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UK In the last couple of years, Midlands-based Central Presentations Ltd (CPL) has gone from strength to strength, and its rapid expansion has meant they have had to rethink their whole business processes. Keeping tabs on its kit was paramount, and in this rental management solution inspHire played a key role.

Specialising in conference and live event production, as well as AV equipment hire and sales, CPL has seen massive growth recently. During this frenetic period, they were forced to consider all the facets of their business; from office and warehouse space to the modernisation of the old paperwork systems used to track and invoice its kit.

Increased investment in equipment meant the manual paperwork system began encountering problems - items were mislaid or left on site wit

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UK - Wednesday 14 June 2006 saw the Association of Lighting Designers (ALD) hold its AGM during the ABTT trade show - and as with the show, the meeting saw record attendance. Richard Pilbrow addressed the meeting highlighting the changes both to the organisation and the industry since the Association was begun. Pilbrow recalled: "The Association began as a lunch club to meet and talk over a few bottles of wine." Pilbrow is member No. 1 and now there are over 700 members.

The Association wishes Geoff Spain every success as he stands down as administrator after seven years' dedicated service. Spain takes the position of technical co-ordinator at Snape Maltings/Aldeburgh Productions. Ian Saunders will combine the day-to-day office business with his role as treasurer.

The Association continues to be very active with its Student and Professional membership, arranging many

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Germany - Meyer Sound has appointed Frank Martin to the newly created position of installation sales manager at the company's office in Polch, Germany. In his new post, Martin assumes responsibility for sales and support for the installation market throughout Germany, as well as in Denmark, Sweden, and Finland.

Martin brings to Meyer Sound more than 12 years of experience in electronic systems sales, installations, and project management, including posts at Atlantic Audio GmbH in Düsseldorf and Neumann-Elektronik Service GmbH in Mülheim, where he gained knowledge in video, telecommunications, and security systems, as well as audio. Those positions schooled Martin in the requirements of installation projects in auditoriums, nightclubs, government buildings, transportation terminals and broadcast facilities, knowledge he is eager to share with his new customers.

"One of t

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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 - The first annual VH1 Rock Honors TV special paid tribute to the music and influence of some of rock's legendary bands. The two-hour celebration of hard rock, taped at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, featured performances by honorees Kiss, Queen, Def Leppard and Judas Priest with tribute performances by Godsmack, Foo Fighters, The All-American Rejects and Paul Rodgers.

Responsible for lighting design were Roy Bennett and Stan Crocker who had Martin gear at their disposal including Mac 700 Profiles and Mac 2000 Profiles and Washes, as well as Martin U.S. distributed BigLite 4.5 Xenon lamp fixtures. Complementing the large Mac rig were a number of conventional luminaires. Digital effects also played a key visual design role and came courtesy of Martin's Maxedia Pro media server with control from the Martin Maxxyz with Wing. Lighting supply was by Upstaging

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UK - For the fifth year running, Entec Lighting is supplying CMP Entertainment with full lighting production, foyer area and VIP tent illuminations and crew for the month long 2006 Liverpool Summer Pops event.

The hugely successful 2006 Pops season features a lively megamix of international talent - from James Brown to Pops regulars The Australian Pink Floyd, from Westlife to Whitesnake, from New Order to Simply Red - and numerous others. There's something to sate virtually every flavour of popular music!

The event is again staged in its 4,500 capacity SIX pole Big Top, centrally located along the Dock Road.

As in previous years, the lighting was designed by Dave Hill. The rig maximises the available tent space and caters for a wide variety of band requirements and visiting LDs. For the get in, Entec supplied eight crew including Phil White and Leigh Yeomans, who are

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UK - Turbosound distributor Stage Craft International has been busy designing and installing audio systems in educational establishments throughout the Philippines. With power, clarity, versatility and budget all key requirements, Turbosound was the natural choice, says the company.

A HiLight system has been installed in the newly renovated Marian Theatre at Miriam College, Quezon City. The theatre is used for assemblies and school productions and the system comprises two main left/right flown clusters of two THL-811 mid-highs and two THL-118 subs, each arranged in a T configuration. A TQ-310 is used for centre-fill, with six TXD-15M wedges for stage monitoring.

In Mandaluyong City, the Saint Joseph's Theatre at La Salle Green Hills - a catholic boys school - has also been recently renovated. As with the Marian Theatre, its principal purpose is assemblies and school production

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UK - The third meeting of PLASA's Manufacturers Forum takes place next week on the afternoon of Tuesday 18 July at the DTI Conference Centre in central London. First established 12 months ago, the Forum has proved a catalyst in bringing the concerns of manufacturers to the fore and is open to any member of PLASA who wishes to attend. Companies interested in joining the Association are also invited to attend as observers.

The guest speaker at next week's meeting is Steve Andrews from the DTI's Office of Science & Innovation who will update members on the RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances Regulations) Directive which passed into UK law on Saturday 1 July. The agenda will also address PLASA's recent lobbying activities and its appointment of a political & parliamentary consultancy, which led directly to the tabling of parliamentary questions on RoHS. Energy Minister

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Over a 12-year period, Lancaster-based Lee Engineering has proven to be one of the UK's most dependable technical resource groups. The company's scope of work extends from offering support to large industrial and architectural lighting projects (including power stations on the Isle of Man to lighting the toll booths of the Forth Road Bridge) to providing regular services to the BBC.

