Euphonix is not a name normally associated with sound reinforcement, but it didn't go unnoticed at AES that the company's System 5 digital mixing consoles are being used for FOH mixing at Sydney Opera House. To prove it, the venue's technical operations manager for sound, David Claringbold, was at the show and spending a fair amount of time around the Euphonix booth - providing further evidence of the draw that the West Coast AES has among international live sound figureheads.

"We saw, when we looked around, that there was a depth and a breadth to this system that wasn't evident in any of the others," Claringbold revealed, as if to remind everyone that the parameters of the digital market are far less clearly defined than the parameters of digital technology. "This was in

UK - It's been a busy inaugural season for new lighting design company, timroutledge.co.uk. To finish the year before Christmas, LD Tim Routledge recently finished two very different design projects: starting in Battersea Park's famous party venue structure, Routledge created rigs for two music stages for the testimonial of the England Rugby team's illustrious captain, Martin Johnson. On the anniversary of the historic win in last year's Rugby World Cup, this major event was produced in association with Next with all proceeds going to Johnson's nominated charities. Routledge was contracted to produce the lighting for both stages by DW Associates. Two stages were required to cope with the large number of acts, headlined by Lionel Richie.

Hawthorn Theatrical supplied the equipment required to work alongside Routledge's regular lighting team headed up by Andy Hopkins. "I chos

UK - Customers of intelligent lighting controls group iLight are being assured that business remains very much as usual following the company's acquisition by Polaron plc in September. The company says that the new ownership means the group remains intact, while benefiting from the increased resources arising from being part of Polaron's control systems division. iLight group's products will continue to be marketed as before, while new products will benefit from the expanded R&D team. "Customers need have no worries about the future of the iLight brand," said John Thorne, UK sales manager at iLight. "We're still the same iLight that customers know and love, but with the advantage of greater financial and technical backing."

The focus of the enlarged group will be on developing the brands and the business, with the aim of becoming the largest lighting control

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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

UK - This year the ever-popular Barco Showcase event was held at two locations North and South of the country. The first was at The Three Mills Studios in London and the second held at the Magna Science Museum in Rotherham, Yorkshire. LSI visited the Three Mills Studios, which proved to be an ideal location for showing the huge range of Barco products.

(Jane Cockburn)

UK - Star Vertech is supplying 7,500sq.m of its proprietary Vertech platforms to support temporary ice-rinks through the 2004/2005 festive season. Star Vertech (part of the Star Events Group) is more commonly known for supplying staging at large concerts and festivals; but as the trend to install temporary ice-rinks has grown over recent years, the unique Vertech platforms have been called in to use to create strong, level bases for ice rinks.

Star Vertech crews have installed the large platforms in Newcastle, Dublin, Glasgow and Warwick, with another going into Leeds Millennium Square in January. Phil Addyman has managed the projects, commenting: "The Vertech staging system has proven popular for ice-rinks as it provides a very stable base and as it is designed to be installed quickly it saves time and money over other systems."

In addition to supporting the weigh

UK - Details of the programme of 11 RIBA CPD seminars to take place during the ARC 05 exhibition have been finalized. All seminars taking place during the exhibition (14-15 February, Business Design Centre, Islington, London) will be RIBA-approved CPD and will all be related to lighting topics for architects. There are a number of lighting-related CPD seminars available, ranging from office and retail lighting to LEDs and lighting control. A seminar theatre seating approximately 60 people will be built on the exhibition floor and will be promoted by Mondiale Publishing as well as specifically targeted at RIBA member architects.

Joni Tyler, head of CPD, commented: "RIBA is pleased to be working with Mondiale Publishing on this event. We are delighted to be able to highlight the many excellent lighting CPD seminars from our member companies and to be able to bring their tech

UK - Entec Sound & Light is supplying full lighting and sound production for the Bootleg Beatles' current UK tour, continuing a relationship with the band that has lasted for many years. One of the highlights of this tour was a sold-out performance at London's Royal Albert Hall. On this leg, FOH engineer Marc Langley is using Entec's d&b Q Series line array: Entec believes it has perfected the task of designing d&b systems for this challenging space. The Bootleg's show combined the skills and experience of Entec's systems engineers Stefano Serpagli, Tristan Johnson & Liam Halpin with help from John Taylor of d&b - plus the aid of d&b's Q-Calc line array prediction software - to help calculate the optimum set up.

They opted for a left and right array plus two side arrays instead of the conventional centre cluster for two reasons - because it seemed the most logical way to fit th

USA - Loud Technologies Inc has announced the appointment of Miami-based Tropical Music Export Enterprises Inc as distributor for EAW products in the Caribbean and Central American markets. "Tropical Music has represented our Mackie brand with distinction for many years," commented Dave Christenson, Loud's director of international sales. "We're extremely pleased that they will now be representing EAW in the Caribbean and Central America. Tropical Music is uniquely positioned to offer the product expertise, financial stability and wide dealer network necessary to lead this market."

