USA - Technomad is set to introduce "the world's first completely weatherproof, all-in-one, self-casing portable PA system for the commercial pro audio market" at InfoComm 2011 in Orlando.

The DragonFly, adapted from Technomad's rugged military technology, is idesignedfor mobile pro audio and staging events that require "outstanding audio quality, lightweight portability, quick setup, ease of operation and durable construction for outdoor events". The self-casing, 100-percent weatherproof design fully protects the system components from moisture, dirt, shock and other elements in outdoor environments, supporting everything from ceremonies and parades to sporting events and concerts, says the company.

The inclusion of green, rechargeable and long-lasting battery power, along with a potent audio output, supports mobile audio free of extension cords for crowds

Sweden - Lab.gruppen and Lake have announced the release of the latest version of Lake Controller software (v5.7) with accompanying firmware for both the PLM Powered Loudspeaker Management products and the LM 26 Digital Audio Loudspeaker Processor.

Working alongside both industry partners and leading end-users, engineers at Lab.gruppen and Lake have taken a significant leap forward with this latest release of Lake Controller; designed to offer "ever greater flexibility and compatibility for end users, further optimizing system audio performance".

New levels of functionality are provided as PLM Series products now support a new processing module type. The extensive filtering can be used to create both crossover and driver EQ, facilitating linear phase, minimum phase or arbitrary phase filters. The filters can also be used to create classic crossovers and specific driv

Germany - On 1 May, Alexander Donath accepted the position of sales manager Western Europe for Electro-Voice. In his new role, he will be the contact for distributors operating in Western European countries.

Donath states, "Rental companies and building clients on installation projects are obliged to invest in future-proof technology and therefore require comprehensive support from the planning stage right through to the commissioning and day-to-day operation of the equipment.

"Under the Bosch umbrella, Electro-Voice and its distributors are able to offer customers this high level of service and products. These are the most important factors contributing to the satisfaction of our customers, and I'm delighted to be working for a company with such a strong tradition and with such outstanding prospects for the future."

An academically qualified engineer and enth

Ukraine - The Opera Café has opened in Odessa's Arcadia Plaza hotel, complete with a QSC sound system.

Installed by the engineering department of Real Music, QSC's Ukrainian distributors, the venue takes its name from the world-renowned Odessa Opera and Ballet Theatre. The Café itself is located right in Odessa's late night tourist mecca.

Operated by a local entrepreneur, the former private members club and restaurant within the hotel has been completely restored and repositioned as an elite karaoke restaurant. The venue is divided into four zones - the main karaoke hall, two VIP rooms and a dancefloor.

Real Music submitted the best technical solution, fulfilling the clients' request for a QSC sound system - which was preferred to other brands they had experienced.

Real Music set about the design, installing four QSC lightweight, portable active K8 8in full r

Sweden - The recent LLB fair in Stockholm, the Nordic region's largest trade fair for sound, light and multimedia technology, was a triumph for German optical fibre specialists Optocore.

Swedish distributors Arva Trading AB welcomed many visitors to their stand at the Stockholm Exhibition and Congress Centre and Optocore was well represented right across its product range.

"Optocore is well known in Sweden among pro audio users and has an extremely good reputation," stated Peter Beckman, the company's PA/Live and installation specialist. "We have been representing the brand for a year and this was our first opportunity to really test the market at a trade fair."

Arva Trading received an unexpected boost when theatrical sound engineer, Aaron Beck, assistant head of sound for the latest Cirque du Soleil production in Las Vegas, Viva ELVIS, presented

Spain - On the outskirts of Vigo, a new 1.5m Euro studio complex, VigoSónico has recently opened giving local young musicians, producers and sound engineers the opportunity to explore their creativity in a world class studio environment.

The recording studio itself centres around a 24-channel Audient ASP8024-CS console, complete with Digidesign Command 8 and Protools 9 HD. Designed and installed by Audient's local distributor, Reflexion Arts the high-end equipment list also includes a comprehensive selection of quality microphones and outboard gear.

Sergio Castro, of Reflexion Arts comments, "The Audient desk fits into this set-up perfectly. We have every confidence that its solid, professional appearance along with Audient's well-known sonic clarity will serve VigoSónico very well for many years."

