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Germany - ProLight&Sound 2003: Having recently taken over the manufacturing and sales of special Lodestar motors from sister company Pfaff Stage Technology, PCM was highlighting its changing role, which will see it concentrate on larger project work, while supplying all customized and non-standard Lodestars from the UK. A selection of standard CM Lodestar and Prostar hoists were on display, including the standard rigging range, the BGV C1/VBG 70 hoists with special safety features and the FX Star range with variable speed, which is now available for theatrical use.

The BGV C1 Lodestars have double the normal hoist safety factor, with a 10:1 chain safety factor; double brakes - each capable of stopping the full load; 4-position limit switches including emergency switches; 24V contr

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USA - Biamp has unveiled the latest additions to its Audia digital audio processing system: AudiaEXPI and AudiaEXPO are remote expansion units, providing analog (mic or line) to CobraNet input (AudiaEXPI) and CobraNet-to-analog output (AudiaEXPO) for the next-generation AudiaFLEX line. AudiaEXPI and AudiaEXPO offers an economical solution to expanding an existing Audia set-up without purchasing additional Audia units.

(Ruth Rossington)

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UK - The Live Floor Show, back for a second series on BBC Scotland with new host Dara O'Briain, is a blend of comedy, music and entertainment recorded in front of a live audience that goes out on Saturday nights. Glasgow-based audio specialists Sound Acoustics were approached to provide the sound requirements, and having invested in a Nexo Geo system last year (supplied by Fuzion), the company’s Tommy Gorman was keen to put it through its paces in a TV recording studio environment.

"Essentially what we're providing is the PA for the audience, so it's like a mini-concert set-up," explained Tommy. "We're flying six Geo S805s with two CD12 subs per side driven by Camco Vortex 6 amplifiers with control from Nexo's NX241 digital controller. It's one of the cleanest-sounding PA systems I've heard, and of course its size gives it a huge advantage in a situation lik

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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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Germany - ProLight&Sound 2003: Italy-based connector manufacturer Link introduced the LKS 19-pin lighting connector range (including a new rubber locking ring) and the LKS Spider connector for break-ins and break-outs. Also new were the SB Gold 48, 56 and 64-channel stage boxes, featuring gold-plated contacts for audio distribution. Additions to the company's Eurocable range included the Eurocable Cat 5E cables specifically designed for live applications, and a Eurocable range of High Definition TV coaxial cables, plus the new 16 amp Y chord rubber splitter for clean and efficient distribution.

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UK - Hayden Laboratories has announced the new DN-D4000, double CD/MP3 player. The DN-D4000 has offers playback of CDR/RW discs and also has MP3 playback. MP3 is now an essential music source for cutting-edge DJs and installations alike, permeating all areas of entertainment and leisure from clubs and bars to corporate installations and mobile DJs, right through to general retail.

The DN-D4000’s features include VBR and CBR support, folder/file search and ID3-Tag display - showing artist, album and track title. It is also playlist compatible in m3u form. The machine’s CD function offers text display for artist and track names for discs containing CD Text information. Most popular CD-R/RW burning software now offers the ability to add CD Text.

The DN-D4000 also offers two seamless loops per CD drive - by using the start points (A-1 or A-2) two seamless loops may be

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Germany - ProLight&Sound 2003: New from Australian manufacturer LSC Lighting is the Minim lighting control desk, which offers a cut-down feature-set version of the established Maxim desk. Minim can be used in a theatrical two-preset mode of 12 channels, or by using the Grab Master, a two-preset mode of 24 channels. With DMX 512-A output, the Minim can directly control up to 24 channels of digital dimmers. Other features include three pages of memory with 12 playback masters on each page; three preset masters - Red, Yellow and Grab; Add/Solo button with level flash master; and chase effects including stop/step, random, bounce and single shot.

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Germany - ProLight&Sound 2003: ETC had its latest product introductions on show, including the SmartPack dimming system, ETCNet2 DMX distribution system and the Source Four MultiPAR battens (all launched at PLASA last autumn), whilst also promoting the upgrade to the Emphasis system for existing users of its Expression family of consoles.

The company was also making its first joint appearance with transtechnik Lichtsysteme since the two came together in May last year. They were joined by representatives of their new dealer network in Germany - Lucifer GmbH (Wolfenbüttel), WIBA Theater- und Studioequipment GmbH (Cologne), Think Abele GmbH & Co KG (near Stuttgart) and Fischer Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH (Berlin). transtechnik reports increased sales, particularly in the field of lighting consoles, dimmers and network components, through this new network. The company also tells us i

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UK - The Universal colour changer is one of A.C Lighting’s new generation advanced feature colour changers. Still retaining the core value synonymous with all Chroma-Q products, the Universal has been designed to maximize flexibility and usability by incorporating advanced design features. Its integrated universal mounting system adjusts between 158-275mm and mounts fixtures with up to 50° beam angles without loss of light. DMX control for fan speed, scrolling speed, gel-saver mode and reset is also now incorporated.

