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Europe - A full HK Audio PA rig based around HK Audio's Cohedra (Coherent Dynamic Response Array) system is currently being used on the Waterboys tour of the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands.

The system, supplied by Concert Sound and John Hornby Skewes, typically consists of 12 CDR 208 T and S mid/high cabinets per side in most of the tour's venues, with four CDR 210 Sub subwoofers per side, and two of the newly-launched CDR 210 F flyable subwoofers at the top of each array for high venues with balconies. The CDR 210 Fs can also be used with HK's new Ground Stacking Frame, and for venues where the system can't be flown, a CDR 210 F is positioned at the bottom of the frame, which also serves the purpose of adding height to the ground-stacked array.

FOH engineer Chris Madden was

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USA - In tandem with the announcement that L-Acoustics of France is now the sole owner of L-Acoustics US, three promotions of North American-based personnel have been announced by Dr. Christian Heil, president of L-Acoustics.

Paul Freudenberg, formerly the director of sales for L-Acoustics US, now assumes additional responsibilities as vice-president of sales and marketing for L-Acoustics US. In this role, he will continue to spearhead all North American sales activities in addition to now directing the distributor's marketing initiatives and overseeing daily operations for the company.

Diane Monet also takes on more responsibility as she moves into the capacity of vice-president of finance and administration, while Bernie Broderick remains the office's primary technical contact under his new title, head of technical support.

"Each of these three individuals has been

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USA - The Pro-Commander Pro-V, a fully programmable computerized hoist control system from CM Entertainment, received honourable mention in the Rigging Hardware Product of the Year category at the recent ETS-LDI Award ceremony in Las Vegas. The Pro-V provides full load monitoring accuracy along with variable speed operation from appropriately configured hoists. The Pro-V comes complete with a graphical touch screen remote handset with six-inch screen, user-friendly programmability and multi language capability.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

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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USA - Surround Live II - More Surround - A symposium, was held during the 117th AES Convention on 27 October 2004 at The Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco, Ca. For the second year a DiGiCo console was selected as the core of the sound system used during the event. The D1 Live, DiGiCo's new mixing console launched at PLASA and LDI this year, was used to manage the extensive input and source routing needs of the presenters, totalling more than 100 channels of audio, and to provide delay.

All of the 20-plus live Shure microphone feeds were handled using the D1's internal dynamics, EQ and signal processing capabilities. The complex 10-channel output matrix feeding the Meyer Sound Labs supplied CQ based playback system was fed by the D1 through a TiMax processor.

Surround Live produced and created by Frederick Ampel of Technology Visions under the auspices of the Audio Enginee

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UK - Liverpool-based installation company B&S Sound & Light recently selected Tannoy loudspeakers for the sound system when the Exchange Bar and Grill in Leeds was fully refitted. The client and installer have been so impressed with the system's performance that Tannoy has also been selected for the newly refitted Stevenage branch of the UK-based chain of restaurants, owned by the Greene King Group.

The refitted licensed grill restaurants in both Leeds and Stevenage have a predominantly New York Bronx theme with bright graffiti décor. Each outlet also features a smaller eating area with a more sumptuous ambience and a clever backlit system on the main windows portrays a New York skyline. Owner of B&S Sound and Light, Billy Gillbanks, explained: "Good quality audio reproduction was a prerequisite for the sound system which provides music at various levels throughout the day

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Saudi Arabia - Allen & Heath's Saudi Arabian distributor, Halwani Audio Visual, has installed a DR66 digital processor in a new themed restaurant in the Red Sea port of Jeddah. The restaurant, called the Lost City, is divided into six zones, each area depicting a different theme - a cave, jungle, Mexican house, Spanish villa, VIP area, and the entrance/waiting area. There are several styles of music playing in the different zones, distributed through the 6-input/6 output DR66.

Using the DR66's patch functionality, audio in the venue is programmed with multiple modes. There are two SFX tracks running continuously as background ambience and track fillers during silent periods - in some zones it is jungle sounds, while in others there is the relaxing sound of a waterfall. The DR66 automatically mutes this background sound whenever an audio track is activated. To prevent tampering

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UK - Projected Image Digital has supplied Creative Technology (CT) with 240m of Element Labs VersaTUBE linear LED effects fixtures, purchased for the current series of ITV1's talent show, X-Factor, which is being recorded at Fountain TV Studios in Wembley. The VersaTUBES were specified by set designer Christopher George, and are integral to the large set - used as decorative delineative edges for the main 'X' centrepiece above centre stage, for another 'X' shape built into the floor directly beneath, and for marking out the centre stage staircase.

Measuring 1m in length, with a 16-pixel resolution, an IP65 rating and taking video input (DVI), the VersaTUBES are used to create complex and fast moving patterns, colours and effects. They are also used statically, as architectural outlining devices for the contours of the set. They also come into play for the show's more up-tempo p

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Australia - Returning to the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre at Darling Harbour from 13-15 February 2006, Entech 2006 will see the launch of a new seminar and conference program, the organizer has announced. Continuing to attract the pro audio and lighting markets, the Entech 2006 conference program will also cater for the audio-visual and broadcast market and further explore the integration between entertainment technologies.