"Representing the Mackie brand has substantially added to our overall success and we are thrilled to incorporate EAW for distribution," said Frank Peruyera, senior international sales manager for Tropical Music.

(Lee Baldock)

USA - Community Professional Loudspeakers has announced the launch of four new all-weather R Series loudspeaker systems. Based on a design that is aesthetically neat and exceptionally simple to install, the four new models provide solutions for short to medium-throw applications, such as theme parks, field and winter sport venues, arenas and stadiums, convention centres and cruise ships, say the company. Providing high vocal clarity and hi-fi quality music reproduction, they can also be used in distributed indoor systems in medium to large spaces such as conference, exhibition and shopping centres and swimming pools.

The enclosures of the R Series are UV-resistant roto-moulded with integral points for vertical or horizontal mounting with the supplied yoke and a built-in pole mount on the R.25 for portable use. For all-weather reliability the enclosures are complete with three-l

UK - The results of this year's elections for places on the PLASA executive committee have been announced. Seven candidates put their names forward to contest the four available seats which had arisen from the natural rotation of committee members and the resignation of John Jones (then of PCM) earlier in the year.

The 2004 Treasurer David Hopkins OBE (Audio Design Services) and Chairman Diane Grant (DHA Lighting) were joined on the list of candidates by Stuart Gibbons (Le Mark), Iain Price-Smith (Light Engineering - Multiform), Siobhan Hitchen (Rope Assemblies), Linda Moore (Stage Electrics) and Duncan Smith (Roscolab).

Voting closed at 5pm on Monday 6 December with Diane Grant securing the most votes, followed by David Hopkins, Linda Moore and Siobhan Hitchen. Those four will now serve on PLASA's executive body - the first three serving three-year terms, whilst Siobhan Hit

UK - Clear-Com's new product, the CellCom digital wireless intercom system is now in stock with UK distributor Autograph Sales. Originally unveiled at PLASA 2003, where it won a PLASA Award for Product Excellence, CellCom is the first integrated licence-free digital wireless intercom system to have been developed, say Autograph. The system consists of an intelligent base station that interconnects with wired communications, going beyond the typical wireless party-line or even two-channel capability, with one-to-one and group conversations initiated from a beltpack.

Demand for CellCom has been red-hot, with prestigious names like ITV and the National Theatre having now taken delivery. ITV will be using their new acquisitions, including a base station with four beltpacks, at London Studios, located on the South Bank, where popular shows such as Popstars, The X Factor, Parkinson,

USA - Shure Incorporated has announced the appointment of Jose A. Rivas as regional sales manager for its International Americas Business Unit. In his new role, Rivas will be responsible for sales in Mexico, Canada, and South America. He will be stationed at Shure's corporate headquarters facility in Niles, Illinois. Most recently, Rivas was Latin America and Caribbean Sales Manager for all brands owned by Telex Communications, Inc. Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, he is fully bilingual (Spanish-English), having lived in the United States for the past 12 years.

"Historically, the International Americas is a strong area for Shure sales, but there is a lot of potential for growth. With his strong background in international sales and pro audio, we're confident that Jose Rivas is the perfect candidate to help maximize our sales in the region," said Jane Wilke, gen

UK - Glasgow Rangers FC has replaced the public address system at its 8,000-capacity Main Stand at Ibrox Stadium with nine of Martin Audio's new AM10 enclosures. The system was requisitioned by the club's head of AV, Stevie Scott of Scotrae Productions, as part of a multimedia upgrade, and purchased from local dealer, John Murdoch of Scotia Sound Services - a long-standing Martin reseller.

Scott said: "We had experienced difficulty projecting to the back of the stand with the existing system. We knew Martin had brought out a stadium speaker that was more directional, and when we contacted John he confirmed that the AM Series offered a superior reach." Stevie Scott undertook the installation himself - a simple replacement into the roof of the stand, facilitated by hardwired cable through grommet holes.

The AM10 uses a 300W 10" LF driver with a 1" exit HF c

UK - Shuttlesound, the UK distributor of Midas and Klark-Teknik audio processing equipment, has appointed Jason Kelly as its new sales consultant. Kelly, who will be responsible for all UK sales of both product portfolios to end-users and to resellers, comments: "2005 will be an exciting year for Shuttlesound, supporting and developing the Midas and Klark Teknik brands in the pro audio market."

For many years, Kelly has been working in Turkey, first as the technical manager for Turkey's largest sound rental company, and then setting up his own consultancy company. He worked extensively with audio equipment distributors in the region, developing and promoting Midas and Klark Teknik products in the Turkish market.

(Lee Baldock)

USA - Meyer Sound Laboratories has announced the appointment of Gary Parks as technical writer in the Customer Service Department. Parks will be responsible for developing and writing a variety of technical documents, including manuals, instructions, data sheets, and white papers.

