Details
UK - Sennheiser has expanded the price competitive end of its evolution range of vocal microphones, with three new 800 series models. These build on the common evolution design precepts, including metal construction and all German manufacture.

The e815S, e816S and e817 provide a range of cost/performance options for vocal microphone applications in the general musician, small PA and sound contractor markets. All three models feature shock-mounted capsules, for low sensitivity to impact and handling noise, hum compensating coils and precise cardioid polar pick-up patterns and high output neodynium ferrous magnets with boron for electronic stability in extreme environmental conditions. The e815S and e816S additionally feature a silent magnetic reed - lockable - on/off switch.

Th

Details
UK - Building on critically acclaimed projects for Placebo and Simply Red, special projects and set wiring company, Specialz, has successfully completed its first job for Clear Channel. The unusual brief was to install various effects into the Harry Potter car (a 1960's Ford Anglia), which would then be used as a set piece for an event to support the release of the latest Harry Potter book at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The range of effects supplied included remote-controlled moving headlamps running at 250W, hazard warning lights and a DMX smoke machine connected to the exhaust with its own PAR 36 key light. Because the car was suspended above the stage, all the equipment had to be self-contained and controllable from the ground. Solutions were found for all of the requirements and the overall effect was to give the powder blue 1968 Ford Anglia, a sense of life and persona

Details
USA - The Red Hot Chili Peppers have been bringing their own brand of pumped-up alternative funk to the masses for nearly 20 years now and Oxnard-based Rat Sound Systems, Inc has been along for much of the ride. Although the sound reinforcement company has traditionally opted to put up its signature Rat Trap 5 System for the band in the past, this year finds the crew carrying an all-new L-Acoustics V Dosc/dV Dosc rig out on the road in support of the Peppers' latest album, By The Way.

Rat Sound's main man Dave Rat explains: "With our own proprietary system already hired out on a tour this season, we were faced with the task of finding another suitable world-class rig. The Peppers are very dynamic and musically diverse, so having a system where the response remains balanced at both low and high volumes was critical. Furthermore, thanks to L Acoustics partner companies like M

featured content

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

Details
Avolites featured the Diamond 4 Elite lighting console, first seen at LDI in Las Vegas last year. This is a scaled-down version of the original D4, and features include 14 submasters and 96 assigned playbacks, with direct access to 96 fixtures via Legend Cells (re-assignable preset playbacks). Also on the Avo stand was the RADlite digital media server - controllable by any DMX desk (in this case an Azure Shadow). This video and digital effects package can be mixed and output from any lighting desk. It can be run as a video source for any show, either independently from the main video IMAG and playback production, or fully integrated with other video media as required. RADlite combines any number of images and vector shapes with digital video, colour backgrounds and text. Controlled just like a moving light, it allows the operator to apply masks like colours, shapes and effects (e.g. rota

Details
Most theatres would give their right arm for a fully automated powered flying rig, but not every theatre can afford the expense of automation, so Stagemate, developed by Bader of Germany and distributed in the UK by Triple E, will certainly help. It's an inexpensive and easy method of motorizing existing hand-operated counterweight rigging systems. Installed on the flyrail and in place of the existing rope brake, Stagemate allows a single person to control several hand lines.

With this system, the existing hand-operated counterweight rigging system is retained, and it can be moved to enable different lines to be motorized for different productions. Stagemate offers variable speed travel for both individual lines and groups, with speeds of up to 1.2m/s. The provision of a remote control console ensures the fly-man can have an optimum view of the stage. As with all the best inventions,

Details
UK - Power Gems has launched a new range of high frequency electronic ballasts for HMI, MSR and UV lamps. This patented technology offers many advantages over conventional square-wave ballasts, including fewer parts, an integrated ignitor and lower costs.

The 300kHz sine wave lamp drive system is particularly suitable for OEM build-in/build-on applications and provides a 'full power solution in one box', so users don't have to add-on special cooling, ignitors (cold and hot re-strike options) and line filtering to meet relevant standards. Convection-cooling can also often be used depending upon the application, thus eliminating noisy fans.

(Ruth Rossington)

Details
Trantec's UK distributor Orbital had on stand the S6000 miniature radio mic. Based on the award-winning S5000 series, the S6000 has been developed from the ground up by Trantec's in-house R&D team, who have worked with end users to produce a system tailored to theatre and broadcast applications.

The miniature transmitter has a profile smaller than a credit card and is housed in a robust aluminium case. It features new 'compander' technology to deliver the audio quality required, and by virtue of its LCD panel, clearly displays gain on power up and the unit's operating frequency. An IR port allows gain and frequency to be configured either manually or remotely from a PDA. The S6000RX receiver is a slimline 2U 19" chassis, which can hold up to eight channel receiver cards. Each channel's bandwidth covers 72MHz, enabling the user to tune from the top of channel 62 to the bottom of ch

Details
UK - Allen & Heath has further expanded its sales and marketing team with the recruitment of a new product specialist. Simeon Ludwell has been appointed to meet the training demands of the company's worldwide network of distributors, as the company's product portfolio continues to grow.