The organizers report that the response to Entech 2004 was "overwhelming" and that Entech 2006 is evolving even further. The format remains the same and will occupy halls 5 and 6, several demo rooms and two huge conference rooms. Some changes to the floor plan will provide easier navigation for visitors and more floor space for exhibitors, say the organizers.

Many previous exhibitors have already secured stands after experiencing great s

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UK - Newton Preparatory School, a co-educational school in Battersea, South London, recently opened its new 288-seat theatre in a ceremony led by renowned theatre director Sir Peter Hall. Also in attendance were White Light's technical sales manager Roger Hennigan and projects coordinator Esther Heaslip, marking White Light's close involvement with the creation of the new venue.

During the project's design phase, the school's electrical consultant, Phil Whiffin from Engineering Co Partnership, contacted White Light for advice as to how to equip the venue. Roger Hennigan and David Howe from White Light's projects team devised a comprehensive, flexible lighting system that suited both the school's needs and its budget.

The theatre's new dimming system uses four 12-way ETC SmartPack rackswith RCD protection controlled by a Strand 300-series lighting console. An internally-wired

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USA - Established in July this year, 3G Live is still a relatively unfamiliar name on the sound reinforcement scene in Southern California. But thanks, in part, to the recent purchase of a massive turnkey L-Acoustics loudspeaker system, which includes the first two dozen 115XT HiQ floor monitors sold in North America, the company aims to quickly change that.

At the helm of 3G Live is VP Jay Curiel, a 15-year veteran of the Orange County and Los Angeles concert production scenes. Curiel is notably accompanied in his new venture by both lead sound engineer Julio Valdez and president Eli Stearns, who also heads up 3G Productions, 3G Live's parent company in Chicago.

With regard to product, the touring company has now taken delivery of 24 V-Dosc and 12 dV-Dosc loudspeaker systems, 16 SB218 and 4 dV-SUB subwoofer enclosures, 24 of the new 115XT HiQ floor monitors and a full comple

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Australia - UK-based manufacturer Turbosound reports that Wollongong's hottest nightspot - Cooney's Tavern, with its brand new nightclub Bustin' - has been equipped with a new Turbosound system, installed by Sydney-based Innovative Lighting and Sound.

The main room system comprises a mix of TXD-121 mid/high and TXD-081 mid/high delay speakers, complemented by TSW-718 subs. Innovative also supplied a separate outdoor portable DJ system of TXD-121s and TXD-215s, with additional TXD-081s installed for the bar area audio system. Designing the main system from the ground-up, starting with the subs, Innovative arranged for Turbosound's TSW-718 models to be trialled in the venue for three months prior to the installation. The depth and tight response of the 718s proved to be ideally suited to the club's dance music requirements, say the company. A variety of mid/high speakers were als

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USA - Elation Professional has introduced the new Focus Spot 250, a professional DMX 250W moving head fixture aimed at the smaller rentals market and mid-sized nightclubs. The Focus Spot 250's features include remote focus and a high luminous-efficiency axial reflector and double condenser lens system, says the manufacturer. Using 11 DMX channels, the Focus Spot 250 also features eight dichroic colours plus white, and six rotating, interchangeable and indexable gobos plus spot. Three of the gobos are metal, two are dichroic glass and one is textured glass, providing a flexible mix of textures. The fixture delivers 5,700 lumens at 15ft, say Elation, and the convenience of its remote focusing via DMX feature should appeal to DJs.

(Lee Baldock)

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Spain - The second annual 'Producción Audio Awards' recently brought together the leading professionals and companies of the Spanish audio industry. Valencia-based D.A.S. Audio SA won the 'Best Sound Manufacturer of the Year', award, recognizing the enormous success of the Aero line array systems. The gala was held at the IFEMA International Trade and Convention Center in Madrid and coincided with the SIMO Computer, Multi-Media and Communications show. Fernando Fernández Pinto, the D.A.S. sales representative for central Spain, accepted the award on behalf of the company.

The award recognizes the company's efforts in innovation, technological advancement and success of its product in the markets. As in previous years, voting for the finalists was open to the public through the website. Once the Internet voting was closed, a jury formed by independent industry professionals

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UK - Creative Technology fielded an impressive array of Barco iLite 6 high-brightness LED modules to fulfil John Anderson's set design for the BBC's annual Children In Need fundraising spectacular, at the Television Centre in London. In addition to providing the totaliser screen, banner screen and stage left screen, this year CT fielded an additional 28sq.m screen at the rear of the set in studio TC1 - where Gaby Roslin and Terry Wogan again anchored the seven-hour TV marathon. The main central screen opened and closed via a tracking device behind the presenters.

