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Spain - On 17 December, Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Cats opened at Madrid's Teatro Coliseum de Madrid, with Fourth Phase, London providing the lighting rig. Already lighting the Madrid productions We Will Rock You and Phantom of the Opera, Cats reaffirms Fourth Phase's presence in the city. Working with lighting designer Howard Eaton, Fourth Phase provided a selection of lighting equipment including 90 moving lights, as well as conventional luminaires, control and dimming.

Taking advantage of developments in lighting technology (the moving light was still on the test bench in 1981), Eaton has devised an all-new lighting design for Cats in Madrid. In addition, his lighting company, Howard Eaton Lighting Ltd, has provided a variety of special effects eq

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The Netherlands - Video and lighting technology were fused spectacularly in December when 10,000 Dutch pop fans were treated to the sight of 336 High End Studio Colors forming a giant upstage videowall, augmented by Element Labs' VersaTILE LED screen. Sightline Productions and the Ampco Flashlight Group supplied the expertise and the technology for the 'Live 38' show at the Ahoy arena in Rotterdam, along with the bespoke video graphics-to-DMX software to make it all happen.

This annual show, now in its fourth year, has grown from its birth in a small Utrecht club through Amsterdam's Heineken Music Hall to the Ahoy. Presented by Dutch broadcaster Radio 538, it featured a main and a 'B' stage, a live radio broadcast and a TV highlights show. Top Dutch dance, rock and pop acts starred with headliners Simply Red.

The main stage PA, tucked in unobtrusively either side of the 'light

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USA - Color Kinetics Incorporated (CKI) and City Theatrical Inc are collaborating to deliver a full line of versatile accessories for use with CKI's award-winning line of professional LED-based lighting systems. The accessories are designed to enhance the flexibility of the systems and expand creative options for lighting designers by providing greater control of light dispersion and effects.

The first release of accessories is designed for use with CKI's ColorBlast, ColorBurst, and ColorBlaze units. Standard accessories include accessory holders, top hats, half-top hats, spread lenses, egg crate louvres and barndoors. Recognizing the wide-ranging needs of lighting designers and consultants, the collaboration also accommodates the need for custom accessories, say City Theatrical.

Bill Sims, president and COO of Color Kinetics, says: "We're pleased to work with City Theat

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

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UK - Digital media server and content specialist Projected Image Digital has announced two new products from D-Tek Industries for which it has exclusive distribution rights - the D-Switch and the D-Switch Pro. Both products are designed to aid the growing creative convergence between visual production mediums such as lighting and video, and both were previewed at PLASA.

Projected Image Digital's David March comments: "We're excited to be working with D-Tek Industries and products that are at the forefront of visual production and creativity. The industry is currently moving very fast, and these are the first of a whole series of related products."

The D-Switch, a DMX-controlled 4:1 video switch unit, is the first in a series of new products from D-Tek, developed to give lighting designers the power and flexibility to control the video elements of their show. The D-Sw

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UK - There is no question that the pioneering work of Autograph Sound Recording chairman Andrew Bruce has shaped the face of theatre sound design. Currently celebrating its 30th anniversary as the UK's first, and leading, theatrical sound design company, Autograph was founded by Bruce and fellow Royal Opera House sound department member Phil Clifford in 1973. The enterprising duo purchased a Revox to rent to producer Michael Codron's production manager, who wasn't happy with the standard of equipment he'd been renting. "He basically said that if we ever thought of opening up our own hire company to let him know and we could do all his work!" remembers Bruce.

By 1976 Autograph had come to the attention of leading US sound designer Abe Jacob, who was in London to appoint an equipment supplier for the UK production of Broadway hit A Chorus Line. A firm working relationsh

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UK - Trilogy, Doncaster's latest nightspot, features an interesting lighting scheme, with equipment supplied by Robe UK to installers Willpower to kit out three rooms - The Crest, The Temple and The Chamber - at the new 2,100-capacity venue. The lighting design was created by Robe UK's Nathan Wan, working closely with Trilogy's owner, Gary Hunt of Brook Leisure.