The Universal replaces the previous M1 and M2 models, and now offers compatibility with 575 to 2000W fixtures, with a lens of up to 200mm in diameter. These include fresnel, pebble convex, and a variety of profile fixtures with large lens tubes. Operating from existing Chroma-Q power supply units, the Universal can work simultaneously with any other Chroma-Q

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UK - The Harkness Hall Group has sold its theatrical products division, Hall Stage, to its current business management team. All employees working in the division will transfer to the new company, Hall Stage Limited. The separated businesses will continue to work closely together and will share the same premises in the immediate future.

Harkness Hall, which manufactures screens for a wide range of applications including cinema, AV, theme parks, attractions and special events, will now focus on its core screen manufacturing and distribution activities. Andrew Robinson, MD of Harkness Hall told L&SI: "The divestment of the theatre products division follows an opportune approach from its management. It will enable Harkness Hall to focus on developing our worldwide screen business based on our operations in Europe, USA and Asia.

"Our current range of screen surfaces and

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Turkey - Istanbul based Park Audio & Lighting, ARX's Turkish distributor, has been busy recently installing ARX’s ZX and ZR Series power amplifiers as well as ARX signal processing into a number of five star hotels throughout Turkey as part of a series of system installations and upgrades. Park's managing director, Oktay Karasoglu, advises that ARX's ZX 3200 high current low impedance power amplifier has been especially popular for powering dance club subwoofer systems, an arduous application, given that some of the clubs are open for up to 12 hours at a time.

In Antalya, the Kremlin Palas Hotel Resort installed ARX EQ60 graphic equalizers and DI 6S line adapters, and eight ZX3200 and ZR 850 power amplifiers. Also in Antalya the Topkapi Palas Hotel Resort installed EQ60s, DI 6Ss and ZX3200 and ZR 850 power amplifiers. Finally, in Bodrum the Beach Club Hotel installed four

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UK - If you want confirmation of how tough the market is, then look no further than the latest findings from industry analysts, Plimsoll Publishing Ltd. Their latest report confirms that zero growth, sliding profits and escalating debts have pushed over a third of the UK audio industry to the brink of failure.

Plimsoll's annual financial health-check of the top 268 companies in the UK sound equipment industry reveals that consolidation will be essential as supply is currently outstripping demand. Plimsoll 'rates' every company in the industry based on its overall financial strength. Ratings are given as Strong, Good, Mediocre, Caution or Danger. Alarmingly, 48% of companies rated have now deteriorated in overall financial strength from last year's ratings. Perhaps even more disturbing is that 58 companies are experiencing their second year with a 'Danger' rating. For these compa

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France - Parisian PA rental company Régietek has become the first French member of the Synco Europe Network, in an agreement confirmed at the 2003 AES Convention in Amsterdam this month. Synco Network founder Fred Heuves, a director of the newly-privatized Ampco Flashlight Group, made the announcement with Laurent Maestre, sales and financial director of Régietek.

The company was founded in April 2002 by three experienced sound engineers, Laurent Maestre, rental director Régis Casu and commercial director Cédric Duminy. Their move was promopted by the mutual desire to develop a highly professional rental, service and distribution operation.

The agreement to join the Synco Network marks Régietek’s first investment in equipment, following a year of feasibility and technical studies into various audio brands. "Our aim was to create a high-performance sound reinfor

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UK - Autograph Sales has hosted the first Meyer Sound SIM System II FFT Analyzer course to be held in the UK for five years. A total of 10 students, comprised of freelancer engineers, rental company and venue technical personnel and audio designers, attended the five-day full-time course at the Radlett Centre in Hertfordshire under the instruction of Meyer's director of education Mauricio 'Magu' Ramirez.

"The course includes a significant audio theory element, without which it's pretty impossible to optimise or even measure a sound system," says Mike Mann, technical manager at Autograph Sales. "It also includes hands-on time learning the routines and sequences for measuring and adjusting systems in live situations. There's a lot to learn over the five days, as it's the mostintensive training course Meyer offers.

Oliver Driver, a partner in Audio Alliance North,

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USA - This year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony featured over 50 Audio-Technica mics, assuring the audio at this momentous event was a worthy tribute to the legendary musicians being honoured. The presentation was held on 10 March, at the Waldorf Astoria Ballroom in midtown Manhattan, and the 2003 performer inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame were AC/DC, The Clash, Elvis Costello & the Attractions, The Police and the Righteous Brothers. As in years past, the spectacular performances became the focus of the occasion.

A-T’s new Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless System, which is rapidly gaining favour with a wide range of artists, featured in a number of frontline vocal performances. Gwen Stefani, John Mayer, Steven Tyler, Paul Schaffer and the Righteous Brothers all used A-T’s 5000 Series wireless systems. Paul Simon’s vocals feature

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Sweden - Primetec, one-stop supplier of sound, lighting and AV technology for events and exhibitions, has been awarded the assignment to light Liseberg’s latest super attraction: the new ‘Balder’ rollercoaster. The lighting system for Balder, the biggest and steepest wooden rollercoaster in the Nordic region, is the biggest permanent outdoor lighting installation ever seen in Sweden.

