Details
UK - The recent 44-date UK tour by ABBA tribute band Björn Again has once again been serviced by ML Executives, who provided a Logic System Ethos loudspeaker system - the first outing for the Ethos system for ML Execs.

The company's MD Gary Marks explains: "Björn Again has been a client for many years now, probably 10 years. But this time round, the PA requirement was quite different from previous tours. Andy Keighley [Björn Again's production manager] had very specific PA requirements, taking into account the changing demographic of the Björn Again audience. The brief was to provide a compact line array which could fly off 2,250kg points on the front truss should it be needed, and it couldn't block any sight lines due to the nature of the show. He wanted high quality sou

Details
UK - Using one of the simplest yet most striking staging concepts in the world of live entertainment, Fatboy Slim took London by storm, playing two sell-out shows at the Brixton Academy recently.

The production's party piece is a massive LED screen filling the entire dimensions of the stage. Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) is framed in its centre, performing his set from the kind of floating cradle more familiar to professional window cleaners than celebrity DJs.

PSL Music supplied the 9.14m wide x 6.85m high screen, a Lighthouse R16 screen which was also used in the UK's test match cricket grounds for coverage of the Ashes Series. The show's stunning graphical content was programmed by VJ Tim Fleming, incorporating audience footage sourced by PSL's 2-camera unit, and from a mini-cam (or 'lipstick camera') worn by Fatboy Slim himself.

PSL's Pod Bluman emphasises the flexibilit

Details
UK - Appointed by Jack Morton Worldwide, large format projection specialists E//T//C UK projected 30 giant portrait images of 'Heroes in London' onto the Shell Centre for London's New Year's Eve 2005 / 2006 celebrations, organised by the Mayor of London and Visit London.

The projections were part of a stunning pyrotechnic and lighting extravaganza designed to capture the spirit of London as the year rolled over. The photographic images, projected from 8 p.m. to midnight on the 31st, illustrated a wide cross section of heroes and heroines from 2005, encompassing Britain's great sporting achievements like winning the 2012 Olympic Bid and the return of the Ashes, to reflecting on poignant moments including remembrance of the London bombing victims.

The event took place along the Thames, encompassing the South Bank between Jubilee and Westminster Bridges, including iconic landmark

featured content

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

Details
UK - Building on the success of Digimic, the DC10 is a conference microphone unit designed for applications where portability and robustness are required to go hand-in-hand with sleek design and broadcast quality audio.

Multiple operating modes are possible in either stand-alone or software-controlled configuration. When used in combination with Brähler's MicControl software, it is possible to operate the system via a geographic layout showing individual microphones. Add touch-screen control or remote camera control and you have a fully-integrated, professional conference discussion system, says the company.

Each DC10 unit boasts a built-in loudspeaker, backlit on/off/request button and 2.5m lead for connecting further units. There is even a ring LED on the gooseneck stem to indicate when a microphone is active. The microphone is available now by contacting Brähler ICS.

(C

Details
The Netherlands - The Synco Europe Network, Europe's leading pro audio rental franchise, has grown to 10 members with the appointment this month of the Purple Group of Schijndel, Holland. The Purple Group has grown in 12 years from a small local service company to one of Holland's largest production rental companies, employing 42 people and supplying both sound and lighting.

Formed by Harry Zinken, Purple Group numbers among its clients some of the country's biggest artists and corporate clients. Among them is top Dutch rock band Kane, and the latter's rise from pub roots to arena-scale superstardom was one of the factors that spurred Zinken to sign up to the extensive rental resources and expertise of the Synco Europe Network.

Harry Zinken comments: "We had worked with Kane since they playing bars and clubs, and when they started to become really big their management, wh

Details
Saudi Arabia - HAV Productions managed the AV production of the recent International Business Forum (IBF), held at the Jeddah Hilton Hotel in Saudi Arabia. HAV selected a 48-channel Allen & Heath ML4000 live sound VCA console to manage all the audio requirements at the two-day event.

This ninth annual IBF was organised by the Islamic Development Bank, Organisation of the Islamic Conference, and the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, hosting presenters and delegates including trade ministers from Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and the host nation, Saudi Arabia. Held in Jeddah's largest conference venue - the Hilton's main ballroom - HAV needed to provide an equally impressive sound system.

HAV installed a Tannoy speaker system, suspended from a truss mother grid. Stage coverage was handled by DPA lectern mics for the podium and panel discussion groups, and a Beyer radio mic syste

Details
UK - Dom Smith chose an Avolites Diamond 4 console to control the lightshow for Embrace's recent arena tour. The show was designed by Bryan Leitch, the tour's artistic director, who worked closely with Smith as lighting programmer and on-the-road lighting director.

It was Smith's first full production tour with Embrace following some DVD work in the preceding months, and the equipment was supplied by leading UK rental company, Siyan. Leitch completed the design after consulting with the band's lead singer Danny McNamara.

Specification of the control gear was left to Smith who chose his favourite console - the Avolites Diamond 4. Smith, one of the UK's leading young LD's, was one of the first to take Avo's most powerful console on the road - initially with the Stone Temple Pilots in 2003. Since then, he's not used another console.