Already attracting the attention of local young artists, the Vigo

Attendance Figures - Star performers, including Keira Knightley, helped ensure that the proportion of West End theatregoers watching plays in 2010 rose again. The share of attendances for plays last year was 26.2% - up 0.7% from 2009, the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) said. It was already up 4.3% from 2008. The share for musicals was 59.5% - down 1.2% from 2009. It fell 4.4% from 2008 to 2009. Total attendances topped 14m. Figures refuted "claims that musicals are taking over", the SOLT said. Plays also achieved a record attendance total of 3,702,031, while the musicals attendance total was down 3% to 8,423,430.

In its box office data report, the SOLT states that "the big driver" behind business in 2010 was major name actors in plays. They included Knightley and Damian Lewis in The Misanthrope, as well as Sex and the City actress Kim Cattrall and Matthew M

USA - During the weekend of 15-17 April 2011 Atlanta staged two large festivals at the same time and this year it was RCF TT+ systems that supplied the sound to a big audience at the SweetWater 420 Fest and the Atlanta Dogwood Festival.

The Atlanta Dogwood Festival is an arts and crafts festival held each spring at Piedmont Park in Atlanta. Originally held for nine days across two weekends, it is now held only one weekend during early April, when the native dogwoods are in bloom.

The Dogwood Festival 2011 was celebrating its 75th years anniversary in the beautiful surroundings of Piedmont Park. With several stages with continuously performances the festival gives many upcoming artists and talents the opportunity to play their music to a wider audience.

On the festival there were performances by Charlie Wayne Watson, Arena Sound, Off the Grid, Frets on Fire, OGYA World Music

UAE - Melody House, distributor of HK Audio speaker systems has recently supplied Dubai-based rental firm Abacus Rentals with a ConTour Array system from HK Audio. The rental firm decided on the purchase after a comprehensive demonstration that highlighted the power, flexibility and clarity of the system from the German company.

"Abacus Rentals are a growing rental firm and this latest purchase will take them to new heights," commented Dino Drimakis, business development manager at Melody House. "With this second ConTour Array system in the UAE, HK Audio is gradually building a strong reputation in the live sound market."

(Jim Evans)

Switzerland - Barix AG reports that it surpassed the 100,000 device threshold for sales as part of a highly successful 2010 that also saw major project wins and double-digit growth.

"2010 was a huge success for Barix," said Johannes G. Rietschel, CEO and founder of Barix AG. "We passed a major sales milestone and experienced a substantial revenue increase. Barix contributed more than 1,200 devices to the largest Audio over IP project for live sound ever at a sports event in India, while securing key customer wins in security, transportation, healthcare and other markets."

Barix supplied the 1,200-plus Audio over IP devices for the Commonwealth Games in India last summer, handling IP contribution from all the venues to the control room; and distribution to a large number of broadcast studios. The company also continued to develop technology and business part

Canada - US microphone manufacturer Blue Microphones has appointed HHB as exclusive distributor of its products in Canada, effective 1 June.

Blue Microphones has grown to become a major international force in microphone manufacturing, with a product range that now encompasses studio, live, USB and iPod mics.

"In HHB, we've found a partner that shares our vision of providing the highest quality microphones to those with a passion for uncompromised sound," comments Blue VP of sales Dino Virella. "Blue Microphones is excited to expand our availability through the efforts of HHB Canada President Dave Dysart and his team who have a solid track record in supporting audio professionals and recording musicians in Canada."

Located in Toronto, Ontario, HHB Canada was formed in 1997 and is exclusive Canadian distributor for a range of audio technology innovators inc

UAE - Ampco returned to the simmering heat of Abu Dhabi this spring for the third WOMAD (World of Music and Dance) event to be staged in the UAE capital, supplying audio control and crew for the festival's three main stages.

Staged by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) and WOMAD, the multi-cultural festival is unusual among international events in being staged in two separate locations. Three stages grace the Abu Dhabi Corniche beach's white sands, while the historic Al Jahili Fort in the desert town of Al Ain provides a picturesque setting for two further stages. In all the festival attracted some 22,000 people a day, a total of 80,000 over the weekend.

Artists included Paloma Faith (United Kingdom), Baaba Maal (Senegal), Toumani Diabaté (Mali), Tarab Al Emarat (United Arab Emirates), Hindi Zahra (France/Morocco), El Tanbura (Egypt), Jimmy Cliff (

Denmark- For Christian Behrens, owner and engineer of SoundCrew Live Production, Aviom Personal Mixers have been the solution to help minimise volume and ease production setup for countless projects - from concerts and musicals to corporate events.

