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USA - One of the first inter-manufacturer RDM systems was seen at LDI in Las Vegas late last year, when British control manufacturer Artistic Licence provided German company G-LEC's stand with its architectural control system Colour-Tramp, controlling the new G-LEC LightFrame transparent LED display. After a lengthy development period led by ESTA, RDM (Remote Device Management), is now so far advanced that it is possible for equipment from different manufacturers to successfully communicate with each other. "This is a major step forward for lighting control. Our customers can now see the power of RDM and the benefits they will receive," said Wayne Howell, managing director of Artistic Licence.

RDM has been developed to meet demands to control increasingly large and comp

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USA - American DJ's new Gobo Scope is an effect designed to bring psychedelic '60s and '70s looks to club environments, projecting kaleidoscopic patterns onto walls, floors and ceilings. The Gobo Scope utilizes 17 colour/gobo combinations to create sharp, symmetrical images in stand-alone mode, while an audio-sensitive setting provides further effect options. Two convenient FX knobs allow users to control the unit's rotation speed and audio-sensitivity level on the fly.

Although retro-inspired, the Gobo Scope comes equipped with a high-output 250W lamp and can be operated continuously all night with no duty cycle, thanks to a large cooling fan. "The Gobo Scope is a great effect for DJs and clubs who want a little something different in their lighting arsenals," says Scott Davies, general manager of the American DJ Group of Companies. "It's the perfect effect for

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USA - The recent production of Peeru Gunto at the University of Colorado in Boulder displayed a magical array of Kabuki-style surprises, lit with Wybron Nexera lighting. A variation of Peer Gynt, by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, this production is based on Japanese themes.

The play was adapted and directed by Dr. Cecilia J. Pang, known for the critically acclaimed Alice in Wonderland - Or Not! Pang, who studied the Kabuki style of theatre in Japan, introduces cultural themes in the form of vibrant costumes and colourful scenery representing locales from Japan to the American Wild West. The superhuman-sized, spectacularly lavish style of Japanese Kabuki theatre required imaginative stage lighting. Robert J. Shannon, senior instructor and lighting supervisor at CU's Department of Theatre & Dance, explains his choice of Wybron Nexeras to compliment the 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 - The Institute of Sound and Communications Engineers (ISCE) has announced continued interest in the forthcoming ISCEx 2005 exhibition and conference, with another four companies - Allen & Heath, PC Werth, Sennheiser and Shure - signing up to the show. This brings to 24 the number of participating companies at the show, which takes place at the Watford Moat House Hotel on Tuesday, 22 February.

The full technical programme promises cutting-edge seminars from leading industry experts. Subjects covered include Audio over TCP/IP, Wireless Microphone RF Pitfalls, Test Instruments for Room Acoustical Analysis, Update on Induction Loop Systems and The Basics of Fibre Optics. Last year there was standing room only at several sessions, say the organizers.

Tickets, including free parking, refreshments and VAT, cost £5 for the exhibition alone and £50 (£60 for non-ISCE members)

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USA - Crown International today announced the launch of the Commercial Audio Series with the introduction of the 180MA and 280MA mixer-amplifiers. Larry Baker, Director of Marketing for Installed Sound at Crown commented on the introduction: "We're excited about the opportunity to introduce to the commercial audio market a line of products built upon Crown's legendary commitment to excellence. We took our time and listened to what customers in this market said they needed, and we believe the Crown Commercial Audio Series reflects the fact that we paid attention."

The Crown 180MA and 280MA are high-value mixer-amplifiers for commercial and industrial audio. They provide 4-ohm and constant-voltage outputs (70V and 100V). The line is targeted toward applications including schools, hospitals, factories, restaurant/retail, houses of worship, fitness facilities, A/V boardro

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UK - Harman Pro UK has supplied Sound Division with an AKG CS 2 Conference System for installation at the Kennel Club's HQ in London's Mayfair, complete with a Base/Chair station and 21 Delegate stations. Kennel Club manager John Golding was seeking an upgrade for their existing conference hall, which regularly facilitates the General Committee's meetings. Golding wanted a system that was quick, easy to set up and intuitive to use, so there was no chance of some of the more elderly attendees being intimidated by the new technology.

