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UK - The UK tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Starlight Express' is the country's first touring theatre production to feature 3D film, thanks to a stereoscopic video projection system supplied by London-based 3D specialists Inition.

The 'Duality' projection system - installed and maintained by Inition - recreates the high speed skate races that made the original London show one of the capital's most successful musicals of all time. The new tour builds on the achievements of the 2003/4 US Troika Tour - but, says Inition, "adds even more edge of the seat 3D sequences and jaw-dropping special effects".

Now the same projection system is heading to the UK for a new tour opening in Manchester on November 1st and stretching from Bristol to Edinburgh. Inition is again providing t

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Norway - The Christian Church congregation of Norway recently held the grand opening of their new 7,500-seat Brunstad Conference Center main hall and facilities. The new PA installation is the largest installed sound system in Norway and Europe's largest house of worship installation. The system featured the largest number of Crown I-Tech Series amplifiers in a European installation to date, with 100,000 watts of total amplifier power.

LydRommet AS, Harman Pro distributor for Norway, was responsible for system design, installation, trimming and quality control. The congregation's technical department handled all cabling and termination themselves.

Twelve I-T4000s and ten I-T6000s were used, in addition to one CTs 1200 for front fill, one CTs 2000 for stage fill, and four CTs 2000 for monitors. All loudspeaker control including crossover, equalization, delay and limiting is han

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UK - The Music Industries Association's (MIA) annual Awards Dinner, held on 6th October at Sound in Leicester Square, brought together over 280 guests from across the music industry to recognise the winners of the MIA Awards.

Sponsored by Classic fm, Future Publishing, Sound on Sound Magazine and MB Media, the event covered all areas of the industry with awards for classical, contemporary and high tech instruments, and music publishing. There were also awards for outstanding retailers and suppliers and special awards for Stephen Richards (for Outstanding Contribution to Trade Associations) and Michael Doughty (for Lifetime Achievement).

Among the highlights was a speech by Feargal Sharkey (Chair - Live Music Forum), during which he continued the theme of his speech at the PLASA Awards in celebrating the vibrancy of the British music scene. Reminding guests of the issues thre

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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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USA - Vari-Lite has introduced the new VL2500 Spot and VL2500 Wash luminaires at the ETS-LDI exhibition in Las Vegas, Nevada. The new fixtures, say the company, exemplify its commitment to provide valuable lighting tools designers can use for any type of project or event. VL says the VL2500 fixtures include an improved CYM colour-mixing system, a coated glass dimmer wheel and a separate dual-blade strobe system to its popular Series 2000 product line.

The CYM colour-mixing system offers designers a myriad of colour options, from pastels to deep colours. The Vari-Lite colour-mixing system is fast, responding almost like a fixed colour wheel, so designers can quickly snap from one colour to the next. The VL2500 fixtures also have an 11-slot fixed colour wheel that allows designers even more freedom to create new looks and designs by laying any of the 11 colours over open white or

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UK - London-based rental company John Henry's Ltd has acquired the rental division of Sensible Music Ltd. The deal, struck between John Henry and Sensible Music owner Jeff Allen, will see the expansion of John Henry's backline and audio rental fleet, consolidating its position, says the company's statement, as the UK's largest multi-disciplinary rental organisation.

The two companies have been 'friendly rivals' for many years and John Henry commented: "Jeff was looking to concentrate on his growing studio and events operations and we were best placed to incorporate the rental business into our portfolio." Jeff Allen described the outcome as "a logical progression for us both". Sensible Music's studio and events divisions are unaffected by the takeover.

(Mike Lethby)

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UK - London-based entertainment venue A/V installation specialists Live Business International has appointed Sarah Cox to the post of Technical Administrator.

Cox has joined LBI having worked for a rental company as a lighting technician, specialising in automated lights. Before that she worked as the stage manager for the Comedy Store in London. She has a wide range of experience from running - and even performing in - cabaret shows to editing videos.

She now works for LBI as the Technical Administrator, administrating and co-ordinating installations, and various other projects, from conception to completion. LBI founder and director Roland Hemming says: "Sarah's wide ranging experience of both the creative and technical sides of the entertainment business make her ideally suited to this busy role and it's great to have her on board."

(Mike Lethby)

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UK - The Welsh football team's international away fixture against England at Manchester United's Old Trafford ground on Saturday October 9 was seen live at the Millennium Stadium Cardiff courtesy of a giant inflatable Airscreen.

Thousands of Welsh football fans enjoyed the excitement of the World Cup 2006 qualifying international in the comfort of their home stadium, viewed on the largest outdoor screen ever seen in Wales. Erected on the pitch in just 20 minutes, the 18m x 14m (60' x 45') screen was the focal point for the presentation staged by Munich-based TAPE New Media, who also provided the projection. Two Barco projectors with a total light output of 24,000 ANSI lumens were used to provide the larger than life pictures.

