Taiwan - Cadac Electronics Plc has made its first major fixed installation sale in Taiwan, announcing the supply of a 52-input J-Type Live Production Console for the Taipei Metropolitan Hall (formerly known as the Taipei Municipal Social Education Hall). The venue has recently been the subject of an extensive six-month refurbishment, with the city's Cultural Affairs Bureau investing £4million to transform the hall into a high spec modern performance space.

Cadac's local Hong Kong distributor, Hiroshi Systems, was responsible for commissioning the J-Type, with director Joseph C Lee commenting: "We are delighted to be able to introduce the first-ever Cadac in Taiwan into Taipei's principal performing arts venue. The new sound system is currently being commissioned ready for th

UK - Visitors to next week’s ABTT Theatre Show in London (18/19 June), will have the opportunity to try for themselves Harlequin’s new Liberty floor panels. The British Harlequin plc stand (No. 93) will be using ‘touring’ panel versions of Liberty sprung dance floors as the main floor covering. Permanent versions of Harlequin’s Liberty floors have recently been installed at Laban, London’s new purpose-built (and Europe’s largest) contemporary dance facility, as well as a growing number of centres throughout the Continent. In addition, a new storage cart will also be introduced to facilitate easy transportation and storage of Liberty panels.

Also premiering at the show is a new version of Harlequin’s Activity Floor, but now with a choice of three standard hardwood finishes - oak, beech and maple - ideal for dance studios and halls,

UK - London-based FX Music, rental specialists in the corporate environment, have just invested in a Helix DN9340 digital EQ master unit and a DN9344 slave device, with the specific intent of using the system for system EQ on their corporate events.

According to FX Music’s Dave Beck, the six channels offered by the combination of the Helix master and slave together is a good template for most of their corporate work. "Generally, we require a channel each for Left and Right on the main system, and then four further channels for the bars of delays going down the room. The average capacity of the rooms we are dealing with tends to be around 1000, so we’re not talking small systems here, and it can go up to arena size. However, in corporate work, what we are always short of is space for our control equipment, and this is where the Helix system really comes into its

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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

USA - The voters were divided at this year’s Tony Awards in New York, presented earlier this week, with no one show sweeping the boards. In the technical categories, it was La Boheme’s night, with Baz Luhrmann’s stylish production of Puccini’s opera winning designer Catherine Martin a Best Scenic Design Tony and lighting designer Nigel Levings the Best Lighting Design Tony.

"It was thrilling to win," commented Levings, who was previously nominated for The King and I. The Tonys round out a successful New York award season for the Boheme design team: Levings and Martin also won the equivalent categories in New York’s Outer Critics Circle Award and the Drama Desk awards. Levings’ co-nominees were Donald Holder for Movin’ Out, Brian MacDevitt for Nine and Kenneth Posner for Hairspray, while

UK - Plimsoll's latest 2003 analysis on the Top 45 companies in the sound equipment industry has revealed a mixed performance on the year so far. As part of Plimsoll's analysis of the major players, each of the top 45 companies is ranked on sales turnover. With an average sales growth amongst the group of 1.8%, only six companies have kept their same sales position from last year. 10 companies have improved their sales performance whilst 21 have seen it fall. Showing the biggest improvement in position is Cadac Electronics Plc, moving up two places in the league and now the 20th biggest company in this part of the industry.

But it is the profitability rankings that have seen the biggest changes with average margins in the group a steady 3.2%. Only 10 companies have kept their same profit ranking, with 10 moving up and 20 falling. The number of loss makers has increased to 12 com

UK - CP Sound, the Staines-based sound and lighting installation specialist, has designed and fitted its latest installation with the first of an innovative new concept in LED lighting technology, which has been under development for the last few months.

The fixture is a screen encased in a custom aluminium extrusion, supplied as a 10mm thick panel, capable of unobtrusive integration into any environment. It’s made from laser-etched acrylic material and side-lit by DMX controllable LED strips that criss-cross the light across the screen surface. When the light is caught in the etchings, a prism effect directs it evenly across the panel fascia.

The first installation of this new technology has just been completed by CP Sound in the chill-out area of the exclusive Eclipse wine bar and bistro in Brompton Road, London. CP Sound was approached by entrepreneur Mike Filpy, owne

Australia - The QLight loudspeaker range from Turbosound forms the centrepiece of a new audio-visual installation at St Paul's Tavern - one of Brisbane's major entertainment venues which was recently re-opened after lying dormant for several years. The design and installation of the venue's new AV system was undertaken by local contractor, Technical Response Group (TRG), with the project's equipment supplied by Audio Telex - Turbosound's Australian distributor - via the company's Queensland office.

One of Brisbane's oldest taverns, St Paul's was recently rescued from being nothing but a dust trap, and has been refurbished into an outstanding venue for live jazz and blues, as well as for private functions. Each area of the venue features a Turbosound-based audio system, from the venue's small function room - equipped with four Impact 50 loudspeakers and two Impact 110 sub-bass un

UK - Live video rental company XL Video has moved into new expanded premises in Hemel Hempstead. The relocation will address the company’s need for more space, and is part of its ongoing commitment to provide the best customer service, as Lee Spencer explains: "XL’s engineers and staff have pooled resources and ideas to design this facility for the advantage of our clients. We’ve invested over £170,000 in making the workspace more efficient, and in customizing it to our specific needs."