Lee Engineering also has a reputation for thoroughly scrutinising each new piece of equipment before it goes out. "The kit goes straight into the workshop," says director Phil Leedal. "We are a sales rep's worst nightmare as we won't sell anything that we know will give us grief."

One of the company's major accounts is right on its doorstep - Lancaster University's nine colleges and Student Union nightclub, The Sugar House. In the past, each of the colleges had operated its own indepen

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UK - Showsec dealt with all sorts of characters whilst managing the crowds and security for the series of shows held this year at Hyde Park (London). None stranger than when escorting three Storm Troopers from the main stage pit before Roger Waters took to the stage at the Hyde Park Calling concert.

Promoter Live Nation's production director for the shows, John Probyn says: "Showsec mixed well with crowds, production teams and artists and maintained a good, safe atmosphere for all of the shows at Hyde Park this summer."

Showsec's Simon Battersby and Steve Reynolds managed up to 400 staff for the Foo Fighters and Hyde Park Calling concerts, headlined by Roger Waters and the Who, when they looked after the pit, backstage and artists areas. They also managed crowds and security for the whole site for the five nights of the Wireless Festival.

(Chri

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UK - UK distributor John Hornby Skewes & Co has been appointed as the new and exclusive UK and Eire distributor for the LA Audio range of professional signal processors and accessories, with effect from 1 September 2006. The forthcoming PLASA show at London's Earls Court (10-13 September) will mark the public launch of the LA Audio/JHS association.

"Designed for sound reinforcement, fixed install and studio applications, the UK-manufactured LA Audio range brings fresh thinking to every application, adding functionality, reducing complexity and optimising sound quality throughout," say JHS.

"Sound quality is our first principle," says LA Audio's founding designer, Steve Buchanan. "All of our products are are designed to deliver maximum headroom, minimum noise and distortion, with the most intuitive user interface possible."

LA Audio's product ran

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UK - Lighting director Martyn Rourke used over 30 Robe moving lights in the main arena at the 2006 International Musical Eisteddfod in Llangollen. These and a large generic lighting rig were supplied by Blackburn based HSL and it was the first time moving light technology has featured at the Eisteddfod.

The opening ceremony included rousing performances by Welsh bass-baritone opera star Bryn Terfel and impresario pianist Llyr Williams, and was enjoyed by an audience of 6,500 and broadcast live on Welsh TV channel S4C, with highlights shown on BBC Wales. It was the second year that Rourke has been in the lighting hot seat. He worked closely with director Hefin Owen to a brief from independent producers Opus TV.

With this also being the 60th anniversary of the Eisteddfod, Rourke decided that the lighting production values needed upping, and this was the perf

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USA - Country music stars and husband and wife duo, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, have launched their Soul 2 Soul II tour, out across the US this summer.

Lighting designer is Roy Bennett who specified a large Mac rig that includes Mac 700 profiles, Mac 2000 profiles and Mac 2000 washes, more than 150 Mac units in all, supplied by Upstaging, Inc.

Country's hottest couple is playing in-the-round, a concert that lasts nearly three hours and features the two singers - who carry separate bands - performing on their own and together. The stage features a round central platform with four protruding wings. Above hangs the rig of automated and conventional luminaires. "There is a lot of gear on this show," Roy exclaims. "You could literally run across the top of the grid and it would be hard to fall through!

"But because the show is in-the-round the whole idea

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USA - Lynyrd Skynyrd and 3 Doors Down are currently together on the Double Trouble Tour - with the show on 23 June at Trump Taj Mahal being filmed for broadcast on VH-1. Bandit Lites is supplying the lighting for this pairing. The lighting design is a collaboration between long time Skynyrd LD Steve Owens and 3 Doors Down LD Matt Mills.

Each band has a distinct look due to clever masking, drapes and truss movement between sets. While Skynyrd is more of a theatrical, old-school look, 3 Doors Down is a straight ahead 2006 rock look. Both Owens and Mills have also programmed their shows to give the audience the most bang for their buck from a shared system.

The tour spent a week at Starwood in Nashville fine-tuning the show before they hit theroad. The equipment utilised includes three grandMA consoles, A.C. Lighting's Chroma-Q Color Web, High End Systems' Turbo Cyberlights and S

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UK - With clients including the BBC, Channel 4, ITV Carlton, Air Studios and Lipsync Post, as well as noted audio engineers such as Marcel Van Limbeek and Barry Sage, Alchemea has established itself as a leading audio engineering and music production college since opening in central London in 1992.

Offering a range of study options from specialised short courses and workshops through to full time audio and post courses, Alchemea has a policy of using only the best equipment in its classrooms, and has equipped itself with DPA microphones.

