sixth Form College) Coombe is one of the largest facilities of this kind in the country, with an excellent reputation for drama and music. Graham realized that the facilities would be heavily used, so durability and reliability were major considerations. Wherever possible, he turned to Denon's s

UK - The first installation of Electro-Voice's new ZX1 speakers has been completed at the K-Bar private members' club in London.

EV's new generation of small-format, high-output loudspeakers was chosen by installation company Cosmic Electronics, when the K-Bar asked them to upgrade their speaker system. "The club management insisted on having a system that did justice to their high-profile reputation as one of London's most talked-about nightclubs, but they didn't want to become a discotheque," explains Cosmic's Mark Damon. "Through their sister venue, the Sugar Hut, they thought highly of Electro-Voice, and the timing of the project was perfectly suited to using the latest EV ZX speaker line."

The K-Bar is a relatively compact space, with a main bar adjoining its dancefloor, and a VIP room. In all, 10x EV ZX1i 8" two-way cabinets have been used, four

Furman Sound announced a new 20-amp regulator that delivers a stable 120V of AC power to protect equipment from problems caused by AC line voltage irregularities. The AR-20 II is said to be the only 20A voltage regulator that also filters and purifies AC power, optimizing electronic equipment performance while also providing protection from spikes and surges - using Furman's proprietary SMP+ technology.

"Voltage irregularities like sags, brownouts and overvoltages are commonplace in AC lines, and can cause sensitive electronic equipment to malfunction or sustain damage," said Dave Keller, executive VP of Furman Sound. "In addition, electrical noise on the line prevents equipment from achieving optimal performance. Our newAR-20 II is unique in that it not only protects electronics from damaging power, but also filters out the noise using the very best technology available

UK - Expanding restaurant group, Giraffe has added two further London sites to its portfolio of outlets - on the promenade outside the Royal Festival Hall and in the regenerated Spitalfields market.

Sound Division had refurbished the existing equipment in newly-acquired operations in Muswell Hill and Wimbledon, before being offered the contract to install a full JBL system on the South Bank.

"The Giraffe concept is a global one - and music is a very important part of the overall experience," said Sound Division managing director David Graham. "The quality of the sound system needs to reflect this."

In fact music assumes such high priority that Giraffe markets its own CD compilations (via Putumayo World Music) as part of a vigorous merchandising operation. It also maintains a World Music Top Ten based around ethnic music from Brazil, Africa, Jamaica, The C

Whirlwind's E Snake products now support EtherSound using Lab X Technologies' new ESX network I/O module. "Whirlwind's E Snake products are recognized as some of the most comprehensive and versatile designs in digital audio transport," said Lab X president Lee Minich. The move extends both Whirlwind's digital connectivity and EtherSound's base of digital audio protocol subscribers.

"Partnering with Lab X to leverage their ESX module was a natural choice," added Joe Barnes, Whirlwind's director of digital operations. "The module's form factor and functionality, coupled with Lab X's connectivity expertise with CobraNet and EtherSound, has quickly enabled our E Snake products to support EtherSound."As well as being experienced in both CobraNet and EtherSound systems, Lab X Technologies makes a range of hardware, firmware and GUI control applications.

Adamson showed its T-21 Sub, a flyable and arrayable bass cabinet designed to provide sub-bass extension for Y-Axis line source systems. It is configurable into an arc that will not shadow the main line array. The T-21 Sub also incorporates the newly developed Adamson Symmetrical Drive SD-21 Kevlar driver, with its double spider design. This employs a balanced spider suspension with spiders at both ends of the 6" dual voice coil assembly, and a neodymium magnet for maximum stability under high excursions.

UK - The Hilton Brighton Metropole has installed a new sound system in its conference suite, selecting Allen & Heath's iDR-8 DSP processor to manage the sound distribution. In addition to the 334 bedrooms,the hotel has 28 meeting and function rooms, and nine exhibition halls.

The increasing popularity of the Hilton for different types of events has meant that the risk of noise disturbing local and hotel residents has also increased. Loading and unloading of vehicles for exhibitions is strictly controlled to certain hours of the day, but evening functions, with either DJ's or live bands, have caused complaints.

Working with Brighton & Hove City Council, Acoustic specialists, 24Acoustics and Big Sky Audio, were appointed to manage the project. 24Acoustics's principal, Steve Gosling, points out the complexities of noise problems in a large building like the Hilton: "Immediat

UK - Glyndebourne, one of Europe's most acclaimed operatic institutions, has recently introduced a Stage Research SFX workstation to its sound design department. Supplied by theatre sound specialists Orbital for Glyndebourne On Tour (GOT), the system has been deployed for sound and video effects delivery on the production of Tangier Tattoo.

As a vibrant contemporary production, Tangier Tattoo is an operatic thriller and represents a new departure for Glyndebourne as well as a revolutionary development in the opera world. Designed to attract a new younger audience, the production is created by the trio of composer John Lunn, librettist Stephen Plaice and director Stephen Langridge.

