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USA - American DJ has introduced two new strobe lights - the Energy One and Energy DMX. The 200W fixtures are built to be extremely road-worthy, say the company. Both are lightweight - a mere 4.5lb (2kg) - and come with a durable, high-tech plastic case that protects the units from damage during transport, setup and teardown. The difference between the two strobe lights is that the Energy DMX - as indicated by its name - can be operated with a DMX lighting controller.

(Lee Baldock)

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UK - At the forthcoming PLASA show, Alcons Audio will show a complete new product range and highlights of its current line-up. Seen in prototype form at last year's PLASA show, this year the production model of the LR16 pro-ribbon line-array module will be on the show. The recently-launched LR16B, double-15" NeoDymium driver bandpass supplement, will join the LR16.

The LR14, Alcons' ultra-compact line array module, featuring the patented RBN401 pro-ribbon driver, is designed as either an ultra-compact line array system, or as an under-fill for the LR16. It has a dispersion pattern of 120° x 15°, and its 800W peak power handling offers a similar dynamic response to its bigger brother, the LR16.

Also at PLASA, a sneak-preview will be given of the company's new Q-series - a complete new product range of modular line-source array columns, featuring all-new pro-ribbon transd

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UK - CT Screenco fielded a large array of screens for the 7th 95.8 Capital FM Party In The Park for the Prince's Trust. With over 100,000 people attending, CT Screenco had a huge responsibility to relay live pictures of the artists to all areas of Hyde Park. On stage, the centrepiece 50sq.m Barco DLite 7 LED display was divided into three sections, flanked by 16 4.8m high x 800mm columns of 25mm LED display, which tracked up and downstage (as well as moving vertically). On either side of the stage a pair of 60sq.m Lighthouse 1950 (19mm pixel pitch) LED displays provided large scale Imag, plus a continuous crawling text and information service, providing both public safety information and an interactive audience participation medium .

For those positioned behind the mix riser, 30sq.m of Barco DLite 7 engaged the crowds with the stage, while the company's two new 44sq.m Masted Mob

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Read more about the Indochine tour in the latest issue of LSi

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UK - In late April, having received an impromptu visit and presentation of the new KV2 Audio ES system by Andy Austin-Brown, both Phil Soltys and Dave Charman of PSD Electronics in Newquay were impressed enough to invite Austin-Brown back to conduct an "on-site, live Friday night demonstration in the heart of Newquay nightlife."

The venue was the Koola Club, an eclectic mix of club, bar and attached restaurant, feeding the requirements of the resident surf and sand fraternity as well as the hedonist weekend visitors and devout clubbers, situated on the seafront. The owners wanted to invest in a new sophisticated, but discreet audio system that could provide extreme high power with exceptional clarity and finesse. With a diverse range of entertainments from dance to live performances, the system had to operate with the minimum of attention.

Dave Charman explained: &qu

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UK - Smart Sound Direct reports that Galaxy Audio's replacement Neolite S5N-8 driver is now fitted as standard in the Hot Spot HSVC and HSRG monitors, PA5X140 powered PA system and PMCB Contractor Series speakers. Offering the same power handling capacity (100W RMS @ 8 ohms/200W max) and frequency range (150Hz-18kHz) as its predecessor, this new, lightweight Neodymium 5" driver retains the same clarity, power and reliability, but at a fraction of the previous weight, say the company.

The S5N-8 incorporates the company's patented Super Cool ferrofluid cooling technology to reduce distortion and power compression - and at 13.8oz (0.39kg), it's two thirds lighter than the original.

(Lee Baldock)

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Germany - After its success in Hamburg, the ABBA musical Mamma Mia! is now being performed in the Palladium Theater in Stuttgart, also since 18 July, Stage Holding will be presenting the musical in Schwaben as well.

Björn Ulvaeus from ABBA explained: " We are absolutely enthusiastic about the success we have with Mamma Mia! in Germany. Although we always knew that we have a lot of fans here in Germany, we did not expect such euphoria for our music. With the new show in Stuttgart we would like to thank all our fans and those who are still waiting to get a ticket - Mamma Mia! at two locations in Germany is our biggest challenge."

Working with only a few stage settings Howard Harrison's lighting has an important function - and features more than 100 Rainbow colour changers, ETC Source Four fixtures and Vari-Lite moving heads. A grandMA lighting c

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UK - Brent Cross Shopping Centre has chosen a JVC SX21 projector to upgrade its conference room facility. The projector was installed in early August by security systems integrator G1 Ltd. Brent Cross Shopping Centre is North London's largest shopping centre. It attracts 19 million shoppers a year and houses over 110 retail outlets including brands such as Fenwick, Marks & Spencer, Monsoon, Hugo Boss, Boots, Waitrose and John Lewis and employs approximately 4,500 staff.

Training, conferences, promotions and presentations for staff and contractors are becoming a bigger part of the centre's business. G1 recommended the JVC SX21 projector (model DLA-SX21) which has been seamlessly integrated with a full multi-media presentation system that includes surround sound.

