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UK - More than half a million people in the UK music and entertainment industry at serious risk of hearing damage are to receive protection under revised UK regulations that come into force next April.

The new statutory limits lower acceptable noise levels by five decibels. Employers will be required to take action to limit staff exposure to excessive noise and also provide adequate protection from hearing damage.

In order to help organizations meet this challenge with the correct information and the best practical advice, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) in partnership with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is holding Sound Off - Noise Reduction at Work at the Earls Court Conference Centre in London. This two-day event, on October 11 and 12, is manag

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UK - International Audio Group (IAG) has today announced the appointment of Costa Lakoumentas to the newly established role of president, IAG Professional Division. Bernard Chang, chairman of IAG made the announcement in advance of the PLASA Show, which takes place at Earls Court, London, from 11-14 September.

Most recently from Tannoy North America where he served as VP of market development, Lakoumentas was also involved in product and technology planning activities for Tannoy UK as well as Tannoy's parent TC Group. Prior to that he spent several years at Mackie in product and market development roles including VP of business development.

In his new role, Lakoumentas will oversee worldwide product development, marketing and sales activities related to the Professional division. IAG owns several pro audio brands including Wharfedale Pro, Wharfedale Systems, Quad Industrial an

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UK - RCF has introduced its new MQ50C, a compact designed, limited depth, lightweight ceiling speaker. This two-way ceiling monitor loudspeaker is ideal for use in any PA system, background/foreground music systems, where high quality sound reproduction is required says the company. The woofer is a high-excursion, PP coated paper -cone rubber surround design, mounted in a turned enclosure.

The fabric dome tweeter is loaded on a constant Q wave guide to provide natural, smooth sound reproduction on a wide dispersion angle.

Installation of the MQ50C is fast and efficient, using the built in rotating hooks. No additional brackets or rings or other supports are required. Because of its lightweight construction the speaker can be mounted as a conventional ceiling speaker.

Connections are made to four polar loop s through Euroblock male and female connectors to easily offer parall

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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 - Zero 88 has chosen PLASA 2005 to introduce the 10th version software package for its popular Frog console range. Following the huge global success since its launch in 2000 the Frog console has proved to be a market leader, finding home in an impressive range of venues including live performance gigs, churches, theatres, schools art centres and nightclubs.

Testament to the quality and versatility of the product the latest version of software brings a number of new and additional features to the range. Parameter Level Programming, Tracking and Move on Dark add to the moving light functionality, significantly increasing the capability and power of the Frog console range. Also being introduced at PLASA 2005 is Version 2 software for the Frog 2. This software adds a host of new features to the latest of the Frog consoles, including, an on board keyboard, USB storage information,

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UK - A lot of people credit their school or college as giving them their first taste of the theatre. If that's you, now is your chance to thank your academic institution. Simply visit ETC on Stand F30 at PLASA, 11-14 September and you'll have the opportunity to nominate a UK school in a draw to win a versatile ETC Smart Solutions package.

Added to this, every day ETC will be giving away an ETC Source Four profile spot, complete with the new Enhanced Definition Lens Tube (EDLT) option, which is being launched at PLASA. The EDLT provides even crisper projections with greater acuity and higher contrast. Enter the daily prize draw and nominate your favourite school for the ETC Smart Solutions package grand prize draw at the same time.

Visit the ETC stand to see the Smart Solutions range, which makes ETC dimming and control technology available to smaller venues and includes the ne

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UK - Bosch Security Systems has announced the full availability of the latest version of its proven, EVAC-compliant Plena Voice Alarm System. The system now includes additional 19" remote control panels, a dedicated fireman's panel, remote control kits for customized solutions and a new inductive-loop amplifier for hearing-aid user assistance in public address areas.

The remote control panel and, if required, remote control panel extensions, enable the Plena voice alarm system to be located in a fire-resistant cabinet or other secure location. Each panel duplicates the controls and indicators on the Plena central controller and routers (used in a multiple-zone application - up to 60 zones), including the built-in emergency microphone.

The new remote control panels allow control from a distance of up to 1000m with connection through standard shielded Cat 5 cabling and RJ45

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USA - Wybron has announced the appointment of industry veteran Dusty Hudgins as western sales manager, effective September 1, 2005. Hudgins has been involved in entertainment and architectural lighting for over 28 years and brings his own perspective to Wybron's sales and marketing efforts. In the late 70's, Hudgins worked at Showco, Inc. where he met Wybron president Keny Whitright. He later went on to work with acts such as Willie Nelson, Liza Minnelli and Ringo Starr. In 1991, Hudgins was appointed president of the entertainment division of Bankston-Hudgins & Associates, where he concentrated primarily on special events, installations and houses of worship.

According to Hudgins: "Wybron has consistently maintained the highest standard of quality in both products and customer service. My focus will be on preserving this standard of excellence while creating and developing

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UK - ADB Lighting - exhibiting at both IBC and PLASA 2005 - will place the accent this year on the Warp/M, a fully automated zoom profile spotlight, derived from the manual Warp profile launched two years ago.