In each room, the lighting needed to complement the room themeing, and also had to be flexible and eye-catching: "It was great to get onboard with and work alongside the interior design team from the early stages," says Wan. The club's overall design was led by Hunt, who adopted a hands-on role throughout the project.

This interesting medieval-styled Chamber is also the main dancefloor. The lighting had to be dynamic to cater for a wide range of musical styles. They took a completely customised approach in t

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Sweden - "It's the 'dinner of the year' throughout Europe - perhaps even the world," says lighting designer Per Sundin. But it's not the menu that matters - it's who is being served. The Nobel Prize Awards Ceremony (covering all awards except the Peace Prize) takes place annually in December at Stockholm City Hall in Sweden to honour those who have achieved distinction in Physics, Chemistry, Literature and Physiology or Medicine.

Afterwards, the real party starts with the 'Table of Honour - the Nobel Banquet' - a banquet for 1,300 people, including the entire Royal Family of Sweden, along with dukes and duchesses, counts, ambassadors, lords, ladies and political figures and even more distinguished guests. Sundin (of Sveriges Television), as LD, has for many years been in charge of enhancing the event for the guests and for Scandinavian TV broadcast. "The goal is t

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UK, University of Manchester - The University of Manchester's new £6 million School of Music and Drama includes the new Cosmo Rodewald Concert Hall, the John Thaw Studio Theatre, the Lenagan Library, audio/visual facilities, improved performance, workshop and practice spaces and new electro-acoustic music studios.

Stage Electrics designed and installed the new facilities' sound and lighting systems, with Hills Electrical plc, main contractor Totty Construction, architects Cruickshank & Seward and acoustic consultants Arup.

The Music Department boasts a 350-seat concert hall (pictured right), while the Drama Department is equipped with a studio theatre. The concert hall has been designed primarily for orchestral performances, with stage space for up to 90-piece orchestras. Four lighting trusses are fitted with Strand Cantata and SL lanterns, while the Concert Hall control roo

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UK - When the BBC decided to revamp Top of the Pops, it committed itself to live broadcast and live performances, and the new InnovaSON Sy80 digital console was chosen to handle the highly demanding job of mixing sound for the audience PA system plus fold-back for the performing artists. The live studio sound is provided by SSE.

Sound engineer Chris Trimby, permanently assigned to the show, explains: "Now it's live to air, the show has changed completely. Previously, we would record one band then stop, set-up and record the next. Now of course we have to go directly from one to the next. This meant that we needed more inputs and outputs, because we don't have time to patch, and that's one of the main reasons we decided to use the InnovaSON Sy80."

TOTP used to employ up to five stages to record the show but the new, streamlined, live show uses two, or occasionally t

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UK - When media event group Ten Alps Events wanted to realize their ambition of illuminating some of London's most iconic buildings, they turned to projection specialist E/T/C UK to provide the technical expertise.

The event was conceived by Bob Geldof, a co-founder of Ten Alps Events, and was designed to introduce some magic and a sense of visual anticipation to the capital throughout December. 'Brightening Up London' was a project that Geldof had been keen to produce since 1999 and finally found the perfect sponsor in Orange, who grasped the potential synergy that this style of media campaign could bring to its own brand.

Ten Alps Events had been in touch with the owners of over 30 buildings over the past two years and when the project received the green light the first challenge was to create the shortlist of buildings that would be included. Those chosen included Tate Bri

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UK - The Professional Lighting and Sound Association (PLASA) has announced that Diane Grant of DHA Lighting and Andrew Bishop of Carlsbro Electronics have been elected PLASA chairman and vice-chairman respectively, with Tim Brown of Apple Sound re-elected as PLASA treasurer. The Association's previous chairman, David Hopkins (OBE) of Audio Design Services remains on the PLASA committee, but former vice-chairman Sammy de Havilland steps down, having completed his term in office.

