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UK - Jake Vernum, one of the UK's youngest LDs, is the 12 year old son of Pearce Hire's owner Shaun Pearce.

Jake independently designed and programmed the lightshow for his school's production of "Grease the Musical" on an Avolites Pearl 2004 console.

Pearce Hire 'sponsored' a lighting (and sound) rig for the show at Orton Longuevile School, Peterborough, that would have made many larger productions green with envy - incorporating 10 Martin Mac 500's, 2 x Mac 600's, a Martin Destroyer, several Par 64, 32 and 16 lanterns, 2 cell moles and a Jem hazer with fan.

Jake has always spent a lot of time with his father on events and in the company's Peterborough premises. Being popular with all the staff, he has been able to watch and learn and has clearly an aptitude to pick

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UK - Theatre sound specialist Orbital has announced a new addition to the market of software-based sound playback and control systems. The programme has been designed help automate and perfect not only theatrical shows but live events in general, and is already in use on the Little Britain and Mighty Boosh national tours.

The key difference with CSC to other systems is the use of a modular workspace, and a much more "hands on" approach to constructing a show. Designs are constructed around "real" objects - wave playback is similar to using traditional MiniDisc machines and CD players, and levels can all be changed at the touch of a button.

CSC presents the designer with tools to create a show, with whatever equipment they desire to use. Full MIDI support is provided, including a standard MIDI command module, a Show Control Module (MSC, MMC and

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USA - Veteran sound system designer Alexander 'Thorny' Yuill-Thornton II, has returned to Meyer Sound to join in the company's effort to develop digital products. Thorny, best known for his work with Luciano Pavarotti and The Three Tenors, played an integral role in product development during his first stint at Meyer Sound, from 1980 - 86, when he was responsible for mechanical engineering on classic products including the UPA-1, MSL-3, MSL-10 and UPM-1 and -2. In addition to his opera work (which includes stadium productions of Aida), Thorny has also been involved with sound systems used for the Academy Awards, the Grammys, and on Broadway shows.

"It feels like a homecoming," says Thorny. "John Meyer and I have a long-standing collaborative relationship and we share the same vision of excellence and innovation in sound reinforcement design. I'm very please

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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 - Maltbury Staging has supplied many theatres, schools and numerous other performing arts venues in its history, but it is not very often that a martial arts federation approaches with a staging request.

Peter Chin, of The International Tang Soo Do Federation came to Maltbury with a request for some staging for the upcoming World Tang Soo Do Championship. He wanted to use the staging as a platform for the judges, and to display awards. It was also important that the staging be versatile enough to use in other situations, and be able to be stored easily when not in use. The staging was needed in a hurry as the championship was coming up fast.

Maltbury supplied the federation with a number of Steeldeck sections so that they could construct a presentation area. Peter Chin says: "The staging supplied to the International Tang Soo Do Federation was excellent, very versatile

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UK / USA - Cirque du Soleil has always known how to pull a crowd but never before has the company gone to such remarkable lengths as for the creation of KÀ. The World premiere at the Las Vegas MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in February 2005 grabbed everyone's attention with its stunning automated sets, special effects, elaborate choreography and performer flying.

Now, one year on, the show is still amazing its audiences. KÀ is the first show of its kind to successfully integrate advanced technologies seamlessly into a show on such a grand scale. Stage Technologies' Nomad console controls over 200-axes of automation that are an integral part of the show. The automation was incorporated so successfully that Cirque has developed new creative applications that have never before been seen in live entertainment.

Cirque du Soleil is renowned for the energy and skill of its

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UK / Germany - Leading UK-based amplifier manufacturer MC2 Audio is expanding its lightweight (switchmode) E Series with the introduction of the E4-75 power amplifier. This latest addition of the E4-75 power amplifier to the highly successful E Series further underscores MC2 Audio's ongoing commitment to providing high quality, high performance solutions to the fixed installation and touring sound markets, the company says. The product will be shown at the ProLight&Sound exhibition in Frankfurt (29 March - 1 April).

Designed for use in a wide variety of applications, including touring monitor racks, the E4-75 is a 4-channel amplifier capable of producing 750W/channel into 4 or 8 ohms; it has automatic impedance sensing and changes the power accordingly. Inputs are via four XLR sockets, which can be linked to the next channel via a rear panel switch providing greater flexibility

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UK - SPS has recently adopted an account-team organisational structure. "In doing this, it is our goal to better support our clients; to work more efficiently; and to improve the way we communicate," said MD Robin Coles.

The new structure will see an account director head-up each account team - supported by a team of account managers, project managers and technical crew. The teams are responsible for a shortlist of key clients with whom close working relationships can be developed and built upon. Closer working relationships will allow teams to better anticipate client needs, to be proactive, and to provide cost effective, intelligent solutions.

"It's a very positive, customer focussed move that will also benefit all of our people. Everyone is very excited about the changes to our way of working, and the advantages it offers at many levels," said Coles.

