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UK - Metropolis AV & FX has completed its latest sound, lighting and AV design and installation project for Sports Café UK, at their newly opened Leeds site. It's the third SCUK that Metropolis has been involved in since Manchester in 2002, and follows hot on the heels of Glasgow, which opened in the summer.

The Sports Café continues to enjoy great success as a leading UK sports orientated multi-entertainment venue. Metropolis's Head of Engineering Shane Winterbourne explains that the company has perfected a flexible technical formula designed to adapt and work for all sites in the group. The entertainment system needs for each are fundamentally similar, although the individual venues are all unique in layout and space.

A mix of top quality brands are selected specifically for

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Spain - The Artistic Investigation Festival, known as Observatori, was recently held at the Prince Phillip Museum at the City of the Arts and Sciences of Valencia. After five years, this multi-disciplinary, cross-media event has become one of Europe's most renowned experimental festivals.

A 30 x 40m venue was setup alongside the visually striking building that makes up Valencia's City of the Arts and Sciences. Concerts were held every night of the three-day event with a daily attendance of over 3,500 visitors. The 15m wide stage and the D.A.S. Aero 48 line array sound reinforcement systems were provided by Valencia based sound rental company Acustic Crom, S.L.

Six Aero 48 large format line array systems were flown from the truss at a height of six metres and the built-in rigging hardware facilitated the installation of the systems in the venue. According to Ricardo Masc

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New Zealand - The Holy Trinity Anglican Parish Church in Tauranga, New Zealand, has risen from the ashes of a disastrous 1999 fire as a striking new structure of concrete and steel, its centerpiece a 900-seat, semi-circular worship auditorium, where a stunning acoustical ceiling treatment (made with rare kauri wood salvaged from the old church) conceals a nearly invisible system of Meyer Sound self-powered loudspeakers. Church music director Peter Minson says of the sound in the new church: "It has a very sweet, natural sound to it. The comment we get from outside people coming in for concerts is that they are not even aware of amplified sound."

The semi-circular seating arrangement made four UPA-1P compact wide coverage loudspeakers an appropriate choice for the main system. These are mounted in the gaps between the overhead acoustical panels, in a left-right-left-ri

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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 - Sting and Northern Sinfonia are to perform the classic Waters of Tyne, which will be specially arranged by composer David Lang whilst high wire artist Philippe Petit crosses the Tyne gorge to the upper façade of The Sage Gateshead on 21 June 2005. Lighting for this event is to be designed by Tony Award-winners Fisher Dachs Associates.

Sting - world-renowned singer, composer, actor and activist - will join forces with Northern Sinfonia in June 2005 in his native Northeast. The international chart-topper, who rose to fame as the front man of The Police and went onto global acclaim as a solo artist is to sing Waters of Tyne in an event, which forms part of The Sage Gateshead's opening year of celebrations. Sting commented: "It's really exciting for me to know that this spectacular building The Sage Gateshead will enable visiting musicians to experience this

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UK - Cardiff International Arena, Wales' premium concert and events arena, owned by ClearChannel Entertainment, has appointed Star Rigging to ensure the rigging procedures on all events are implemented safely and within all legal guidelines. This contract sees Star Rigging building similar ongoing relationships with Newcastle Arena, Manchester's MEN Arena and London's Wembley Arena.

The company will manage all technical aspects of the rigging by careful planning and by supplying an in-house rigger to assist incoming riggers. In addition, directors Mark Armstrong and Phil Broad have produced a safe working procedures document specific to the venue.

The CIA venue manager Graham Walters commented: "We are aware of the reputation of Star Rigging and hope they will bring the same level of professionalism to the CIA as in the other venues they work in. Bringing in Star Rigging

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Switzerland - The Compulite Vector Blue console was used on the Miss Switzerland contest staged on 18 September 2004 in the TPC studios in Zurich, broadcasted live. Show lighting was controlled with two Compulite Vector Blue consoles linked in master / slave mode (the second console supported by Feiner Lichttechnik Germany). The show had also been pre-programmed with Capture visualizer software which was then used during the live show.

