Live Sound Picks from AES

AES isn't just a recording show. This year's convention was packed with goodies for the live engineer. Here's my Top 10 list of fave picks. MORE

L-Acoustics Unveiled New Line Array
Huffing it over to the Hilton San Francisco (a refreshing seven-block walk from the convention center), crossing the hotel's picket line and searching for the grand ballroom isn't my idea of a good time-thank goodness there was a cool new product to see. L-Acoustics' new active three-way KUDO line source array sits comfortably on the market between its V-DOSC and ARCS systems. MORE

NEWS YOU CAN USE

Denver and the Mile High Orchestra Take Off With Aviom
Denver and the Mile High Orchestra (DMHO), a 13-piece contemporary Christian big band, have noticed a difference in their recent performances: "The Aviom Monitoring System has revolutionized our band," says Kenn Hughes, musical director for DMHO. "The dynamics have greatly increased because we can play soft passages and still hear one another, as well as play more musically and better in tune. We can really let ourselves get lost in the performance. Aviom has delivered a monitoring system that helps us play our very best!" MORE

New Dealer Announced for Midas, Klark Teknik
The Atempo Group has been appointed the exclusive distributor for Midas and Klark Teknik in Turkey. Turkish distribution specialists Atempo (Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya) also handles distribution for Electro-Voice and Dynacord. MORE

Pearson, Archibald Join Meyer Sound
Meyer Sound announced the promotion of two industry members to new positions within the company: touring sound veteran Don Pearson to technical seminar instructor, and Rachel Archibald, previously marketing projects manager, to director of marketing. MORE

Neutrik to Support NSCA EST Training, Certification Program
Neutrik USA, a manufacturer of connectors and accessories for the professional audio industry, announced that it would support the National System Contractors Association's (NSCA) Electronic Systems Technician (EST) training and certification programs. MORE

West Coast Fairs Look to JBL Sound Systems
Fresno, Calif.-based Speeda Sound will again be a major West Coast supplier of sound systems for fairs and their correlating events, adding a new JBL VerTec line array systems for this year's season. MORE

XTA Finds Recent Sales Success
UK-based XTA Electronics announced record growth during the 2003 to 2004 fiscal year. To meet increasing worldwide demand for XTA processing, the company recently doubled the size of its custom-designed R&D/development/manufacturing facility, which is located in Worcestershire, England. XTA is currently experiencing success with its Series 2 processors and DP Series speaker-management systems. MORE

LATEST INSTALLS
L.A.'s Greek Theater Renovates, Upgrades With Lake Contour

The historic Greek Theater's recently completed included six Lake Contour digital loudspeaker processors, which were specified and installed by L.A.-based Schubert Systems Group.
The rack of six Lake Contour 2-input, 6-output units positioned at front of house provides system control of the venue's newly installed JBL VerTec line array speakers, which are powered by Crown's I-Tech Series amplifier technology. The main left and right speaker hangs, suspended from new cantilevered steelwork on either side of the proscenium, are each controlled in three sections, comprising the top three boxes, middle six boxes and bottom three boxes. MORE

Church of Norway Opens With Harman Pro Products
The Christian Church congregation of Norway recently held the grand opening of its 7,500-seat main hall and facilities, the Brunstad Conference Center. The system features the largest number of Crown I-Tech Series amplifiers in a European installation to date, with 100,000 watts of total amplifier power. LydRommet AS, Harman Pro distributor for Norway, was responsible for system design, installation, trimming and quality control. The congregation's technical department handled all cabling and termination. MORE

Reel Rock Productions Brings Sound Reinforcement to PGA Championship
Larry Schmidt, owner of Tallahassee, Fla.-based Reel Rock Productions, had a distance dilemma in bringing sound reinforcement to Pete Dye Plaza, an outdoor zone given over to the PGA's Championship post-match live music and cocktail-oriented events. Schmidt and crew hit the sweet spot of the assignment with the aid of a self-powered ISIS WideLine rig from QSC.MORE

KV2, Ultimate Sound System Transform Gothic Church to Clubber's Heaven
Dave Chapman from Blaydon Communications (Newcastle, England) completed an installation for Ultimate Leisure's new venue, Halo, in Leeds. The site, a large 104-year-old deconsecrated Congregational Church comprising an adjacent school and caretakers lodge were all built in the Gothic revival style and are located in the immediate vicinity of Leeds University. Vaulted ceilings and monolithic stoneware presented unique acoustical challenges. MORE

Shanghai Oriental Arts, Studer Partner
Costing nearly $100 million, Shanghai's gigantic new cultural epicenter is scheduled to open at the end of 2004. The Shanghai Oriental Arts Center will feature three Studer Vista 8 audio mixing consoles specified for the main performance areas and a Vista 7 for the central control room. MORE