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Denmark - Copenhagen Opera House, Denmark's new opera house, opened with a royal performance in front of Her Majesty Queen Margarethe of Denmark on Saturday 15 January. Located in the harbour, on the small island of Holmen, the Opera House was a gift to the city from Danish shipping magnate Maersk McKinney Møller.

The €337m ($442m) building has already been the subject of controversy, the architect complaining about "architectural compromises" he had to make when McKinney Møller demanded that the building be changed to incorporate his ideas. Despite that, the public seems to have taken the building to their hearts, with all opera and dance performances for the coming season completely sold out.

At the heart of the venue is the main stage, with seating for an audienc

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UK - White Light has been selected as lighting supplier for the stage production of the smash-hit British film, Billy Elliot. The story of a boy from the north of England who discovers the joy of dance, Billy Elliot became one of the most successful British films ever made upon its release in 2000. The film was nominated for three Oscars and thirteen Bafta awards, breaking box office records around the world.

The film is now being turned into a stage musical by its original creators, director Stephen Daldry, choreographer Peter Darling and writer Lee Hall; the music for the show is being written by Elton John. To create the stage production, Daldry is working once again with the team behind his acclaimed, long-running stage production of An Inspector Calls, designer Ian MacNeil and lighting designer Rick Fisher.

To light the show, Fisher has specified a rig featuring eleven Va

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Germany - Organized by KTV, the Asian equivalent of MTV, the Daechon Lux Festa 2004, which ran from the 17 July to the 21 August, introduced Asia to a new dimension in musical entertainment, uniting almost the entire galaxy of Asia's top stars and including a fringe programme packed with highlights. Several million viewers followed the event on TV and hundreds of thousands travelled from all over Asia to the Korean city of Daechon to sample the atmosphere first hand.

Sound equipment obviously has a key role to play. To eliminate unnecessary risks and problems of incompatibility, the organizers of the Daechon Lux Festa 2004 opted for a complete solution composed of systems from EVI Audio. The central element in the entire sound reinforcement strategy was a Dynacord Cobra system (including 16 Cobra-4 PWHs, 24 Cobra TOPs and 21 Cobra-2 SUBs). A further 56 enclosures from the Dynaco

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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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Italy - Sony recording artist Gianni Morandi is a pop phenomenon in Italy: from his days as a gangly 1960s teenager through to the present, he has drawn packed crowds throughout the country. His popularity was confirmed recently when a show to celebrate his 60th birthday, produced in collaboration with Ballandi Entertainment, was staged in Rimini's new indoor sports arena, 105 Stadium.

Although Morandi's best-known songs are his older ones, there's nothing dated about his concerts from a technical point of view. 'Stasera Gianni Morandi' had a huge cutting edge audio and lighting rig supplied by contractor Agorà of L'Aquila, as well as an eye-catching multiple LED screen set-up by Eurovideo.

Sound designer Daniele Tramontani is rightly proud of having set a trend followed by other artists when he designed Morandi's first (1996) concert-style rig in a TV studio in Rome, after t

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Germany - In early December, TV station Kabel 1 presented a major evening show, running through the '100 best films of all time', including classic blockbusters like Alien, Das Boot, E.T., Platoon, Schindlers List, Spider Man and Lord of the Rings. More than 350 Pulsar ChromaPanels were used in the set design, supplied by Procon and installed by Schall & Shein Design, Münich. They were used to create the matching atmosphere for the show in Bavaria Studios, Unterföhring. The set and design for the ChromaPanels was originally designed by Florian Wieder for the Pro7 production Geniale Erfinder-der Wissenspreis.

Daniel from Schall & Schein commented: "LED lights have high efficiency, their effects are produced through RGB colour mixing, they radiate homogeneous light and are absolutely lightweight. The whole design of the set was designed so the LEDs could be controlled in c

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UK - Green-I used all the attributes of the new Soundweb London DSP matrix device to fulfil a unique request at the recent Schroders London Boat Show at the ExCeL in Docklands.

ExCeL-based Fox Bars and Restaurants, who use Green-I as its preferred systems integrator, decided (as one of the Show's major sponsors) to create its own bar - Fox@Waterside - down on the exhibition floor. While Green-I's sister company Canegreen Commercial was invited to provide a conventional PA system for the feature, Fox had something more creative in mind when a pub quiz was scheduled midway through the show.

"We were asked to design Quiz Buzzers for each of the six tables," reports Green-I's Ian Woodall. "Although pressing a button is straightforward they wanted a scenario whereby the first finger on the buzzer disabled everything else."

By using a BSS Soundweb London

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Portugal - BackLight, based in Lisbon and run by the charismatic Luis Pedro, is one of Portugal's leading lighting rental companies and is seeing a definite upturn in business following the recent slump. With Rock In Rio Lisboa, Euro 2004 and every major touring artist now visiting, Portugal is now well and truly on the European leisure and entertainment map.