In March, the new pride of Liseberg, the biggest amusement park in Scandinavia, was opened for a preview and a press visit. Balder will be a breathtaking 37m high experience with a 70° pitch and a top speed of about 90km per hour. In total ‘Balder’ has cost around SEK 100 million.

"Liseberg in general and Balder in particular are a total experience that starts as soon as you approach the attraction or drive past Liseberg along the E6 motorway. In this respect th

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UK - The Moving Light Company was chosen by the English National Opera at the London Coliseum to supply the automated lighting required for its production of The Handmaid's Tale, which opened this week. This is the first time that moving lights have been used in a production by the English National Opera.

Adapted from the novel by Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale is set in the America of the future, where the government has been overthrown by a religious dictatorship. The production was premiered in Copenhagen in 2000, where the creative team of director Phyllida Lloyd, designer Peter McKintosh and lighting designer Simon Mills made use of the Royal Danish Opera's automated lighting system. Having decided that the use of moving lights - as movable, high-intensity, colour-changing discharge sources - was essential to the look of the production, talks began with

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Germany - Andy Schindlbeck, the head of the Perkam-Radldorf-based events and entertainment company Schindlbeck Veranstaltungstechnik GmbH, has finalized the acquisition of three complete Dynacord Cobra-4 systems. He explains: "With this equipment, I can guarantee a completely balanced and homogeneous sound for virtually all sound reinforcement applications," adding: "the sound performance is powerful yet the handling is child’s-play."

Schindlbeck first encountered this system extension to the compact line array system at the Telex EVI Audio in-house exhibition (or ‘Hausmesse’) at the end of January 2003. Four weeks later he was the owner of the brand-new sound tool, and three weeks on from that he is able to tell us something of his first experiences with the new system: "I’ve used the system now around 20 times and each time I ha

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France - Digigram, an innovator in digital audio network solutions, has hired Miranda Hageman as sales and communications director. "With a number of new products and new technologies to come, Miranda will help us to accelerate our move into new market segments and broaden our international scope," said Digigram managing director Philippe Delacroix. "Her sales and communications experience will be very valuable assets as we continue to look for new OEMs and partners."

Dutch native Hageman spent more than a decade in various roles with Maycom Systems Europe, Maycom Automation Systems and Electronic Data Systems, all headquartered in the Netherlands. Among others, she was involved in the product and sales strategy for Maycom's award winning Easycorder in 1999. Hageman graduated from Utrecht Business School with a degree in marketing, which she complemented wit

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UK - Large format projection specialists E//T//C UK were called in by the London Tourist Board to help launch their high-visibility ‘Totally Lond On’ advertising campaign. E//T//C’s Paul Highfield supplied a single 6kW PIGI projector, slide artwork and his technical expertise for the event, staged in the fabulous new glass roofed Great Court of the British Museum.

Keystone correction was by Wyatt Enever at DHA, and the projection was beamed onto the new limestone arch in the Great Court. It consisted of a simple slide, pastiched in the style of a London Street sign, emblazoned with the words ‘Totally LondON’ and ‘www.visitlondon.com’.

White Light supplied architectural lighting and LD Simon Jones for the event. Both E//T//C UK and White Light were approached for the project after their highly successful illumination of the Tower of Lon

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UK - Entec Sound installed a large d&b system - including the new long-throw C3 speakers - into London’s Royal Albert Hall for last week’s six-night Teenage Cancer Trust event. This was the first time the C3 has been used in this high profile venue. The TCT shows, featuring some of the UK’s top bands and performing artists, were organized by Harvey Goldsmith and a hand-picked production team. The aim was to raise funds and awareness for the charity, which is greatly supported by Roger Daltrey.

Entec’s innovative system design was a collaboration between their own Tristan Johnson and d&b’s Ralph Zuleeg. The pair designed and flew the PA and set up the system, before leaving the running and day-to-day tweaking to Entec’s crew chief Ritchie Gibson. Johnson explains that the RAH was the ideal venue to put the C3 through it’s paces in terms o

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UK - Stage Electrics has announced that Anna Western has been promoted to customer service manager. Western, who has been with the company for three years, will work closely with branch managers in developing and training the front line customer-facing staff based in the company’s 10 branches.

Stage Electrics currently has 23 staff in these key positions throughout the country, who will now be referred to as customer service representatives. They will continue to report directly to their respective managers but work closely with Western in her new position. She has extensive sales and customer service experience, bringing the necessary skills to this new and important role.

The company has also announced that Andrew Sugg, currently a front-line customer service representative in Bristol, is going out on the road for a three-month secondment. Sugg will be working in and a

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