The stadium's huge retractable roof, the first of its kind in the UK, was closed to create the perfect surroundings for the big picture show. The match w

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USA - For the fifth election cycle in a row, Audio-Technica was the premier mic supplier for the USA's presidential debates. Audio-Technica provided wired and wireless microphone solutions for the presidential debates in Coral Gables, Florida on 30 September, St. Louis Missouri on 8 October and Tempe, Arizona on 13 October. A-T also provided onsite technical expertise at the first two debates of the series and had a strong presence, including onsite technical expertise, at the vice presidential debate at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, near A-T's Stow corporate headquarters.

A leading audio resource for high-profile broadcast events, A-T has been outfitting the debates since 1988, when the Commission on Presidential Debates assumed sponsorship and production responsibilities. With the company again acting as the premier mic supplier for all four debates this

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UK - Allen & Heath has recently appointed three new distributors to its worldwide network of resellers. In Romania, Senia Company 999 Ltd. will now exclusively manage sales of the manufacturer's portfolio of professional audio mixers, while Lexon S.A. and Tech Top Ltd. have taken over responsibility for the brand in Spain and Israel, respectively.

Allen & Heath's sales director, Bob Goleniowski, commented: "We are very pleased to welcome these new distributors to the Allen & Heath network and feel that their in-depth knowledge of the pro audio market, as well as the installers, rental companies, contractors and consultants in their territories, can only strengthen the position of the Allen & Heath brand now and through our continuing expansion."

(Mike Lethby)

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New Zealand - Selecon has unveiled two new ranges of theatre lighting luminaires that promise more light and a smooth well-controlled beam with seamless blending, evenness and consistency. Available as single, 3- and 4-way battens, single luminaires can also be joined together to create custom battens using Selecon's unique slot lock joining system. A choice of lamp options provide all the light required with no distracting spill.

The new HUI range replaces Selecon's Acclaim Cyc, Flood and Groundrow range from October 2004. Fitted with a 500W lamp, it is suitable for cycs up to approximately 5m high. The use of the 800W P2/11 lamp allows for high intensity colour saturated cycs, smaller studios and to light higher cycs where luminaire hanging height is limited.

The LUI range of 1000W luminaires is designed for larger cycs or longer throws, particularly for users unable to affo

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UK - Yamaha Commercial Audio Dealer Orbital has announced two UK sales of Yamaha's award-winning PM5D digital FOH console.

Bill Kenwright Productions has acquired the console to operate at the FOH position of their legendary musical 'Blood Brothers' at The Phoenix theatre in London's West End, whilst Sussex-based sound rental company KAVE Theatre Services has augmented the potential of its hire fleet with the addition of the PM5D.

Combining the features of Yamaha's DM2000 and the ground-breaking PM1D in a mid-priced digital console, complete with a third generation operating system, it is designed as a robust workhorse for all but the largest sound reinforcement projects.

Bill Kenwright's Production Manager, David Stothard, commented: "We have a long-running relationship with Orbital - their support and equipment demonstrations enabled us to make an informed decision

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UK - At the end of September, the Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) held its Annual Awards amid the Baroque splendour of Hawksworth's Christ Church, Spitalfields.

AV company Creative Staging, which has worked with IChemE for many years along with their event-management company, Peter Vary Associates and production company MCB, says it is "used to the challenge of creating a modern awards event in unusual locations". The newly restored Christ Church features authentic 18th century wood panelling and stonework, around which the stage set and equipment had to be sympathetically and carefully installed and operated, to create an empathetic environment for the celebration of the awards.

Creative Staging planned and supplied the set and three screens, with multi-camera live relay, along with extensive sound and lighting systems. An external generator was also suppli

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UK - White Light continues its long association with LDI, exhibiting at this year's ETS-LDI Trade Show, where its star feature is the award-winning Digital Festoon System. This radical rethink of conventional festoon lighting allows each lamp along a festoon to be individually dimmed under the control of either a laptop or via DMX from a lighting console. Giving the possibility of creating stunning light displays from apparently simple strings of light bulbs, the Digital Festoon System carries both power and DMX using a patented data system. Up to 200 lamps can be controlled from a single Digital Festoon System power supply.

Launched at this year's PLASA Show, the Digital Festoon System was one of the winners of the PLASA Show's Awards for Innovation. It will no-doubt appeal to those creating novel light shows and - of particular relevance to the Las Vegas market - those lookin

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Australia - ARX Systems has announced its new ISO De Balancer Dual Channel balanced-to-unbalanced transformer-isolated signal converter, an addition to its AudiBox range, designed to perform essential professional audio functions in a compact, flexible package.

The ISO De Balancer will convert two balanced low impedance signals to unbalanced low impedance signals, suitable for use with professional equipment and long cable runs. Transformer ground isolation provides low-noise operation and ARX says ideal source units are the ARX Level 8 Audio Balancer and Level Optimizer and the AudiBox Iso Balancer.