BackLight was formed in November 2000 by Pedro with his brother Paulo and his father Américo Luis, former bassist with acclaimed Portuguese progressive rock band, Tantra. Luis Pedro always wanted BackLight to offer something unique to its clients, explaining that the company trademark is to keep a keen 'eye to the ground' and offer the latest technology to designers and technicians. This commitment to innovation, and the ability to deliver consistently to a variety of high profile projects has seen them embrace major succe

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The Netherlands - Lumileds Lighting has announced that it will issue an advisory to the solid-state lighting industry later this month regarding its intellectual property (IP) that pertains to the manufacture and assembly of mirror substrate LEDs. The action comes in response to reports that certain die manufacturers and LED packagers are violating Lumileds' patents. Users and manufacturers of LEDs have a responsibility to avoid infringement of Lumileds' patents. All LED package manufacturers and resellers should investigate whether their mirror substrate LEDs use Lumileds' patented technology and whether the source of their mirror substrate LEDs is authorized under Lumileds' patents.

Lumileds recently announced the upcoming expansion of its Luxeon high-power LED family with new emitters that the company claims set industry-wide performance standards for light output, temperatu

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UK - For the past three years, those in the north east of England have witnessed a giant concrete, metal and glass construction rising in Gateshead, on the south bank of the River Tyne. Now The Sage Gateshead - a brand new £70m home for musical education and entertainment - is open for business.

Gateshead Council is extraordinarily keen for the arts to be inclusive, encouraging as many people as possible to be involved. The purpose behind The Sage is to mix education and inspiration, combining state-of-the-art facilities for hands-on learning and performance spaces.

Beneath the metal and glass outer shell there are six separate buildings, which contain four main performance venues, a 26-room music education centre, ExploreMusic (a high-tech hands-on education facility run by Gateshead Libraries), a shop/box office, five front of house bars, a café and brasserie.

Interestin

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Germany - Since the beginning of 2005, all MA lighting consoles (excl. LC 12/2) are technically upgraded and are delivered with a specially developed LED gooseneck desk lamp. The new desk lamps feature two special-LEDs offering a string of advantages such as, a long service life with a thungsten-similar, very bright, light output.

MA Lighting say that although this new desk lamp is nearly double-price of the previous version, the company will not increase the price for the lighting consoles. Users can also order the new LED lamp separately, and can choose between straight or right-angled XLR3 connectors.

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UK - After its West End premier in 1989, Cameron Mackintosh's production of Miss Saigon became the third most successful musical in the history of British theatre. It was the longest-running show ever to play at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and two years ago enjoyed record-breaking tour in six of the UK's largest theatres.This newly designed and staged version of the show is once again touring the UK, but this time reaching cities with smaller venues unable to house the original production. However, a reduction in size doesn't mean reduced impact.

It's still one of the largest touring productions in the UK, with a company of over 50 actors and musicians and a reduced sized orchestra supplemented with an RTMS (Real Time Music Solutions) 'virtual orchestra' - a keyboard-driven sequencer and Giga Sampler system - playing the missing orchestra parts to ensure that full aural impact

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USA - Lectrosonics has announced the immediate availability of its DM Series Digital Audio Processor Systems with LecNet2 control software. The powerful DM Series systems provide easily configurable processing, mixing, and routing capabilities for sound reinforcement and conferencing applications often requiring multiple microphones and loudspeakers. The DM Series will also be showcased at NSCA 2005 Expo.

The DM Series consists of three digital automatic matrix mixers - the DM1624, DM1612 and DM812 - respectively offering 16 mic/line inputs and 24 line outputs; 16 mic/line inputs and 12 line outputs; and eight mic/line inputs and 12 line outputs. Each model features a full DSP-based crosspoint matrix, where any input can be routed to any or all outputs, allowing for superb flexibility. Subsequent to each input's A/D conversion, six DSP filters, an automatic digital feedback elim

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Italy - In Venice, leading Italian PA rental company Audio Uno has flown Nexo GEO S speaker arrays in one of the most exquisite architectural settings in the world. The historic Gran Teatro La Fenice de Venezia, which dates back to 1792, has been completely restored to its original glory following a devastating fire in 1996. Audio Uno was called upon to provide a premier-quality sound reinforcement system for the first major event to take place in the Gran Teatro since its renovation and re-opening. The Premio Campiello is Italy's top competition for writers, and this was the first occasion the prestigious awards ceremony had been held in the Fenice.

For the 2500-capacity theatre, Audio Uno supplied a GEO S tangent-array system which was configured in left and right arrays of eight GEO S830 cabinets each side. Two CD12 sub-bass bins were included on each side of the stage, and

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UK - Theatre sound specialist Orbital has welcomed Jeremy Ellis on board as part of its project management team. Fulfilling his childhood ambition to work in theatre, he studied Technical Theatre at Rose Bruford drama school as a mature student. From there he was offered the position of sound number two on Phantom of the Opera, before embarking on countless international/national touring and West End theatre productions as a sound operator.