"Choosing a technical writer is a very important decision for Meyer Sound and we are pleased to have found Gary Parks," says Meyer Sound customer service manager Pablo Espinosa: "We place strong emphasis on documentation, as it should be a key resource for users. We are rigorous in producing our documentation and need someone who can fully understand our products and communicate data on them clearly, accurately and comprehensively. Gary's background is quite deep as far as grasping and documenting technical products, which convinced me he was the right person to uphold Meyer Sound's hig

Italy - Proel S.p.A., the leading Italian manufacturer for the musical equipment industry, is aiming to strengthen its brand with the appointment of Mauro Goia as marketing manager. Besides his wide market knowledge, Goia has gained extensive international experience working for several years with Roland, the Japanese trademark leader in the field of electronic musical instruments. He has been involved in all activities concerning the launching of new products as well as in the development of creative marketing projects.

Mauro Goia comments on his new appointment: "I am very enthusiastic of this interesting and demanding challenge. I am thinking of an integrated marketing, as a kind of connection among the corporate activities, with the main purpose of giving Proel the right consideration and international echo."

"In the last few years," says Goia, "

UK - Howard Payne and his newly created company, SPL Distribution Europe Ltd, has completed a high-profile installation of Sound Physics Labs SPL-runt loudspeakers at the 606 Club in London, just in time for the recent London Jazz Festival. The 30-year-old club, located in Chelsea, has long been the favourite club for top artists on the London jazz scene. The loudspeakers, designed by Tom Danley, are manufactured in Glenview, Illinois.

Payne says: "The SPL-runts were just amazing, and exceeded everybody's expectations. The guy who runs the place, Steve Rubie, who is a musician himself and has owned the club for almost all of its 30 years, was skeptical about whether two small speakers would cover what is basically a very wide room. It's about 65ft wide by only 20ft deep, with the stage area in the centre on one side."

Indeed, the 606 Club's small size belies its hu

UK - As part of a significant expansion for 2005, Cheltenham Stage Services has purchased a Meyer MSL-4 system from Marquee Audio. For the last year, CSS has been operating a sub-hired MSL-4 system, building up a roster of festival and touring clients, and moving beyond its local Cheltenham circuit. After a busy summer, the company, which covers the whole of the Midlands, Wales and the West Country, has taken the decision to make a permanent investment. As a result, Marquee Audio has supplied eight MSL-4s, four 650-Ps, four UPA-1Ps, and a 48-channel Allen & Heath ML4000 mixing console.

"Our sister company, Event & Management Services, was instrumental in specifying the Meyer M1D line array system that has been installed here at The Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse. This is the biggest venue in this region," explains Steve Roskilly of CSS. "It therefore made great

Poland - A recent special concert for the Pope, the 40th anniversary of the Student Song Festival and Poland's International Percussion Festival all relied on Audio-Technica microphones to deliver high quality sound reproduction, supplied by Polish distributor, Konsbud-Audio.

At the special concert for the Pope, held at the Castle Square in Warsaw, and broadcast live by TVP 1 Polish Public Television and TV Polonia international, four channels of Audio-Technica 5000 Artist Elite Series wireless microphone systems were used on stage. These operated seamlessly, without interference, in parallel with other wireless systems, thanks to the unique IntelliScan tuning system automatically searching out interference-free frequencies.

At the 40th jubilee of the Student Song Festival on the 13-17 October, Audio-Technica 5000 Artist Elite Series wireless microphone systems again perform

UK - Compulite's Vector Red and Blue consoles were launched at PLASA 2003, with the system officially available from March 2004, when it was immediately put into service on a number of major TV productions such as Top of the Pops and Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. Vector Green, the smallest in the Vector family, was already in demand way before its launch at PLASA 2004, as many programmers could see the potential of having so much power and flexibility in such a compact console: Stagetec Distribution reports that it has just delivered six Vector Green systems to customers, one of the first to TV lighting director, Bernie Davis.

Davis is one of Britain's most successful TV lighting directors, with a long string of credits to his name. From Robot Wars to The Proms, Royal Variety Performance to the Royal Wedding and many, many more in between, he has a vast

A Flying Pig Systems Wholehog 3 console was put into play in a big way in the newly-released film, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, starring Jim Carrey and Meryl Streep. Scott Barnes, California-based lighting programmer, purchased a Wholehog 3 last year and has kept it working steady ever since. Filming for Lemony Snicket began in summer of 2003 and ran through until May 2004. Barnes used the Hog 3 to control everything from the lighting of interiors and exteriors of the sets, to close-ups of the actors. He also created the daylight, dusk and nighttime looks as well.

"When you do a film, you never know what you're going to have thrown at you: whether it's adding last minute lights or creating spur of the moment effects, as the movie changes from one set to another," Barnes explains. "Hog III makes me prepared for anything. It's the better

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