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UK - Denon's flagship DN-S5000 CD player, with turntable, along with its tabletop companion, the DN-S3000, can now be road-protected. Leading DJ bag supplier, UDG, has been commissioned to produce purpose-designed, padded shoulder bags for the two popular products.

Manufactured in a heavy nylon weave - with a generous provision of pockets - the bags incorporate the famous Denon DJ graphic. Now in production, the new bags will be available from distributors with effect from this month's PLASA Show in London.

Said D&M Pro Europe's David Atkinson: "This is the first time we have supplied kit with their own bespoke, branded bags, and I must say they look fabulous." UDG (Ultimate DJ Gear) started out four years a go with the production of the SoftBag. Many DJs - such as Tie

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UK - Out Board has launched the all-new DM Series of chain hoist rigging motor controllers, configured in 4- and 8-channel versions to manage Direct Control hoists such as Verlinde, Chainmaster and the new Columbus McKinnon direct control hoists.

As with the company's established CM-Series Low Voltage controllers, the DM4 and DM8 are each packaged in rugged, compact (3U) rackmount chassis, ideal for touring, theatre, corporate, festival or installation applications. Like the CM-Series, both controllers are automation-ready for integration with intelligent rigging control systems such as the IBEXtm Programmable Hoist Controller.

Direction control is available via front panel switches or by optional remote handset, plus remote and linkable GO and E-stop functions. The DM4 four-channel unit has Cee-type output connectors and the DM8 has Socapex-type connectors; truss-mounting spl

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Denmark - Schouw & Co, the Danish parent company of Martin Professional, has reported that Kristian Kolding has informed the board of directors of Martin Professional that he wishes to resign his position as managing director by the end of the year at the latest. Kolding has steered Martin Professional through a six-year industrialisation process that has more than doubled the company's size, positioning it as the world's leading manufacturer of computer-controlled effect lighting.

Schouw & Co's statement said: "Martin Professional is facing a number of vital challenges. Many new initiatives have already been launched, and several long-term measures are currently being considered. Recognising the long-term perspective of this process of change, Kristian Kolding believes that now is the time to hand over the reins to a new top executive."

Schouw & Co also expressed

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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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UK - A complete range of voice alarm loudspeakers to cover all requirements of BS5839 has been developed by Audio Design Services, and will be launched at the PLASA Show at Earls Court. The Omega ceiling loudspeakers have been designed by British engineers with installation engineers also playing a part in the provision of labour saving fitting devices. Fire domes have cable entries to the side as well as to the top giving at least four inches of extra headroom when required. The easy removable ceramic terminal block with integral heat fuse makes termination of MICC speedy and simple. The surface ceiling loudspeaker, which also acts as an effective wall loudspeaker, has a unique fitting assembly allowing 'first fix' to be achieved in minutes just leaving the actual loudspeaker to be snapped into position when required.

All loudspeakers have been analyzed in the EASE computer for

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UK - Following an investment of £1.3m, Gloucestershire entrepreneur Terry Cole has given Stroud residents a highly-specified new nightclub on the site of the former Gaumont Cinema. The three-storey venue Warehouse adopts the same name as Mr. Cole's other venture, the Warehouse Wine Bar in Dursley, and is an industrial conversion of the Gaumont Cinema which opened in 1935, using varnished sleepers, brickwork and stone effect flooring. Above the large balcony bar on the first floor is an opulently-detailed VIP room, while the dancefloor itself incorporates a water feature.

Cole enlisted local company, Hans Beier's CAV - which he had worked with before on the Dursley venue - to design and install a sound and lighting infrastructure in the 850-capacity venue.

As the centrepiece, Beier chose the Martin Audio W8LM Mini Line Array system - after Martin Audio's Simon Bull successfull

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UK - Pioneer has revealed its plans for a stunning DJ line-up on the opening Sunday of PLASA 2004. DJs appearing and playing on the Pioneer stand on that day include VJ Kriel (Charles Kriel), James Zabiela, Hexstatic, Addictive TV, Dan Tait, OakeDoak Crew, Red Dog & Mungo, Marco & Maui and DJ Yoda.

In addition to these, the following names will be playing on the Pioneer stand throughout the rest of the PLASA show: Monday 13 September, Seb Fontaine: Tuesday 14 September, Nic Fancuilli and Eddie Halliwell: Wednesday 15 September, Judge Jules.

(Lee Baldock)

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Japan - "Acoustically it's perfect," said Ralf Zuleeg, an applications support specialist from d&b audiotechnik, "a typical modern, horseshoe-shaped concert hall; slightly dry for a small ensemble, but ideal for a full orchestra." Matsumoto City Hall in Japan was originally opened 40 years ago; the current refurbishment project began in 1999, completing in the spring of 2004. Its grand opening will comprise multiple events covering the full gamut of musical performance, with the debut concert having been staged on 29 August 2004.

