TORONTO, CANADA—Humber College, which has trained professional musicians since the 1972 launch of its Jazz Music Diploma, has installed a 48-channel Duality console from Solid State Logic, the world’s leading manufacturer of analogue and digital audio consoles and provider of creative tools for music, broadcast and post production professionals. more…

EASTWEST, the industry leader in soundware development and distribution, is pleased to announce that all of its EASTWEST/QUANTUM LEAP SYMPHONIC ORCHESTRA “PLAY” EDITIONS will start shipping July 15, 2008. more…

HOLLYWOOD, JUNE 5, 2008 — Harmonization of both vocals and brass has been made easier with Best Service’s Vielklang harmonization instrument, created by Z.Plane Development. EASTWEST, exclusive U.S. distributor of Best Service products, is helping to bring this cutting-edge harmonization technology to musicians, songwriters and producers. more…

OXFORD, UK—Solid State Logic, the world’s leading manufacturer of analogue and digital audio consoles and provider of creative tools for music, broadcast and post production professionals, has been honored with five nominations for the 24th annual Technical Excellence & Creativity (TEC) Awards. more…

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, JUNE 18, 2008—Legends In Concert, celebrating its 25th year, is the longest running independently owned production show on the Las Vegas Strip. This international award-winning stage spectacular is a live musical celebration featuring the world’s greatest celebrity tribute artists. Behind the scenes, the musicians and sound engineers at the Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino know that there is no substitute for a crystal clear monitor mix. That’s why the team at Legends turns to Aviom (InfoComm Booth C4175) gear for real results.

Several years ago when the Legends crew decided to upgrade its aging analog console with a new Yamaha DM2000 mixing console, it added the Aviom 16/o-Y1 A-Net Card. The engineers connected five A-16II Personal Mixers, one for each band member, and kept a sixth unit on hand to accommodate an extra player who may join in for the night.

Since they have been installed, the Aviom mixers have been helping the team run a smooth operation night after night. According to front of house engineer Craig Palcisko, they have been working so well, the crew is looking to expand its use of Aviom gear to go beyond just the band members (featuring a musical director/sax player, bass player, drummer, keyboard player, and guitarist) to include background singers as well. Palcisko currently only handles monitor mixing for the singers. The flexibility of having the band members control their own mixes provides Palcisko with freedom he never experienced before as an audio engineer.

“It allows me to concentrate on the audio for guests that are coming to see the show, instead of worrying about what’s happening on stage with the musicians,” he says. “That’s one of the greatest assets of the Aviom gear; it allows the musicians to control their own sound instead of me having to do it for them. This is something new for me that I welcome.”

For Musical Director Joe Escriba, the ability to program preset mixes has made a world of difference in his performance as a musical director and as a saxophone player.

Eliminating the need to adjust monitor mixes to suit individual singers and musical styles is especially important in a show that features such a broad range of musical artists. “At any given moment, we could have a Garth Brooks impersonator on stage, then a Madonna, a Michael Jackson or Blues Brothers,” Escriba says. “Given all of those styles and different instrumentations, it’s nice to be able to have each style mixed differently. A modern pop mix would be something completely different than an Elvis upright bass, jazz snare and guitar trio. Each musician on stage has full control of the mix he’s hearing in his ears. It just makes the job so much easier.”

Guitarist Jim Buck has come to enjoy the freedom the A-16II provides as well. “I play in a number of shows in Las Vegas, as well as with my own band, and I always enjoy when I can use the personal mixer,” he says. “It really helps as you move from venue to venue to ensure that you always have a clean monitor mix. I play Legends several nights a week and I’ve gotten so used to the mixer. The time I appreciate it most is when I don’t have it and I miss the ability to mix my own sound. It’s a big time saver when you’re setting up and sound checking. The engineer doesn’t have to spend time worrying about your monitor mix, and it’s always right.”

Palcisko can’t imagine how the show got by some twenty-plus years without Aviom and expects that the show will continue using the equipment in the decades to come.

“Ever since we installed the Aviom mixers, I’ve gotten so many positive comments up front about the sound,” he says. “We can’t imagine running Legends without the A-16IIs now.”

Aviom is the world leader and pioneer of personal monitor mixing technology with the popular Pro16® Series, as well as the exclusive developer of the revolutionary Pro64® Series of audio networking products. All Aviom products are powered by A-Net®, the company’s groundbreaking high-speed digital audio transmission protocol. Aviom products solve problems in a variety of different environments, including live sound reinforcement, audio recording studios, houses of worship, theater, broadcasting and post-production facilities and a host of commercial installations. Aviom’s entire line of high-quality professional audio products are designed and manufactured in the USA.