"We chose DPA because we believe in giving our students the best mics available, so that when they go out into the real world they have realistic, high quality benchmarks to base their choices and opinions on," says Alchemea lecturer and certified Pro Tools instructor Neil Pickles. "Put simply, you can't tell if a microphone is

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Spain / Denmark - DPA Microphones has awarded Barcelona-based Seesound with its Distributor of the Year award, recognising the huge contribution to sales and service that the company has provided over the past 12 months. Seesound's Nacho Alberdi attributes the Spanish distribution company's success to two major factors. "Firstly, we have a very well qualified sales team which is not only familiar with DPA products, but also the competition," he says. "This means that they can emphasise the added value of DPA products.

"Secondly, we offer a very flexible service and are quick to respond. We provide the best possible pre- and post-sale service, offering personalised advice, turning repairs around quickly, loaning replacement mics if necessary and always trying to find the best solution for any situation."

A large part of DPA's marketing activity is worki

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UK - May 2006 saw Sting presented with an honorary Doctorate of Music by the University of Newcastle. The 17 times Grammy award winner accepted the award from the university's chancellor, Lord Patten, after which he celebrated with an exclusive private party at the Baltic Centre For Contemporary Art, just across the River Tyne in Gateshead.

Entertainment for the 300 guests was provided by The Gerry Richardson Trio and various members of The Newcastle Big Band, an outfit whom Sting often played with before being catapulted to fame with The Police.

Providing the audio system for the party was Yorkshire-based Viking Sound & Light Ltd whose proprietor Steve Williams has worked with Sting on a number of occasions. "We needed to supply a compact FOH system that would give maximum clarity but, due to the very limited electrical supply in the venue, be simple to power," says

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USA - Aviom has announced the appointment of Sound Marketing West as the company's newest sales representative for Southern California and Las Vegas.

"Sound Marketing West has a great history in commitment and support and market development in the pro audio industry," says Aviom Western regional sales manager Loren Molinare. "They serve everyone from music stores to A/V rental, commercial and industrial contractors and consultants, data products distributors and broadcasters. We're looking forward to a long and prosperous relationship with SMW."

The Canoga Park, CA-based manufacturer's representative adds Aviom's full range of personal monitor mixing systems and audio networking technologies to its impressive lineup of audio, video, data, lighting and production lines. SMW's client roster also includes Amek, TASCAM, Polycom, LG and Harman companies AKG, Cro

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Worldwide - Sales of Midas large format analogue consoles have doubled in volume over this time last year, the company reports. Part of the boom in worldwide sales is represented by a strong contingent of European PA companies who continue to bolster their inventories with the industry's favourite live consoles for leading summer events, they say.

"Our analogue sales dispute the general impression that digital consoles appear to have conquered the live performance market," says Midas and Klark Teknik sales and marketing director David Cooper. "The ease of use, sonic quality, long-term reliability and safe return on investment offered by Midas consoles are still proving the all-important factors for many live applications. It's also apparent that the recent release of our XL8 live performance system, rather than shifting emphasis from our analogue range, has reinfo

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UK - National WiseUp2Work Day will be held on Wednesday 30 August 2006. WiseUp2Work is a major initiative by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) to address head-on the issue of safety for the under 21s when they are starting work, apprenticeships or work experience. On average, 10 young people are killed and 2,500 badly injured every year.

The aim is to make employers, trainers, youth workers and teachers, and young people themselves, aware of the risks they face in the workplace and what they should be doing to mitigate them. WiseUp2Work is sponsored by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and supported by the National Youth Agency and the British Chambers of Commerce.

National WiseUp2Work Day is being staged at a time when many young people are embarking upon their careers or starting work experience placements, and are at the highe

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USA - Loud Technologies has announced that Mackie is using the NAMM show to introduce a new flagship Active subwoofer into its growing family of Active sound reinforcement speakers. The Mackie SWA2801z combines dual 18" drivers, a built-in 800W FR Series power amplifier. Designed to outperform traditional 2 x 18" systems, the Mackie SWA2801z benefits from Mackie's award-winning Active electronics, which provide much greater integration of all components in the system than tradition 'powered' loudspeakers, say the company. Mackie Active electronics are customized for each driver/cabinet/amplifier combination and provide complete, real-time control over critical functions such as crossover filters, equalization, as well as protection for both transducer and electronics. Active electronics also allow for integration with full-range loudspeakers, which can be stacked or pole

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Serbia - The European Agency for Reconstruction has delegated ETC to furnish the lighting systems for Radio Television Serbia in Belgrade.

Radio Television Serbia (RTS) has had an eventful past. Established in 1929 as Radio Belgrade, RTS was expanded to a television institution in 1956 by the Serbian government. In the following decades, RTS acquired an excellent reputation with the production of documentaries, sitcoms and quiz shows.

Under the regime of Slobadan Miloševic, the broadcast station entered dark times. Journalists who did not want to be utilised as instruments of the regime were fired, and RTS devolved into the megaphone of Miloševic's propaganda. The tragic climax came when 16 people were killed during the bombing of the studio headquarters on 23 April 1999, by NATO troops.

Since then, Serbian television has been privatised. Thanks to support from the Europea

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