Other lighting equipment used included; two Compulite Emix II converters, three Compulite splitters, 26 Mac 550, 17 Mac 2000 Wash, 10 Mac 2000 Performance, 02 Mac 2000 Profile, 06 VL 1000. The show director was Max Sieber, scenery; Pit Fischer, show lighting operator; Matthias Kern, TV lighting operator; Rolf Waldvogel.

Operator Kern was completely satisfied with the work on the Vector: "The clear structure of the graphical user interface a

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UK - Large format projection specialist E//T//C UK covered the 323ft high Shell Centre on London's South Bank with giant projected poppies for Remembrance Day 2004. E//T//C was working for media and production company The Bank, who produced the event for Shell UK. This is the third year running that E//T//C UK has illuminated this prime site with high impact projections for the event.

The 26-storey building - once the tallest in the UK - was covered by eight 6kW PIGI projectors that were sited 100m away on the edge of Queen's Walkway (the corresponding riverside path), housed in a curtain-sider truck. Six of the projectors, complete with double scrollers running vertically, produced the poppies, three targeted at the top half of the tower and three at the bottom.

The stunning red on turquoise background images were overlaid to maximize brightness, and were scrolled faster th

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UK - New from Crest Performance - a division of Crest Audio - are two table top/rack mounting consoles. The 16-channel CPM-2426 features 16 mic inputs and 24 line inputs with stereo line-in on channels 9-16. Other features include six auxiliary buses, four groups and stereo master. Mono inputs offer 3-band mid sweep EQ, with stereo input offering 3-band EQ. The CPM-9812P boasts a 2 x 500W built-in amplifier and stereo, graphic EQ with feedback pointer. Other features are eight mono/mic line inputs with 3-band EQ, stereo line input, monitor output, plus one FX output feeding an internal 32-bit FX unit.

Also new from Crest Performance is the CPT Series of loudspeaker enclosures. Offering crisp highs and smooth mid-range performance, the CPT Series is recommended for small- to medium-sized speaking and performance venues, plus all permanent fixed installations. Models CPT-1, CPT-2

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UK - Working with two key suppliers, Northern Light and New Box, Kelsey, the leading manufacturer and supplier of professional audio and lighting cables, has taken a central role in the infrastructure for The Performance Academy, the new further education music, performing arts and media centre opened by Newcastle College, and the largest of its kind in the UK.

One of the first such centres for mixed media studies, the building provides accommodation for all Newcastle College's music, performing arts and mixed media courses. It contains a 250-seat flexible theatre, a music venue for an audience of 500, a 60-seat studio theatre, 10 recording studios, rehearsal rooms, television studio, drama and dance studios, and a radio station.

New Box and Northern Light were involved in different areas of the Performance Academy's construction. However, both turned to Kelsey Acoustics for h

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USA - Industry veteran, Eric Mueller, has joined Clay Paky America as regional sales manager for the central and eastern US. Mueller joins Clay Paky America with 14 years of experience in the entertainment lighting market and for the last four years he has been with another intelligent lighting manufacturer. With the recent restructuring of the dealer and distribution arrangements for Clay Paky products on the East Coast, Mueller will be the face of Clay Paky across a significant portion of the country.

"We are thrilled that Eric chose Clay Paky America as his new home," said P.J. Turpin, CEO of Clay Paky America. "He makes a great addition to the team, which now includes a fantastic technical support manager in Giovanni Zucchinali and an almost seamless interface with the factory thanks to the excellent support of Francesco Romagnoli, the area manager for North

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USA - 24,000sq.ft of luxury retail space opened at the Prada Epicenter Store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills on 16 July, and Pathway Connectivity helped deliver the unique design for this high-concept environment. Prada is renowned for avant-garde architectural design; the Epicenter stores blend commercial functions with "experiential and spatial typologies," a working laboratory for application of new material, technologies and service strategies.