The new 13,500sq.ft premises have been completely gutted and rebuilt by XL: in addition to an open plan office set-up, the building features a dedicated camera cleaning centre and a projector service area, allowing these specialist pieces of kit to be cared for in clinically clean environments. There’s also a large open prep area so equipment can be prepared to

Europe - Pro audio distributor beyerdynamic has recently supplied UK-based rental house, Skan PA Hire, with a variety of Opus mics and XTA processing equipment for Moloko’s European tour, which showcases their new album Statues.

Specified by Moloko’s FOH engineer, Graham Peacock, the equipment integrated seamlessly into Skan’s sophisticated system, as he explained: "I was introduced to these products by beyerdynamic’s Chris Hinds who asked if I’d evaluate the Opus mic range. From the moment I used them in rehearsals, I knew that they would play an integral role in the sound I wanted to create for this tour. I specified the Opus 87s for use on toms and snare - they’ve been such a success that they will definitely be used for the entire European leg of the tour."

The Opus 87 from beyerdynamic is a condenser microphone with a cardioid

UK - Large format projection specialists E//T//C UK are illuminating London’s famous Wellington Arch at the top of Constitution Hill in a high impact live projection which continues the Totally London campaign, launched earlier this year.

This is a partnership between the Mayor of London and business in the capital, organized by the London Tourist Board and Convention Bureau (LTB). Totally London Month is a high profile campaign to encourage Londoners to who live in or commute into London to get out and about and enjoy the best of what the city has to offer. E//T//C UK is working via public relations agency Good Relations, who are utilizing projection for the first time in a campaign.

This is the second such event undertaken by E//T//C UK for LTB. The first was two months ago in the Great Court of the British Museum, which proved so successful that LTB decided to re-ign

UK - Despite slightly inclement weather, which somewhat hampered the charity fund-raising hot-air balloon rides which were due to take place, White Light's recent Open Day proved a huge success with all who attended.

Originally intended as a chance for visitors to catch up with the latest products and services offered by the various members of The White Light Group, the Open Day expanded into something of a mini-trade-show with many of the companies whose equipment White Light hire or sell, attending to demonstrate their latest products. Visitors to the Open Day could therefore make side-by-side, hands-on comparisons between, for example, ETC's Emphasis, the Strand range, High End's Wholehog III, the MA Lighting grandMA, the Compulite Vector and Martin's Maxxyz lighting controller.

Beyond the battle of the lighting controllers there was plenty to see: the many companies repres

UK - Alison Moyet recently made a welcome return to the stage with a full UK tour, culminating in a sold out concert at London's Royal Albert Hall. A Neumann KMS 105 was used throughout the tour to capture the exceptional power and quality of Moyet's voice. She is appearing at Glastonbury on 27 June.

Designed with superlative vocal reproduction in mind, the KMS 105 brings Neumann quality to the demanding sound reinforcement environment. With its supercardioid polar pattern, the KMS 105 exhibits low self noise and uncoloured off-axis pick-up. By employing a unique four-layer acoustic filter, the KMS 105 minimizes popping and wind noise, and with special mechanical and electrical filters, handling noise is virtually eliminated.

(Lee Baldock)

UK - Building on the worldwide success of the CDJ-1000 digital deck, Pioneer has launched the CDJ-1000MK2. Since its introduction two years ago, the CDJ-1000 has achieved industry standard status in clubs, bars and studios all around the world. It is also carried by some of the world's best-known DJs, including Roger Sanchez, who says: "With the CDJ-1000, I get the same precision of mixing as I did with vinyl, plus features like looping, Master Tempo and Hot Cues. I'd tell any DJ using vinyl to try the CDJ-1000. It's revolutionized the way I play."

With the same design and layout as the CDJ-1000, the sleek and polished looks of the CDJ-1000Mk2 are made unique by the addition of a subtle silver rim on the Jog Dial. The latest Jog Dial is fine-tuned to increase sensitivity, creativity and control for DJs, so that cueing, scratching and stretching a track in Vinyl or CDJ

UK - Cambridge Audio-Visual acquired a new 24-channel GL3300 live sound console from Allen & Heath to manage sound reinforcement at a conference marking the 50th anniversary of a landmark in scientific history, the discovery of the structure of DNA.

The prestigious event took place at the University of Cambridge on 25 April, 50 years to the day after Watson and Crick published their landmark paper. Eminent scientists and researchers in the field of DNA, including Nobel Prize winners, members of Parliament and the University's Chancellor, HRH Prince Philip, gathered to discuss a range of subjects from the history behind the monumental discovery, to the progress made over the last 50 years by the science industry that resulted from it.