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UK - Lighting designer Jason Taylor has once again opted to use Martin Mac 2000 Performances supplied by Sparks Theatrical Hire for the current National tour of the musical Anything Goes.After lighting a successful national tour and West End residence of High Society, produced by Mark Goucher Ltd in 2004, with lighting equipment provided by Sparks Theatrical Hire, Taylor and his associate Chris Clarke were keen to repeat the successful combination.

Taylor explains the brief for the lighting: "It concerned the size of the rig due to the fact that the show is doing weekly touring with only a one-day fit-up. This is where the MACs have proved useful, as it has allowed me infinite colours from their side lighting positions. I also knew we would have to light specific areas and so the shuttering facility proved very good. The show has several dance sections, which

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USA / Germany - The forthcoming NSCA and Frankfurt exhibitions will be the first chance for British manufacturer XTA to show the world its flexible new offering for speaker system control.

XTA's Guy Lewis is spreading the news: "With hundreds of our 4 in, 8 out processors now driving audio systems worldwide, we are completing the family, and really giving every sound company and installer a flexible choice of how they structure their drive processing and speaker systems.

"If a 4 in, 8 out format is not perfect for your world, we can now offer either 2 or 4 inputs, with either 4, 6 or 8 outputs - plenty to choose from."

Lewis is referring to the new DP446, DP444, DP424 and the renamed DP448. "It does not matter if it is an LCR system, a two-way monitor rack, four-way front-of-house system or four-channel EQ front-end. Anyone can fit the processing to their

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Hungary - On the southern fringe of Budapest sits the city's new Palace of Arts. The new complex, among the largest of its kind in Europe, has transformed the cultural life of Hungary's capital city since opening last spring with its 1,700-seat philharmonic concert hall, 450-seat Festival Theatre multi-purpose auditorium, and arts museum incorporating the Hungarian national music library.

A sound reinforcement system comprising more than 20 Meyer Sound self-powered loudspeakers was installed in the Festival Theatre. The venue posed several aesthetic, acoustical, and logistical challenges to the system design, such as the unusually large and adjustable stage opening - measuring more than 18 meters wide - which allows seamless integration of the audience area and the stage area, when necessary, and the movable ceiling panels above the audience, which open to add volume to the hall

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UK - London-based lighting rental company Neg Earth has recently purchased 12 High End Systems DL2 digital lights, which are currently touring with several major artists.

Katie Melua is carrying four DL2s, Studio Beams and a Wholehog 3 console with LD Chris Lambourne. The tour started in January and draws to a close at the beginning of April. DL2 operator Oli Metcalfe says: "The DL2s have proved to be very reliable and easy to set up - and quite bright. The media server is very versatile with many interesting effects. The Wholehog 3 Personality is good, and allows for easy access to all the attributes."

The Strokes' LD Chris Ragan of IPS Creative Group has specified two DL2s and two Catalyst Pro Media Servers for the tour which started in the UK/Ireland in January. Ragan is also adding five Studio Spot 575s when the tour hits the US this month. Ragan says: "The

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UK - Starlight Express's latest tour opened in Torquay in February, and is utilising the quiet and versatile Martin Mac 700 moving heads, 24 of which have been supplied by Stage Electrics.

Fully equipped with all the industry standard Martin features; a compact, light, fixture with power and optical precision; the Mac 700 also combines a full CMY colour mixing system supplemented with an 8-position colour wheel and a gobo animation system for dramatic projection effects. The MAC 700 contains head and base temperature sensors to ensure that fan speeds are kept to a minimum, bringing noise levels right down to suit theatre and TV studio applications.

Stage Electrics is supplying all the lighting for the tour: the rig includes the 24 MAC 700s, plus 33 MAC 600s, six MAC 250 Wash, 12 Atomic Strobes, 110 scrollers, 150 generic lanterns controlled by a Wholehog II with Hog PC

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USA - Lighting designers Matthew Timoszyk and Steve Odehnal specified Elektralite my250 lighting fixtures from Sacramento Theatrical Lighting (STL) for the Bibleman tour. The my250 units, which use either the MSD 250 / 2 (2000 hours) or HSD 250 / 80 (3000 hours) lamps, feature a 21° beam angle, one colour wheel with bi-colour and rainbow settings, two gobo wheels - one with rotating indexable gobos - and focus and dimmer. On this production, two were flown on top of custom lighting towers, the remainder were used base down.

Timoszyk says: "The my250s were perfect for this production, offering excellent light output and a useful 16bit pan and tilt range of 630º and 265º, or 540º and 265º. Their small size and light weight made them an obvious contender."

Although it is standard STL policy to carry a minimum of one spare unit for each fixture type, this proved an

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Slovakia - Martin Professional's Maxedia Digital Media Composer is seeing service on an ever broader variety of shows and events. It is also being specified in an ever expanding number of geographic markets. In Slovakia, Martin distributor Adam A Syn has incorporated the user friendly digital media server into several shows and events of late, mostly for Slovakian television.

