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USA - Bonnaroo has been the top-grossing festival in the US since it began in 2002 and Bandit Lites has been lighting the two principal stages every year. Set in the fields of Manchester, Tennessee, some 60 miles south of Nashville nearly 80,000 music lovers descended for the annual three-day festival. The New York Times noted, "Bonnaroo, in just its third year, has already revolutionized the modern rock festival." In a special issue of Rolling Stone, Bonnaroo was named one of the 50 moments that changed the history of rock'n'roll.

Produced by Superfly Productions of New Orleans and Ashley Capps of Knoxville, Tennessee, the show celebrated its fourth year in 2005 with a line up of such notables as Widespread Panic, Dave Matthews Band, Trey Anastasio, Jack Johnson, The Bl

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The Netherlands - Luxeon LEDs from Lumileds have been used to light Stevenage Borough Council's new Customer Service Centre in a project that turns the entire ceiling into a bespoke luminaire that simulates the sky.

In the first project of its kind in the UK, Future Group Lighting Design and Light Projects, a certified member of the LUXEON Lighting Network, were briefed to create a welcoming environment for both members of the public and call centre staff, through the creative use of light.

To achieve this the architect Brian Martin designed a feature ceiling, consisting of a series of coffered arcs that conceal a specially developed light solution. Using white and blue Luxeon LEDs a colour changing effect that runs over the course of the day has been created, simulating the sky and creating a feeling of light and space.

Key to the lighting solution is the light source, spec

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USA - After a devastating fire, the Hilton Garden Inn/Thelma Keller Convention Center complex in Effingham, Illinois, has re-opened with a renewed emphasis on attracting event-related business.

AVI Systems, St Louis, Missouri, handled the extensive audio-visual work for the complex and selected the Symetrix SymNet modular audio mixing, routing and digital processing system as a core technology for managing the complexities of its design.

Michael McNeil, who helped design and install the system, says: "SymNet was virtually the only product on the market with the ability to discretely and intelligently perform multiple tasks," McNeil says. "It's the core of the whole system design."

Four 8x8 SymNet units, two Break-In 12 boxes and two CobraNet units handle the mixing, processing and routing of audio to the convention center ballroom area, which can be parti

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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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USA - EAW announced today the appointment of Mary Cook to the position of Application Support Group (ASG) Manager. Cook brings to EAW more than 15 years of experience in professional audio system design, installation and engineering, having worked for such companies as Ascom North, Al Nalli Music/Creative Audio and the Bose Corporation.

In her new role as ASG Manager, Mary will be responsible for coordinating EAW's worldwide system design support services that are offered to all distributors, dealers, consultants, and facility managers. She will also directly manage the ASG personnel in Whitinsville as well as support all international ASG personnel. Cook will be located in EAW's Whitinsville, Massacusetts office.

(Lee Baldock)

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UK - Leading entertainment lighting supplier White Light has recently completed the supply and installation of a new lighting rig to Patidar House in London, the headquarters of the Federation of Patidar Associations, a Gujarati Hindu Patel community organization. Having completed demolition of their existing building in December 2003, the Association has been working since to complete a new headquarters incorporating a custom-designed performance space for their performing arts programme. The new space is of a proscenium arch design with a balcony on three sides of the auditorium, and with a retractable main seating bank to allow the creation of a flat floor area when required. With its seating in place, the auditorium can accommodate around 250 people.

White Light's Projects team, led by Roger Hennigan, became involved with the project through White Light's regular collaborato

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UK - Superstar DJ Pete Tong recently selected two Allen & Heath Xone VF-1 analogue stereo filter units for use in his London studio, and performing live at his numerous global tour dates. Tong has also installed two VF-1 units in the Pacha club in Ibiza for him to use during his summer residency at the venue. "I'm always looking for ways of enhancing my live performance," comments Tong. "I got into Allen & Heath's filters when using the Xone:92 mixer, so, as a dedicated unit for the job the VF-1 is the next level in sophisticated filtering. It offers an impressive and dynamic range for me to experiment with."

The Xone VF-1's circuitry is an enhanced version of the filters built into the industry-standard Xone mixers, offering three basic filter types, which can be combined to create further filter types. The VF-1 can interface with any mixer, has MIDI capabil

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UK - Cadac Electronics plc is emphasizing its quality pedigree at PLASA 2005, showing its analogue console range alongside the M16 Remote Controlled Microphone Amplifier and the D16 Digital Mix Matrix. The M16 is gaining widespread recognition as a top quality, highly versatile remote mic amp, capable of operating seamlessly with all types and marques of console. Cadac's M16 is featuring on the Broadway musical Sweet Charity, with sound designer Peter Hylenski citing its "unbelievable sound in a small, remotely controllable box".

In the Far East, a number of M16s are earning their credits at the Yonsei Baptist Church in Korea, after selection for their "clearly superior audio performance." Cadac also reports a growing user base for its D16, with applications ranging from use as a standalone digital console, to providing extra inputs alongside J-Types o

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UK - Slingco has installed an 8.6m wide by 18m long CABLEnet tensioned wire grid at 6.4m above the main stage and auditorium of the new Junction 2 Theatre in Cambridge.