LAS VEGAS, NV, JUNE 18, 2008 — Gepco International, an industry leader in the manufacturing of professional audio and video cables, is setting a new standard for multi-channel video connectors with the introduction of its V-CON Connector System. Designed to withstand the harsh environments posed by staging, remote and touring applications, the V-CON system provides the bandwidth and electrical performance for multi-channel HD interconnects in a durable, all-weather design. The company will be featuring the connector system at InfoComm 2008 (Booth C3419). more…

Peachtree City, GA, June 18, 2008 – With an unprecedented music career spanning over 40 years, Clarence McDonald has produced and recorded such artists as Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin and James Taylor. Knowing that he would need a reliable and reputable storage drive for his highly anticipated album, Clarence McDonald & Evolution, McDonald naturally chose Avastor’s HDX-800 Triple Interface FireWire drives. more…

LAS VEGAS, NV, JUNE 18, 2008 — Gepco (Booth C3419), an industry leader in the manufacturing of professional audio and video cables, is expanding its fiber cable assembly offerings to include Neutrik® OpticalCon® and Amphenol TAC-4 and TAC-12 cable assemblies. Gepco’s complete line of fiber cable assemblies will be on display at InfoComm 2008, June 18-20.

As an authorized manufacturer of OpticalCon cable assemblies, Gepco is now terminating custom lengths of tactical fiber cables with Neutrik’s OpticalCon connectors. Based on a standard optical LC-Duplex connection, Neutrik’s OpticalCon increases the reliability and maximizes the uptime for fiber optic connection systems. With the company’s introduction of the new IP65 rated model at InfoComm, the fiber optic connector system has been upgraded for dust-tight and water jet protection making it ideal for corporate, staging, remote and touring applications.

In addition to the new Neutrik OpticalCon cable assemblies, Gepco has added Amphenol TAC-4 four-channel and TAC-12 twelve-channel hermaphroditic connectors. The TAC-4 and TAC-12 hermaphroditic connectors are industry standard, multi-channel formats designed to withstand use and abuse in harsh environments.

As with all of the company’s fiber assemblies both the Neutrik and Amphenol assemblies are factory terminated by Gepco and feature precision machine-polished contacts which offer UPC quality to achieve –55dB return loss specifications. This process helps to attain excellent optical clarity and alignment, reducing back reflection and minimizing insertion loss. For further transmission assurance, all assemblies are 100% tested and verified for consistent performance and feature premium quality connectors and components.

“To meet the demands of the increasing amount of fiber optic applications in the broadcast and professional AV markets, we have expanded our fiber options to provide a wider variety of fiber interconnect solutions,” says Scott Fehl, Gepco’s Product Development and Marketing Manager. “Neutrik has a reputation for high-quality connector products and we are looking forward to being a part of that. The combination of Neutrik’s OpticalCon and Gepco’s assembly capabilities will further provide our users with a reliable fiber optic interconnect solution, that can be manufactured and delivered quickly and on-time.”

“Gepco has been a Neutrik dealer for years – it is great to take this business relationship to the next level,” says Jim Cowan, president of Neutrik USA. “Gepco is known for the quality products it produces. We are happy to invite the company to be a part of Neutrik’s manufacturing team.”

The assemblies are joining the variety of fiber solutions that Gepco currently offers which include; SMTPE 304M hybrid fiber camera cables (using Lemo or Canare brand connectors), ST/SC/LC multi-mode or single-mode snakes, indoor permanent installation cables, as well as tactical and portable-use cables.

Gepco International, Inc., with headquarters in Des Plaines, IL, and branch locations in Burbank, CA and Chestnut Ridge, NY, has been a leading provider of studio and broadcast audio and video cables for 27 years. The company also specializes in manufacturing custom cable assemblies, panels, patch bay harnesses and breakout boxes. In addition, Gepco stocks and distributes connectors, patchbays and other cable-related products. For more information, visit the Gepco website at www.gepco.com

LAS VEGAS, NV, JUNE 18, 2008 - Neutrik, designer and manufacturer of the XX series XLR cable connector, showcases its power as an industry leader in connectivity with its enhanced 32 Amp PowerCon® at InfoComm 2008 (Booth C3657). Neutrik’s new 32 Amp PowerCon is a high-capacity connector that meets the ever increasing demand for higher power transfer and load in the AV industry. more…

WEST CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA, JUNE 16, 2008—Aviom (InfoComm Booth C4175), exclusive developer of the world’s most powerful audio transport protocol, A-Net®, is pleased to welcome Liz Marshall as its Director of Customer Service & Support. In this role, Marshall will oversee customer service, technical support, warranty and repairs service, and sales support. more…