Harman's Andy Duffield and Sound Division's David Graham collaborated on the specification and supply of a fully modular, portable AKG CS 2 conference system. It's a plug-and-play system that comes complete with amplifier; each Microphone/Delegate station features two powered speakers and a microphone with 'Call' and 'Volume Up/Down' push button feat

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UK / Japan - London-based RF manufacturer Trantec Systems is pleased to announce the appointment of Otaritec as the exclusive Japanese distributor of its award-winning S6000 range. Otaritec premiered the range at the 40th InterBEE (International Broadcast Equipment Exhibition) staged at the Nippon Convention Centre in Chiba City, Japan. The S6000 range, comprising the award -winning S6000 rack-based system and its single receiver version the S6001, was positively received by broadcast engineers, sound operators and designers alike, say Trantec.

Otaritec is a trading subsidiary of Otari Inc. Their activities stretch far beyond the selling of Otari products and include the import and sales of professional Audio equipment from all over the world. Perfectly complementing Otaritec's existing portfolio, the S6000 range fits alongside leading industry names including, Aphex, d&b, Gene

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Germany - German distributor Lightpower has expanded its Major product range to include pre-wired lighting bars for fixed wire lighting installations. The bars are available as part of a standard product range or can be custom-made up to a length of 4m.

With an emphasis on safety, the bars allow for the user to replace a lamp by easily disconnecting the luminaire from the mains voltage. Additionally, all Major lighting bars are fitted with lamp failure indicators to enable a defective lamp to be located with ease.

Major lighting bars are produced in rectangle and round end versions with either an aluminium or powder-coated black finish. Various mains output sockets are available, and the bars are compatible with 2" couplers, double C-hooks and truss clamps as well as with most types of European cable connectors.

(Barry Howse)

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USA - The Entertainment Services & Technology Association (ESTA), has announced the creation of the ESTA Foundation, which aims to meet the need to provide entry-level entertainment technicians with the essential skills necessary to practice their craft. To further this purpose, the ESTA Board of Directors created the ESTA Foundation, to be established as a 501(c)3 organization. ESTA's Technical Education Committee and its subcommittees - Essential Skills, Publications and Assessments and Seminars & Training - have been moved under the auspices of the Foundation.

Members of the inaugural Board of Directors are: Chair, Bill Price - director of systems, Barbizon; Vice-Chair, Rick Rudolph - executive vice-president, Stage Equipment & Lighting; Secretary/Treasurer, Mark Heiser - managing director, New York State Theatre at Lincoln Center; and Directors Gavin Berger - director of Con

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UK - A wide range of LED lighting products from the catalogue of Lighting Effects Distribution has been supplied and installed by TMC, the main sound and lighting contractors for Cosmos Leisure's new Rififi Club in Stalybridge. Fronted by the experienced Caroline Madden, the converted 1930s Palace Cinema opened its doors in early December following an extensive refit and reconfiguration of the space.

The building now houses a downstairs front bar, with all day trading, linked via a removable partition to the rear bar, which is available for private lets and trades alongside the upstairs nightclub. Ian Kirby's Lighting Effects Distribution have specified the effects and architectural lighting to all the main feature areas, using Coemar, Geni and proprietary LED-based fixtures. Six Solar M100b RGB LED units positioned on each side of the building, project columns of colour changi

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USA - 2005 promises to be a strong year for the cruise industry, which looks set to achieve record growth. Numerous new cruise ships are scheduled for launch in 2005, with further major projects slated for 2006 and 2007. This positive trend will translate into real business opportunities for UK specialists providing lighting, audio, AV and staging technologies.