During the year ahead, the new committee will focus on several key themes, including improved services for the membership and greater emphasis on safety and training.

(Lee Baldock)

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USA - American DJ has introduced a series of affordable Par Can Combo Kits, featuring complete Par can set-ups and available in three models - Par 46 Combo, Par 56 Combo and Par 64 Combo. Each Par Can combo kit contains a Par can, lamp, gel frame, four colour gels (red, blue, green, yellow), a clamp and a safety cable. The kits are ideal for bands, mobile entertainers, theatrical and stage productions, recital halls and places of worship, say American DJ.

"Our new Par Can Combo Kits offer the ultimate ease and convenience for stage lighting users," says Scott Davies, general manager of the American DJ Group of companies. "Each one comes as a ready-to-use turnkey package - all you have to do is plug it in."

(Lee Baldock)

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USA - Using 27,000 cubes of frozen lake water, Minnesotans are working around the clock to construct the Ice Palace, the spectacular centerpiece of the 2004 St. Paul Winter Carnival. More than one million spectators will flock to the outdoor festival starting on 22 January. The event climaxes on 8 February with the National Hockey League's All Star Game.

The Ice Palace promises to be a feast for the eyes. It measures 240 feet wide, with turrets towering to 75ft high. A wall of ice surrounds the grounds with 20-foot high turrets. Adding to the spectacle is a fountain with a 20ft high flame, two stages for entertainment and an ice rink. The entire five-acre site is enhanced with nearly 500 High End Systems lighting products supplied by HES in Austin, Texas, and TLS of Huntsville, Ala. Lighting design is by Frattalone & Associates Inc of St. Paul, Minnesota. High End's Tim Grivas i

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Switzerland - At the forthcoming Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) exhibition in Geneva (3-5 February), AV systems specialist Electrosonic is showcasing new processing and media networks display solutions for use in command and control, and corporate communications applications.

The company's 'Visionetwork' is a new range of command and control technologies already in use in IT, utility and process control applications. The first product to be introduced is VN-2400, a network display processor that combines RGB, video and network application sources onto a videowall at low cost. Also being demonstrated will be VN-Commander, an easy-to-use graphical user interface; and the newly launched VN-Glimpse hardware agent, which is an RGB streaming encoder via ethernet.

Electrosonic Director advances the state of play of AV/IT integration by integrating audio, RGB, video, touch-panel cont

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UK - Audace Ltd, manufacturer of the Intelliplate programmable control system for audio-visual installations, has re-located to larger premises in Somerset, Southwest England. The new offices, in the small village of Stoke-sub-Hamdon near Yeovil, are ideally suited to the next phase of development for the company and the product range, says MD Bryan Waters.

He explained: "This new facility enables us to be far better suited to the growing needs of our clients - we are more accessible, have more space for stock holding and are better placed to supplement our human resources as and when appropriate. The main benefit, however, is the fact that we are a full 150 miles closer to civilization than we were in our previous office in Cornwall!"

Clients, suppliers and prospective clients are invited to visit the new facilities at any time, which are located at 18 North Street

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Germany - Telecommunications giant T-Mobile has installed one of the world's highest resolution LED video screens for the video-conferencing hub of its headquarters in Bonn, Germany. The huge Lighthouse LVP0630 (6mm pixel pitch, 3000 Nits brightness) screen is free-standing at the end of a large (100m by 30m) video-conferencing room, which features advanced AV facilities and an integrated sound system by Pro Video Broadcast und Konferenztechnik GmbH Berlin and Arge Medientechnik of Germany.

