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Software provider Stardraw.com is to launch the world's first web-based CAD system. Stardraw.net is a tool that allows users to design and document integrated systems through a browser using an on-line library of over 30,000 industry-specific symbols.

Stardraw.net represents the introduction of web-based technology which incorporates tools and data for all of the niche markets addressed by Stardraw's conventional software packages including Stardraw Audio, Stardraw AV, Stardraw Lighting 2D, Stardraw Professional and Stardraw Radio. As a result, users can now customize their symbol sets drawing from any or all of the above libraries according to individual requirements. Stardraw MD David Snipp explains: "Our conventional applications have established the sorts of tools that integrato

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EAW is launching the new JFX Series of 2-way multi-use loudspeaker systems at the PLASA Show. Designed for both portable and permanently installed applications, the JFX Series loudspeakers feature asymmetrical trapezoidal enclosures that allows them to work both as main channel systems or as stage monitors.

The JFX Series represents the first all-new line of general purpose, 2-way loudspeakers from EAW since the MK Series debuted in 1998. All transducers, crossovers and enclosures are newly designed. Four of the models in the line - JFX88, JFX100, JFX290 and JFX590 - will be available on stand.

The JFX88 is one of the smallest loudspeakers in the series, using an 8" LF cone driver and a 1 in exit/1.4" voice coil HF compression driver mounted on a Wave Guide Plate. The system includes an internal, passive crossover for full range powering without the use of an external proc

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Ensconced in the former basement area of London’s legendary Cafe Royal in the West End, now lurks one of the most chic of glitterati chill-out establishments - Elysium. It’s camp. It’s chi-chi. And it’s not subtle. Designed as ‘an extravagant homage to famed OTT film director Cecil B De Mille’, the carefully themed venue’s many textured hangings, canopies, lanterns and drapes frame long sofas, mosaic’ed alcoves and hand carved furnishings.

For the audio system, Podd Sound’s Matthew Podd put his specialist knowledge to the test once again, having been responsible for the sound and lighting installation in London’s hugely popular Bar Elvissa. For Elysium’s all-important DJ station, Podd Sound included HK Audio L.U.C.A.S. 1000 system in the role of the club’s DJ monitoring. "The L.U.C.A.S. is compact and unobtrus

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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

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Nick Owen has been hired by Crown International as sales director for Europe/UK, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Owen is a familiar face in the pro audio industry, most notably from his nearly nine-year tenure as president of international sales and marketing for Soundscape Digital Technology Limited, a company he co-founded in 1993. In the year prior to joining Crown, Owen was the managing director for yello! digital production tools UK Limited.

"Nick is a tremendous boon for Crown," commented Crown president Blake Augsburger. "His dozen years of international sales experience dealing with a myriad of cultures around the world will be of enormous benefit to our company’s presence overseas. Furthermore, Nick’s in-depth knowledge of audio technology, software and networks will be particularly useful for the growth and development of Crown’s IQ technol

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Professional audio systems specialists The Audio Resources Group aim to turn up the volume on the mobile disco market by launching a dedicated range of products. Audio Resources has collaborated with Shermann Pro-Audio, neighbours on Mochdre Enterprise Park, Newtown, Mid Wales, to design and manufacture a specific range of professional loudspeaker systems under the Loaded banner.

"Loaded systems are designed and built in Shermann's own manufacturing plant and customers will be invited to come along and visit the workshops and demonstration suite," said Mark Astley, managing director of Audio Resources Ltd. "The powerful Loaded range is designed purely for the mobile disco market. We have a lot of respect for DJs operating mobile systems because they are esentially one-man bands who provide great entertainment for the whole night."

(Ruth Rossington)

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Dobson Sound has acquired The Sound Company. Jon Miller, the present owner of The Sound Company will remain closely involved with the business whilst Mark Thompson, currently the technical director and sound designer with The Sound Company, will join the Dobson team as one of its in-house designers, with specific responsibility for theatre sound.

Dobson specializes in the design and supply of sound systems for special events, music performances and conferences. The scale and complexity of the events in which Dobson is involved has increased considerably in recent years. Within the last four months the company has provided sound systems for the Queen Mother’s Funeral and the Golden Jubilee celebrations in Central London. Recent and long-standing clients come both from the world of classical music - with open-air concerts in Somerset House, and live relays for the Royal Opera House

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Star Hire (Event Services) Ltd provided all of the technical facilities for the Queen’s Jubilee Baton Relay Tour evening celebration sites, covering 47 sites in 48 days of a 50-date tour, the first time a tour of its kind has been attempted and completed successfully in the UK.

Drawing on the theme of fifty, the Baton was carried by 5000 runners passing through 500 places in 50 days. The relay traversed the whole of the UK, stopping overnight in venues so that the Baton could change hands and to allow for evening entertainment. The Baton’s journey culminated in Manchester at the opening of the Commonwealth Games on 25 July 2002.