Ludwell has extensive practical experience in the live sound reinforcement market, having previously worked as a freelance sound engineer and club/bar Installer, designing and specifying sound systems for a number of bars and clubs around the Midlands. One club was voted BEDA Club of the Year for its lighting design and sound system.

Ludwell has also worked as a sound engineer and lighting designer for artists such as Sasha, James Zabiela, LTJ Bukem, Orbital, Freestylers, Chicane, Reef, JJ72, Therapy, Herbaliser, Jools Holland, Scratch Perverts, Plump DJs and Judge Jules. Even during his degree

Details
Germany - Behringer has released the latest addition to its line of DJ products - the 5-channel stereo ultra low-noise Pro Mixer DJX700. Features include kill EQ, adjustable XPQ stereo surround effect, intelligent dual auto-BPM counters dual-rail Ultraglide and a VCA-controlled crossfader for reliability and clean audio performance. The DJX700 is available in August 2003.

The Pro Mixer DJX700 features state of-the-art phono preamps and is a step up from the recently introduced DJX400, say Behringer. It is designed from the ground up as tough club mixer with intelligent dual auto-BPM counters with time and beat sync display and 3-band kill EQ including precise level meters with peak hold function for each channel. Additionally, this mixer comes equipped with a seamlessly adjustable crossfader curve for all mixing styles, added by 3-way kill switches for each crossfader side; a mo

Details
Canada - Top management changes at Montreal-based MDG Fog Generators see Martin Michaud, vice-president of sales and marketing, take over as president following the retirement of Marc Gringras. Michaud has been with the company for over 10 years, and is joined by two business partners, both of whom he has worked with for many years. Jacques Foisy, chief accountant of MDG for over 15 years, becomes vice-president of finance whilst Marcel Larivière, who has been involved with MDG for many years as a supplier, joins the company as vice-president of production. In addition to his role as president, Michaud will also retain his responsibilities for sales and marketing.

MDG has enjoyed steady growth over recent years, with recent projects including the Universal Studios 'Coin' project in Florida, and all the atmospheric effects for Céline Dion at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. As wel

Details
UK - Sound specialists Canegreen provided the PA system for BBC Radio 2's Live Great British Music Debate, this month, attended by the music industry's opinion leaders. The live event focused on the debates surrounding the current state of the British music industry, with the spotlight on the question, "Is the single dead'" The evening kicked off with five acts, including Glaswegians Speedway and the soulful vocals of Peppercorn, before music industry heads got down to discussing the issues.

Canegreen provided the sound equipment for the event, designing a system to manage both the live acts, as well as the onstage and audience debate. The system managed 48 feeds from the room, and linked to the BBC Radio 2 broadcast, which went out live on air. The rig consisted of four Meyer MSL 4 speaker cabinets, which were used with the two Meyer 650R2P SP sub speakers for the ban

Details
Doughty has launched a range of Lighting Hoists. Although pretty lightweight themselves, these new hoists can handle loads of up to 140kg. Their minimal 'closed height' allows them to be installed in studios with limited headroom, or alternatively to give maximum overhead working height when stowed. By adding one or more pantographs to the system, optimum flexibility and control of individual luminaires can be achieved. Since the hoist will also accept programmable position control, studio time savings can be considerable.

Details
UK - Following a successful year since de-merging from Blackout in 2002, Triple E has moved to new premises in Biggin Hill, adjacent to the famous airport, on the south London/Kent border.

The building - which incorporates a warehouse, production areas and first floor offices - has been newly equipped by Triple E and offers room for further expansion. It will allow the company to further develop its engineering solutions for track systems and equipment for theatres and TV studios. Recent installations include Harrods department store, Bombay Dreams in London's West-End, Sophie's Choice at the Royal Opera House, St Luke's - the new home of the London Symphony Orchestra, Flagey - the renovated National Institute for Radio Broadcasting in Belgium, and cruise ships - the most recent being Carnival Glory and HAL Oosterdam.

The new address is 16 Airport Industrial Es

Details
UK - TESA UK, a leading manufacturer of high quality self-adhesive tapes, has appointed the Le Mark Group as its 'entertainment technology specialist'. The appointment represents the long-term commitment of the giant German-owned company to develop products specifically for the entertainment industry.

