First published in 1976 and well established as the classic practical lighting guide, The Stage Lighting Handbook marks 25 years with the publication of a sixth edition.

Since the publication of the first edition, there have, of course, been revolutionary changes in stage lighting technology - all quickly embraced by the regular new editions of the book.This latest edition naturally embraces all the latest technology, but also continues to discuss the basic principles - event to the extent of advising how to use one single spotlight if that is all that is available. It also includes up-to-date information on new equipment and discusses its impact on working methods.

While continuing to provide an introduction to readers with no previous lighting experience, the scope of the book has be

The doors have opened at Earls Court for Day 1 of the 24th PLASA Show, and the first visitors are now filling the show floor, where over 370 exhibitors are displaying their latest innovations to the industry. Over 400 products are making their first appearance at a PLASA Show, with the cream of the crop entered into the PLASA Awards for Product Excellence, and displayed in the New Technology Gallery on the Top Deck of Earls Court, which is this year sponsored by Lighting&Sound International magazine.

Throughout today, and for the duration of the show, the team from PLASA Media will be bringing you all the latest news and pictures from the show floor. To follow events as they unfold at PLASA 2001, visit our dedicated news section at the address below:

Sennheiser today announced to the industry press the introduction of a number of new products at PLASA 2001. New to the evolution range of products is the ew550 live touring receiver, a completely new design comprising two independent UHF true diversity receivers in a 1U 19" rack-mount unit, designed specifically for multi-channel operation. Each receiver offers 16 channel memories and 1280 programmable frequencies within a 32MHz switching bandwidth. Other enhanced features include an advanced RF input stage for optimum multi-channel systems operation in hostile sound touring environments.

Also new to the evolution range, the e664 adds to the company’s dedicated instrument microphones. Designed for applications such as drum kit overheads, or highly accurate acoustic instrument miking, the e664 features low noise electronics, high output and a highly sensitive capsule that dr

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Indochine X PixMob Fan Immersion

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's - 40 thousand LED pixels on a ceiling!!! Indochine's whirlwind tour transports fans to another level of the live experience - immersing them from floor to ceiling with PixMob's X4 wristbands, and an LED ceiling made entirely of its NOVA Minis! With the vision of Indochine's creative team, PixMob used its LED fan-technology to turn attendees and venues into an ocean of effects, and a starry sky of LED magic. Très très cool!

Read more about the Indochine tour in the latest issue of LSi

The 56 products nominated for this year’s PLASA Awards for Product Excellence are currently available for visitors to view on the Top Deck of Earls Court, in the Lighting&Sound International-sponsored New Technology Gallery (pictured). The Gallery allows a one-stop view of all the latest product innovations in the categories of Lighitng, Sound, Stage Engineering and Audio-Visual. Judging for the Awards will take place during the show, by a panel of experts from each respective field. The winners will be announced at a special ceremony at 9.30 on Wednesday morning, at which time PLASA will also present the money raised from the Awards entries to a number of charities.

To view the complete list of products entered for the PLASA Awards for product Excellence, visit the web address below:

Following negotiations with the founding owners of Swedish gobo manufacturer Beacon, Martin has purchased 25% of the share capital of the company with an option to purchase an additional 15%. Martin’s capital investment in the company is intended to ensure Beacon’s aggressive growth strategy, while guaranteeing future influence on the company’s development. Beacon will continue to operate as a fully independent company. Its three owners will continue to head the company while Martin makes its influence felt through the Board of Directors.

Following Martin’s introduction of the MAC 2000, Beacon became Martin’s most important gobo supplier. The company employs some 20 people and expects a turnover of app. SEK 25 million for the financial period covering September 2001 to August 2002.

Announced today at PLASA, leading live sound company Britannia Row Productions, has purchased a range of power amps from high-end touring and installation manufacturer, Chameleon Audio, which will form part of Britannia Row’s comprehensive touring set-up. Since the beginning of this year, Britannia Row has been reviewing the specifications of amplifiers currently available and decided to put the Chameleons through their paces. They were particularly impressed with the sound quality and size-to-power ratio, and are further assessing them on selected shows over the summer.

Tests were initially undertaken in June and July at indoor and outdoor venues with capacities spanning 2,500 to 25,000 respectively. The trials culminated in the Route of Kings concerts in Hyde Park with the Beach Boys, Status Quo, Andrea Bocelli, Tom Jones and Michael Flatley's Lord of The Dance. Of the 40 amps

LeMark had a press meeting yesterday to announce the launch of its new catalogue. The company invited people to join it for a champagne launch to mark the occasion. The long awaited new catalogue shows the diversity of products available from Le Mark which was originally established in 1983 to supply the consumable demands for self adhesive products used within the TV, film and theatre industries. Since those early days the company has grown to the point where it now offers a cross section of inter-related products designed for use in many areas of the industry. The company also used the occasion to announce its recent strategic alliance with Scapa Tapes plc one of the world’s largest adhesive tape manufacturers, supported by 22 production and distribution sites across the globe.