With no intermediate members below the grid - it's completely clear to the venue floor - and capable of supporting 250 Kg vertical loads. It's believed to be the largest grid of this type to date in the UK.

Junction 2 is a brand new flexible 220 capacity arts, theatre and education space, with a new technology laboratory aimed at inspiring the next generation of artists, musicians and audiences.

Designed as both a receiving and producing house, it's the first purpose built theatre to open in Cambridge since the 1930s and is operated by Junction CDC. Robin Townley, development director of Junction 2 knew that full flying facilities would not be required for the type of productions they would be staging, so he

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UK - The Diffusion Group have launched a new website to auction professional lighting, sound, staging and video equipment. Gearsales.com aims to become the industry site to buy and sell new and used equipment. "There is not an auction website specializing in production equipment. I believe that gearsales.com will enable sellers to connect easily and directly with buyers, creating quicker and hassle-free sales," said Diffusion Group managing director Darren Wain.

"Sometimes hire companies' list ex-hire equipment on their own websites - this can mean hours of searching individual websites to no avail," said Tom Nicholson, Diffusion Group director. "

The site benefits sellers due to the auction format, allowing items to reach higher prices than if they were sold with a fixed price," adds Wain.

To celebrate the launch of the site, Gearsales.com is c

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UK - Riding the success of the recent DJ Telegraph competition, where she finished runner-up, DJ Fyrbeat (Amber Angell) is theatening to "hit the London scene with force" with her new DJ partner, pirate radio specialist Manda Dex. The two met by chance after a gig at the university where Amber is entering her final year (Royal Holloway, Union of London); as a result the newly-formed Angels of Dex will serve up a cocktail of house, trance and breaks - starting with the VIP Room at Turnmills on 9 September, where they will be playing funky house with guest DJ's Kid Lopez and Honest Jon.

Manda Dex says: "When we started talking we realized we were heading in the same direction, embracing a wide range of styles - from soulful, funky-chunky house, including tech and tribal beats to trance and nu-skool breaks."

Dex says that as a female DJ it is hard to get taken

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The Netherlands - Now with two years of operational experience under their belts using IES sine wave dimmers, Het Muziektheater in Amsterdam can reflect on the technology's performance and economic benefits - benefits demonstrated in terms of silent operation and, thanks to no harmonic distortion, savings in electrical charges and lamp replacement costs too.

When Het Muziektheater commenced a major refurbishment programme in summer 2003, IES B.V. - pioneers of the advanced dimming offered by sine wave technology - designed and built special distributed dimming PowerBars for them, together with custom IES Matrix dimmer cabinets, all connected with an integrated state-of-the-art Ethernet communication system.Commenting on the choice of IES sine wave dimmers, Bert Pronk, theatre project leader and Hugo van Uum, head of lighting, said: "We were particularly impressed, not only

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USA - Lighthouse Technologies reported record sales during the InfoComm International Exposition 2005 (8-10 June, Las Vegas). The company attributes the success to its debut of LED video screens, which it says break new ground in digital signage, entertainment and special events. This includes PopVision, the industry's first portable and self-sustaining LED screen, and two new fanless 10 mm pixel pitch indoor LED screens.

"The unveiling of these advanced products coincides with an upswing in the LED video technology industry, providing us with tremendous market momentum," said Tony Turiello, vice-president sales, marketing and operations in the Americas for Lighthouse. "InfoComm has always been a profitable event, even so, this year we registered more sales in the opening hours than the overall total of any past show."

Taking centre stage at the InfoComm wa

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UK - Audio-Technica has uprated its 3000 Series UHF True Diversity Wireless Systems with the addition of Automatic Frequency Scanning functionality, as found on its flagship 4000 and 5000 Series systems.

The new 3000A 200 frequency agile, UHF wireless system, represents a high performance, professionally spec'd, mid-budget wireless solution, for AV rental, sound touring, theatre sound, sound installation, and broadcast production applications, say the company. The inclusion of A-T's Automatic Frequency Scanning technology greatly enhances operation, automatically searching and setting the best available frequency in the spectrum, avoiding interference and intermodulation problems.

In particular, when operating multi-channel systems, the function provides for interference free frequency configuration of each receiver at the touch of a button. Up to 16 simultaneous systems per f

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UK - Architectural and feature lighting specialist i-Vision has designed and installed a stylish lighting scheme at Bollicini in Chester - blazing a trail as the town's trendiest modern Italian restaurant. i-Vision's Dave Mackay was approached by Bollicini's owners Les Owens and Gianni Poletti to discuss the project. The new venue is located in a beautiful old listed Georgian building - previously a bar - which has been completely gutted and restyled into the ultra-contemporary Bollicini, a thoroughly 21st century take on Italian cuisine and ambience.

