Stage Technologies has announced its decision to become Gold sponsor for the forthcoming international conference on Theatre Engineering and Architecture 2002 taking take place in London next June. The theatre event of 2002 will examine technology and architecture for the performing arts. Presented in a hotel venue in London's Theatreland, the conference will bring together theatre technicians, architects, consultants, scenographers, lighting designers, stage and building services engineers, acousticians, fire prevention specialists as well as building owners, cost consultants, new clients and project managers.

The conference will be followed by the ABTT Theatre Show. Stage Technologies' commercial director Nikki Scott said: "We are delighted to sponsor this landmark international e

Richard Martin Lighting has announced another new addition to the company - Michael Stevens, who joins the company as technical manager. Stevens leaves behind his former position as senior engineer at Martin Professional UK, where he had spent the last seven years. RML is a specialist rental supplier of intelligent lighting and control systems to the film and television industry. The company's clients have included Top of the Pops, The Spice Girls, SMTV Live, BBC Studios, Comic Relief and The Brit Awards.

Sennheiser has redefined miniaturisation in terms of wireless technology with its latest SK 5012 UHF beltpack transmitter, which, according to the company, is the smallest commercially available UHF transmitter yet designed.

The latest addition to the 5000 series, the SK 5012 is a third shorter than the current SK 50A beltpack model (itself one of the smallest available lavalier transmitters). Weighing in at just 130g, including two AAA Alkaline cells, on which it operates continually for approximately seven hours, the SK 5012 provides the lowest profile of any available professional RF transmitter while incorporating the full range of the 5000 series' features. Additionally, the all metal casing design provides greatly improved protection against moisture and humidity levels, while a new antenna design provides the SK 5012 with an RF power out put of typically 30mW - optimised for mul

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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

Kelsey Acoustics, leading manufacturer and supplier of professional audio and lighting cables, supplied a number of Kelsey 100 touring multipin connectors, looms and breakouts to ATG Spectrum for its recently-completed installation in Studio 3 at the BBC's Television Centre in Wood Lane.

Studio 3 is the new home of the Top of the Pops and Later with Jools Holland broadcasts, and the request for Kelsey's involvement came directly from the sound supervisor responsible for both programmes. Mike Felton explained: "We were temporarily housed at Riverside Studios for TOTP whilst the move and refurb was going on, and SSE were supplying all the monitoring and PA facilities. They use Kelsey's 32-way multicore as standard, and having used it ourselves, Gary [Clarke, sound supervisor TOTP] and I immediately requested that a compatible line system be installed in Studio 3. It entirely fitted

Melbourne’s exciting new A$290m (£105m) museum in the Carlton Gardens is as thoroughly a 21st century museum as its predecessor had been a thoroughly Victorian natural history museum.

The wooden-framed glass cases of mineral samples, stuffed animals and neatly-pinned insects, have been replaced by interactive exhibits that recount the history of Australia, its peoples and its region, using the entire panoply of contemporary display and production technologies. Museum operations manager Craig Gamble (who started life in technical production for the performing arts), considers the museum spaces to be of three types.

There are the circulation and orientation spaces, which include the foyers that house permanent displays of iconic objects such as a whale skeleton and a tram. There are permanent exhibitions (5-10 year lifespans), and finally, there are temporary exhibition spaces

Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone has already received great critical and popular acclaim and is expected to become the biggest grossing film ever for Time Warner. Vertigo Rigging, Spirit Design and Fourth Phase were amongst those who helped supply the magic for the recent World Première at London’s famous Odeon Cinema, Leicester Square.

Vertigo, working for production company West Design, show producer Lucy Smail and production manager Andy Cheesman, transformed the front of the building into Hogwarts School of Wizardry & Witchcraft for the evening of 4 November.

With a seven-day get in, the event required over 22 tonnes of equipment, 12 tonnes of which was hung off the side of the building - representing a huge logistical and practical challenge for Vertigo. Work began on 29 October, when project manager Paddy Burnside and his team of riggers supervised a 60 tonne

Trussing, aluminium and ground support specialists James Thomas Engineering has designed an integrated Trussing module - on its safe use and handling - for PCM's renowned Lodestar two-day Motor School. An extended version of the trussing module is also run at PCM's five-day-Rigging School. James Thomas's Trussing course was devised by project manager Paul Young, who says: "There's more than meets the eye with trussing and its associated safety issues, and also the wider ones generally across in the rigging industry. Anyone interested in furthering their knowledge of motors and rigging also needs to know all about trussing. People are often surprised at the complexity of the subject!"