Cambridge Audio-Visual's general manager, Julian Berry explained: "Our available hire stock did not have the sound quality or number of chan

France - EASE users can now design and simulate curved vertical Tangent Arrays based on Nexo’s GEO S Series array modules within EASE 4.0. A new Dynamic Link Library (DLL), developed by Stefan Feistel of SDA - Software Design Ahnert GmbH, Berlin, Germany, and François Deffarges of NEXO, allows EASE users access to the same algorithms used in Nexo’s GEOSoft, a compiled MatLab application.

A new feature of EASE 4.0, EASE DLLs operate in a protected environment, allowing secure storage and safe access to the GEOSoft algorithms. The Graphical User Interface of both programs is very similar, and direct field predictions are identical (GEOSoft’s direct field predictions have been verified in field tests).

“We’re very pleased that EASE users can now design and simulate both vertical and horizontal GEO S Series Tangent Arrays," said François Deffar

UK - Crawley-based TSC Music has achieved the revised BSI ISO 9001:2000 standard. TSC had already been incorporating the previous ISO 9001 standard in its procedures affecting the quality of its products and services since 1994, which has enabled the company to make this transition to the revised 2000 version remarkably quickly. This new standard is recognized as a business-focused quality tool and enables TSC Music to focus more effectively on customer service as well as continuing to incorporate the high quality standards it employs relating to production and installations.

Technical manager and ISO co-ordinator David Foster said: "At TSC we recognize the importance of ISO as a quality assurance standard and the positive impact it contributes towards the company achieving its short term goals and objectives as well as its long term mission and vision."

TSC’s

UK - The 224th Epsom Derby presented an opportunity for ARB to demonstrate the diversity of its services and equipment. This is the eighth year ARB has worked at the Derby, working both for the racecourse and for production company Net Production to provide a wide variety of equipment for the weekend.

ARB’s project co-ordinator Gaynor Molyneux managed the team on site throughout the event. As part of the company’s overall remit, ARB was the key temporary power supplier to the Epsom racecourse, with 16 generators on site for the Derby ranging from 30 to 320Kva, utilizing three miles of distribution cables and distro boxes all installed by specialist engineers to ensure the safe distribution of electricity. The company’s generators powered various hospitality areas including the Vodafone and Classic Marquees.

With thousands of people working on the racecourse,

UK - Castle Donington, often referred to as the 'spiritual home' of rock in the UK, played host to nearly 50,000 metal fans who turned out for the first ever Download festival. Fifty bands from across Europe and the United States, including of Marilyn Manson, Iron Maiden, Audioslave and a surprise appearance from rock gods Metallica, roared their way through the two-day festival, ably supplied with PA equipment supplied to Clear Channel Entertainment by SSE Hire, with a little help from ML Executives.

Every console at the event was a Midas one, resulting in an impressive total of eight XL3s, three Heritage 3000s and a Heritage 1000, accompanied by a fair complement of Klark Teknik signal processing equipment. SSE employed its standard 'flip-flop' festival system for FOH across both stages. Three Heritage 3000s with an XL3 sidecar graced FOH for the main stage, while a further tw

UK - James Thomas Engineering is launching Pixeldrive at this week’s ABTT Show. Pixeldrive is an innovative new video software-based control system for the company’s Pixel fixtures - further fuelling the control integration between varying visual media.

For this development, James Thomas’ R&D department has collaborated with IRAD, developers of the RADlite digital media server. The RADlite system fuses digital media with DMX-driven lighting consoles - for example, Avolites and WholeHog - giving DMX control of visual images via a familiar set of attributes - similar to programming a moving light. The collaboration between the IRAD and JTE teams has resulted in Pixeldrive - the RADlite control system being applied to JTE’s revolutionary Pixel Range of LED fixtures.

The new control system allows the synchronization of digital media to JTE’s high brig

UK - PSD Electronics have carried out a full sound and lighting installation in a converted cinema in Brierley Hill, West Midlands.

When Derek Bater purchased the former 1000-capacity Eclipse nightclub with partner Edwin Amor he immediately contacted his old friend Phil Soltys at PSD. One of Soltys’ first jobs had been at the famous Tall Trees in Newquay many years ago when Bater had been the owner - and the two men have remained lifelong friends.The previous owner had taken it out of its reincarnation as a bingo hall, and when Messrs Bater and Amor inherited the venue - which they’ve renamed ‘The Club’ - they recarpeted and refitted the place. Taking advantage of the extra custom introduced to the Dudley area by the nearby Merryhill Shopping Centre, they are now presenting a full sound and lighting spec in a venue that hosts four bars.

Phil Soltys deci

UK - Industry stalwart, Richie Rowley, has rejoined the BSS Audio team as regional sales manager (for Europe). In his original three-year stint with The Soundcraft Group, Rowley was involved in the development of the Omnidrive and Varicurve platforms. After six-and-a-half years with Martin Audio as product manager, he returns to join a new team, leading an ambitious product initiative.

Of the vigorous BSS R&D programmes in place, Rowley notes: "Some of the modifications will be in evidence by PLASA, while some brand new products will be introduced during the course of next year. For me, the timing couldn’t have been better."

Another man returning to the Soundcraft Group this month is sales engineer Richard Ayres. He spent 13 years handling technical support for all brands, interfacing with dealers and distributors before leaving a year ago to join system integr

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