The screen was originally specified at 13 by 13 panels in size, but has since been expanded to 16 by 13 panels, for a 16:9 wide screen aspect ratio. The combination of the 51.9sq.m (559sq.ft) screen size and the 6mm pixel pitch gives a screen resolution totalling 1536 pixels (H) by 936 pixels (V). Control is via four Lighthouse LIP-KX processors, running a DVI input fed by an Electrosonic Vec

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UK - The Association of British Theatre Technicians' annual showcase, The ABTT Theatre Show, staged in London's Royal Horticultural Halls on 16-17 June, has expanded into a third hall - the Assembly Hall.

The decision was made by show director Roger Fox, supported by the Show's administrators, Pandemonium Productions Ltd, headed by Simon Garrett. According to the ABTT, the new cost-effective exhibition packages available exclusively in The Assembly Halls are ideal for new exhibitors, particularly key service and educational organizations. Roger Fox says: "ABTT Theatre Show is a unique forum and is a vital technical showcase for professionals in theatre and auditoria. By encouraging new exhibitors from areas such as PA/VA, video and building services, the show broadens its appeal. We're confident that The Assembly Hall will add value to show as a whole."

ABTT reports

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UK - As part of PLASA's ongoing role as a CPD Network Provider for RIBA - the Royal Institute of British Architects - PLASA's Nicky Greet, in conjunction with Andy Brining of Stagepoint (and with input from Chris Higgs of Total Fabrications), has developed a seminar entitled Design Considerations for Buildings used for Corporate or Entertainment Applications, to provide architects with essential information in the design stages. The first will be delivered at PALME in Dubai next month (16-18 Feb), with others to follow.

The RIBA CPD Providers Network exists to provide quality, assessed, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for architects and other construction professionals. Manufacturers and suppliers from practically every sector of the construction industry are now represented on this highly respected Network.

The Association had been looking for an opportunity

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UK - MC2 Audio is pleased to announce the appointment of Robert Bradshaw-Smith as a Director with the company. Having started his working life outside the pro audio industry, Robert has been with MC2 Audio for just over eight years and has worked with huge commitment throughout that time, taking on whatever task has been required as the business as grown and developed, whilst acquiring a broad knowledge of electronics at the same time. Managing director, Ian McCarthy says: "Rob is an asset to MC2 Audio and Terry and I are delighted to have him alongside as a director."

The company has also announced the appointment of Stuart Down as UK sales engineer, beginning on 1 February. Down has been with MC2 Audio for just over a year, before which he spent 10 years working as a sound engineer in theatres and on live music productions.

(Lee Baldock)

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Denmark - Martin Architectural has introduced a 'long barrel' version of its popular outdoor CMY colour changer, providing more flexibility as a response to market requests for narrower beam options.

The Exterior 200 Long Barrel's greater length allows for narrower beam options for longer light throw, while maintaining a high intensity beam, say Martin. Two different options are available: 22° field angle (using Fresnel lens) and a 12° field angle (using the PC lens, which replaces the front glass). It is also possible to mount a beam-shaper glass to the underside of the PC lens, which provides an asymmetric beam shape of 14° x 69°. The new options mean that field angle possibilities for the Exterior 200 now range from 12° to 70° flood, with six different steps to choose from.

The Long Barrel's narrow angle options are also useful for illuminating columns and other narro

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UK - Allen & Heath's Dutch distributor, TM Audio, has provided a 40-channel ML5000 to one of Holland's biggest commercial broadcasters, RTL4. The live sound VCA console has been installed to cover all live elements of the popular Barend & Van Dorp talkshow, which features performances from local Dutch talent to well-known artists such as Norah Jones, Tindersticks, Stereophonics, 16 down and Peter Frampton.

Broadcast daily from Monday to Friday, the well-known journalist duo provide a mix of satirical comment on current affairs and interviews with special guests, supported by writer and ex-professional soccer player, Jan Mulder. "We provide monitor mixes for visiting artists and bands and FOH mixing for the studio," comments Eric Bergsma, head of sound for RTL Netherlands. "The ML5000's versatility, quality, flexibility and compact size are perfect for our

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