Star Hire provided one of its SS11-09 Mobile StarStages for the tour and managed the technical production elements of sound, lighting, power and video screens for the evening entertainment events. They were also responsible for the design, manufa

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AutoPatch, manufacturer of high performance and customizable audio, video and digital signal switching and routing equipment, has released its new Modula CAT5 Matrix Switchers and Point-to-Point transmitters/receivers. Users can now reduce the overall installed cost of a system by routing and distributing S-Video/Stereo or 2 x Composite/Stereo, point-to-point over 300m of unshielded twisted-pair (CAT5). In addition using the new AutoPatch Modula Matrix Switcher with CAT5 cards, users can achieve true Matrix configurations up to 32 x 32, 4 x 60 and 60 x 4 in a single 3U enclosure. RGBHV models will be released by the end of the year.

(Ruth Rossington)

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The Music Managers Forum (MMF) has marked its 10th anniversary by receiving official recognition from the Law Society for its high standards of training. The Law Society has given the MMF accreditation to deliver a range of seminars that meet the Continual Professional Development (CPD) requirements for Lawyers.

Since its inception in 1995, MMF-Training (the training division of the Music Managers Forum) has delivered a range of Master Classes that focus on legal and business issues in key areas of the Music Business. Although originally designed with the artist manager in mind, the seminars cover a range of topics that are equally relevant to others working in the music industry. Other MMF-Training accreditations include the Institute of Legal Executives and members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), The Association of International Accountants (A

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Rosco has a wealth of new, interesting and innovative products to be seen this year. The award winning ImageProGobo Slide Projector will be demonstrated on the stand allowing visitors to see how easy and effective it is to use. Also on stand will be catalogue of hundreds of images which have been specially selected for their value in theatre, opera, ballet, television and concerts. A CD containing the images is available from Rosco or available via the company’s website.

For traditional metal gobo users, Rosco has produced 60 new designs, including cloud images, break ups, windows and abstract graphics. Again, the entire range of over 900 other images can be seen on the Rosco website. Some or all of these new gobos can be used in the new Rosco Vortex 360 Single/Double Gobo Rotator. This new product offers excellent flexibility in a low cost package and can rotate one or two steel

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The £40m National Ice Centre, Nottingham, boasts two Olympic-sized ice pads (the first such facility in the UK), one of which transforms into the impressive 10,000 capacity Nottingham Arena designed to host an array of rock and pop concerts and children's shows. The multi-purpose centre also houses a health and fitness centre and first class corporate entertainment and conference facilities.

July 31 saw the official opening by Her Majesty the Queen at a Gala organised and choreographed by Torvill and Dean. The crowds gathered to enjoy an evening packed with music, ice-skating and celebrations, featuring Nottingham Symphony Orchestra, the local ice hockey team and the world's finest figure skaters, including two Olympic Gold medallists, plus local skaters. The evening began with a demonstration of the skating skills of local children, followed by speeches from the Lord Mayor of Notting

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A pair of Allen & Heath GL3300 eighteen buss live sound consoles were used at several events during the recent Hue Festival in Vietnam. The festival was held in the ancient imperial capital of Hue and was the second celebration of its kind, building on the success of a similar event in 2000. Thousands of tourists were attracted to this year's festivities, which showcased the diverse cultural traditions of Vietnam's different regions and also gave local people an opportunity to see performers from France, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, The Philippines, China, Korea and Japan.

The rental division of Allen & Heath's distributor for Vietnam, Nguyen Hoang Co Ltd, supplied the sound reinforcement system for several major events during the 12-day festival. Both 32-channel GL3300s were first used for the opening ceremony, which centred on a 600 square metre stage in Ngo Mon Square. One o

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The experienced Jon Petts was reunited with Ian Kirby this month, with the announcement that Coemar UK will be taking over the distribution of Taiwan-based smoke machine specialists, Antari.

Latterly international product manager for JEM, within the Martin Professional organization, Petts told us: "I have now decided to hang up my passport and focus on the UK. With the Antari distribution switching to Coemar UK - and the announcement of a new professional range of club and touring products - this is an exciting challenge. Antari fully appreciate that with the demands of today’s touring, event, studio and theatre markets, atmospheric effect generators need exacting standards of construction and reliability."

Jon will take up the role of Antari UK sales manager, and Ian Kirby is delighted to have such a leading professional on board, whom he first met when they worked t

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International Management Services (IMS) - Asia Pacific, has launched a specialist consultancy and distribution management service for companies targeting the Asia Pacific region. IMS - Asia Pacific already has a number of clients including Cadac Electronics plc, manufacturers of top-end analogue mixing consoles for sound reinforcement and location recording.

The company will be managed by a well-established team which has many years' experience working in Asia within the professional audio industry. Manager Craig Lovell has spent the last decade living and working in Asia, based in both Japan and Singapore. He worked for Matsushita, as well as Harman International Industries Ltd, and was involved in the formation and management of the Tokyo-based representative office for Amek. Phillippa Jeanes was responsible for the formation and management of the Singapore Office for Dalet Digital M

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Klark Teknik will unveil the Helix DN9340 digital equalizer at the forthcoming PLASA show. Built to an all-new cutting edge design, the DN9340 combines the engineering experience of this world leaders in audio equalization with customer feedback resulting in a completely new concept in flexible audio equalization for every application.