The SX21 is capable of projecting multiple images with high resolution, high contrast and excellent natural colour r

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UK - On September 11th 2004 - one year on from Magna 7 tidy Events return to the venue pursuing its determination to put on some of the UK's biggest and most breathtaking parties. Leading the event in the main arena are a team influential in dance music and include: Judge Jules, Lisa Lashes, Tidy Boys, Paul Glazby, Mark EG, Scott Bond, Lee Haslam and Riley & Durrant.

In addition John Doe (Live), Andy Farley, Chris Liberator, Mark EG, Ian M, Amber D, Proteus and Paul Maddox preside from an 11 story-high tower of power in the Face of Steel. Some of the most innovative DJs and producers on the scene will also use this as a platform to stage their own hard dance sets.

New to the hard house coup and playing their first ever Magna are Lisa Pinup, Charlotte Birch, Ben Stevens, Ed Real and Kernzy & Klemenza. Veteran compatriots Tara Reynolds, Guyver, Ingo, Colin Barratt and JP & Jukes

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USA - Renowned wildlife and documentary sound recordist Chris Watson has been using his new Nagra ARES-PII linear, solid state, handheld recorder for a major new TV series - capturing the individual footfalls of army ants in the Costa Rican rainforest and the sounds of burrowing bees in the Mojave Desert, Arizona, USA.

Watson, who is well used to recording in some of the planet's harshest environments, commented: "The first time I used the ARES-PII was straight out of the box at the La Selva Tropical Studies centre - at 100% humidity. I just switched it on, hit record and got some wild tracks down straight away. I realized how easy it was, even through its neoprene case and decided to use it as my main recorder. Also, because it's solid state, I didn't have to pack it with silica gel to absorb moisture. Afterwards I plugged the card straight into my Mac Powerbook, backed up

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New Zealand - Shooters Bar in Christchurch, New Zealand, has taken delivery of a new sound system and video distribution system, based around a Soundweb 9016 video audio matrix, two BSS Soundweb 9088iiMM networked programmable DSP units, a BSS 9010 'Jellyfish' remote control and two BSS 9015 remote control panels. JBL AE (Application Engineered) and Control Series Speakers were used throughout the venue.

The bar owners originally approached Strawberry Sound in Dunedin for assistance with the audio and video system design and supply, and the installation was co-ordinated by Strawberry Sound Christchurch. System commissioning was done in conjunction with Jands Electronics New Zealand, who supplied the turnkey audio solution. The Soundweb units were selected as they could provide all the speaker management and zoning requirements, allowing for a 16 x 16 audio matrix, as well as int

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UK - Stage Electrics has been selected as lighting supplier for the new musical Mary Poppins. Jointly produced by Cameron Mackintosh and Disney, Mary Poppins plays its world premiere at the Bristol Hippodrome on 28 September before transferring to London's Prince Edward theatre in December. The show is production managed by Simon Robertson from Cameron Mackintosh and Nic Harris From Disney, while production electrician is Fraser Hall with Rob Halliday programming the Strand control system.

Lit by Howard Harrison, the moving light rig consists of 65 Vari*Lite fixtures made up of VL2000 spots, VL2000 washes, VL3000Qs and VL5Bs. In addition to this, nearly 40 of ETC's new Revolution moving heads have been specified alongside two Martin MAC 2000 Performance units where remote shuttering is required. The conventional rig consists largely of ETC Source Four profiles in v

Details
UK - Projected Image Digital is a 'one-stop' solutions-based company providing digital media server hardware and software, digital content, training and programming services. At PLASA 2004, the company is showcasing several new products from the increasingly convergent worlds of show lighting and video.

From IRAD, developers of the RADlite digital media server, PID will show myRAD software, an entry-level introduction to the RADlite family and a low-cost alternative for creating visual effects via DMX controllers. myRAD is ideal for use in clubs, theatres, smaller venues, studio and arts spaces and site-specific environments wanting to incorporate video-based graphics and imagery into their design projects.

PixelMAD is an Apple MAC-based system enabling video playback to be input to DMX devices (e.g. lighting fixtures), dramatically reducing programming time for producing high

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USA - Behringer has appointed Stephen Fraser as its president at Behringer USA. Michael Deeb, the group chief executive officer, said: "Mr. Fraser brings with him a wealth of experience gained through an admirable history of industry achievements. This appointment heralds a new wave of exciting developments we are bringing to the American (North and South America) and Canadian markets. We are confident that Mr. Fraser will lead our business to even greater heights."

Fraser has previously held several senior-executive positions, predominantly in the financial and service industries. His career has seen a strong focus on customer relationship management, which has translated into consistent bottom-line revenue growth for the companies he has worked for.

(Lee Baldock)

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UK - PCM is highlighting two product ranges at the PLASA 2004 Show - their extensive range of CM Lodestar Motors and the PLASA award winning Unibar system. PCM put the Lodestar brand on the map during the 1990s as far as the European touring and event industry is concerned. The company supplies a wide selection of standard Lodestar electric chain hoists which will be highlighted on the stand at PLASA, together with details of its Motor Schools.

PCM also features the Lodestars to BGV C1 standard, with double brakes, each capable of stopping the full load. They provide double the usual hoist safety factor, with a chain safety factor of 10:1, plus four-position limit switches including emergency switches, 24V control, under/overload electronic protection and a slack chain detection device.

