UK - P&O Cruises' Artemis has been refitted, with Luton-based install company TED AV, deciding that Sennheiser audio equipment would be at the heart of The Artemis' entertainment hardware.

Mark Morley, technical production manager for TED AV, comments: "The Artemis was the third Carnival UK Group ship refit we did in 2007. We needed to provide mics for two lounges on The Artemis. One was The International Lounge, which is the main entertainment venue on board. The other was The Horizon Lounge, wrapped around the funnel at the top of the ship, which is more for duos, trios and karaoke nights. That's more of a multi-purpose venue."

In The International Lounge TED installed an eight-way system comprised of four EM3532-U Sennheiser Receivers, four SKM 3072-U handheld mics, nine SK 3063-U beltpacks, ten HSP 4-4-3 radio mics, and four MKE 2-4 Gold lavalier mics routed thro

Germany - Danish manufacturer DPA Microphones will be co-exhibiting with its German distributor, Mega-Audio at Prolight & Sound 2008.

On the stand, musicians Benjamin Koppel and Jens Haack will be performing on a small stage, miked with DPA 4023 compact cardioid mics mounted on FGS4000 flamingo stands.

A listening post on the stand will present the company's new SACD, Miking A Grand Piano, recorded in the DPA in-house studio. The SACD presents a number of stereo comparison and demonstration recordings of a grand piano using different combinations of DPA mics.

(Jim Evans)

Germany - The new Electro-Voice SB2A powered 12-inch subwoofer eliminates the need for external system processing and amplification, addressing the demand for lightweight high performance portable sound systems, says the company.

Featuring dual 350W amplifiers, the SB2A's switch-able powered speaker output can drive either an external 8 ohm passive subwoofer or full range loudspeaker. It can be configured with a variety of loudspeakers for a multitude of sound reinforcement applications.

The SB2A shares the same injection-moulded enclosure as EV's passive SB122 subwoofer. Both utilize the EVS12S woofer, designed from the ground up for optimized performance within this small footprint enclosure.

(Jim Evans)

Germany - Home to the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic Hall (Berlin Philharmonie) is one of the city's cultural icons. Its unique, pentagonally-shaped Great Hall, with its centre stage, has been praised for its intimate ambience and stellar acoustics. It now boasts a new Meyer Sound system.

"In a concert hall of this calibre, with its truly exceptional natural acoustics, there are limitations on what can be done in terms of sound reproduction," says Klaus-Peter Groß, Berlin Philharmonic Hall's audio engineer.

Provided by Berlin-based Werner Audi, the completed system is a multi-faceted design that creates natural imaging localising two sound sources. A centre array of 12 M1D ultra-compact curvilinear array loudspeakers is augmented by five UPJunior ultracompact Vario loudspeakers, which provide the source point imaging. A second array of five M

UK - Since its debut performance in March 1968, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has become one of the most popular musicals in British history, with more than 20,000 schools and theatre groups interpreting the play.

The latest revival of the show, starring newcomer Lee Mead, takes place at the West End's Adelphi Theatre, and features the work of award-winning sound designer Mick Potter, who created a Meyer Sound loudspeaker system provided by London-based audio equipment sales and rental company Orbital Sound.

The main system for the Adelphi Theatre performances features 12 Meyer Sound M'elodie loudspeakers per side, along with four 600-HP and four 700-HP subwoofers per side.

"Working on a show like Joseph is quite different from a typical pop concert," says Potter, a veteran of West End and Broadway pro

UK - Codex Audio, a Midlands-based audio rental and production company that specialises in the supply of high quality systems to the corporate entertainment market, has recently taken delivery of six Lab.gruppen FP 10000Q 4 x 2500W at 2 ohm power amplifiers from the FP+ Series. The amplifiers were demo'd and supplied by LMC Audio.

Codex Audio had used the original fP Series amplifiers for many years. When Lab.gruppen released FP+, Codex's David "Lofty" Lockhart was keen to try them out. "My first question was, 'Can Lab.gruppen really make a better amp than the fP?'" observed Lockhart. "The answer has got to be a resounding YES - FP+ amplifiers are even better. We think FP+ is a real step forward in amplifier technology."