Lighting wise, the stage started bare and dar

Details
UK - Carlsbro, the UK-based manufacturer of electronic equipment for live music performance since 1959, has signed country music singer Lucie Diamond as its first female endorsee. Diamond recently gained no. 1 in the prestigious European CMA chart, knocking superstar Faith Hill off the top spot and claiming the coveted Christmas number 1.

The full endorsement deal with Carlsbro provides Lucie with the brand new CMR 40 wireless radio microphone, which she will use at her major show in Berlin in February where she will perform to more than 8,000 people. Lucie is also using a Carlsbro Delta PA system with Powerline power amplifiers, in rehearsal for forthcoming shows in Norway and Germany.

Carlsbro's sales and marketing director Jon Gold has closely followed Lucie's career since hearing early tracks from her forthcoming solo album, Sweet Medicine, from a musician friend wh

Details
UK - The Royal National Theatre (RNT) on London's South Bank has refurbished the sound and communications infrastructure in its main Olivier Theatre, including a variety of products supplied by VDC Trading, the company reports. The permanent installation included a custom-built multicore cable system incorporating VDC Supaflex 18 core cable and an 8-channel Van Damme stage box. The cables were specially constructed so that both the Harting and Ceep "socapex" systems used by The Royal National could be integrated with one another.

"We've used VDC as our main cable supplier for many years now," says Rob Barnard, the theatre's technical manager. "The company gives us great service and its products are very reliable, which is why it is always our first choice."

Since taking delivery of this system, the RNT has placed an order for a duplicate set of ca

Details
Australia - With just a few weeks to go, the entertainment technology industry is getting ready to surprise visitors with the latest products and releases. The trade show will be held on 13 - 15 February with the conference commencing on Sunday 12 February. The Entech conference offers exciting training and education in broadcast, pro audio, lighting and vision.

Industry professionals should note that the fully accredited OH&S course is filling up quickly and will sell out again. There are three days of training taking place. To register, go to www.entech-tradeshow.com.

(Chris Henry)

Details
Australia - ARX Systems, the Australian-based professional audio manufacturer is to release several new product ranges at Entech 2006 (13-15 of February at the Sydney Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour). In conjunction with its Australian distributor The Resource Corporation (TRC), ARX will be displaying several new additions to the ARX product range including the i-Switch line switcher, AV Stream audio/video zoner/switcher, and new models for the SPL range of self-powered loudspeakers and the AudiBox range of audio accessories.

TRC and ARX can be found at Entech on stand O22.

(Lee Baldock)

Details
UK - Lighting Technology Projects (LTP) has specified and supplied 19 Color Kinetics ColorBlast 12 wall washing LED fixtures and 128 pieces of CK wide angle iColor Cove NXT for the main reception of the new 'Patient Hotel' at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

To help create an environment that is stimulating, fun and friendly for patients, parents and visitors, a large colourful feature lighting scheme was proposed for the Hotel's pre-reception entranceway by Ove Arup. The lighting scheme was designed by Arup Lighting's design team. They then asked LTP's Terry Reeves to specify the equipment for achieving the overall effect. LTP has worked on previous projects with Arup including the award winning Plantation Lane 'Moonwall' at Plantation Place, in the City of London.

The six square metre tiled frosted glass floor runs the entire width of the entrance floor, and continues

Details
UK - For the first time, a Stage Technologies' Illusionist control desk, designed specifically to make automation accessible for plays and small venues, has been used to automate a West End production. The new stage adaptation of Agatha Christie's legendary bestseller And Then There Were None used the new product to provide simple and cost-effective control for the Art Deco sets designed by Mark Thompson.

The show opened in the West End's Gielgud Theatre in October last year and runs into the middle of January. The tale of crime is told against changing scenes with lounge sofas, coffee tables, dining room and patio furniture moving on automated trucks, sliding quickly and smoothly into position to completely changing the setting for the drama.

Stage Technologies' Illusionist control desk has been installed in many fixed venues in the UK and America but this is the first

Details
UK - Guy Horrigan has joined LED screen specialist displayLED, bringing with him more than eight years of experience in LED screen displays. Beginning his career with Invision, the UK's first giant screen manufacturer, he headed-up their stadium sales team who provided systems for Celtic FC, Aston Villa FC and Leeds United AFC. Following this, Horrigan joined Lighthouse where he developed AV rental and fixed installation markets in the UK and Europe. With a reputation for developing innovative commercial arrangements to assist customers' screen acquisitions; he has been involved in some of Europe's most prestigious projects.

Further career highlights include We Will Rock You musical installations in the UK, Cologne, Las Vegas and Australia, the npower Test Match Cricket screens and Reuters' new Head Office installation featuring two giant SMD video displays and a 102m lon

Details
UK - Founded in 1882, the Royal College of Music is one of the foremost conservatoires in the world. Gustav Holst, Benjamin Britten, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, are just a few of the prestigious names on the college's roll of honour.