Founded in 2001, SoundCrew Live Production provides sound equipment and engineering for small concerts, corporate events, amateur musicals and school functions. When it comes to events such as church concerts and school musicals, where minimum volume on stage is crucial, SoundCrew has come to rely on Aviom, as the company's A-16II Personal Mixers help get a clean front of house mix and keep productions running smoothly by providing users with custom monitor mixes.

"We selected the Aviom equipment because of its low- to no-latency and availability in the Danish professional audio rental market, thanks to Moto Audio Sales,"

Germany - Black Box Music has become one of the first in a growing number of rental companies to invest in a second L-Acoustics K1 WST line source system, giving the German company a total of 96 K1 boxes.

The new K1 system, which raises BBM's inventory of L-Acoustics cabinets to more than 700, will be busy from May until September on major tours with Sade and Rammstein across Europe as well as North and South America, and will remain in the US for further shows. In the meantime, BBM's original K1 system, purchased in 2009 and the first in Germany, will be used for a Herbert Grönemeyer tour as well as the Hurricane/Southside festivals.

"K1 enjoys a high level of demand and market acceptance, and we were receiving more bookings than we could fulfill," says BBM technician and K System Engineer (KSE) Ulf Oeckel. "K1 is the best full range system on the market, inst

USA - Outline will showcase its iMode intelligent digital loudspeaker control platform at InfoComm 2011. iMode technology embeds a Linux-based CPU - with integrated DSP chip, parameter control software and web server - right into its powered speaker systems, thereby streamlining setup and control by eliminating the outboard gear between the console and power amplifier. Winner of a PLASA Innovation Award in 2010, iMode represents the next step in the marriage of loudspeakers, amplifiers and IT, says the company.

"When looking at what the next logical step should be for advancing digital parameter control for its self-powered loudspeakers, Outline decided to go to an entirely different level than anyone in the market by developing iMode," says Tom Bensen, senior vice-president and managing director of Outline North America.

"Not content with simply adding a DSP ch

UK - SFL Group has carried out the first UK install of the L-Acoustics KARAi modular WST line source system for permanent installation at Jesus House, a 2,000 capacity church in North London owned by the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

SFL Group chose the system because, according to technical director Mark Payne, "It presents a significant saving for the customer as the boxes don't have fixed touring rigging, which isn't necessary in a fixed installation. As an installation product it looks really neat; I'm very pleased with it and so is the customer, it sounds absolutely phenomenal.

"Being a bi-amped product, KARAi works really well for this installation because it has loads of high frequency headroom, so even when the box is pushed hard it maintains a high degree of clarity. Jesus House is within the contemporary worship/gospel tradition, so their music i

USA - At this year's InfoComm, Meyer Sound is featuring live presentations of the Constellation acoustic system, D-Mitri digital audio platform, and recently introduced loudspeakers including the JM-1P arrayable loudspeaker and MINA line array loudspeaker.

In Meyer Sound's demo room, visitors will experience the sonic fidelity and power packed in the compact MINA line array loudspeaker along with the JM-1P arrayable loudspeaker, which allows pinpoint control of horizontal coverage in stand-alone or arrayed configurations. The demonstrations will also include the D-Mitri digital audio platform, which employs the AVB (Audio/Video Bridging) standards. D-Mitri will showcase its pivotal role as a comprehensive AV production solution by controlling not only dynamic surround sound effects but also complex lighting effects and video cues.

On the show floor, another schedule of listeni

USA - Penn-Elcom is launching its new Penn Guard polyurea spray coating for speaker cabinets in two conveniently sized packages, ensuring that speaker manufacturers of all sizes will be able to benefit from its use, in addition to the larger manufacturers, many of whom have been using the finish as a standard for some time.

Penn Guard is a two-part spray, and is now available in two different sizes to suit all customer needs - 55 gallon drums and five gallon pails.

Special equipment is required to mix the two components (the polyurea and the activator). Penn offers several choices of application equipment for both high or low volume outputs.

Penn Guard's now increased accessibility dovetails into Penn-Elcom's range of speaker cabinet grills, hardware, accessories and Fane component speakers, says the company.