Typical applications include interfacing professional standard systems to consumer level product, such as sending audio-for-video around venues for AV displays, plasma screens and the like in sports centres, museums and corporate applications.

The ISO De Balancer is housed in

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Sweden - Solid State Logic has announced the sale of a C100 digital production console to the Malmo Opera and Music Theatre, the first time the desk has been used in a theatre application.

Situated in the centre of Sweden's Öresund region, the Malmo Opera and Music Theatre was originally opened in the 1940s with the aim of giving contemporary musical drama an opportunity to grow. The theatre has one of the largest stages in Europe and can seat up to 1,500 people.

Over recent months the management of the Malmo Opera and Music Theatre have been upgrading the sound system and FOH facilities to incorporate digital live sound. As part of this refurbishment, the Theatre decided to replace its 10-year-old analogue console with an SSL C100 digital production console because it needed a desk with more inputs and instant recall and reset capabilities.

Bengt Frienholt, technical man

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USA - Super Vision International, Inc. a world leading manufacturer of fibre optic and LED lighting announced today that it has signed a licensing agreement with Spectrum Manufacturing, Inc. of Toronto, Ontario, Canada for its Variable Color Lighting System (patent # 4,962,687). Spectrum is a member of the UK-based A C Lighting Group and primarily produces colour-changing LED lighting systems for the theater, entertainment and lighting rental industries. The licensed patent will be applied to the production, sale and development of the Color Block system.

David George, President of Spectrum Manufacturing Inc, said: "I am pleased that we have licensed the Supervision "687" patent, as this is in line with Spectrum's policy of recognizing the intellectual property of others."

Super Vision had previously purchased the Variable Color Lighting System patent, publ

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France - Trantec has collaborated with its French distributor, Best Audio, to design and supply one of the largest S6000 wireless radio microphone systems deployed to date for the new musical production 'On Acheve Bien Les Chevaux', which opens at the Palais de Congrés later this month.

Adapted from Horace McCoy's legendary novel 'They Shoot Horses Don't They', the show is directed and produced by Robert Hossein and has attracted rave reviews as the first stage adaptation of this ground-breaking novel.

Trantec's Head of R&D, Richard Ganley, collaborated with leading French rental company Dispatch from the outset to ensure that the system integrated seamlessly with sound designer Julius Tessarech's sophisticated design and met his specifications.

The 40-channel S6000 system was specified because of its wide band frequency agility. Trantec supplied a system operating between

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Finland - Active monitoring specialist Genelec has extended its range of colours for the launch of its new pro-audio system, the 8000 series.

The three near-field two-way 8000 Series products are the 8030A, 8040A, and 8050A. The 'baby' 8030A now comes in silver, as well as the launch colour black, while the 8040A and 8050A will be now be available in white as well as black.

Following in the footsteps of the 7000 series of LSE subwoofers, the 8000 series, says the company, takes a new approach to enclosure design, driver technology and active electronics. All three models utilise an all-aluminium, minimum diffraction enclosure (MDE) design, with large internal volumes, softly curved edges, and high mechanical strength.

(Mike Lethby)

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UK - Creative Technology made its production debut with Scarlet productions at the 2004 Mobo Awards, providing a 28sq.m LED display in 16:9 aspect ratio as the centrepiece of a spectacular stage set at the Royal Albert Hall. The nature of the production dictated that the big screen specialists would need to field their highest-resolution display, and the Barco DLite 7 (situated upstage centre) provided the ideal technical solution for Julia Knowles of Scarlet Productions, who handled the TV direction.

The DLite 7 is a unique product, combining a 7mm resolution with short viewing distances, due to the extreme fill factor of the LED components. These were perfect attributes for a show in which the screen took a direct feed from the O21 OB truck via an SDI link, bypassing the usual submix. The signal chain started at front-of-house where content provider Richard Shipman, operating

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USA - TransAudio Group will showcase its complete line of Mercury Recording products at the AES Convention in San Francisco on Booth #602 this week. Unlike previous years, in which the distributor's products were each individually showcased under the Audio Underground banner, TransAudio Group and president Brad Lunde will feature the full line of brands in a single large booth featuring manufacturing company representatives and guest audio engineers.

Mercury Recording is dedicated to bringing the sonic and aesthetic character of classic audio processors such as those originally made by Fairchild, Pultec and Telefunken to new generations through a line of hand-crafted classic recreations.

The first units introduced by Mercury Recording include the Mercury 66, a variable bias-style all-tube, all-transformer compressor similar to the Fairchild 660, and the Mercury EQ-H and EQ-P

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USA - Kramer has introduced the 7508, a high quality analogue to digital converter for composite and s-video. This multi-standard unit converts analogue video to SMPTE-259M serial digital video (SDI). Many professional video units, including Betacam decks and DVD players, have high quality analogue outputs, and Kramer says the 7508 is ideal for preserving the quality, and minimizing the artefacts, when converting to digital. It features 10-bit digitizing and a 12V power supply is included.

(Mike Lethby)

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