Bollicini means 'little bubbles' - and 'Fizziness and Fun' were exactly the atmospheric conditions the owners wanted to convey, explains Mackay. i-Vision created a lighting design and specification to match the owner's self-styled interior visions which feature tasteful blending of wood, metalwork, exposed brickwork and glass, plus

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UK - The new Plena Voice Alarm system from Bosch Security Systems meets all requirements of IEC60849, the European standard for voice alarm systems which apply to factories, offices, hotels, shopping malls, supermarkets, schools, and sports facilities, say the company. According to Bosch, the new Plena voice alarm system makes a significant contribution to public safety at lower cost, allowing emergency evacuation facilities to be installed in areas where it was previously too expensive to install.

The system includes all essential EVAC functions and elements, such as system supervision, spare amplifier switching, loudspeaker line supervision, digital message management, and an interface for a fireman's panel. The six-zone Plena voice alarm system controller contains a 240W booster amplifier and a supervised digital message manager for up to 255 pre-recorded announcements or chi

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UK - Cable specialist VDC Trading has supplied a large variety of reeled stock to Saville Audio Visual, which is handling the AV and power installation within the Ricoh Arena, the brand new home of Coventry City FC.

Over 600m of five-way Mini Red Video Coax cable is being installed, along with Cat 5 data cable and a range of specialist audio cables.

"We chose VDC cables for a variety of reasons, not least the reliability, quality and price point," says Jim Millar, presentation systems manager for Saville. "We have used the company's products in the past, particularly for larger projects. In this case VDC were also able to deliver cable in different reel sizes, which was an important consideration."

Saville is UK's largest specialist supplier of audio visual, video and presentation technology and the Official Audio Visual Partner for the £113 million stad

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USA - Digidesign has announced the release of Digidesign Venue D-Show 1.1 software. A free update for registered D-Show console owners; D-Show 1.1 adds new software features and support for a variety of hardware options that significantly increase the power and flexibility of the Venue live sound environment, say the company.

D-Show 1.1 introduces variable groups mode, which allows Venue operators to configure 24 discrete mix buses in addition to the main left/right and centre/mono buses, dramatically improving overall routing flexibility and usability for monitor mixing and FOH applications. Buses can be mono or stereo linked in any combination for a maximum of 12 stereo mixes. All 24 buses are easily accessible from the D-Show console or the software interface, and no hardware changes to the console are required.

D-Show 1.1 includes a host of additional new features that imp

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UK - Projected Image Digital, digital media and control solutions specialists - has supplied, installed and commissioned a customized version of PixelMAD software to playback low resolution video imagery across a massive LED surface at the Wynn Resort development in Las Vegas.

The LED fixtures are embedded in a three acre artificial lake. The PixelMAD system is controlling 24 universes of DMX and 4012 Color Kinetics' C-Splash 2 LED fixtures spread across the base of the 'Lake of Dreams'. The system gives eight layers of digital media playback and 1:1 pixel mapping.

The PixelMAD is running on a 2.5 GHz dual processor Apple Mac and all system hardware and software is specified by PID. The software is triggered via a GrandMA console. The GrandMA also controls other fixtures in and around the Lake including over 100 Martin MAC 2Ks, EC2s, Syncrolite 7Ks, Atomic Strobes, over 3000 D

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Australia - The Australian Monitor Pro Series SM12 and SM16 mixing consoles are a compact design and provide ultra-low noise operation. With a mixture of mono channels featuring balanced XLR or TRS inputs and switchable 48V phantom power, and stereo channels all boasting three-stage EQ and pre and post fader auxiliary sends the SM series mixers are as versatile as they are cost effective.

The SM series mixers feature peak LED indication and low cut filters on all mono channels, high quality 60mm faders and sealed potentiometers, 19" rack mount kit and accurate 10-segment bar graph meters for the stereo output bus. The Pro Series SM12 and SM16 give the audio professional a sonically superior mixing console, say the company, offering a feature set and versatility usually found in mixing consoles many times their price. SM12 features four mono channels and four stereo channels

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UK - When Prime Minister Tony Blair addressed the nation from the recent G8 summit, it was VDC microphone cable that ensured the world heard him speak.

Over 200 microphone cables were used during the G8 summit and UK-based cable specialists VDC Trading supplied them all.

VDC Cat 5 cable was also used to link the various buildings that comprised the Media Village, which was set up in the grounds of Gleneagles to house over 1,000 journalists who were covering the event for the international media.

Audio specialists Delta Sound Inc was given the task of linking all of the buildings so that when a call for a press conference was made, every journalist would hear the announcement regardless of where in the Village they were.

"We installed a BSS Soundweb network system, which was linked to 140 small distribution speakers throughout the Media Village," says Delta Sound'

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Italy - Prism Sound's Italian distributor, Paolo Orizio, of Funky Junk Italy, has notched up significant sales success since he was appointed to handle the company's range of AD/DA converters earlier this year.

"Paolo has sold more Prism Sound ADA-8 converters in the last six months than we had previously sold in Italy in the last three years," says Jody Thorne, sales manager of the Cambridge-based company. "His contacts within the Italian pro audio industry are extremely valuable and we are delighted that he has put his faith and expertise into promoting our products to this important market."

Prism Sound's ADA-8 converter is widely regarded as an industry standard when it comes to analogue and digital processing and is already in use at many of the world's top recording facilities including Metropolis, Air and Abbey Road in London; Sterling Sound in New Y

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