Commented John Anderson, in his second year of designing the show: "The idea of a sliding screen this year was at the request of director, Richard Valentine. Also we moved the (36 x 1 module) i6 LED banner from the overhead proscenium last year onto the stage; it looked very prominent in the foreground.&quo

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UK - Lightfactor Sales has supplied leading UK lighting rental house Siyan with SGM Giotto 400 CMY moving lights for hire stock, eight of which have gone straight out on the Joss Stone tour. The latest SGM products add to Lightfactor's existing hire inventory of SGM fixtures. Joss Stone's lighting design was conceived by Siyan's Bryan Leitch, and further developed by him and James Thompson who programmed the show and is LD'ing and operating on the road.

Four SGMs are positioned on the rear truss, with another four on two upstage/offstage Manfrotto stands each side of stage - for additional depth and separation. He uses the fixtures as the core of the rig, enthusing: "They are fantastic. They're proving robust and reliable on the road, and the effects you can create with the sheer power and brightness are really excellent."

The fixtures are used extensively for gobo

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Saudi Arabia - HAV Productions, a division of Allen & Heath's Saudi Arabian distributor, Halwani Audio, was appointed to organise a private concert for a family wedding in the Red Sea port of Jeddah, selecting various Allen & Heath consoles to manage sound reinforcement. The concert, held for three consecutive nights, took place in a private football field on the family estate, and included performances from some of the top singers in the Gulf, including Nabil Shoail, Hussain Al Jismi and Abu Bakr Salem Balfakeeh. The family also extended the invitation to the public, hosting a 5,000 strong crowd.

HAV productions supplied and operated a 56-channel Allen & Heath GL3300 multi-purpose console at the FOH position - one 40-channel GL3300, connected to a 16-channel GL3300, via the company's proprietary Sys-Link system. HAV also selected a 48-channel ML4000 VCA console to manage monit

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Worldwide - EASE (Electro-Acoustic Simulator for Engineers) 4.1, the industry standard software for acoustical modeling and sound system design evaluation, is now more accessible to students and small firms, or anyone embarking on a career in professional audio. Renkus-Heinz, the worldwide distributor for Acoustic Design Ahnert, has announced availability of EASE JR/2, a two-license key entry-level EASE JR program. While it lacks some of the analytical power and presentation tools of EASE, EASE Jr provides all the features and functions needed by most system designers, including the complete EASE loudspeaker and wall material databases, including loudspeaker and line array DLLs; the 3D modeling tools and Open GL rendering capabilities of EASE, including the popular Vision module; full DXF import and export; all the basic electro-acoustic mapping capabilities of EASE; direct sound

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UK - Richmond Studios' Audio Logistics live recording division was brought in to record Rod Stewart's recent special concert for BBC TV at the Royal Albert Hall. Rod performed many of his classics and his Great American Songbook repertoire (the third volume of which was released last month). The evening also featured a mixture of classics by Gershwin, Cole Porter and more, performed with a 50-piece orchestra and Rod's own band.

The concert was shot for a BBC TV special, which went out the following Friday, and also for a DVD release on BMG. Directed by David Mallet with Al Gurdon as lighting designer and Bill Laslett providing set design, the Audio Logistics team, headed by founder Toby Alington, provided the audio recording, production equipment and crew. The feeds from Rod's band's standard set-up was taken 'as is' by the team, while for the orchestra, Alington specified the

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UK - Continued growth and company expansion have led to a new faces joining ELP. Martin Brennan has been appointed as Project Manager at ELP and brings 18 years' experience as a freelance LD, touring with acts including Iron Maiden and Jethro Tull. Martin believes that his diverse experience of lighting rock and roll productions, pop promos, conferences and other live events will benefit ELP by bringing a fresh 'client side' perspective to the projects they handle.

"I have a hands-on approach and like to see jobs through form concept to completion. ELP already has a fantastic reputation for looking after their clients but I want to raise the bar even higher. I expect to be frequently out on location making sure that the LD's we service are getting exactly what they need."

ELP is well-known for their work in lighting televised live music performances and Martin feel

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USA / UK - Digidesign has appointed Ken DeLoria as worldwide director of live sound sales and Mike Case as European live sound sales manager. Together, they will introduce Digidesign's new Venue live sound product line to the world. Venue is an innovative, state-of-the-art, modular live sound reinforcement mixing and processing environment offering the quality and functionality of high-end live sound mixing systems at an affordable price.

Ken DeLoria brings nearly 30 years of experience to Digidesign's entry into the live sound market. He will be responsible for putting together a global sales team, setting up world-wide distribution, and helping to guide marketing in the development of materials and programs. DeLoria founded and sold Apogee Sound Inc, a worldwide manufacturer of loudspeakers and amplifiers. His previous experience also includes eight years at McCune Sound prov

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France - Nicolaudie-Sunlite, the maker of the PLASA Innovation Award-winning Easy Stand Alone - has launched Color Manager, a new tool which not only works with RGB or CMY fixtures and is compatible with any drawing software program, but also incorporates powerful wizards such as images and video loading and text scrolling. This tool, say the company, has been designed to work with a matrix of LED devices as well as with conventional fixtures. Color Manager has already been integrated in Easy Stand Alone and will be one of Sunlite 2004's features when the new version is released in December.

(Lee Baldock)

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