(Jim Evans)

USA - At InfoComm 201, Outline will show the Mini-COM.P.A.S.S. iMode which is designed for small-to medium-sized systems for touring or fixed installations.

"Mini-COM.P.A.S.S. iMode is the most advanced system of its type on the market," says Tom Bensen, senior vice-president and managing director of Outline North America. "Mini-COM.P.A.S.S. delivers a compact form, self powered, vertical line array system that is lightweight, easy to haul, easy to aim and contains not only a power amplifier, but the DSP engine iMode.

"Mini-COM.P.A.S.S. iMode receives its signal directly from the console without any outboard EQ, compression or crossover units. This saves on hauling, inventory and considerably streamlines system wiring. We believe Mini-COM.P.A.S.S. iMode will have a significant impact on the industry."

Users can control a Mini-COM.P.A.S.S .iMode sound

USA - Sound Media, a full service sound and lighting company based in Hollywood, Florida, has selected the Turbosound Flex Array as its flagship loudspeaker system. Founder and president Lennox Foster based his decision on the sound quality, efficiency and flexibility of the TFA-600H.

"My degree is in electrical engineering, so I am very analytical in choosing my equipment," he notes. "When we auditioned speakers for this purchase, the vocal clarity of the Flex Array really caught our attention. It provides great intelligibility, and really highlights the subtleties of music at any volume. Combined with the other design factors of the cabinet, it was the clear choice for us."

Corporate and worship events comprise the majority of Sound Media's business, along with a steady stream of music concerts. With venues ranging from hotel ballrooms and churches to gol

UK - Brighton Electric recording studio is launching a series of master classes under the banner 'Learn How the Professionals Really Do It'.

The studio, which is part of a complex that also offers extensive rehearsal facilities and related services for musicians is currently working with Mumford & Sons, White Lies, Sigur Ros, Noisettes, The Cure and many more.

The master classes are in fact intensive week-long modules featuring daily theory and practical sessions led by top producers, pro audio engineers, session musicians and technicians.

The schedule includes: Drums In The Studio (25-29 July), Studio Engineering (1-5 August), Live Engineering (8-12 August) and Record Production (15-19 August). Booking details are available at www.brightonelectric.co.uk.

All the modules are based around teaching the best techniques to achieve professional results through practical hands

Finland - Viiking Musiikki Oy has been appointed the exclusive distributor of Kling & Freitag for Finland.

The company, headed by Juha Jäppinen, has been using K&F products including CA1215 and Access for some years. At the end of April, a Sequenza 10 system, a SCENA 15 and other K&F products were delivered which are used for demonstration and renting purposes.

Upcoming events where the new equipment will be used include the Kuopio Vine Festival which will feature 22 bands. This will be followed in July by the Ilosaarirock Festival with Kate Nash (UK), The Exploited (UK), Kolmoslava , Rentolava and others.

Viiking Musiikki Oy was founded in 1994 and as well as sales and leasing of professional equipment also manufacturesin high quality custom-made flight cases.

(Jim Evans)

UK - L-Acoustics has appointed Chris Vass to the position of UK technical support manager, working alongside UK sales manager Stuart Down. Both will be at ABTT in London on 15 and 16 June on the HD Pro Audio stand.

Vass comes from a background of large scale corporate, rock and roll and theatre events, and has used L-Acoustics products for a number of years. "I feel there is really nothing better on the market," he says. "An opportunity to work with the company that not only invented the technology as we know it today, but is always at the cutting edge with regards to new products, doesn't come along very often, and I was very excited to be offered the job."

(Jim Evans)

Turkey - An Istanbul branch of the Nomads club has opened in Istanbul, installed with an L-Acoustics coaxial sound system.

Nomads Istanbul follows the concept of the original Amsterdam venue, serving up a combination of European and Eastern culture in both its style and cuisine, with interior decorations and tableware sourced from Morocco and Egypt.

Attention to detail didn't end with the interior decor. The Su Entertainment Group also deemed technical design to be a crucial factor in the new club's success. The group thereby handed responsibility for sound and light system design and installation to L-Acoustics' Turkish distributor, Elit Light&Sound Technologies. Elit has installed a system of four L-Acoustics 12XTi and seven 8XTi coaxial loudspeakers and four SB18 subwoofers around the club, powered by three LA4 amplified controllers.

"At Elit Light&Sound Technologies

Latest Issue. . .