For Zlaty Slavik (Golden Nightingale), a singing competition that airs on Slovakian channel STV 1, Adam A Syn technicians Michal Brna and Dusan Rybar programmed the Maxedia to manipulate - divide, rotate and fly - a series of images for an LED videowall. Dagmar Pastorkova of Adam A Syn commented: "We use the Maxedia because of the variety of unique visual effects it is capable of creating through image manipulation. Nobody else can offer such diverse imagery here in Slovakia. For Zlaty Slavik

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Australia - The newly developed Melbourne Central has quite a few surprises up its sleeve, including the innovative new 3on3 complex - the latest instalment from leading entertainment developer EDG. Located on Level 3 of the Centre, 3on3 is a complete entertainment venue that incorporates Kingpin Bowling centre, Barcode 'Game Bar' and the Van Gogh Vodka bar.

But what separates this location from your typical bowling alley and games venue, is the atmosphere. From the LCD screens playing music video clips above the lanes, to the funky and comfortable décor scattered around the place; you feel more like you have stumbled into some Hollywood star's lounge room rather than a commercial entertainment venue.

A major contributor to the overall ambience of the place is the stunning lighting effects. Lighting designer Andrew Livingston of Bluebottle 3 Pty Ltd, was able to incorpo

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UK - A.C. Lighting's Audio division has supplied a Nexo GEO S line-array speaker system to Sound2light Productions, which offers a UK-wide full event production service, including lighting and sound design, hire and consultancy for events of any size ranging from small shows to large concerts.

Sound2light director Mark Rivkin was looking to increase their existing hire stock inventory with a permanent PA system that would give the company access to much larger-scale client events ranging from indoor theatre shows to outdoor rock concerts. After auditioning many different systems he contacted the Audio division of A.C. Lighting to discuss the Nexo GEO line array speaker system.

After providing a quote for a GEO S system, A.C. audio sales manager Peter Butler arranged for a demonstration at company's Northern offices to enable Mark to hear its capabilities in a suitable controll

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UK - The design chic of Blue Microphones is now available with USB connectivity for desktop recording applications. The new Snowball USB microphone is available from UK distributor Shuttlesound.

The Snowball USB Mic matches Blue's styling with high quality, versatility and ease of use. The mic's universal driver and plug-and-play USB compatibility allows for quick and easy recording into laptop or DAW, while its dual-capsule design and three-position switch dial in the desired sound for many applications, say Shuttlesound.

The Snowball's versatility is achieved by a unique dual-capsule design, with one capsule tailored for a cardioid pattern and the other for an omni-directional pattern. The three-position switch on the back of the mic lets the user change between the capsules. The first position activates the cardioid pattern capsule with a neutral sonic signature, ideal for

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New Zealand / Europe - Selecon has announced the opening of the Selecon European Service Centre, as of 1 March 2006. This new stocking warehouse and distribution centre is located in Enschede in the Netherlands and presents the opportunity for a whole new level of service and delivery to Selecon's many European dealers and their customers, the company says.

"The opening of Selecon Europe B.V. marks the beginning of a long road that all of us at Selecon have walked since we first started doing serious business in Europe." said Michael Goldberg. "In the nine years that I have been sales and marketing director for Europe, there has been steady growth and demand for Selecon product and our commitment to the European market requires that we stock our products close to the customer base. I am delighted that our new facility is now open and that we have the potential to

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Italy - EtherSound is the primary audio distribution and control network for both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Winter Olympic Games in Turin. Gary Hardesty, director of Sound Media Fusion, designed the complex audio system, which serves multiple live audience areas and broadcast production feeds simultaneously. "EtherSound's low latency, audio quality and flexible functionality make it my choice for digital audio networking in these demanding special event productions," he says.

Hardesty is no stranger to the unique challenges of special events that combine live performance and worldwide broadcast: he has worked on the Super Bowl as well as previous Olympics. A pioneer in the use of digital audio distribution for special events, Hardesty was among the first sound designers to distribute audio in digital rather than analogue format, using CobraNet. This yea

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New Zealand - Celebrated Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti has given much to the world. However, at the age of 70, he made the decision to conclude his performing career with a farewell tour. With a career spanning more than four decades (including a record 40 years with a single record label, Decca), the master tenor chose to step down and devote his attentions to his family, who are accompanying him on his world tour.

The global tour included five shows in Australia and New Zealand, with a sold-out concert before 15,000 fans at Auckland's North Harbour Stadium. Performing with Pavarotti was acclaimed Italian tenor Simona Todora, accompanied by the 66-piece Auckland Philharmonia, conducted by Leone Magiera.

Reproducing Pavarotti's oversize voice properly requires that no compromise be made in either the sound system or the technicians. Grammy-winning, former Decca Records engin

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UK - Loud Technologies Inc has announced the recent appointment of industry veteran and FoH engineer Moray McMillin to the position of UK pro audio sales manager. McMillin will look after all UK-related sales for EAW and, along with Bob Harrison, EAW Commercial.

The appointment follows Steve Badham's move to the position of EAW ASG (Application Support Group) for Europe, replacing James Bamlett, who has moved to Kuala Lumpur to support EAW and Loud Technologies in Asia."

Loud Technologies' Martin Warr says that McMillin's FoH pedigree reads like "a Who's Who of rock and roll". In over three decades of international touring, the last nine of which have been spent with UK rockers, Deep Purple, McMillin has worked with the likes of White Snake, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Public Image Ltd, and (just to prove that it's not all about the

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