Bringing a wealth of talent and experience to the Orbital team, he is set to channel his passion for theatre sound into managing the streamlined operations of both West End and touring productions. Ellis said: "It's really fantastic to be part of Orbital's team. The position offers me the perfect role to continue working within the industry I love, but without the strains of touring and mixing eight shows a week. I'm really looki

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UK - Carlsbro has appointed former Academy of Sound sales and operations manager Jon Gold as its new head of brand and marketing development, with responsibility for developing and marketing the Carlsbro Brand worldwide. Gold has had many years' experience in the leisure and live entertainment industry, in a number of senior marketing, brand development and operational roles prior to joining Academy of Sound, where he was responsible for the day to day operation of their stores together with the marketing and promotions, until the recent merger with Sound Control.

Commenting on his new role Gold said: "When Andrew first approached me about the opportunity, it didn't take long for me to realize that this was the ideal role for me. The work that Andrew, Nick, John and the rest of the dedicated team have done in reviving this great brand during the past four years is nothing

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UK - A.C. Lighting supplied Neg Earth Lights with the Thomas Broadway Truss back wall lighting and much of the other lighting rig equipment used on the recent 14-date UK arena tour for rock band The Darkness. The spectacular show took four days of pre-production and a further two days of rehearsals to create, and visited Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Sheffield, Cardiff and Birmingham, finishing off with three nights at Wembley.

For the ambitious stage lighting rig, LD Rod Clay required a dramatic backdrop to complement the band's very theatrical performance style and provide effects for the more 'epic' songs in the band's set list. Clay specified a Thomas Broadway Truss system originally racked with seven rows of 10 High End Studio Beam PCs to create a dramatic wall of light. Neg Earth Lights used custom clamps to join the truss structure, which was flown on three two-tonne C

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USA - Fur, in Washington DC, is a new multi-level entertainment establishment that's been drawing record crowds since it's opening late last year. Fur features a sophisticated décor, including the trademark mink-covered walls, but more importantly, it's the state-of-the-art EAW Avalon sound system that keeps the devoted patrons coming back for more.

Designed by John Fiorito, owner of OHM Productions and installed by his associate Jeff Darby, the EAW Avalon system was conceived during the renovation stage of the classic 1890s building. "Because we entered the renovation stage early, we were able to design the floor plan around the Avalon system itself," explained Fiorito. "As a result, Fur's Avalon system is cleverly integrated into all areas of the club whilst not detracting from the meticulous décor."

The main floor, which hosts the stage and dance flo

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USA - Lighting, audio reinforcement, video and technical production management was provided for the Celebration of Freedom Concert on the Ellipse in Washington DC by Showcall Inc, a Maryland based technical event production company. "The Showcall team delivered a flawless event to us despite the crew and equipment having to brave heavy rain, sub-zero temperatures, biting wind and three inches of snow during the load in process on the Ellipse. These guys are just incredible," said Jason Recher, a managing director of events for the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

The event was designed to accommodate 65,000 attendees and included three LED videowalls, a Martin Audio Line array for the main and delay audio system as well as dozens of intelligent lighting fixtures. The stage, measuring 60ft x 100ft, was illuminated by BSL Productions using 28 Vari-Lite 3000 and 14 Var

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UK - Following a highly successful 2004, Specialz Ltd has started off 2005 with a contract to remove 189 hoists from Carlton Studios Nottingham and transport them to Pinewood Studios. The project was completed on schedule in five days. Dave Smith commented: "This is the type of project we really excel at; the whole project was planned and executed in 10 days which pleased the client as they had allocated over a month to complete the job!"

2004 saw Specialz making major technical contributions to projects as diverse as kids' TV show, Fun Song Factory (set lights installation), Phil Collins (five DMX controlled Louvre panels), Morrissey (the 12ft high illuminated sign) and two stage sets for Daniel O'Donnell, each including a lightweight electrically operated scissor-lift drum riser, designed and built in-house. Other projects included BBC Proms light boxes, the Scissor

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USA - Even before his graduation from Pasadena Art College of Design as an illustrator and graphic artist, it was pretty clear that Mike Shinoda's band, Linkin Park, was onto something big. In fact, as the story goes, Shinoda was doing his eighth term finals on the same weekend the band was playing a showcase for six different record labels. Despite his growing renown in the hip-hop and rock music scenes, Shinoda's background is in piano and production. "I listen to everything," he explains, "and I try to experiment with as many types of music as I can. I try hard to stay versatile."

Shinoda says a good part of the band's material is written in his home studio or on the tour bus. "We always like to get the basic shell of a song together before taking it into a studio - it's less stressful that way, plus you're not paying for a big studio while you're sc

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Germany - Axxent has revealed its new AX series of power amplifiers, consisting of various models to suit varying power outputs and applications. The professional amplifier models of the T-series have been developed for fixed installations with constant voltage distribution and are optimized for these applications in every aspect, say the manufacturer, such as standard 19" rack housing, detachable knob hoods to insure that settings are not altered accidentally, detachable power cable with rear side connector and balanced XLRs for signal looping.

Axxent has developed the unique ILM-Technology for control of the output current, avoiding clipping distortion and protecting the loudspeakers. Axxent offers the choice between the model AX-2120T with 2 x 120W and the AX-2240T with 2 x 240W of output power with reference to 100V constant output voltage.

For installations requiri

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