LMC Audio's Paul Hinkly adds: "We believe that Codex Audio is at the forefront of a new breed of PA company that is success

Germany - At the Live Sound Forum, the Messe Frankfurt open air presentation area, K.M.E. is going to present the line array PANO "under conditions close to reality". The presentations take place daily. During the 20 minute demonstration the system will be presented by different styles of music and detailed information and explanations. The PANO setup consists of 12 tops QL 906 and four cardioid subs QCB 318 each side, amplified by four SR 7100 racks and adjusted to a defined area.

Another K.M.E. system will be on display on the Denon stand. DJ GFC will present the new DN-HS5500 Direct Drive Turntable Controller & Media Player using K.M.E.'s Individualized PA system CA 7.

(Jim Evans)

USA - For the 50th Annual GRAMMYs, held 10 February, 2008, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Audio-Technica supplied over 250 of its microphones, including an array of hard-wired mics and Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless Systems.

The sound system was provided by ATK AudioTek with FOH engineers Ron Reaves and Mikael Stewart, while the broadcast audio was supervised by Phil Ramone and Hank Neuberger. New York-based XM Productions/Effanel Music were onsite with their L7 remote truck to create the music mix, facilitated by Music Mixers John Harris and Eric Schilling.

Artists who performed using Audio-Technica's Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless System, with the AEW-T5400 handheld microphone/transmitter and AEW-R5200 true diversity frequency-agile dual receiver, included Morris Day and The Time in a performance with Rihanna; Kanye West; an all-star gospel revue featuri

USA - Channeling the spirit of Natalie Cole's virtual duet of Unforgettable with her late father Nat King Cole, Alicia Keys opened the Grammy Awards on 10 February by 'collaborating' with Frank Sinatra on Learnin' the Blues in a similarly manufactured moment.

Having just appeared the weekend before in front of millions watching the Super Bowl pre-game show, Keys performed at the 50th annual Grammys using Shure KSM9/UHF-R wireless.

(Jim Evans)

USA - After completely gutting its Conference Theatre Room, the Crystal City Hyatt at Reagan National Airport approached AV/Com Integrators to give the room an audio system that provided "a truly interactive experience for presentations and collaborative conferencing". What John Bangs, owner, AV/Com Integrators and his team developed is a completely transparent sound system that allows for uninterrupted two-way conferencing, both audio and video, that some of the nation's top governmental agencies can use to exchange information.

Three Biamp AudiaFLEX with TrueSound AEC - 48 channels of AEC across 24 AEC-2HD cards - power the system that makes this all possible. Anyone seated in the room can participate in a conference taking place, regardless of where they are sitting. The audio coverage in the room is such that everyone can hear each other clearly.

"The Crysta

Italy - Rental company Backstage PA has purchased a Midas XL8 Live Performance System for use on primetime TV show Zelig. The system, the third to be sold in the country, was supplied by Midas and Klark Teknik's Italian distributor Texim SRL.

Zelig, a cabaret show which mixes music and chat, is aired on Italy's Canale 5 every Friday night, and has become something of a cult, achieving record audience figures and garnering rave reviews from critics and the public.

Recorded in Milan's Arcimboldi Theatre each Monday and Tuesday before 2,400 paying spectators, sound reinforcement was of utmost importance, and Backstage decided an XL8 was the solution for FOH.

The audio system also includes Klark Teknik 9848E processors to control the Electro-Voice speakers, a Klark Teknik DN9331 RAPIDE graphic EQ controller and Klark Teknik DN6000 analyser.

At the controls of the

USA - American Music & Sound has announced the appointment of Michael Palmer to the position of national sales manager for Allen & Heath products in the United States.

Palmer has held positions as director of sales and marketing for Radian Audio Engineering and previously as a sales management executive at Guitar Center Inc.

"I'm very enthusiastic about taking this position," states Palmer. "Allen & Heath's brand reputation as an industry leader speaks for itself. In my new role, my principal responsibility is to strengthen the sales focus on the premium line of mixers as well as expand the growth of new products such as iLive, iDR and XONE."

(Jim Evans)

USA - Community Professional Loudspeakers has announced the appointment of Ron Neely to the position of development manager. In his new position, Neely will be charged with the management of engineering project schedules, coordinating new product introductions, and developing software products.