It therefore comes as no surprise to learn that producing the cream of the music industry's talent requires the very best tutors and the very best equipment. This is particularly true in the College's recording studio which recently took delivery of a Yamaha DM2000 digital mixing desk.

"We use the desk for everything - main session work, studio recording, video sync and screen work," said Joe Johnson, the College's Studio Manager. "I like its controllability and the fact that it works seamlessly with Pro Tools."

The College also has a Yamaha O2R mixing desk in control room two. "We've had it about six years and it's proved

Details
USA - Production Resource Group and Lightning Strikes have announced that PRG will be the exclusive distributor for Lightning Strikes' lighting products.

Lightning Strikes' technology provides the highest single-source output available worldwide (up to 500,000 watts from a single lamp) with near-perfect replication of sunlight, instant-on capability, and dimming to 3% of maximum power with consistent colour-temperature and colour quality. Its SoftSun continuous lights and Lightning Strikes intermittent lights have been used in the production of thousands of feature films, television series, and commercials, as well as concerts, theatre, sports, and other live events.

Jere Harris, Founder and CEO of PRG said, "We have had great success with the Lightning Strikes products on recent projects like the Coldplay and U2 tours. We're pleased to have formalized our relationship wi

Details
UK - Event secutiry specialist Showsec has begun 2006 with the addition of two new offices, expanding both north and south in the UK, in Newcastle and Exeter, increasing their national coverage to nine offices. The new offices are part of the company's plan to achieve full nationwide crowd management coverage by 'rolling out' to serve venues in those areas. This development will service events and venues based in Newcastle and Exeter with the professional service already experienced in existing areas across the country, supported by Showsec offices, say the company.

Showsec's northern development towards the end of 2005 saw them working in partnership with the Academy Music Group for the opening of the Carling Academy in Newcastle, training a new, local crowd management team to work at the venue. Simon Sinclair has been appointed as area manager, where he will use 10 years' expe

Details
France - French manufacturer L-Acoustics took advantage of the 119th AES Convention in New York City to announce the worldwide launch of two self-powered two-way coaxial loudspeakers, the 108P and 112P, both combining the significant advantages of L-Acoustics' proven coaxial point source technology with the convenience of self-powered performance and on board digital signal processing.

L-Acoustics president Christian Heil comments: "The introduction of a self-powered line of products does not indicate a change in our strategy, but an emphasis of L-Acoustics position towards multi-purpose, easy-to-use portable applications." And he clarifies: "It is not in our intention to extend the concept of self-powered speakers to the entire L-Acoustics range. However this approach seems relevant to us for small- to medium-sized multi-purpose systems."

Both 108P and 112

Details
UK - Canadian-born singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright has a distinctive style of theatrical pop. His recent four week European tour took him to a variety of venues, not all of which had the most up to date audio systems that Wainwright's front-of-house engineer, Matt Manasse, could have wished for.

"Some venues were better than others," explains Manasse. "We played everything from nasty night clubs to beautiful concert halls and theatres, so we had to rely on local racks and stacks for the shows in Europe. It would have been really difficult to carry enough PA to cover such a variety of venues, and at this point it's just not cost effective.

"The DiGiCo D1 really helps where you don't have a consistent system. The output stage has got insertable processing channels (IPCs), so I could tune any system and time align it without having to carry extensive outboa

Details
Spain - One of Lighthouse Technologies' key European rental partners, Spanish audio-visual specialist Stereorent, ensured its stand was an eyecatching highlight of the International Madrid Broadcast Fair, by utilising a pair of large format Lighthouse LED video screens.

This, the 12th Broadcast Fair, was held from 15th-18th November in Madrid's Parque Ferial Juan Carlos I. Held biennially, the event is a key date in the calendar for Spanish audio-visual professionals, with manufacturers and service providers the key exhibitors.

The Stereorent stand's main screen comprised over 9sq.m of Lighthouse R6 6mm panels. In addition, the Barcelona-based company was exhibiting its SRL1012 vehicle, which carries a 12sq.m Lighthouse R10 10mm screen. Both were used to display a range of footage of events organised by Stereorent and other live events where the company has been an audio-visua

Details
UK - The latest incarnation of the Neumann KK capsule for use with Sennheiser's SKM 5000-N has made its debut on Natalie Imbruglia's Counting Down The Days tour.For mid-October rehearsals, the SKM 5000-N and KK 104 combination was made available to Mark Ballard, Natalie's FOH engineer and a long term Sennheiser UK associate.

After being assessed by Ballard the decision was made to go with the Neumann Sennheiser pairing. He said: "For me it's really important that the Artist is comfortable with any new equipment. Natalie immediately preferred the incredibly light-weight of the Sennheiser handheld, and was comforted by the Neumann name on the capsule as she uses a U87 in the studio. Within seconds of putting on her in-ears she commented on how amazing the mic sounded and I knew we were onto a winner."

The tour which has taken in Europe, Russia and the UK over th

Page 1866 of 3465

Latest Issue. . .