Exploiting this development will be the forthcoming SeaTrade exhibition in Miami (March 15-17) - the largest gathering of cruise line owners, operators and suppliers in the world. One of the main features of the show will be the new 'PLASA at Sea' Pavilion - a showcase of all the latest innovations in entertainment and leisure-based technology. Confirmed exhibitors to date include Barbizon, Vari-Lite, Rose Brand, Rosco, Color Kinetics, Xilver, Martin Professional, Mavco, Teledimensions, Stage Technologies and Snow Master

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UK - With effect from 1 February, the sales and marketing office for D&M Professional will relocate to the former Marantz UK headquarters, close to Heathrow Airport. The rationale, says D&M Pro's general manager, Mark Perrins, is to consolidate all of the D&M group's resources and assets - both Consumer and Pro - with future growth in mind. "It's a simple restructure following an operational review, and as the business continues to evolve, will allow us better opportunity to develop the sales and marketing teams."

Personnel involved are Mark Perrins (general manager), David Atkinson (marketing and communications), Stephen Griffiths (finance) and the respective sales desks, who will relocate to: Kingsbridge House; Padbury Oaks, 575-583 Bath Road, Longford, Middlesex. UB7 0EH. New contact numbers are: +44 (0)1753 680023 (telephone); +44 (0)1753 686020 (fax) and +44 (0)1

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USA - John Wiseman, president of XL Touring Video, announce Valdis Dauksts' promotion to general manager of XL Touring. Dauksts, who has 30 years' experience in concert touring and production around the world, has also worked extensively in staging, lighting and production capacities across fashion, live theatre, corporate events, large-scale outdoor events (such as the Papal visit in Central Park) and large concert tours. His clients have included Bruce Allen Talent, MTV, Radio City Music Hall, VH1, Merv Griffin Productions and many more. Along the way, Dauksts has been VP of Lighting at Nocturne Productions and general manager of Fourth Phase / Light and Sound Design in Newbury Park, California.

Wiseman comments: "I am very pleased to announce Val's promotion to general manager. Having worked with him in the past, I'm positive we've made a decision that will greatly bene

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USA - Calvary Church Santa Ana, in Santa Ana, California, has opted for a digital audio processing and control system in the form of SymNet Audio Matrix. Like many churches, it increasingly incorporates live music into services and stages drama skits. In addition, the facility is used for other non-church purposes, such as school graduations, which demand extensive mic capabilities.

The new system enabled the church to replace its old analogue equipment with a system easily configurable and controllable via computer. Doug Gates, owner of Gates Sound, a Buena Park, California, sound systems installation company that installed SymNet for the church, said the system has vastly simplified audio management and given the church the confidence to make future changes as needed. "This was the first major upgrade to the church's sound system since the early 1990s and it replaced abo

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USA - Building on the success of its LD Assistant software, lighting design software developer Design & Drafting has announced it has licensed Pathport Ethernet data protocol from Pathway Connectivity. Rufus Warren, president of Design & Drafting, commented: "Adding Pathway Connectivity's Pathport protocol to our Autodesk OEM product LD Assistant gives users the ability to communicate to any device attached to the systems network". He continued: "By plugging a computer into the network via an Ethernet port, this allows the CAD program (LD Assistant or AutoCAD with LD Assistant) to communicate with and control any of the devices while monitoring the progress from a remote location from within the CAD program in real time."

Lighting designer David Mollner, president of DMLDC, said: "Working with moving light fixtures is a big part of our business and bein

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Denmark - TC Electronic has unveiled its XO24 digital speaker management controller, which features flexible routing and state-of-the-art AD/DA converters, designed for PA systems and fixed installations. In addition to two inputs and four outputs, the XO24's routing engine enables any input to be sent to any output. Each signal path includes crossover filters, 4-band parametric EQ, delay, limiting and an additional 4-band 'Speaker Tuning' parametric EQ. TC says all functions of the XO24 are directly accessible via a simple "one-click" user interface on the front panel and the unit features 20 factory and 100 user presets.

