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Spain / The Netherlands - Vieta Pro, the Barcelona-based manufacturer of compact and portable sound reinforcement products, has announced that Ampco and TM Audio are to distribute all of Vieta Pro's loudspeaker and electronic processing products in Belgium and the Netherlands. As a bonus, Vieta also get a distribution presence in Romania, where Ampco's partner Paradigma Production will represent the line. Karel de Piere of Ampco Belgium has spent the past 6 months researching Vieta Pro's corporate credentials and product prospects, to ensure a perfect match with Ampco and TM Audio's extensive distribution portfolio.

"The package from Vieta is really well thought-out," says de Piere, "with all the qualities that you'd expect from a company that has a long and reputab

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South Africa - Luke Kane-Berman has been promoted to High End Systems' regional sales manager for Africa, following two years as an inside sales rep at the HES European headquarters in London. "I am very excited about my new role with HES in Africa and to return to my home town of Cape Town, South Africa," he says. "These are exciting times here and I look forward to revitalizing HES as the quality and powerful brand of lighting and controllers that it is and to introduce our new and existing technology into the marketplace."

Kane-Berman's territory includes all of Africa except for Libya and Egypt, which are handled by HES regional sales manager Tony Magana. Says Bill Morris, VP of sales: "It was time to put some investment into the territory to realize the growth potential of the continent. We were very fortunate to have Luke fully trained as a sales r

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Bob Doyle was there for DiGiCo's third PALME; he said that take-up of digital technology seems to be slower in this region than elsewhere, again reflecting the need for technical knowledge out here. DiGiCo is investing in training and seminars, and emphasising its 100% back-up philosophy, to move things forward. Coincidentally, both Destiny's Child and Mariah Carey were performing in Dubai that week, and both with DiGiCo D5 consoles. Doyle added that 2005 has seen a marked shift in acceptance of the digital domain.
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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 - Production manager Steve Rebbeck needed an automation system for the many and complicated scene changes in Billy Elliot the Musical, he turned to AVW Controls. Back in 2002, Rebbeck had specified AVW Controls' Impressario system to provide the automation for the intricate flying manoeuvres on Our House and was sure the system would be right for Billy Elliot. Meanwhile, Patrick Molony was looking for set automation that he could rely on for The Far Pavilions. Having previously used the Impressario system on horoughly Modern Millie, he too turned to AVW.

For The Far Pavilions, award winning set designer Lez Brotherston had to create sets which took the action from the snow-capped Himalayas to the hot and dusty deserts of Rajasthan. A raked triple concentric revolve - the three sections of which can move simultaneously, in different direction

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Japan - Fresh from its part in making the Queen-inspired musical We Will Rock You such a success in Australia, the Formula Sound Que-18 units which have been supplying foldback mixes for the show's musicians are repeating their success now that the show has moved on to Japan. "We have 11 Que-18's on the show in Australia, and they have performed flawlessly right from the moment they were first commissioned," says Peter Grubb of Victoria-based System Sound Pty which supplies the show's audio equipment. "Like the various other Formula Sound Que series foldback mixers we have these have been absolutely invaluable and a real hit with the musicians."

The Que-18s have been part of the Queen production since it opened in Melbourne in August 2003, and have moved with the show as it played Perth, Brisbane and Sydney. They have now moved on to Japan where the sh

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UK - Cambridgeshire based 5 Star Cases Limited have recently invested in 3D modelling software by Solid Edge. The Wisbech company, purchased the software from Cutting Edge Solutions Limited of Witney - Oxfordshire, having evaluated various other systems on the market. 5 Star is one of Europe's leading specialist case manufacturers and supplies some of the biggest names in the Entertainment and Audio Visual sectors as well as many blue chip companies including Alstom Energy, Martin Audio, Lighthouse and Rolls Royce.

CES, UK's leading supplier of the renowned Solid Edge from UGS had previously demonstrated the system at a 'Customer Day' back in 2003. Although 5 Star Cases had been using 2D drafting for a number of years, the move to 3D modelling was considered just prior to the demo at UGS.

Works Director Keith Sykes explained "Although three packages were evaluated, Solid

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Cadac's Mark Reay and Tony Waldron were at their second PALME, and in hindsight would have liked it to be their third, although generally things are very positive for this UK manufacturer. There are now Cadac desks in such prestigious locations as the Kremlin, Athens Concert Hall and China's State Parliament, adding to an already long list of prestige installations. They also reported that 2003 was the company's busiest ever year, and that plenty of tenders are coming up in the near future. Reay, a passionate advocate of clean sound in all parts of the audio chain, also commented on the "world's worst sound system" - otherwise known as the seminar room PA.

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USA - New software for the Hog iPC console has been released by High End Systems Inc (HES). This new software provides many enhancements to the hybrid lighting console, say the company, and adds support for a third monitor or touchscreen. Users can download the software and read detailed release information at the web address below.