First-time exhibitor Acutek comes to the PLASA Show having recently moved to new custom-built premises in Ipswich. The move comes within the company’s first year of operation and will allow for more streamlined production and more efficient customer service. The company now employs 10 people and expects this to increase over the next 12 months. "Our new premises have ample scope for us to expand as we develop our product range in line with the industry’s requirements," said operations director Ian Elder. At the Show itself, the company is demonstrating its range of motion and hoist control systems and its recently developed range of touring dimming systems.

Acutek can be found on Stand R54

There are a number of attractions of the High End stand at PLASA 2001, including the x.Spot with new framing shutters and Lithomotion features, and the Catalyst periscopic moving head projection system, which has been displaying real-time moving video projections from the stand. Our uppermost picture shows PLASA Media photographer Chris Toulmin photographing the Catalyst-projected image of himself on the rear wall of the stand.

Another eye-catching feature of the High End exhibit this year is the tiny C-16 colour changer for retail and display applications. Our second picture shows the effect of these MR16-equipped units on a mannequin display. These look set to sell by the truckload.

You can tell a lot about a person from their business card, so I’m not quite sure what I was meant to make of my first meeting with John Furneaux, Nick Swallow and Caroline Buchanan of the Furneaux Stewart agency. Each proffered a handful of their own business cards in a range of different colours. Afraid my choice of colour might give them some insight into the murkier workings of my mind, I took one of every hue and a few to spare. I later came to realise, of course, that this simple exchange was not about me, it was about them: the business cards are simply another expression of what they do - take the familiar and think outside the box.

As a design and communications agency, it earns its living transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary, whether it be for a product launch, exhibition stand, new visitor attraction or an interpretation project at a heritage site. I guess

Wembley Loudspeaker’s appearance at PLASA marks its 30th year in the industry. The company, which was launched in 1971, supplies a range of equipment to musicians, churches, schools, theatres, clubs and cinemas, and is still creating new products at the fore of the audio marketplace. Wembley also offers Europe’s largest repair refurbishment facility for nearly all makes of professional and studio, units including a comprehensive range of parts for many vintage and rare speakers. On the stand at PLASA is the 15-400 Pro Cabinets launched earlier in the year, along with the range of B-Line 18" 800 and 600 bass drivers which have proven highly popular since their introduction to the market.

Wembley can be found on Stand G36.

Australian company Bytecraft has won the contract to supply the Beijing Grand National Theatre with its control system and electrics. The state-funded Opera is scheduled for completion in December 2004 and the Bytecraft contract - which covers both the control system featuring 400 axis of control and electrics and is worth $32million - will see the creation of one of the biggest control systems in the world. Bytecraft expects to go on site in early 2002 and remain there until the venue opens.Bytecraft can be found on Stand R48.

The opening day of the 2001 PLASA Show proved to be one of the busiest opening days the show has yet experienced, with early indications showing a 6% increase in visitors over the previous year. Clarion Events, the PLASA Show organisers, also report that visitor pre-regisration for PLASA 2001 showed an increase of around 1,000 over last year's event.

The show floor was buzzing throughout the day, with many exhibitors commenting on the especially high quality of both UK and international buyers visiting the show. Watch out for more developments from the PLASA Show as we enter Day 2 . . .

TJ Livehouse, one of Singapore's newest and more popular nightclubs, has had an all-Apogee system installed to provide sound in its 20,000sq.ft venue. The nightspot is a disco, but also hosts live entertainment including band performance, DJ and dance competitions, pageants and game shows. TJ Livehouse, which was converted from a movie theatre, needed to project uniform sound to the entire area, which includes a balcony. Before making the choice, the venue’s management had each potential vendor come into the club and set up a live demonstration. An Apogee system, featuring nine ALA-9 linear array loudspeakers, six FH-18 quad-subwoofers, and 28 DA-800 amplifiers, was then selected for permanent installation.