Yamaha Sound Technologies Inc. was selected to be responsible for the sound installation, with Nagata Acoustics Inc. providing the acoustic sound design, Makoto Ino their senior consultant elected to specify d&b systems. "We have experience of this company's equipment through our partnership with the Otaritec Corporation, who

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Europe - Fons de Vreede has been promoted to a new role as High End Systems European sales director. Based in Utrecht, Netherlands, de Vreede joined the company last August as Sales Manager for Central Europe. Says de Vreede: "With the addition of our new UK Sales Director David Linger and our Southern European Sales Manager Vangelis Ziakas in Greece, we now have a fine and experienced European sales force and an experienced staff in the London office to cover more territory. I am looking forward to working with my two new colleagues as well as our customers in Europe. Especially now - we have such interesting products as our Catalyst and digital lighting range and the new Flying Pig Systems products."

HES CEO Frank Gordon comments: "I am looking forward to the synergy and leadership that Fons will bring to this sales region for High End. His 25 plus years of ind

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UK - Leading digital media specialist Scene Change today announces the arrival of the next generation of the acclaimed Hippotizer digital media server family by Green Hippo. The current Hippotizer range has proved enormously popular since its launch at PLASA 2003, with applications ranging from nightclubs and events around the world to stage shows such as the new musical Mary Poppins, opening soon in London's West End.

The new Hippotizer family builds on that success, offering new functionality and increased power to meet the expectations of even the most demanding designer, and further stretching the possibilities of digital media. At the same time, the Hippotizer remains rugged, reliable and easy to use.

The new Hippotizer family consists of three members all built around the same Generation 2 technology. All three offer a fully hardware-accelerated graphics engine

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UK - JBL Professional today announced the availability of a new suite of system design and operation tools for use with Vertec line array systems. All-new DSP presets, expanded array DLL's for use in EASE 4.0 acoustical modeling software, and an upgraded version of JBL's Line Array Calculator are included in the package.

The new system user tools include the release of JBL's new Version 3.0 digital signal processing library of presets for Vertec systems. Offering incremental improvements in acoustical performance, the new presets provide improved mutual-coupling characteristics, both on and off axis, for arrays of all sizes, say JBL. Phase linearity between the low and mid frequency sections has been improved for all models, offering better coherence throughout the crossover region. Passband filters have been optimized to reduce minimum-phase effects, and reduce the number of e.

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UK - PLASA 2004 has now opened and promises to be another successful event: even this morning the stands were buzzing, with a vast range of the latest pro lighting and audio, video and digital media, rigging and staging products on show. The Innovation Gallery, where this year's nominations for the PLASA Awards for Innovation are displayed - 67 products in total - provides a popular draw for visitors at the front of the hall.

Seminars kick off today with a fascinating discussion on DJ/VJ technology and how club land is being transformed by user-friendly media servers and DJ-friendly CD decks. This will all happen in the seminar theatre on the top deck from 2 - 3pm, and will be closely followed at 3.30pm by a presentation on digital media servers, offering a comparison of the features of some of the systems available today and a demonstration of two of the current systems from H

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UK - London-based 3D imaging specialists Inition, on their PLASA debut, scored a show first by unveiling new large-scale autostereoscopic plasma screens which show 3D images without requiring the viewer to wear 3D glasses. Early generations of autostereoscopic screens had a very narrow viewing angle whereas the new types can be viewed from virtually any angle.

The company, which sells 3D video creation and imaging systems and is itself a specialist 3D content creator for a host of blue-chip clients, is showing LCD monitors which display stereoscopic video via a special interlaced video signal format. Each screen is retro-fitted with a filter which creates the illusion of a 3D image that appears to leap out of the screen.

The screens join the company's existing range of stereoscopic imaging devices, which includes a Sharp laptop - the first laptop available off the shelf with

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UK - Digidesign today unveiled its first foray into the live sound mixing market with the launch of the Venue digital console. Major features include high sound quality with 48-bit internal processing, a versatile and expandable digital mix engine and the ability to add to the console's standard feature set with plug-ins - a legacy of the manufacturer's long relationship with musicians via the Pro Tools recording studio series.

The standard package includes a 48-channel D-Show console, a full snapshot-based automation system which can store all console channel and parameter settings, channel facilities that include two dynamics processors, 4-band parametric EQ and delay and hand-calibrated microphone preamps.

Digidesign's expandable DSP mix engine architecture provides almost literally unlimited scope for adding effects and dynamics processors with plug-ins. The same effects

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UK - In a PLASA showcase, loudspeaker innovators Funtion-One are using the PLASA Show to launch the Resolution 1, a standard sized loudspeaker aimed at the generic 2-way box market. The new product represents a radical departure from the norm in this market and the company claims it will "revolutionise the 2-way small box loudspeaker market."

The key component is a completely new 5 inch mid/high driver that eliminates the need for a compression driver, and lowers the LF crossover point to just 600Hz below which a ported 12 inch LF driver takes over. The 5 inch device, developed in-house at Function-One's Surrey, UK base, is mounted on a miniaturized, dedicated Axehead-loaded waveguide and the promise of the complete package is a combination of high efficiency and excellent projection and imaging.