PCM's Award-winning Unibar winch system (PLASA 2003 Product Excellence) allows the quick an

Details
USA / UK - Minnesota-based Light N Trax Inc, specialists in lighting, sound and video products and services, has been appointed as the exclusive distributor of the Light*Wand performance product range for the USA. The Light*Wand range of quality task lighting is LED-based, and the light is spread by passing through the Bead*light diffusion system (patents pending) developed for the aerospace industry. Lights include console lighting, rack lighting and music stand lighting.

Until now, Telectra, the manufacturers of the Light*Wand has fulfilled USA orders from its facility near Oxford in the UK. Demand for the product, however, was running at such high levels that finding a distributor became a priority. Light N Trax made contact with Telectra after one of its customers showed them the Light*Wand products he had purchased.

Eddy Hoyer, president of Light N Trax commented: "W

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UK - Sound Leisure, a name traditionally associated with jukeboxes, will show an array of futuristic digital AV products at this year's PLASA Show. As well as offering audio and flat screen video technology, Sound Leisure has harnessed the technological possibilities of touchscreens and transducers to create interactive displays utilizing existing materials such as glass windows, walls, or wooden panels.

The Versatile Video System (VVS) can be used simply to play music, but by attaching a number of screens, the system allows you to simultaneously play different music and video sources in different areas.

Bubbles are eye-catching acrylic spheres, available in a number of acid colours and in various screen sizes (6.8" to 30" diameter). They can house either speakers (Boutique Bubbles) or TFT display screens. Bubbles are cost-effective, easy-to-fit and look great hangi

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UK - TiMax audio imaging and showcontrol systems have been specified as a pivotal component in the sound designs for a number of prestige corporate and special events this summer. AV and theatre sound supplier Blitz recently included TiMax in its sound design for Vauxhall's display at the Birmingham Motor Show. Specified by Blitz's Richard Rogers and supplied under Out Board's TiMax Rental and Production Support program, the 16x32 system was used by production sound engineer Pete Russell primarily to focus visitors' attention on a large LED screen running segments of commercials and branding stings.

As part of a 30-minute show cycled throughout the day, fully synchronized to SMPTE time code from the video master, TiMax also provided animated surround ambience effects to attract visitors to the stand and the promotional videos. Speakers were all d&b, with line array elements prov

Details
UK - MA Lighting will show its full grandMA range of compatible lighting control desks at PLASA. The range is characterized by its flexibility, intuitive user interface, comprehensive functions and reliability - even when working in a multi-user network with up to eight stations and 16,384 parameters at full speed, say the company. All grandMA consoles use the same software, the main differences being in the hardware options.

Highlights of the PLASA stand this year will include the grandMA Video Software, which enables the operator to animate videos, graphics and 3D objects in real-time via a grandMA lighting desk. In contrast to other media servers, grandMA Video offers the possibility to choose any kind of animated 3D projection objects. Videos, graphics and the 3D objects can be selected, scaled, positioned, tiled, coloured and intuitively manipulated in a number of ways, si

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UK - A.C. Lighting has announced the appointment of Lee House as technical sales and support specialist for the company's Lighting division, with particular focus on supporting the new Jands Vista console, the MA Lighting grandMA range and WYSIWYG control software.

House was particularly drawn to the role by the prospect of working on the launch of the revolutionary Vista console with A.C. Jands development team contributors Neil Vann and Glyn O'Donoghue. The Vista officially launches in September at PLASA and represents a radical departure from the traditional method of lighting console programming and design. Having previously played a key role at Flying Pig Systems for four years, House is no newcomer to the console market and brings a wealth of experience to the role. During this time he helped set up the European Technical Support department and provided support for all Hog

Details
UK - The Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT) is sponsoring (and thoroughly recommends) one of the key workshops at this year's PLASA Show (12-15 September, Earls Court 1, London). Presented by Chris Higgs of Total Fabrications who will be leading on from last year's seminar about slinging trusses, this hands-on session will deal with how proprietary equipment can and should be used to create suspension points on an existing structure.

Higgs is a nominee for the forthcoming ABTT Council elections. An experienced speaker on rigging, he founded Trapeze Rigging in 1989, providing rigging services throughout the UK and Europe. In the mid 90s, he started to provide rigging training, the course notes subsequently growing into some of the most respected books on the subject. Since joining Total Fabrications Ltd in 1998, he has devoted the majority of his time to training r

Details
UK - This year, Australian manufacturer Enttec will be exhibiting for the first time at the PLASA Show. On display will be the company's full range of products in a working situation, including the new Datagate, which is a splitter, merger and Ethernet gateway all in one, and will serve as a cornerstone of modern DMX networks, say the company. The PC-based control software, Enttec Light Factory, will also be demonstrated on stand.

Enttec will also be showing the Open DMX USB Widget, which has already received a strong response from lighting professionals and enthusiasts. A special show pack will include a DMX USB widget, USB cable, gender changer and CD with free 16-channel control software and Enttec swag.

Enttec can be found on stand JJ20.

(Lee Baldock)

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