The announcement concludes nearly 12 months of negotiations between the two companies and sees Le Mark become a 'focused distributor' for TESA. Le Mark's managing director, Stuart Gibbons, told PLASA Media: "This is very much a two-way partnership. It will enable Le Mark's design ability and award-winning flair to be developed further. It also ensures that Le Mark's clients have a direct channel to a multi-national manufacturer who recognizes that the entertainment industry is a growing sector which should be given special attention."

One of the first areas of collabora

Details
UK - After a lack of bookings earlier in the year, which forced a rethink on the scale of this year's SBES, the organizers Point Promotions report that the event has now sold out. And, if demand for additional space continues, show organizer Dave McVittie hopes to be able to negotiate extra space with the venue, taking the exhibition back up in scale once more.

The economic down-turn, coupled with the change of venue, clearly gave some long-term exhibitors pause for thought before booking stand space this year. However good it may be, realistically the new venue represents something of an unknown for some, and extra thinking time was clearly needed before bookings were made. Now however, most established exhibitors, and some new ones, are on board.

Amongst the confirmed exhibitors are Canford Audio, De Wolfe Sound Effects Services (exhibiting for the first time), HHB, ntl, P

Details
UK - Stage engineering and automation specialist Stage Technologies announced a worldwide partnership with Siemens during a recent Open Day held at the Göteborg Stadsteater in Sweden. The event coincided with the production of Siemens' 400,000 MasterDrive, and the end of a highly successful first season for the Stadsteater using Stage Technologies state-of-the-art power flying solution (see June L&SI).

Co-hosted by Siemens and Stage Technologies, some of the entertainment industry's leading consultants were invited to the event to tour one of the latest automation solutions resulting from the partnership. Mark Ager, Stage Technologies' managing director and Ian Bowman, director of marketing and communications for Siemens, explained the dividends connected with an integrated drive solution - namely its cost effectiveness and compact nature.

The installation, featuring Stage T

Details
ProTrac is an upgraded fly-bar system designed for those situations where a simple bar or ladder beam no longer meets the requirements. For instance, if the uniformly distributed load needs to be upgraded from 300 to 500kg and the point load from 40 to 150/200kg, the normal fly-bar does not have the required strength. Therefore, the single round tube is often replaced with ladder beams, usually made from steel. ProTrac offers a better alternative than the steel ladder beams, thanks to its combination of an aluminium extruded square profile, underneath which a round tube of 60mm or 48.3mm is attached. Suspension points slide into the square profile and can be locked at any position, and flexibility comes from the fact that several lengths can be easily connected.

Details
Further fuelling the control integration between different visual medias, James Thomas Engineering launched Pixeldrive, a highly innovative new video software-based control system for its Pixel fixtures.

Pixeldrive is the result of a collaboration between JTE's own R&D department and IRAD, the developers of the RADlite digital media server. The end-product is a control system which allows the synchronization of digital media to JTE's high brightness Pixelline 1044 battens and other pixelrange products. When running, this will enable visual sequences to be run across both lighting and video media. One of the main bonuses is in the time this will save - Pixeldrive can reduce the pre-production process from hundreds of hours of complex programming to just minutes. For example, to programme a water ripple effect across a bank of Pixellines would take about 30 seconds of programming.

Th

Details
Litestructures showed its Chromadeck LED-based colour changing dancefloor system: first seen as a prototype at PLASA last year, but now revised and in full production, the 600mm x 600mm x 195mm Chromadeck panel is a hybrid of Litestructures' Litedeck and Pulsar's Chromapanel. As many as 12 Chromadeck units can be powered by one ChromaZone controller, which, in turn, will interface with any DMX lighting control desk.

Litestructures' Adrian Brooks is confident it will be a best seller: "I'm certain that we'll initially see an explosion of Chromadecks in nightclubs because of its versatility and value for money. It's a simple way to add a new dimension to your flooring needs, whether you're looking for a permanent installation, or want to rent it for a set number of weeks. So many people think that to create effective lighting designs you have to hang fixtures from ceilings and walls

Details
Large format projection specialists E/T/C UK Ltd showed the Pigi 'S' 500 projector, along with a range of accessories for the theatre market. This new projector uses a 2.5k HMI lamp and includes CMY colour mixing, an internal dimming shutter and DMX control of all its functions. Accessories now include single and double film scrolling, as well as the traditional AMD-32 Slidechanger, a manual slidechanger, and dimming control is also available for less complex applications. A wide range of Barco objective lenses is also available, offering improved optical performance.

Details
Stagetec showed the first production model of Compulite's Vector lighting console, previewed at PLASA last year. This features an integrated CAD package and enhanced paperwork capabilities and is designed to take the operator from concept to closing night in one user-friendly workstation. Also on show, was LSC's Minim desk, a budget-priced 12- or 24-channel memory desk, and the LSC Maxim series of fader-based consoles.
Page 1550 of 3465

Latest Issue. . .