It begins on the exterior - or rather the absence of one: the entire 50ft along Rodeo Drive is open to the street, without a storefront or glass enclosure, inviting the public into the space. At night, an aluminium panel seals the store by rising from the ground. When open, an air curtain controls the interior temperature and repels environmental elements such as rain.

Plasma screens, both hanging and imbedded in stor

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UK - Lighting Technology Projects (LTP) has designed, supplied and installed Phase 1 of a bold architectural lighting scheme to illuminate an impressive central stairwell and three floors of the new Cornerhouse shopping, leisure and entertainment complex in Nottingham. The Ethernet controlled lighting scheme involves Color Kinetics ColorBlast 12 LED fixtures and Martin MiniMAC Maestro gobo projectors. The latter were supplied complete with custom gobos to so the various outlets in the building can taker advantage of the advertising and branding opportunities.

The Cornerhouse offers bars, restaurants, a 14-screen cinema and the biggest nightclub in town, all under one roof. LTP's brief was to produce a discreetly placed, low-maintenance, energy efficient lighting scheme to enhance the energy and life within the building, and ultimately to attract more people.

The design was c

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The Netherlands - The Dutch national broadcaster NOS from Hilversum has chosen the Marantz PMD670 as the standard ENG device for its radio reporters in news and sports, placing an order for 65 units with specialist dealer Onyx. The order includes 65 Marantz PMD670 Compact Flash card recorders, and a full range of accessories such as carrying cases, rechargeable batteries, microphones, headphones and cables.

After extensive research and testing throughout the summer, NOS settled on the Marantz PMD670 as the universal choice by the several news and sports departments of NOS radio (Radio 1 journaal, Langs de lijn). It was considered to be the most user-friendly recorder, admired for its traditional design and layout of controls. Five solid-state recorders were tested, and journalists praised the easy and reliable operation of the PMD670, voicing a preference for working with exter

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UK - Edinburgh lighting specialist black light has become the first UK stockist of Le Maitre's Stadium Hazer. The Stadium Hazer is designed to deliver large volumes of non-toxic haze for big indoor spaces and, as such, is ideal for use in a wide range of productions - from live music to ice rink shows, large corporate launches and television productions.

"Lighting - and particularly lighting that is highly visible - is ever more important in large-scale productions," says black light's Gavin Stewart. "A product like this is far more efficient and cost-effective of achieving that than the current use of multiple haze machines employed to achieve the same effect. It also means less haze fluid is used, which can only be a good thing."

The Stadium Hazer's fluid is non oil-based, which means no residue is left, and the unit features a patented delivery system

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UK / Europe - An Avolites Sapphire 2000 console is being used by James Thompson to control all lighting on the current UK and European leg of Joss Stone's hugely popular world Mind Body Soul tour. The show is a co-design between Siyan's Bryan Leitch and Thompson, a lighting design/technical graduate of the Central School of Speech & Drama. Both are keen Avolites users and Thompson has used Avolites since the start of his professional career.

Leitch initially specified a Sapphire for Joss Stone because they wanted a powerful console that was good for 'live' operation. While much of the show is planned cues, the organic and jazzy nature of Stone's set also means certain elements of the performance lend themselves to the lighting being improvised, in tune with the mood of the show and audience, and the nature of the room. The kit being controlled by the Sapphire - all suppl

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USA - The Zero 88 range of Frog lighting consoles is becoming a popular choice for churches and places of worship across the United States. One such is Saddleback Community Church - a sprawling 120-acre campus in Orange County, south of Los Angeles. Started in 1980 by Rick and Kay Warren, it has grown from a seven-person bible study group to an average weekend attendance of 20,000 with 80,000 names on the church roll. It has also spawned the 'Purpose Driven Movement' - which has trained over 350,000 pastors and church leaders. Looking more like a mall than a church, Saddleback boasts six separate venues and seven distinct types of service each weekend. As well as a main worship centre and separate meeting rooms, the Saddleback campus uses three permanent tent structures as additional venues.

