Although originally founded as an audio post production facility for advertising and corporate clients, Kansas City-based CR Sound now has an enviable reputation as a film post facility having mixed seven feature films in the last decade.

Located in the beautiful Country Club Plaza, CR Sound is headed by Craig Rettmer, formerly manager of Soundtrek Plaza which he bought from his partners five years ago. Alongside CR Sound’s audio room, the building also houses a video editing facility, a film production group and a PR firm.

In recent months Rettmer and his team have upgraded the equipment in the main studio to incorporate a new Fairlight Constellation XCS console featuring a Xynergi centre panel and running on Fairlight’s latest Crystal Core (CC-1) engine. This replaces the Fairlight MFX3 Plus that Rettmer inherited with the business.

“We have been using Fairlight equipment since 2000 and I’ve always been more

Dow Jones Vista Data Wall

Audio visual integration company A-V Services has installed Vista Spyder video/widescreen display processors for three large videowalls on the trading floors at Dow Jones’s new midtown Manhattan space. Based in Fairfield, New Jersey, A-V Services designs and installs boardrooms, conference rooms, distance-learning centers and videowalls for Fortune 1000 companies.

“The Spyders act as engines for the videowalls providing multiple windows of information and broadcast video to the trading floors,” explains Ralph Capria, president of A-V Services. A total of seven Spyders consisting of a custom-configured mix of Spyder 200 and 300 series systems, are required for the three different videowalls. Nick Asadourian of New York-based consulting engineers Lilker Associates provided AV design for the project.

One Spyder is dedicated to a large videowall of 40-inch bezel-less Orion plasma screens in a more

Extron Electronics is pleased to announce the immediate availability of the MPA 401, an integrated Mini Power Amplifier that delivers 40 watts rms for 70 volt distributed speaker systems in classrooms, training rooms, and multi-purpose rooms. This ENERGY STAR qualified amplifier features an Extron exclusive, highly efficient, advanced Class D amplifier design with patented CDRSâ„¢ – Class D Ripple Suppression technology that provides a smooth, clean audio waveform and an improvement in signal fidelity over conventional Class D designs. This Extron exclusive, high efficiency design allows the amplifier to be fanless and operate in environments with little or no ventilation. more

Aiken, SC – January 2010… When it built its recently completed sanctuary, the South Aiken Church of God knew that a high performance sound system was essential. Music plays a vital role in the church’s contemporary Pentecostal services and, hence, solid music reproduction capabilities and a high level of speech intelligibility were considered top priorities during the design phase. After extensive evaluations, South Aiken Church of God selected a sound reinforcement system consisting of components from the TrueLine and Wave Series catalogs of Greensboro, NC-based WorxAudio Technologies. more

Topping Off

Traditionally, big buildings under construction hold a topping off ceremony to mark the installation of the last beam on the structure’s highest point. The new Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago staged a particularly memorable topping off where a large array of Coemar lighting fixtures from Windy City Music Sound & Lighting in Burr Ridge, Illinois provided dramatic lighting for Chicago-based producer Event Architects. Windy City was brought in by the Event Agency, Event Architects who was hired by Children’s Memorial Hospital

The celebration was held December 7 in downtown Chicago at the Museum of Contemporary Art Plaza located across the street from Lurie Children’s, which is scheduled to open in 2012. more

BETHPAGE, NY— RadiantGrid Technologies, developer of leading-edge transcoding, transformation, and new media automation service platforms, is providing Rainbow Network Communications with a consolidated solution to handle transcoding for the new cable network, MSG Varsity. In addition, Rainbow Network Communications will be using RadiantGrid to support transcoding of proxies and export material from its vast vault of SD content and ever growing vault of HD content. more

AVI-SPL, the largest global integrator of audio visual and video conferencing systems and services, today announced its 10-city tour schedule for the 2010 AVI-SPL University Professional Series. With events in Detroit, Cleveland, Wahington D.C., Atlanta, Seattle, Chicago, Long Beach, New York, Boston and Tampa, the free event offers professionals an opportunity to experience the latest in audiovisual technology, speak with industry experts, earn professional development credits, and network with peers in a relaxed environment. more

Clark Wire & Cable has announced the hiring of Doris Hiller as the eastern regional sales manager. Doris brings with her 16 years of experience in the broadcast and professional AV industries, most recently as the senior sales consultant for the eastern/international regions for a major wire and cable company.

— An Apple MacBook Pro laptop computer, Avid Digidesign Pro Tools LE recording software and an M-Audio MIDI controller get students off to a flying start —

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, January 11, 2010 — The Pennsylvania Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, the only privately licensed professional audio education facility in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, now supplies its students with a personal recording suite of advanced recording tools assembled and supplied by Guitar Center Professional, (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users. The toolset consists of an Apple MacBook Pro® laptop computer already loaded with Avid Digidesign Pro Tools LE recording software and an M-Audio MIDI controller/interface. more

Vaddio, the global leader in robotic PTZ camera’s and camera control systems is pleased to announce the appointment of Steve Johnson to Vaddio Channel Manager for portions of the East and West Coast regions.

Johnson brings over 25 years experience in marketing and sales management within the audiovisual realm. In his new role as Vaddio Channel Manager, Johnson will concentrate on Vaddio dealer/integrator development, communication and support within his assigned areas (Arizona, California, Nevada, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Northern New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont). more