Like the Motor School, the Trussing module is presented in a hands-on, practical manner. For the two-day Motor School - run free of charge by PCM - the Trussing section takes up half a day. At th

Media communications company Dimes & Sillitoe has moved to Kingston-upon-Thames after announcing a joint venture with Surrey-based design agency, DCG. Dimes & Sillitoe, headed by Nick Dimes and Sue Sillitoe, handles press and public relations for a number of clients within the music, pro audio and broadcast industries. These include Audio Processing Technology, Sphere Studios, Munro Associates, the FX Group, Curious Software and the Music Managers Forum. DCG offers traditional print and graphic design services, but has recently expanded its operation to include a communications and marketing strategy department and a technology division handling new media and internet-based projects. Working in partnership will enable both companies increase the range of services they offer.Caption

The Entech 2002 Conference program features workshops and seminars in areas of lighting, design, rigging, audio, projection and even the business needs of a DJ. Sessions includeIntroducing the Line Array; The Future of Systems Integration and ProAV Technology; Venue Design Forum; Digital Live Sound Mixing; Lighting Designer Forum; Rigging Workshop; Stacks and Racks; Motor Training School; Location Sound Recording; Trends in Facilities; The Art of Designing with Moving Lights; We Are Surrounded (Surround Sound); and The Changing Face of Post Production.

Entech 2002, Australasia’s leading entertainment technology trade show, will be held in Sydney’s Darling Harbour from 4-6 February 2002. For further details on the conference programme and exhibits, visit the web address below:

Focus 21 Visual Communications has undertaken a series of videowall installation projects for a large financial firm in the City of London involving both Sony and Christie technology. Focus installed two conference/meeting rooms at the Corporation's Thameside location at Blackfriars - generally to facilitate 'plug and play' Powerpoint presentations from a laptop computer, using scan conversion technology.

Focus 21 services director Nigel Warrilow states that by using the Sony DSC-1024 scan converter, coupled with the Christie Digital's ability to split images from multiple displays in the overall picture area, correctly displayed data images can be presented from any PC. "The company wanted a big display occupying minimal depth or loss of space," he continued. "The ambient light level wouldn't lend itself to front projection, while rear projection would have eaten up too

Luminar plc, the name behind numerous bars, restaurants and nightclubs across the UK, has recently released details of its interim financial results for 2001.

The figures make impressive reading and indicate that there is still much to be positive about in the night sector. Company turnover is up 116% from £77.2million last year to £166.4m this year. The company’s pre-tax profit has more than doubled to £29.5m.

Underpinning the financial success has been an aggressive growth strategy, which has seen Luminar acquire 10 venues from Scottish and Newcastle plc (making it the largest operator of late night venues in Scotland) and also the Life Limited brand from Whitbread. It has also continued to roll out its own brands, including Chicago Rock Cafe, Jumpin’ Jaks and Liquid, together with the development of ukclubculture - a relatively recent initiative which is aimed at

In the first major revision to the Renkus-Heinz Synco Touring System since its introduction four years ago, Synco Europe has announced a single, new mid/high cabinet to replace the long and short throw cabinets currently in use across the Synco Network. The Synco Network members (Ampco Pro Rent and PAS Audio of Holland; DEE Sound and Light and Flashlight/APR of Belgium; R G Jones of the UK and Puro Audio of Portugal) agreed on a programme of updating their current stock of equipment with the latest technical updates. The result is a radical change from all of the network’s current MH 60-40 (40 degree vertical dispersion) and MH 60-25 (25 degree vertical dispersion) cabinets to the new standard long-throw cabinet, the MH 60-30."It has not only entailed a major change in Synco Network logistics and planning," comments Fred Heuves, managing director of Synco Europe. "Th

Synonymous with the grass roots of concert touring, Skan PA's work portfolio has expanded under the judicious eye of directors, Chris Fitch and Abby Llewellyn, into something that is quintessentially British. They have recently simultaneously supported Orbital and Gabrielle - the latter on an exclusively British tour lasting two months, running an all-British sound rig. The company has followed up the successful beta-testing of the new TQ-310 enclosures with the band Tindersticks, by using them as infills with Gabrielle. The tour also sees a new departure for Skan, using TSW-721 subs for the first time. The tour also features continued successful use of specially manufactured 'overhangs' - provisionally designated the TFL-760HF.

Skan’s Chris Fitch says that Turbosound's willingness to listen to the requirements of PA companies, such as Skan and Britannia Row, is the reason for th

Ad Lib Audio‘s new JBL VerTec series line array system is out on its first UK dates with the Ministry of Sound’s student union tour - a demanding, action packed environment demanding the very best in audio.

Ad Lib first used JBL’s Ver-Tec system in the late summer when they ran a system in the VIP tent of the Ministry’s massive event at Knebworth Park. Ad Lib and Ministry’s crews, plus assorted DJs, were so impressed with VerTec that they decided to use it for the upcoming tour. Ad Lib were hired as audio contractors for the events, and decided to purchase their first VerTec speaker enclosures - in a deal completed at PLASA with UK JBL distributors Arbiter Pro Audio.