The Hog iPC console contains three applications (Hog 3PC, Hog 2PC and Hog iPC configuration panel), all of which have been updated. The Hog iPC configuration panel is the central utility program for interfacing with the unique elements of the Hog iPC system. Improvements to this application allow users to enable a third monitor or touchscreen connected to the DVI port of the console.

This functionality was requested by customers, says Brad Schiller, HES director of control systems development. "We are pleased to have been able to react to user

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Greece - PRG Europe was at the heart of one of the highlights of the Greek entertainment calendar when the company supplied lighting design and management expertise to the opening ceremony of the Hellenic Festival in Athens. Running from 20 May to 9 October, this year's events are even higher profile than normal, because the festival is celebrating both its 50th year and the 50th anniversary of the first film to be produced in Greece. Celebrating twin golden jubilees meant that something extra special was required for this year's opening ceremony.

Lighting director Mike Odam's task was to give a spectacular look to the opening ceremony and first performance of the festival, which featured a 60-piece symphony orchestra, 40 piece choir and live 'electric' musicians. Overcoming a range of challenges, Mike and PRG Europe put on a show fit for the high-ranking dignitaries and extensi

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UAE - During the PALME exhibition in Dubai, L&SI was invited to visit the premises of Production Technology LLC - better known as Protec. Protec is a world class event production company and the region's largest supplier of sound, lighting, AV, hydraulic and motor control equipment.

The latter elements are a particular area of Protec's strength, as a tour around its facilities reveals. Everywhere are the remnants of large-scale motorized set pieces, waiting to be called upon. There are set pieces purchased from the selling off of the Millennium Dome's contents; there are large, customized, articulated truss sections, huge spheres and steel and aluminium forms of all kinds of construction; it's like a giant's Meccano kit, with lots of bits that you can't get from the shops. There's enormous potential for creativity here.

Protec is owned by Stephen Lakin, the industry veteran wh

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UK - The assets of Solid State Logic have been acquired by a joint venture established by musician and technologist, Peter Gabriel, and broadcast industry entrepreneur, David Engelke. The company, which will trade as Solid State Logic, will continue to design and manufacture mixing consoles and related audio technology at its Begbroke, Oxford headquarters. The principal investors bring considerable experience of both the company's main markets: music recording and broadcast.

Peter Gabriel's background as an artist is well known, but he has had a long involvement with technology. Syco Systems, which he co-founded, developed the 'Tablet', one of the world's first purpose-built digital audio workstations. Real World Multi Media, part of Peter's Real World Group, won awards for both technological and creative innovation. More recently, he has had success with OD2 (On Demand Distribu

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UK - Production company Flux Events, headed by John Farquhar-Smith, promoted and production managed the recent Cinemaphony performance of Shostakovitch's Seventh Symphony - at the Royal Albert Hall.Shostakovitch's 7th (Leningrad) Symphony in C major was written in 1942, during the terrible siege of Leningrad. The landmark Royal Albert Hall event was staged to commemorate VE Day 1945 and the loss of 26 million Russian Allies in the War. Performed by the 120-piece St Petersburg Academic Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the composer's son, Maxim Shostakovitch, and accompanied by the haunting images of Georgy Paradzhanov's film, it was the brainchild of designer Sergai Davitaya and the Russian Information Agency, Novosti.

Novosti had been impressed by last year's Battleship Potemkin event that Farquhar-Smith produced with the Pet Shop Boys in Trafalgar Square: Flux events was approa

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UK - ECT has been appointed by three separate installation companies to provide bespoke projection screens for installations into religious buildings. Each screen has to be large enough for all the audience to benefit, as well as fitting into the unique architecture of the older church. ECT had less than two weeks to technically advise on and manufacture a projection screen, which would fit snugly between two pillars. "Being given the chance to work on a screen suitable for such an atmospheric setting was an interesting challenge!" said Adam Flawn-Thomas, managing director.

One of the solutions used was to suspend the screen on hinges. The whole unit can then be swung into the wall when not required. Project Audio Visual installed another ECT screen into a church, making it the centre backdrop. A remote control unit allowed the screen to be slip quietly out of sight, r

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Penn Elcom, S+H Technical Support, Freestyle Music and Metalworx (the manufacturer of Penn trussing) joined forces with Middle East distributor IBS Decor - which also manufactures flightcases in Dubai. S+H has put down roots in the region, having had a Dubai office for 14 months. The company reports plenty of business for its plain drapes in the UAE, as well as for its own starcloth product. Coming soon is S+H's second generation of remote table pinspots, with DMX control capability, which will be of interest to event organizers everywhere.

