“The TimeFactor and ModFactor offer so much flexibility in a compact pedal.�
– Kevin Hunter, guitarist.

Looking for the perfect combination of versatility, performance and portability, guitarist Kevin Hunter has added the Eventide TimeFactor and ModFactor stompboxes to his repertoire. Hunter, the former guitarist for Jive Records recording artist Lesley Roy, is currently working on a project with producer Hal Willner (Lou Reed, Lucinda Williams, Marianne Faithfull). more

Known for its power, performance and reliability, Crown Audio’s legendary I-Tech Series of amplifiers was selected by Audio Analysts of Colorado Springs, Colorado for Bruce Springsteen’s North American tour. Crown’s I-T4000 and I-T8000 amplifiers were used to power JBL VerTec VT4889 and VT4887 line array elements and JBL VT4880 arrayable subwoofers. Springsteen’s tour began in Hartford, Connecticut on February 28, making 29 stops throughout North America before a 12-country tour in Europe. The tour returned to Springsteen’s home state of New Jersey for three performances at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford on July 27, 28 and 29, where with the help of his fans, Springsteen belted out classics including “Out In The Street�, “No Surrender�, “Thunder Road�, “Born to Run� and “Glory Days.� The final show will take place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 30. more

Soundcraft® Si3 promises to deliver more for less than any other.

Currently riding high with tours and engineers thanks to the incredible success of the Vi Series digital consoles, Soundcraft has launched a mid-market partner console in the Soundcraft Si3. This new desk is designed for live use on both touring sound systems and in fixed installations and its intuitive operation and high input and bus count makes it a perfect choice for House of Worship sound systems. Theatre users will also find the Soundcraft Si3 very applicable in their area.

What is particularly nice about the Si3 is it all comes in one chassis – console surface, all input and output connections, power supply – so it can literally drop in and replace an existing analogue desk as almost certainly no additional cabling would be required to install it. This compact footprint desk can directly handle 64 mono inputs, 4 stereo inputs and has full connectivity for all 35 output busses (24 Aux/Group, 8 Matrix and Left/Right/Centre mix buses), something you don’t find often on digital consoles at the price level of the Si3. Add to this 4 Lexicon® effects processors, 12 VCA groups, 8 Mute groups and bar graph metering for all 35 bus outputs and you begin to see what a package the Si3 is. more

Managing to connect a thin bat with a small round ball has been an athletic pursuit for a great many centuries, and it will take on new significance when women’s softball teams from around world converge on Beijing to play in the Olympics Softball event. The large stadium complex, which consists of two ball fields and one training field, with a seating capacity of 13,000 will require sound commensurate with its scale.

The sound systems feature two Soundcraft GB4 Series desks at their core. A 32-channel GB4 and a 16-channel GB4 are providing mixing and management for the combined sound systems that comprise of 12 Crown CTs 2000 amplifiers, seven CTs 3000 amplifiers and five Crown CTs 1200 amplifiers driving 64 JBL Application Engineered (AE) Series and Precision Directivity (PD) Series surface-mount loudspeakers with processing by 23 dbx DriveRack 260 processors and two dbx PB48 processors. The GB4 offers a comprehensive array of functions in a small and cost-effective footprint including GB30 mic preamps re-engineered circuit topology and EQ designs, rigid steel chassis and high-quality vertically mounted PCB channel strips. The dual-mode topology allows it to be used for FOH or monitor duties with fader control of group or aux outputs. more

Demonstrating the unmatched performance and ease of installation of JBL Control® Contractor loudspeakers and VRX line arrays, Wassmann Audio Video has installed sound systems in 10 Six Flags theme parks across the country. While each location poses its own acoustical challenges, JBL Control 29AV surface-mount loudspeakers and VRX932LA compact line array loudspeakers are prevalent in each park. more

Few sports test an Olympic athlete the same way that cycling does. It requires maximum strength and endurance for the cyclist to perform at the highest level. At the Beijing 2008 Summer Games, cyclists are competing in the brand-new Laoshan Velodrome, whose sound system is only matched in excellence by the Olympians themselves.

