News

OSLO, NORWAY — Vamp recently completed a three-week tour of Norway with the Norwegian Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra that culminated at the Oslo Spektrum Arena, where Vamp delivered its blend of Norwegian folk, Celtic music and rock to a sell-out crowd of 8,000, and for the tour, the role of monitor engineer was filled by Espen Andersen, using one of Soundcraft's new Vi6 digital desks.

OAKLAND, CA — Located on Broadway in downtown Oakland, Calif, the Paramount Theatre is one of the Bay Area's prime spots for high-profile concerts, lectures, theatre, and film; recent entertainment has run the gamut from B.B. King to the Oakland East Bay Symphony to a series of lectures by legendary film figures such as Robert Redford and Pulitzer Prize-winning authors, but while the acts booked have been strictly A-list, one recurrent complaint has dogged the theatre in recent years: mediocre sound.

Production Intercom, Inc is lukewarm about the addition of Dave Johnson to their marketing department, and Sibbelina appreciates the extra time she has gained by shirking her responsibilities onto me. Just yesterday we talked for four hours about how nice it was to have an extra three hours a day to get her work done. She is especially grateful to give me the responsibility of generating press releases that end up in your trash (sorry, recycle) bin.

VILLA SAN MARTINO, ITALY — When Motorola decided to host a special event to cement relationships with several hundred clients in Villa San Martino on the island of Elba, off the coast of Italy, they decided it fitting to engage live entertainment with pop singer Diana Ross, who was heard through a system of Meyer Sound M'elodie compact curvilinear array loudspeakers.

LOS ANGELES — The Oriental Mission Church, located in Los Angeles, Calif, has upgraded their sound system with the Adamson SpekTrix Line.

MIAMI, FL — Cirque du Soleil took the field during Super Bowl XLI's pre-game festivities, accented by the visual art of Miami artist Romero Britto, and behind the scenes at Dolphin Stadium, Professional Wireless Systems founder James Stoffo returned for his 11th Super Bowl to choreograph an RF blueprint using 14 channels of Shure UHF-R wireless, as well as a supporting cast of PSM 700 PM systems.

BERLIN — This year, Neumann will offer a program of more than 30 short workshops at its trade fair stand at Prolight + Sound (C 30, Hall 4.1). There will be seminars covering topics that include the practical application of studio and stage microphones and voice training and professional stage performance. The seminars are 30 to 45 minutes long and are free of charge.

LAS VEGAS — Ray Amico, a production/tour manager, has launched a new Web site called Friends of Gungi to benefit Gordon "Gungi" Paterson, an engineer and tour and production manager who has worked with such acts as Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Megadeth, Live, System of a Down, Tears for Fears and most recently, Fiona Apple, and who was diagnosed with cancer last summer.

WASHINGTON — From Wednesday, January 24, through Friday, January 26, representatives from Shure Incorporated, the Grand Ole Opry, the Professional Audio Manufacturer's Alliance (PAMA), the Sports Video Group (SVG), PRG Audio, Springboard Productions, Masque Sound and Sound Associates, Inc., among others, participated in a series of meetings in Washington, D.C. with U.S. Senators, members of the House of Representatives and Commissioners and staff at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

ROSWELL, GA — While in the process of shifting from a more traditional style to a more blended style of worship, the people of Northbrook United Methodist Church began to notice that their audio system wasn't capable of handling the change, so the church enlisted the help of Ronnie Stanford, systems advisor for dB Audio and Video, Gainesville, Ga., a company that provides installations for schools, government agencies and businesses, in addition to churches.

ANAHEIM, CA — SLS Loudspeakers recently introduced its RLA/4 (LS7500) full-range, bi-amped true line source array module at Winter NAMM 2007. The RLA/4 was developed for applications from permanent sound reinforcement installations in churches, auditoriums, arenas and performing arts centers, to a professional portable PA system.