Silas Rabi, owner of Emaginex, the company which installed the system, said: "Apogee's line array speakers provided the sound quality TJ Livehouse was looking for, normal

Depeche Mode have followed their successful album Exciter with a world tour that sees them playing 80 dates around the globe. Lighting designer is Paul Normandale who has masterminded an extraordinary light show that incorporates Martin MAC 2000s and giant video projections by artist Anton Corbijn. Using 19 MAC 2000s, Normandale and his collaborators have created a unique lighting design, with a cleverly-constructed interplay of light, film and Depeche Mode's own unique brand of electronica. Normandale took full advantage of the MAC 2000's hard-edged beams to create a strong visual look that mirrored the moods of the evening's varied repertoire. At times the band was given an almost graphical quality by a silhouetting backlight of MAC 2000 beams. Crew Chief Mike Hosp noted: "The MAC 2000 is a very positive step in the technology of moving lights. It has the brightness that LDs want

On the first day of the PLASA Show at London’s Earls Court yesterday, TMB announced the opening of TMB Beijing. TMB CEO Colin Waters stated: "With customers involved in projects throughout China, local coordination has become essential. This office will add another level of support to our international vendors and customers, with a focus on the growing Chinese market. TMB’s ability to assimilate the best equipment from around the world is a real benefit here."

Cherry Huang, a Beijing resident who has worked with TMB on a freelance basis for several years, has assumed the role of TMB Beijing office manager. Waters commented: "The opening of TMB Beijing is the culmination of 10 years’ work in this region. This is an exciting moment. We expect great things from our new location, especially with someone as talented as Cherry Huang heading it up."

Martin Professional will launch a new version of its successful MAC 2000 Profile at PLASA 2001. The new version, the MAC 2000 Performance, is a 1200W profile framing spot featuring a four-blade framing system for precise stage lighting and gobo animation wheel for extraordinary theatrical effects, the ideal illumination framing tool for theaters and special effect applications. Useful for accurate illumination coverage of stage props, scenery or any object, the precision adjusting, fully automated beam framing system transforms the elliptical beam into a multitude of different shapes. Fine adjustment of the shape is within millimeters thus eliminating any excess back light and perfect for stage shows of all types.

Also new to the MAC 2000 Performance is a gobo animation wheel useful for special theatrical effects such as fire, sky and water imaging. The entire wheel can be swiveled for

More than 250 of the world's leading companies from 30 countries will showcase their products and latest technology in the 11th Consecutive Broadcast India 2001 Exhibition & Symposium. A host of leading manufacturers will exhibit a wide range of products catering to the broadcast and entertainment industry in three days of the exhibition. The Broadcast India 2001 Exhibition will be held from 1-3 November 2001 at World Trade Centre, Mumbai in three halls - Expo Centre, South Side Lobby and Centrum - spreading over 40,000sq.ft of stand space. The exhibition will be preceded by a two day Symposium from 30-31 October 2001, to be staged at the Y B Chavan Centre, Mumbai. Industry professionals will speak on various topics covering the fields of TV, radio, video, audio, film, music, lighting, cabling, satellite, multi-media, transmission, computer graphics, broadband internet and all their alli

Zero 88 chose the PLASA Show to present three Dealer of the Year Awards. Winner of the Independent Dealer of the Year Award was Stagecraft Ltd of Salisbury, while High Wycombe-based AC Lighting Ltd picked up the UK dealer of the Year Award. The International Dealer of the Year Award was presented to California-based AC Lighting Inc, and our picture shows Zero 88's Graham Eales (centre) presenting the Award to CEO Bob Gordon (left) and Mike Falconer of AC Lighting Inc.

Cork-based lighting, technical design and production specialists LDPS has further expanded its team with the addition of two new project consultants - Joe Stockdale and Michael Hurley. Their specialist areas are stage technologies and mixed/multi-media respectively. Stockdale and Hurley join LDPS founder Grant Collie and will be based in the company’s new premises in central Cork. The appointments will strengthen LDPS’s position as a market leader in the field of creating practical technical solutions based on hands-on experience.

Stockdale’s role will include venue technical design, specialising in stage systems, site installation supervision, special projects, client liaison, training and recruitment. His diverse background includes the teaching of theatre studies, set design and construction and event production. For the last nine years, he worked as technical stag

Young, talented DJ Scratch-Mo astounded music industry judges and the crowds to win the Extreme V DJ Competition yesterday at the PLASA Show 2001, Earls Court. The annual competition, sponsored by Gemini Sound Products attracted queues of young hopefuls from across the country to its stand for a chance to audition at the UK’s biggest entertainment technology show of the year.

22-year-old DJ Scratch-Mo (real name Angelo Tun) from Derby performed two superb sets to beat off stiff competition in his heat and the final winning £500 worth of Gemini DJ equipment. The music mad Media Technology graduate who has been DJing for seven years was thrilled to win and hopes that it will lead to a career in DJing.

The competition took place on the opening day of PLASA, DJ Sunday and is just part of a programme of events which included a guest appearance from super star DJ, Roger Sanchez at t

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