Although the main worship centre boasts 28 moving lights and a Wholehog III control sys

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UK - Tony award-winning American composer, lyricist and virtuoso pianist Jason Robert Brown wowed London audiences last month with a four-night run at the intimate New Players' Theatre in London - with state-of-the-art sound reinforcement courtesy of EM Acoustics. The system, comprising three EMS-121 enclosures, two EMS-215 subwoofers, three I-1 front-fills, two EMS-81 delays and a single M-12 monitor, was powered by MC2 amplification and was supplied by Autograph Sound Recording to a specification from sound designer Mark Dunne.

Jason Robert Brown was joined for the production by several of the West End's most revered leading ladies, including Golda Rosheuvel, Clare Burt and Frances Rufelle in a cabaret-style performance of his most popular songs. "Although the performances consisted of just vocal and piano, the fidelity of the sound system was paramount to the production,

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Germany - Europa Park, a theme park in Rust, near Freiburg, has seen the addition of a new hotel. The Colosseo Hotel was inaugurated this summer with a large party themed on ancient Rome: Italian actress Claudia Cardinale symbolically handed over the keys of the 4 star-luxury hotel to Roland, Jürgen and Franz Mack, the owners of the amusement park. The typically Mediterranean façades of the hotel served as backdrop for the the evening's programme, with Alpha Spot HPE and Alpha Wash fixtures from Clay Paky forming the centre of the lighting system.

Tent Event of Freiburg looked after the setting up of the light system. As well as the Alphas, Clay Paky's Stage Color 1200s, Stage Zoom 1200s, Golden Scan HPEs and Stage Scans were also used to create the ambience for the evening, providing an extensive range of effects. The Alpha projectors, here receiving their German debut, prove

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The Netherlands - Dutch hire company Rombouts Showequipment placed an order for an impressive rig of Sound Projects' line array, Linex, with the first 32 Linex systems delivered in October, just in time to prepare transport cases and amp-racks - because 12 were booked the same day by Tom O'Brian, front-of-house engineer of the legendary folk group The Dubliners, for a gig in the beautiful Amsterdam Concertgebouw. An additional system was put up at the two-day Kraanpop festival hosting a selection of the most famous DJs.

Rombouts became curious after hearing that Linex rigs were used in Switzerland for concerts with Toto, Europe and Status Quo, at a heavy metal festival in Germany and also for a concert of jazz giant Joe Zawinul, the founder of Weather Report. The company conducted its own comprehensive comparative tests on the logistics and ergonomic qualities of the Sound Proj

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UK - Vertigo Rigging utilized its new PLASA Award-winning InMotion 3D/Cyberhoist automation system for the first time on a live gig for BBC 3's The Big C Concert at Alexandra Palace. The system was specified by lighting designer Darryl Noad, who had seen the demonstration at PLASA and though it would be an ideal creative tool for the show which featured artists including Travis, Lostprophets, Goldie Lookin Chain, Razorlight, Lemar and Delta Goodrem.

The show's designer Peter Bingeman and director Tony Dickson were also keen to use the Cyberhoist system, as it would maximise time during their tight set-up and rehearsal schedule, and also be a flexible solution for moving certain set pieces in and out during changeovers, to get the next band's backline onstage.

Vertigo undertook the rigging for the event, project managed for them by Tom Roberts, who worked with a team of six Ver

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UK - Audio Light Systems Ltd is a new company created to provide informed proposals and installations for design teams, contractors and clients. Utilizing the latest software, the company says it can design "technically outstanding and quality controlled installations on time and within budget". From conception to completion and training, this new company is offering consultation, installation and project management for new build, refurbishment and upgrade projects nationwide, covering audio, lighting, AV or specialist systems.

The company's core design team of Eddy O'Hare, Roland Chadwick and Trevor Cross have been involved in projects of all scales throughout the globe for the last 25 years and are familiar names in the installation and consultancy sectors. They are currently involved in projects in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

(Lee Baldock)

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