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UK - One of the latest compact line array products to hit the market, the X-Line Very Compact (XLVC) from Electro-Voice, has found its first UK home at the historic Café de Paris venue near London's Leicester Square. Following trials of the XLVC (straight off the production line in the US) and other systems during February and March, the Café de Paris' technical manager George 'Blu' Deakin finally opted for the Electro-Voice system, which was supplied via UK distributor Shuttlesound.

The system joins X-Line and XLC (X-Line Compact) systems in EV's line array family, and comes in two sizes - the XLD281 and XLE181. The former is a full-bandwidth 3-way line array cabinet (2 x 8" + 2 x 2"), which measures 9.9" (251mm) high by 28.58" (726mm) wide by 14.52" (369mm) in depth. The latter is a full-bandwidth 2-way version (1 x 8" + 2 x 2") which measu

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Dave King of LTM (Lift, Turn, Move) was joined on stand by the industrious Adrian Forbes-Black of Columbus McKinnon, manufacturer of the Lodestar hoists which are a mainstay of LTM's services. Forbes-Black, who began working for Columbus McKinnon in the UK and Europe a little over two years ago, reports that CM has doubled sales of its entertainment hoists in that time. This was the first PALME for LTM, which was formed just last autumn, but King was having a worthwhile time nonetheless.

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Avolites is another company with a history in the region. Tony Shembish has been out here for several years, running Avolites Middle East & North Africa, based in Abu Dhabi, and business is booming. With one of the larger stands at the exhibition, and with good support from familiar Avo faces from the UK, Avo ME was also playing host to James Thomas Engineering's Pixelline range of LED fixtures, which played a central role on the stand; Avo ME was appointed the official Middle East distributor for the range at the show. Tony Cameron, European sales manager for PixelRange, said: "The response to PixelDrive and PixelRange was phenomenal, much more than I had forecast. This show has guaranteed us big business in the Middle East, not just in Dubai but many of the surrounding territories as far as Pakistan."

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UAE - In its short history, Dubai's Pro Audio & Light Middle East (PALME) exhibition has provided many companies with a platform on which to build, or boost, their business activities across the Middle East region.The UAE in particular is a much-hyped potential market, with staggering sums of foreign investment pouring into the ambitious development of tourism and business facilities (see L&SI March 2005). Dubai itself is now the UK's main export market in the whole of the Middle East, having shown a 93% growth in 2004, and a further 43% so far in 2005.

Generally speaking, the companies who are benefiting most from this potential are those who had a business presence in the region prior to PALME's emergence in 2003; of the rest, those returning for their third, or at least second, PALME show are generally now beginning to see benefits. For others, there is a feeling that they ma

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Italy - Since February, veteran Italian artist Antonello Venditti has been touring Italy with the supergroup he assembled to record his latest album, 'Campus Live'. The show will visit indoor sports arenas on its first leg before moving outdoors for the summer. Rental firm RMS is supplying the production with Meyer Sound FOH and monitor loudspeaker systems.

From behind the show's Cadac R-type console, FOH engineer Piercarlo Penta explained that Venditti's recent tours have been just him on piano, and a sax player, but to tour with this 'supergroup', "we needed a system able to handle the group's energy, and the Meyer Sound set-up chosen [12 MILO high-power curvilinear array loudspeakers per side and 12 M3D-Subs] has proved a winner. As well as being compact, the MILO enclosures have a really beautiful sound and are very efficient."

While the majority of the indoor ar

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USA - Sloppy Joe's Bar in Key West, Florida - once the favourite hangout of local resident Ernest Hemingway - recently installed a new main PA and monitor system from Martin Audio, as well as additional Martin Audio loudspeakers in the Backroom saloon located behind the stage and the upstairs Speak Easy bar. The famous club still features the original Cuban tiles floors and hosts festivals throughout the year including the Hemingway look-a-like contest. Named after the original owner Joe Russell, Sloppy Joe's has a reputation for hosting the best bands in the Keys and having the best party in town.

Unfortunately, the club's audio system was outdated and had been pieced together over the course of several years. "The last system install happened about twelve years ago," said Kevin 'Spyder' Wright, entertainment manager for the club. "When we decided to update the a

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Australia - The popular Dreamland Karaoke Restaurant in Perth, Australia, recently upgraded both its lighting and audio equipment, which posed a problem; the venue is small and there was not enough room to install the extra power needed to spruce up the venue. The electrician looked at the cost and space required to install a new switchboard, which would also need dimmer circuits, and decided it was not a viable option. Fortunately, Andrew Newnham of Total Production Systems had recently seen the new EKO wall-mount installation dimmer from LSC Lighting and he suggested that this small, single-unit dimmer; with built-in RCD protection was all that would be required.

The EKO incorporates a cleverly designed installation frame that can be fixed in position without the dimmer being present. Load and control screw terminals on the frame allow for building wiring to be terminated in a

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