With more than 20 of experience in software and hardware development, Neely brings a wealth of knowledge in professional audio, communications and network management in real-time environments. He has previously held technology development positions at IPC Command Systems, Iridian Technologies and QSC Audio.

"Ron's vast expertise in software and product development makes him a key addition to our team at Community," remarked Chris Barrow, Community Product Manager.

(Jim Evans)

Germany - At ProLight & Sound 2008 beyerdynamic will premiere its top-of-the line vocal microphone TG-X 930. Using the capsule of the MC 930 true condenser microphone as a basis, beyerdynamic developed a vocal microphone with the TG-X 930.

Due to the typically small pick-up distance with vocal microphones, the proximity effect of the cardioid capsule was compensated to achieve absolutely neutral transmission of even the subtlest vocal nuances. A slight treble boost ensures an open and detailed sound without ever being obtrusive, says the company.

The stainless steel basket with multilayer gauze and additional inner basket, already used in the interchangeable microphone capsules of the Opus 900 wireless series, provides protection against pop sounds. It is easy to clean and significantly improves rear-attenuation and hence feedback suppression.

The maximum sound pressure leve

The Netherlands - DMi D&M Installation, the dedicated CI division of D&M Europe, won the EMEA + InAVation Award for 'Most InAVative Audio Product for Residential Use (Non Loudspeaker)'. The award was received for the Escient Fireball FP-1 Music Manager with Universal iPod Dock, at the AV industry event held in Amsterdam on the evening before the opening of ISEurope.

The FireBall FP-1 integrates the iPod within a digital media network, enabling streaming and control of music from and between the iPod and other media storage and playout devices. The unit also provides the full on-screen management features of the FireBall range for iPod. The universal iPod dock combines management and streaming of music from iPod, as well from networked PCs and Macs and other music servers, to an entertainment system, using the free FireBall browser based interface.

Integrating control of all di

Canada - Held at four major locations in Toronto, Canada, from 9-12 January 2008, the 35th Annual International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) once again drew the world's finest jazz artists and thousands of enthusiasts for four days of education and performance.

Distinguished musicians present included Paquito D'Rivera, Tierney Sutton, Courtney Pine, Nordic Connect, and Lionel Loueke. Sound Art Toronto handled sound reinforcement, deploying a wide range of equipment from Electro-Voice, Midas, and Klark Teknik for each of the conference's ten stages.

"IAJE is the biggest annual jazz event in the world," says Dave Alderdice, general manager, Sound Art Toronto. "It features over 100 concerts over four days, performed on stages of various sizes in four of Toronto's most prestigious venues - the Fairmont Royal York, the Toronto Sheraton and Intercontinental h

USA - Hanover, New Hampshire's Dartmouth College recently gained a new addition to its sprawling sports facilities with the completion of a new competition soccer field in the Chase Athletic Field complex. The 1600-seat venue is outfitted with an audio system designed by Cavanaugh Tocci Associates (CTA) and installed by Burlington, Vermont-based Advance System Design (ASD).

ASD's lead designer Paul Appleget comments: "It was an open field on 30 June, and ready for regulation soccer in time for fall semester."

The system comprises two Community R6-51 high-output three-way multi-driver arrays, secured to lighting poles via custom-fabricated Polar Focus gimbal-type mounts, with four WET Series W2-2W8 dual 8-inch two-way systems mounted above the grandstand seating. The system is powered by QSC amplification, with a single Biamp Nexia unit handling system DSP. Shure ULX

UK - In January this year, Ampetronic held two training sessions for engineers at AV systems integrator, Saville Audio Visual. Now in its third year, the Ampetronic Installers Induction Loop Training Course covers a broad range of topics ranging from DDA legislation and standards, specifying loop systems for different situations both simple and complex, amplifier specification, input audio design, loop installation, survey and commissioning, and system maintenance.

The one-day introduction to audio induction loop systems course is aimed primarily at installers, but is equally beneficial to consultants, architects, facility managers and systems sales professionals. The aim is to raise the professional standards for loop installations and consequently the reputation of loop systems.

"A good loop system requires careful design - far too many systems are installed without con

Australia - Klotz Digital has confirmed an expansion of its sales partnership with Amber Technology whose Australian branch will act as distributor for XENON and AEON products in Australia.