Laoshan Velodrome, which will host all cycling during the Olympics, has a capacity of 6,000 spectators. It features a 250-meter oval shaped track and a total surface of 32,920 square meters. Positioned in the arena are the BSS Audio Soundweb Original SW9088iis, one dbx DriveRack 260 control, along with Crown CTS 600 and CTS 1200 amplifiers powering two JBL AC2212/64 and two JBL AM 4315/64 loudspeakers. The system was sold through Hong Kong-based distributor Advanced Communications Equipment (ACE). more

Demonstrating the ease of installation and even dispersion of JBL VLA line arrays, leading audio video products and services provider AVI-SPL oversaw the redesign of the audio system at the Rose Garden, home of the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers. The new system features six line array clusters of VLA loudspeakers.

The redesign of the audio system at the Rose Garden was a part of a major capital improvements project that included a new video scoreboard, powered by a state-of-the-art HD control room. The improvements also included a facelift of the Rose Garden’s main concourses, restaurants, party suites, as well as upgraded LED stats boards and auxiliary scoreboards. more

Bi-coastal team of audio specialists with gear from Firehouse Productions and ATK/Audiotek enable live audio support for global broadcast.

The global adoption of JBL VERTEC® line arrays continues to grow with an international flavor as demonstrated by the specification and use of a full-scale VERTEC system for the 57th Miss Universe 2008 pageant. The event took place at the Crown Convention Centre, located at the scenic Diamond Bay Resort on the coast near Nha Trang City, Vietnam. Dayana Mendoza, Miss Venezuela, was crowned Miss Universe 2008 from a field of 80 hopeful contestants. The pageant was broadcast live by NBC in English and Telemundo in Spanish to more than one billion viewers in over 180 nations.

An all-star audio crew from the USA, including A-1 (lead engineer) New York-based Tom Holmes, Los Angeles-based digital console specialist Andrew “Fletch� Fletcher and Firehouse Productions’ system engineer Mark Dittmar, spearheaded the sound system setup, optimization and operation. Staged in a 7,500-seat performance space, the audio system needed to provide precision coverage with sufficient power to be heard throughout the venue, with adequate clarity to meet live broadcast standards. To achieve these goals, the professional audio team turned to VERTEC for the system’s loudspeaker components. more

Taking advantage of the power and flexibility of Crown’s I-Tech Series amplifiers, Sirius Showequipment AG of Niederdorfelden, Germany provided Audio Analysts with over 100 of Crown’s I-Tech amplifiers for use on the Bruce Springsteen tour throughout Europe. The European leg of the 23-stop tour began with three shows in Dublin, Ireland on May 22nd, 23rd and 24th followed by four shows throughout the U.K. The tour continued in Dusseldorf and Hamburg, Germany with a single appearance in Amsterdam in between on June 18th. Antwerp, Belgium; Milan, Italy; Paris, France and Copenhagen, Denmark were all treated to single-night appearances of “The Boss.� The tour continued to Oslo, Norway and Helsinki, Finland before concluding with four nights in three locations in Spain: San Sebastian, Madrid and Barcelona. The tour then returned to the U.S with a 3-night stint in Springsteen’s home state of New Jersey at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford. more

JBL VERTEC® speakers, Crown I-Tech amplifiers and Soundcraft Vi6 Digital Consoles specified for spectacular event sound system design.

In one of the most-watched global media events of the year,the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing was held on Friday, August 8 at the newly-constructed Beijing National Stadium (known informally as “The Bird’s Nest�). The Opening Ceremony marked the beginning of the 29th Olympic Summer Games. While the Stadium normally has a capacity of 80,000, an additional 11,000 temporary seats helped accommodate the 91,000 spectators at the ceremony, which lasted nearly four hours, and included four segments: the opening address, artistic performances, entrance of the competing athletes, and lighting of the primary Olympic torch flame inside the stadium. more