Warp/M is specifically designed for venues where light output, silent operation, repositioning accuracy and networking capability are prime considerations. In June this year at Showtech, Berlin, Warp/M won the Product Award 2005 in the Lighting and Projection Technology category.

So far, several hundred Warp/M units have already been shipped to prestigious venues such as the Glyndebourne Opera House in the UK, The Oriental Arts Centre in Shanghai, the Staatsoper in Munich... and more. This will be its first appearance at the PLASA Show, where it has been nominated for a PLASA Innovation Award.

At PLASA 2005, ADB will also show a selection of its other luminaires, digit

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UK - An Avolites Diamond 4 Elite console was chosen by lighting designer Alan King to control the newly upgraded and boosted lighting rig for Manumission at Privilege - one of Ibiza's hottest superclubs and also used for its new 2005 Ibiza Rocks Friday night event.

The D4 was also utilized for Manumission's famous, highly theatrical Monday night club night, also staged at Privilege, the largest club in the world with a capacity of 10,000 and including a huge swimming pool in its midst.

The additional lighting for Privilege's 2005 summer season, which also includes several other high profile club nights, was supplied by Oxfordshire-based Production Hire Ltd (PHL). Alan King designed the new rig and ran it for the season. It was this first time he'd used an Avolites Diamond 4 console, selected because he needed a powerful, versatile and easy to use control platform for the large

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UK - Sunbaba will score a hat-trick of prestigious events this weekend, with its plain and full colour digitally printed banners and PA scrims featuring at the fifth Ashes Test at the Oval, the BBC Proms in the Park and at Artsfest, a huge free festival-taking place in Birmingham City Centre.

Events branding specialists Sunbaba was brought in by Surrey Cricket to provide over 600sqm of its Austronet and DigiMesh branding for use at The Oval during the fifth Ashes Test. Sunbaba's specialist work in the events industry makes them a key choice when venues and sponsors want printed branding that fits perfectly and matches their corproate image.

For the BBC's Last Night of Proms in the Park events, Sunbaba was chosen to provide its specialist "DigiSound" PA scrims for the events in Manchester, Glasgow and Swansea, in addition the company supplied BBC Scotland with heras f

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UK/Israel - Compulite Systems, manufacturer of the Vector line of lighting control consoles, will present Vector Orange and its new Vector Playback Wing at PLASA 2005 (booth E30).Vector Orange is the most compact member of the Vector line, which already includes the Red, Blue and Green. With the addition of the 'Orange', the Vector line now offers the most comprehensive and effective solution for any venue type and size" Says Ohad Ashery, Compulite's VP. "The Vector Orange, as a stand-alone console or as a backup unit, brings the most advanced control technology in the market to limited-budget venues."

The Orange offers four DMX512 universes (broadcasted also over Ethernet), one integrated 12.1" TFT touch screen, one external monitor, 100 playbacks, and the entire feature set of the Vector line. Compulite expects to begin production of the Orange by the end N

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UK - Perth Concert Hall is to be host to a Gala Concert, given by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, on 16 September 2005.

The event marks the public opening of the first full-scale purpose-built concert hall in Scotland since 1990. The £17M building is the result of an international architectural competition, chaired by Eva Jiricna, and won by BDP's Glasgow office in 1998.

Located in Perth's historic Horsecross, once a thriving market area but more recently marginalized, Perth Concert Hall is viewed in the round and BDP's free form plan is a unifying response to the irregular edges of the urban fabric bounding the site. The Horsecross area has already witnessed significant urban regeneration, as a result of the impending opening of this new facility, which includes a streetscaping project by the local authority following completion of the Concert Hall.

Bruce Kennedy, B

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UK - S-Cluster has recently been successful in securing a series of major orders. The systems are to be installed throughout the German Railway network after a pilot project was conducted by Tramway Operator SSB in Stuttgart earlier this year. SSB were so impressed that it is due to update its complete audio communication system to S-Cluster technology in 2006.

One of the very first S-Cluster installations was the Metro system in Athens, which was completed just in time for the Olympic Games. S-Cluster encoders and output boxes are now in action, streaming train times, background music and security alerts to stations via a fibre optic network. S-Cluster system can also stream audio using Mpeg 4s and aptX over a standard IP Network (TCP-IP).

"This is great news," commented John Midgley, managing director of beyerdynamic. "The system has already proven itself to b

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The World Youth Day 2005 in Cologne - the highlight of which was the Pope's visit on the Marienfeld - was an exceptional event, equipped by CT Creative Technology Germany, the international supplier for audio-visual media technology, with a gigantic array of LED screens, LED trucks and the latest production and broadcast technology. CT Germany together with XL Video as supplied more than 1,200sq.m of LED screens and mobile LED trucks, which were used in and around the city.