"To appoint Amber Technology as Australian distributor for these products made perfect sense after Amber Technology's sweeping initial sales success in New Zealand", says Patrick Salloch, general manager of Klotz Digital Asia Pacific.

"It showed us that we could adopt a similar business model in Australia. The sales figures of the Xenon and Aeon products were very encouraging in Australia last year and we hope we can take these figures to new heights by appointing a leading, trusted and well established broadcast distributor in Amber Technology."

(Jim Evans)

USA - Located on the New Hampshire shoreline within an hour's drive of Boston, Mass, the historic Hampton Beach Casino, built in 1899, remains a leading attraction in the New England resort area, while the adjacent Casino Ballroom, added in 1927, has received a major redesign of its audio and lighting systems, including the addition of a new loudspeaker system based on Meyer Sound's Mica compact high-power curvilinear array loudspeaker.

The main system is comprised of two arrays of eight Mica cabinets each, augmented by a pair of MSL-4 horn-loaded long-throw loudspeakers for side-fill. Six 700-HP ultrahigh-power subwoofers provide low end. Ten MJF-212 high-power stage monitors and a 600-HP compact high-power subwoofer comprise the primary stage monitoring system, with a pair of CQ-2 narrow coverage main loudspeakers flown as side-fill monitors.

A Galileo loudspeaker management

Germany - Three new major product ranges from the Turbosound stable are making their European debut at Frankfurt ProLight&Sound, aimed at both the live sound and fixed installation markets.

Flex Array is a medium-scale professional sound reinforcement system that combines elements of Turbosound's patented point-source system with well proven line-array technology, resulting in a one-box-fits-all loudspeaker product suitable for a variety of venue types.

By simply changing the orientation of the cabinet, one enclosure type is capable of being used in either line-array or point-source configurations. The ability to rotate the mid/high waveguide within the enclosure gives additional flexibility of use from only one type of box.

The all-new Flex Array system has been designed from the ground up, resulting from a three-year development cycle closely related to the development of

Sweden - The history of Sweden's Royal Dramatic Theatre (or Dramaten) is a long and complex one. Originally established by King Gustav III in 1788, after an eventful 120 years the theatre moved to its present home in 1908, the Art Nouveau building in Nybroplan, Stockholm.

Since then, Dramaten has gone from strength to strength and recently its six stages (five in-house, one at the satellite Östermalm site) have undergone a major refit with Yamaha audio equipment.

Yamaha DME24N, DME32 and DME64N digital mix engines feature at the heart of the main stage system, with DM2000 and DM1000 mixing consoles, AD824 and DA824 converters and a range of power amplifiers, including ten PC4800N, six P2160, three PC4801N and two PC2602M which drive a combination of Meyer and L-Acoustics loudspeakers.

"At the heart of the main stage is a bespoke temperature-controlled amplifier room, w

Hungary - Having only recently taken on the distributorship for QSC Audio products in Hungary, Interton Electroacoustics has already provided QSC system solutions for a number of diverse venues across the country - including the first phase of the College of Nyíregyháza's upgrade.

The city is located in the north-east of Hungary, where Interton - working alongside general contractor, Strabag Inc- has designed the complete audiovisual system for the multi-purpose, 1000-capacity auditorium, including the room acoustics.

In order to create a system that fulfilled the many requirements, project manager Zoltán Horváth constructed a CobraNet network between the stage and the studio, and between the studio and amplifier room, where QSC's new PowerLight 3 amplifiers are monitored and controlled via the company's Basis 902zz, operating under the QSControl.net platform.

A second B

UK - A.C.'s Lighting and Audio divisions have been appointed the stage equipment suppliers into the new South Bank Arts Centre at Bedford College.

A.C. Lighting's initial introduction to the Arts Centre came after on-site training for Bedford College on an existing WYSIWYG set-up. The £6 million Arts Centre, which is part of a £60 million redevelopment plan for the College, provides students with a bright and inspiring stage for their talents, and brings together all course creative disciplines under one roof.

The new state-of-the-art facility, which officially opened its doors in November, comprises of a fully equipped studio theatre, a TV studio, video and audio control, along with sound recording suites.

Lighting equipment includes Martin MAC 250 Krypton moving lights and 3000 Atomic Strobes, Robert Juliat Buxie followspots and various DTS, ETC and Spotlight c

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