TC adds that since the XO24 allows for configuration of two-way stereo speaker or four channels of full-range speaker setups, it is especially suited for small PA or monitor setups, announcement systems in smaller venues or for musicians who want to

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Canada - ESTA's Seminars & Training Committee has announced an intensive, one-day hands-on training workshop in Ontario entitled 'Programming Automated Lighting Fixtures On A Conventional Tracking Console (Strand Lighting 500 Series)'. The workshop is limited to 20 people (two people per console), and immediately follows USITT in Toronto, Canada, on Sunday, 20 March, 2005, from 9.00am - 5.00pm. The instructor for the course is Bobby Harrell, a lighting designer and programmer in opera, dance and theatre for over 15 years.

The workshop, presented in cooperation with Strand Lighting, will be held at Strand's facility in Mississauga, Ontario. Transportation will be provided to and from the Metro Toronto Convention Center. The workshop will cover such topics as patching, LTP versus HTP, tracking/nontracking, command line programming, programming fixture selections, cues, cue playba

Details
UK / Switzerland - Tower Productions' Oxford office recently packed their crampons and harnesses, poured over a lengthy carnet, filled a 45ft step-frame to the roof and set off for the Swiss resort of Klosters with a brief to light a party being held at the top cable-car station, the surrounding mountain-side and anything else of interest they could find.

Not having seen the site, the crew walked around with the client early in the morning before going back down the mountain to start tipping the truck - only to get to the top cable car station to find the first of 146 flightcases were already making their way up the mountain! Swiss efficiency was becoming apparent.

A battery of High End Studio Colors and Studio Spots were employed inside and out (in Condomes), Studio Due 2500W City Colors made mountain-lighting less of a challenge and blue 400W HQIs made light work of the

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UK - Russia came to London on 15 January 2005 when Trafalgar Square London hosted the Russian Winter Festival - a feast of music, theatre and street entertainment to mark the 'Old New Year' according to the old calendar of the Orthodox Church. The show opened with speeches from Russian and London dignitaries including Ken Livingstone, watched by an 18,000-plus audience.

Produced by Greenwich & Docklands Festivals, the eight-hour show embraced cultural song and dance from across Russia to mainstream rock and pop acts. The Alexandrov Military Choir performed with 75 members on stage, its first UK appearance since 1967.

John Radford, Technical Project Manger for Stage Electrics Production Services, worked closely with production manager Colin Nightingale to supply technical event production including provision of staging, lighting, sound, site distribution and LED screen and cam

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USA - Global Truss America's new, ultra-thick F44P square/box trussing promises production houses the ability to rig industrial-strength fixtures. With a heavy-duty load capacity, the F44P is, says the company, "a virtual beast of burden" designed for those who need extra-strength truss.

The F44P is rigid enough to bear even the heaviest of loads with 3mm thick truss walls. Completely hand tig-welded, the F44P is made from extra-strong 6082-T6 aluminium alloy, a corrosion-resistant material three times lighter than steel used in aircraft manufacture. Like all Global Truss products, the F44P bears the TÜV seal of approval. With a wide overhead span of 15 3/4 inches (400mm), the F44P offers space to safely mount lighting equipment and effects of all shapes and sizes. It features a main tube diameter of approximately 2 inches (50mm), with 1-inch (22mm) diagonal bracing

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USA - When Rochester Assembly of God church built its new addition in 1997 it included a rudimentary lighting system, with 'theatrical' lighting consisting of a few coloured lights and a couple of basic 'can' spotlights near the ceiling, all controlled by infrared dimmers purchased from a national electronics chain store. The only control the church had over the fixtures was to turn them on or off.

As the church grew, so did the need for a more extensive lighting system. Church officials wanted to create more professional looking and appealing productions and more emotional traditional weekly services. With its annual Christmas program on the horizon, Rochester Assembly of God decided to upgrade to a new system that would be both cost-effective and expandable.

"We were going to be presenting The Gospel According to Scrooge, so we decided to install a lighting syst

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