The enclosure shape has been optimized to recess a wall bracket for n

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UK - The much-vaunted InMotion 3D / CyberHoist motion control system was unveiled at PLASA at the start of four days of demonstrations in the Warwick Hall at Earls Court. The complete system offers a unique combination of precision movement and user-friendly programming and its creators, Holland's XLNT Advanced Technologies, claims it is the most advanced motion control system available for the entertainment industry. It was first seen at the EBU Eurovision Song Contest 2004 and is now on its début world tour with Phil Collins in the USA through PRG Europe.

A complete InMotion 3D / CyberHoist system consists of InMotion 3D object-oriented software, an unlimited number of 1/2-tonne Verlinde CyberHoist motors, an Ethernet network (DataMotion), a dedicated power distribution system (PowerMotion) and the human element - a programmer/operator.

It is designed specifically for mov

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UK - Formula Sound is launching the FF-6000 DJ mixer at PLASA, the product of a unique collaboration between the manufacturer and loudspeaker specialists (and dance market aficionados) Funktion-One. The mixer's features and layout were determined during the collaboration and extensively checked along the way with professional DJs.

A large-scale DJ mixer 'shoot-out', conducted by Funktion-One some 18 months ago that involved an informal panel of interested listeners from around the industry, revealed differences in both sound quality and control interface. "We tested mixers from all the major manufacturers," explains Funktion-One's Tony Andrews. "There were only two mixers that everyone agreed delivered acceptable sound quality, and one of those was Formula Sound's PM100. We then worked with Formula Sound to refine the layout with features that working DJs really

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UK - Heralding it as "the world's most versatile amplifier", MTi Danmark announced its first product developed especially for international markets with the arrival of the MPA 82000 8-channel DSP amplifier and the DSM 88 Digital Speaker Manager.

The MPA 82000, which MTi says will replace a typical 12-16 unit amplifier rack, offers 8 x 500W or 8 x 1000W power amplifier modules, in any combination, in a 3U rackmount unit that weighs in at 58lb (26 kg). It's aimed at both the installation and touring / rental markets. The amplifier features the unique ICEpower power conversion technology, made under licence from Bang & Olufsen ICEpower A/S.

A built-in 8-channel DSP controller provides a full 8x8 matrix, EQ, crossover, delay, limiter and volume, with global delay of up to 8 seconds. Settings can be stored in 16 user presets. Via an RS485 interface, up to 16 MPA 82000s

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No, not the work light on the Innovation Gallery, but the thing it was attached to - a simple and useful device which made the judges wonder why it hadn't been done before. Lewden's Encore T-Line incorporates both a 16A plug and socket in a compact IP44 black moulding with a rewireable cable outlet at the side. Applications include any fixture or appliance with a 16A plug where more than one item is often plugged into the supply. Permanently fitted to a lantern or accessory in place of the standard 16A plug, it allows simple and neat daisy-chaining of another fixture without the need for a separate 16A splitter. Because the plug and socket are in-line, it allows exceptionally neat rigging along a bar/truss or on the ground. This innovative daisy-chaining connector is now available exclusively from Stage Electrics.

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Following a re-assessment of the Show's product awards by the PLASA Exhibitors' Forum, this year's event placed a greater emphasis than ever before on Innovation, while doing away with the familiar - but often unequal - product categories.

The PLASA Show's product awards have been a popular feature of the event for many years, highlighting the significance of the show as a focus for new technological developments. To further underline this role, the awards have undergone an important change for 2004, with a greater emphasis being placed on 'innovation' - hence the first presentation of the PLASA Awards for Innovation.

The previous assessment criteria, which separated the nominations into sectors, was removed, and products were judged on the strength of their innovation alone. The judges, chaired once again by L&SI's technical editor James Eade, consisted of respected consultants, de

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Wireless Solutions took home an innovation award for its latest product the W-DMX, a wireless DMX transceiver system.

Broadly based on GSM (mobile phone) technology, the wireless side works in the 2.45GHz radio band alongside Bluetooth and similar IEEE 802.11 (W-LAN) compliant products. However, unlike equipment operating according to the 802.11 standard, the W-DMX system uses Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) encryption along with Adaptive Frequency Hopping (AFH) which allows greater data throughput as it is less affected by local 802.11 products.

The products are all DMX512A and RDM ready, and the firmware can also be updated using a separate data channel, which is also used for system set up. Up to 8192 receivers can be controlled form one system, and there are four differing types of transmitter - the differences being primarily in the quantity of DMX universes that can be co

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Money raised by the PLASA Awards for Innovation was presented to the following good causes in order to help with the purchase of new equipment and facilities. Each organization received a cheque for £3,500 during the Awards ceremony.

Livewire Youth Project: A youth centre in Cornwall providing facilities for young people in music and performing arts.

Rehearsal Room Pilot Scheme: Supported by the Live Music Forum. Aims to provide rehearsal facilities and equipment in three UK urban areas.

Camberwell Music Project: Aims to enhance the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) aspect of music teaching, and provide facilities for the local community.

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