The SFX system has been deployed to store and playback a host of sound FX and video footage. Glyndebourne's AV Systems Operator, Simon Yapp, collaborated with Orbital's Tom Byrne

UK - Hosted by Wigwam Acoustics, the next d&b audiotechnik Sound system design & set-up seminar will be held on Wednesday November 23 at the Huddersfield Christian Fellowship's Harvest House - a former Comet store Comet Store that has been converted into a state of the art high tech venue.

d&b's John Taylor will be presenting the day, with the focus on achieving intelligibility - if you're passionate about sound, then you want to get good quality, intelligible sound to every seat in the house.

"This seminar addresses the acoustic signal path between the loudspeaker and the listener's ears, just comprehensive electroacoustics with all the physics you'll need thrown in." said Emma Adamou of d&b. "The seminar content is conveyed in a format that encourages the participants to play an active role, for example exchanging experiences or using practical examples. The s

UK - Baldwin Boxall can now provide a PC touchscreen paging station to enable simple, intuitive control of a Voice Alarm system. By touching the relevant part of the screen, the operator has complete control of paging (emergency or routine) to all or selected zones. In addition to the emergency and routine messages that are already stored on the routing matrix, the operator can record and store a number of extra messages. These messages can then be chosen from a drop down list and broadcast to the selected zones.

Background music can also be controlled via the paging station which is designed to be very easy to use, with simple on-screen messages and menus that appear when a function is selected. The paging station user has clear indications on the screen to show which zone/areas are in use by other operators/paging stations and what messages are being utilised.

A useful featu

UK - Living Ventures takes its music seriously. Despite using a hard drive delivery system to distribute music through their 13-strong Living Room bar/restaurant estate, the company's head of music, Steve Walter knows that the art of achieving the optimum mix is too complex to be entrusted to remote customer profilers and preset track categorisations.

"The music content and environmental management are a vital part of our offer, which is why we invest heavily in our sound systems and installation expertise," he says.

For the new flagship Living Room W1 in London's fashionable Heddon Street, Green-I has installed multiples of Martin Audio's new horn-loaded AQ6 and AQ8 architectural enclosures - liveried in white and brown custom colours to match interior designer's Shideh Shaygun's imaginative concept. These maintain the moods over the defined time cycles into

UK - History was made on an unseasonably warm and sunny day at the end of October when, for the first time ever in the UK, all the heads of the enlarged EU met together in Hampton Court's Great Hall. Having responded to an invitation to tender, Brähler ICS was selected by the UK Government to provide the 21 language channel simultaneous interpretation system. Brahler supplied their flagship CDS-VAN digital system which has a maximum capacity of 32 uncompressed digital audio channels and runs on industry standard Cat 5 computer cable.

For the first time at such a high level EU summit, the Interpreter booths were located outside the main meeting room. Discreet broadcast quality cameras were placed strategically in the Great Hall and the images relayed to an adjacent Interpreter Marquee. Brahler provided a total of 22 interpretation booths in the marquee fitted with 67 CDS-VAN dig

USA - Shown for the first time at this year's PLASA show, Harman Pro Group has launched HiQnet System Architect, a configuration and control software application for HiQnet audio systems.

System Architect is described as "an intuitive, highly configurable Windows-based 'front-end' to HiQnet, Harman Pro Group's powerful communication protocol for audio systems". It is designed to provide a unified platform for the system design and operation of all audio devices in a signal chain, across the full range of sound touring and installed sound applications.

System Architect eliminates the need for disparate operating systems, multiple control and configuration applications, and the need to programme individual signal processors, speaker controllers, wireless microphone systems and mixing consoles. The software provides control of HiQnet enabled products across the eight Ha

UK - As initially announced at PLASA 2005, Formula Sound has launched a special anniversary model of what has proved to be one of the most popular and successful mixers that the company has ever made. The new PM-80R will be a limited edition modular mixer, produced to mark the 25th anniversary of the launch of the original PM-80. The updated mixer will combine the benefits of modern technology with all the elements that made the original version so popular, says the manufacturer.

Despite the original PM-80 being out of production for over ten years, Formula Sound has continued to receive a stream of requests from installers and end-users for this ever-popular mixer. Says a Formula Sound's Tony Cockell, "This has led to the creation of the PM-80R, an 8-channel mixer which features the same ease-of-use and classic styling as its successful predecessor, but with some subtle de

France - L-Acoustics has announced a new V-DOSC Partner for Moldavia - Radio Polidisc Ltd, founded in 1993 and based in Kishinev.

Initially, the company's main activity was exclusively based around studio recording, but it rapidly expanded into a radio station and in 2001, the company started to rent sound equipment.

The founder of the company is sound producer, Valerii Galupa, his business partner Andrei Vasilatii was a former contrabass player, and Eddy Van Nuffel from the Belgian company AED was able to offer a high level of assistance towards the emergence and development of their operation. Valerii Galupa states: "We have two completely different directions for our business, first, musical radio stations - we now have two. Secondly, rental support - sound, light, rigging and stage equipment. We supply with the equipment to rock festivals, live concerts, television sh

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