For the Pope's visit on 20-21 August, 20 modular LED large screens and 12 mobile LED trucks were set up and technically supported by CT and XL. Each modular LED screen measured more than 40sq.m and the mobile trucks were equipped with LED screens which with a size between 25 and 40sq.m. About one million of pilgrims met on the former open-cast mining area of more than 2.5sq.km. They were able to experience live the

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USA - The Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk is currently undergoing a complete audio system retrofit from Sound Image of Escondido, California. Using the Harman Pro HiQnet System Architect configuration and control software, the 6,000-seat amphitheatre represents the first multi-brand HiQnet installation in North America. Additional Harman HiQnet installations are now operational at the Hong Kong Stadium in Hong Kong and the Stade due Suisse in Berne, Switzerland.

Located in Universal City, California, the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk has been a state-of-the-art indoor venue since 1982. The amphitheatre has long been known for its sightlines and outstanding acoustics, a reputation that has been upheld and enhanced with the recent installation.

To date, Sound Image has installed 42 Crown I-Tech 800 amplifiers outfitted with HiQnet technology, along with 24

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Italy - When it comes to Jazz, Italy is a very special country. Gil Evans, elsewhere known only to Jazz aficionados was a superstar here, and Keith Jarrett, the master of almost claustrophobic Chamber Jazz, is filling stadia and other giant open air spaces.

It started ten years ago in the Arena di Verona, the place of monumental opera works like Aida or Nabucco, that Italian rental company BH Audio together with Fichtner Tontechnik from Germany joined forces to provide crew and equipment for a breath-taking concert of Jarrett's trio.

Ever since whenever the American pianist along with Gary Peacock on bass and drummer Jack de Johnette perform in Italy it's the same sound team that are used to reproduce their subtle interpretation of Jazz standards. This year was no exception when in July they took to the stage at the Arena Flegrea in Naples.

A d&b audiotechnik sound system, s

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UK - Specialist Mobile staging company SRC has signed a five-year contract to provide all of the mobile staging to Liverpool Culture Company's events, debuting at the Matthew Street Festival 2005.

Liverpool Culture Company's three day Mathew Street Music Festival is Europe's biggest free city centre music festival, annually attracting over 350,000 visitors over the August bank holiday weekend. Visitors watched artists spread over five SRC stages. Still a celebration of where it all began with the music of the Beatles, the festival, now celebrates a myriad of musical tastes from Abba to Tony Christie.

SRC and its fleet of mobile stages enabled the hugely complex logistical requirements of installing performance areas in the City Centre, which were operated and then removed - some within a 24-hour period. The scale of the operation is unparalleled in any city in the UK, with ove

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Australia / Hungary - ARX Systems, the Australian manufacturer of professional audio equipment, has announced the appointment of Budapest-based RMS Audio KFT as its new distributor for Hungary. ARX's managing director Colin Park said: "Following discussions with Tibor Kiss from RMS at the Frankfurt Pro Light & Sound exhibition earlier in the year, we feel RMS Audio offers ARX the opportunity to team up with a very professional and driven distribution company to promote and develop ARX's products in the Hungarian market."

Along with ARX, RMS Audio also represent Martin Audio in Hungary.

(Lee Baldock)

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UK - FocusTrack, the new database system for tracking and documenting the use of moving lights for theatrical productions, will be on show on the Strand Lighting stand at the PLASA Show. FocusTrack was designed by lighting programmer Rob Halliday to give those working with moving lights an easy and efficient way of storing and managing the data connected with the use of those lights in shows. This includes the set-up of the moving lights (patching, orientation, which gobos and colours they are loaded with) and then the use of those lights - which preset focus positions they are stored in, where they are focused, and which cues those positions are used in. FocusTrack can store a huge array of information describing how lights are focused, including grid focuses, written descriptions and digital photographs.

This information can be stored in FocusTrack manually by lighting program

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USA - Audio Products International Corp, manufacturer of the world famous Energy, Mirage and Athena Technologies brands, has announced its entry into the professional and commercial sound markets under the brand Energy Pro.

The first products created under the new brand will be launched on booth 636 at the AES (Audio Engineering Society) Show in New York City, 7-10 October 2005. On show at AES will be a comprehensive line of studio monitors, focussed on the recording, post production, project studio and broadcast markets. Stereo, surround, passive, active, analogue and digitally controlled systems are all featured and API has used its considerable R&D resources to design in digital compatibility and upgrade paths for this advanced range.

To manage the business unit, API has employed the services of industry veteran Bill Calma, well known as the man who established Tannoy in No

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UK - Wigwam has invested in 20 channels of Klark Teknik DN9340 Helix EQ for touring use by art-rockers Franz Ferdinand. The band from Glasgow debuted the new units at selected festival appearances this summer, before heading off to start an autumn tour in the USA.

The KT Helix system, which was specified by FF's monitor engineer Tilda Bruynooghe with full STS (solo tracking system) and wireless tablet control, will be used with a Midas Heritage 3000 console. Wigwam's Chris Hill confirms that the Helix system was chosen primarily because of the wireless control, which allows instant and simultaneous online control of up to 64 channels of EQ from a tablet computer. "This frees the engineer from the traditional side-of-stage monitor world position, and that's especially useful during initial system equalization. Tilda can take her tablet and set up the system from anywhere on

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