Ad Lib’s Dave Kay and Ben Baker are crewing the Ministry tour, using 12 ground-stacked VerTec VT4889 boxes - plus their own Ad Lib subs - to create a high energy sound concentration in

The International Live Music Conference (ILMC) has announced the initial details of its 14th meeting next year. For ‘ILMC14’ the three-day conference will return to the five-star Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, over the weekend of March 8-10 2002. This time it comes wrapped in a spoof sixties spy movie theme that will see the invitation-only delegates challenged to complete a three-day mission that may not be ‘impossible’ but may certainly turn out to be ‘implausible’, ‘indigestible’ or even occasionally ‘incomprehensible’ (that is, should they choose to accept it, of course).

The ILMC’s usual array of in-depth debate, specialist breakout sessions, industry trade association meetings, and a whirlwind of social activities, culminating in the notorious ‘ILMC Gala Dinner and Arthur Awards’ on the Saturday nigh

Having already made a lot of friends in the live music industry, XTA's versatile SiDD processor is proving itself an essential tool for sound engineers in the corporate market. Sound engineer Richard Waghorn is a regular SiDD user who has used the units on product launches and conferences for a range of high-profile clients, including Honda, TNT, DHL and One-2-One. He recently used the units at a management conference for global fast food retailer McDonalds, held at the Hilton Metropole hotel in London.

The conference hosted 1000 delegates and required 24 channels of audio, which comprised four lectern mics and a range of tieclip mics, plus VT stings and other playback elements. The sound was broadcast to the floor via Funktion One Resolution 2 loudspeakers. A major drawback of corporate events is that they often take place in venues which were not designed for amplified audio. SiDD pr

Visitors to the Serpentine Gallery might have wondered what was going on when LA-based artist Doug Aitken brought his New Ocean exhibition to Kensington Gardens, London Crowning the mixed media installation, which included 20 video projectors supplied by DVS, and audio throughout the building supplied by Total Audio, were two Coef Show 250 scanners (programmed on a Compulite Spark console) - supplied by i-Vision in conjunction with Fentura Productions.

Britannia Row Productions has recently signed the V-DOSC Network Agreement to join the worldwide network of L-Acoustics V-DOSC Partners since December 1st.

Since its foundation in 1975, Britannia Row Productions has developed a worldwide reputation, specializing in audio design, project management and the supply of sophisticated sound equipment with sound engineers and technicians for major events and concert tours. Britannia Row Productions has been using L-Acoustic systems for its tours and projects for several years. Britannia Row Productions will receive their first delivery by mid-December of a complete arena system.

Innovation - Turbosound’s official installer in Tyne and Wear - was recently commissioned to supply and install the sound system for a ‘wild west’ theme bar in Newcastle. Purpose-built on two floors, Buffalo Joe’s is the latest and now the largest theme bar to hit The Quayside, with a capacity of up to 1000 people.

Hosting a schedule of live entertainment six days a week - which includes a DJ throughout open hours, cabaret, live PA and bucking bronco - the owners considered the sound system to be a major priority. Innovation tendered successfully, and the company designed and installed the sound system, the main backbone of which is 12 Turbosound TCS-259 speakers positioned discreetly amongst the wild west props throughout the ground floor, six TCS-35 speakers set on the first floor, six TCS-118 subwoofers placed throughout the ground floor, along with one THL

In a relatively new application, XTA's DP324 dynamics controller, or SiDD (Seriously Intelligent Digital Dynamics), has been chosen for use with the in-ear monitoring system for Sophie Ellis-Bextor and her band. A total of five channels were used under the control of monitor engineer Sean Busby-Little, who commented: "SiDD is a very versatile unit because it has so many functions, which are all easily accessible for a live gig situation. A lot of digital units tend to be a bit slow to access the parameters but I have not found that with these, everything is very user friendly . . . You would normally have to have at least three units chained together to achieve what you can do with one of these so the size of it is an added bonus, all the toys you need and it's only 1U."

SiDD (the DP324) is a powerful processing unit incorporating Brick-Wall limiting, input EQ, High and Low p

Musselburgh, a seaside town just outside Edinburgh, is home to the Cube, a brand new 1,200-capacity club over two floors built from the ground up by local entrepreneur Alfredo Alongi. This impressive venue has the distinction of being the UK's first EViD installation. This new range of elegant ellipsoid loudspeakers from Electro-Voice designed specifically for contractors made its UK debut at the PLASA show earlier this year.

Installers Starstruck Sound and Light were responsible for specifying the EViDs. Starstruck's Kenny Taylor admitted that he had in fact specified another brand until Shuttlesound's Andy Murray walked in with an EViD to show him. "It was definitely a case of the right product at the right time," said Taylor. "Visually the EViDs look stunning - a real departure from the usual black box scenario - and being EV, I was fairly convinced they'd sound good

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