Entertainment Design

, the magazine dedicated to the working theatre design professional, has announced this year’s Sound Product of the Year honorees. The five winners, picked by a panel of working theatre sound designers, will be honored at this year’s EDDY Awards, to be held Friday, June 27 at John Jay College Theatre in New York.

The winners, which are featured in the February issue of ED, are:

Playback Equipment: The Akai Z8 Sampler
The Z8 is a 24-bit, 96kHz, dedicated hardware-based sampler featuring the handy-dandy ak.Sys. PC/Mac control and networking software. “The new Akai Z8 sampler is a nice step forward,” says one judge.

Microphone Technology: The Countryman E-6 Earset
Countryman’s Isomax EarSets clip around your ear, not around your head. They never interfere with hairstyle, headphones, or hat, making them automatic favorites of costume and wig designers. Says one judge: “It sounds great!”

Console: The Digico D5 Live
A live music mixing system comprised of the D5 Live console, a front-of-house Digirack, a matching stage Digirack, and more, the system does away with the need for line drivers, dynamics processors, and--optionally--an entire effects rack too. Says one judge: “DigiCo's D5 is breathtaking.”

Loudspeaker: The Meyer M1D and M2D Curvilinear Arrays
The ultra-compact M1D is designed specifically for implementing vertical curvilinear arrays of up to 16 cabinets having 0° to 8° splay between adjacent units. The larger M2D is designed for mid-sized venues that require tight vertical pattern control with long throw. “This is a company that continues to support theatre in more ways than just developing products for us,” says one judge about Meyer.

Wireless Technology: The Sennheiser SK5012 Transmitter
The world's smallest professional bodypack transmitter, the SK5012 delivers 30mW of wireless audio while housed in a tiny shell. “The SK5012 is a must,” says one judge. “The engineering they did to squeeze an SK50 into such a tiny package is truly brilliant.”

The EDDY awards, which honor the best in design and technology, are part of the weeklong Broadway Master Classes, a two-part series of professional level training in lighting and sound by the masters of Broadway design. The Broadway Lighting Master Classes, headed up by Jules Fisher, will be held June 26-28; the Broadway Sound Master Classes, headed up by Abe Jacob, will be held June 28-29.

For more information on the classes, call Deanna Andrews at 212-204-1806, or email at dandrews@primediabusiness.com

For more information on the EDDY Awards, call David Johnson at 212-204-1811, or email at djohnson@primediabusiness.com