Helix is a dual channel digital audio equalizer packaged in a 2U 19" rackmount format. Designed to be intuitive and simple to operate the unit offers five main functions: dual 31-band graphic EQ with no less than five selectable modes of operation; dual 12-filter fully parametric EQ; dynamic or ‘Threshold Dependent’ (T-DEQ) EQ; four configurable filters per channel; and configurable delay of up to 1 second per channel. Like all Klark Teknik DSP devices, Helix is equipped with more than enough processing power to allow all functions to be

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Lamba plc have announced the UK release of the Stanton STR8-30 turntable - giving entry-level candidates access to the growing trend for straight tone arms. Stanton's latest direct-drive deck comes packaged with a Stanton 500 B cartridge, pre-mounted on a headshell, slip mat, dust cover and leads. And like the rest of the STR8 series models, the STR8-30 is fitted with the skip-resistant straight tone-arm. Other features include: +/- 10 % pitch control; strobe indicator; aluminium platter; aluminium tone arm; dust cover and slip mat.

(Ruth Rossington)

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PROKIT is introducing the Lowel ‘baby’ Rifa-Lite. This small new addition to the Rifa-Lite family is a compact, self contained, 300W collapsible soft light that sets up in a minute or less. Almost any shot, from an interview to table top work, can be wrapped in a virtually fool-proof soft light. A permanently mounted lamp fixture is centred in silver aluminized high temperature Nomex cloth to which a woven glass fabric diffuser is attached. Its compact folded size - 53cm - allows it to fit into existing lighting kits or an additional small carry case. Accessories include fabric egg crates to control light spill, and higher output diffusers for sharper shadows. The Baby Rifa joins the rest of the family of four, with outputs ranging up to 1000W.

(Ruth Rossington)

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Drape and rigging specialist Blackout recently assisted in the realisation of the Faceparty.com launch party. Recognised as one of the world’s most popular websites, Faceparty marked the occasion with a celebration of dance music. Staged at Three Mills Film Studios, the Faceparty event’s line-up included Pete Tong, Lisa Pin-Up, Kosheen, Boy George, Ms Dynamite, Scratch Perverts and many more.

Over 4km of sunset orange carpet, a staggering quantity of drapes and starcloth, custom-built scenery, 140kW of Turbosound PA and tens of thousands of fairy lights converted the Three Mills car park and three main film studios into a stunning spatial wonderland. Blackout’s project manager, Kevin Monks, collaborated with Faceparty’s Dave Bamforth to realise Bamforth’s creative ideas, before the Blackout team dressed all four themed dance areas of the vast site.

For the Veranda a

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Heilbronn-based manufacturer beyerdynamic has supplied its sophisticated MCD (digital) Wireless conferencing system to the legendary Hockenheimring Grand Prix circuit, as part of its massive reconstruction. The system was recently used by Michael Schumacher, Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher to deliver the post-race press conference at the German Grand Prix to television viewers and news agencies around the world.

The MCD-Wireless system comprised eight microphones positioned on the tables without any unnecessary cabling to make for a clean, uncluttered presentation and expedient installation. A remote control switch was also specified to switch the microphones on and off simultaneously from a PC or laptop. As a very flexible system the MCD-W was configured especially by beyerdynamic, and tailored to meet the organisers specific requirements.

The beyerdynamic MCD-W Conference Sy

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Aztec, the ground-breaking live performance console recently released by pro audio specialist Audient. Just months after its official UK launch, a 48-channel version of the console was put through its paces at an Idlewild concert at the Colchester Arts Centre. Rental company Audio Plus supplied the desk for the one-off gig, which saw the band playing to 400 people. Engineers for the evening were Chris Secker and Richie Dempsey. Front-of-house engineer Richie Dempsey said: "The desk was really easy to use with good gain structure and great EQ. It was easy to find your way around, which is important. All in all I liked it!" The Aztec live performance console is Audient's first live console and can be used both the road or in a fixed installation.

Features of the desk include separate L, C, and R buses with individual trims on each of the output faders; 8 audio sub group output

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L&SI magazine is running two Round Table discussion sessions during the forthcoming PLASA Show (September 8-11, Earls Court 1, London) designed to address some of the most central issues in the industry.

The first session Freelance Rates - Due for Review? will focus on the current rates of pay for freelancers, which over the years have shown a downward trend in real terms, and will be led by a panel of industry professionals on both sides of the fence. The second session, Discounting Rental Rates: Is it Economic Madness? will look at discounting in rental markets, and how companies may be devaluing the services they provide in their attempts to undercut competitors. Once again, the panel will be drawn from those who deal with these issues on a daily basis.

The Freelance Rates session will take place on Monday 9 September at 3pm in the Westminster Room on the Mezzanine L

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