STOW, OH, June 24, 2010 — Audio-Technica, a leading manufacturer of wired and wireless microphones, headphones and accessory products, has recognized Roseville, California-based The Farm Technical Sales & Marketing as its Rep of the Year for the 2010 fiscal year. Marc Lee Shannon, Audio-Technica Vice President, Sales, and Tracy Brefka, Audio-Technica Territory Manager, Professional Products, presented the award to The Farm principal John Hood. The Farm sells Audio-Technica’s complete line of professional audio products to sound contractors and retailers in Northern California. more

— New models allow users to control audio, video and other components from one high-resolution, durable, professional-grade TFT display —

SYLMAR, CA, June 24, 2010 — Xantech Commercial expands its LCD touchpanel offerings as it unveils a complete series of touch-controller panels, featuring IP connectivity and video integration. Xantech SmartPanel™ LCD touchpanels all offer complete Room Control via RS422/232, IR, GPIO trigger and now IP for full control connectivity. With SmartPanel touchpanels, users can control audio, video, automation, teleconferencing and other components from one high-resolution, durable, professional-grade TFT display – all of the control processing is right in the panel itself, creating a very efficient room control panel with simplified installation and programming. The Xantech SmartPanel series is perfect for classrooms, conference rooms, digital signage, house-of-worship and hotel/hospitality applications. more

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, June 28, 2010 — Legendary recording, mixing and mastering engineer Bernie Becker has purchased a 16-channel AMS Neve Genesys console with 16 channels of dynamics and Encore moving-fader automation for his mastering facility in Pasadena, California, from Jason Cropper, Sales Account Manager at Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users. The portability of the compact console allows Becker, a recording studio owner for over three decades, and for many years also a touring monitor mixer and recording engineer for Neil Diamond, to easily transport the console between Bernie Becker Mastering and Diamond’s Arch Angel Studio in Los Angeles. more

Christie digital cinema projectors are found all over the world – and now they are also found at the “end of the world.� The Packewaia Cinema in Ushuaia, the capital of the Argentine province of “Tierra del Fuego� (“Land of Fire�) and the southernmost city in the world, has installed a Christie 3D digital projection system that is already playing to packed houses. With digital capabilities, the system can now offer first-run screenings of the latest Hollywood blockbusters, as well as the thrilling experience of 3D cinema. more

Renowned guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and producer, Aaron Mclain will rock the lead guitar for Beto Cuevas, opening for international superstars Sting, Enrique Iglesias and Nelly Furtado throughout Summer, 2010. Utilizing the DigiTech TimeBender Pedal, Mclain will bring a performance, worthy of an album sound, to thousands of screaming fans across the nation. more

In the first step to what will be a comprehensive expansion of its operations in India, Harman Professional today announced the appointment of audio industry veteran Ankush Agarwal to the role of Marketing & Communications Manager. Agarwal’s appointment is part of a greater overall initiative to bring increased focus to the Indian marketplace, and will be followed by more appointments to Harman Professional’s sales, technical support and service teams in the months ahead. more

McDonald’s

Designing and programming the lighting for McDonald’s biennial worldwide convention is no small task but Lightswitch lighting designer John Featherstone knew that partnering with Prelite Studios would enable him to maximize his creative time in an offline environment and get a big head start on programming hundreds of automated and conventional fixtures.

Featherstone has been a client of Prelite, which helps lighting designers and programmers use emerging technologies to previsualize lighting and video elements for productions, since its founding. He teamed with them on the last McDonald’s convention two years ago. The event, which returned to Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center, brought together over 15,000 McDonald’s owner-operators, vendors and corporate staff. more