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UK - Production, event and entertainment management company Production Plus has boosted its stock of Robe Show Lighting moving lights with the purchase of 16 Robe ColorSpot and ColorWash 575 AT fixtures - eight of each type.

These have been added to the existing hire stock which already includes over 60 Robe fixtures, incorporating Spot 250 and Wash 250 XTs and Media Spinners. "We'd been looking at the 575 AT Series for some time," says Production Plus's technical director Andy Miller, who's relationship with Robe UK goes right back to the start of the company. "The optics are great, it's a cost effective product and the service and support from Robe UK is very good," he concludes.

One of the first outings for the new 575 AT fixtures was a gala ball event at

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France - DPA Microphones is pleased to announce the launch of a new company, Audio², to market, distribute and service its products in France. The company is a joint venture between the manufacturer, Didier Rupin, who has been involved with DPA microphones in France since 1992, and Scène de Nuit, an existing pro audio dealer who will provide the company infrastructure such as shipping, service, telephone reception and sales staff. Audio² will be formally launched at November's Satis 2006 exhibition in Paris.

Situated in Joué-les-Tours, central France, Audio² is headed up by managing director Rupin, who has long experience in distributing top-of-the-range professional audio equipment in France. The company will work closely with a dealer network, connected by a dedicated extranet system, to cover the entire country as well as handling specialised markets including broa

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USA - Aviom has announced the appointment of Jeffrey Lange as new product specialist.

In his new role, Lange will expand sales efforts in the Midwest region, participating in industry events, training seminars and product demonstrations. A multi-faceted A/V systems designer, project manager, technician and trainer, Lange brings to Aviom his ability to effectively share technical information with individuals and groups alike.

"Jeff is a key addition to the Aviom team," says Ray Legnini, Aviom's senior product manager. "His rich background in technology and experience in various markets will enhance our presence in the music and house of worship industries and will be instrumental in boosting awareness about our technology."

Lange also offers extensive experience working with houses of worship, one of Aviom's key markets, as well as with complex design syst

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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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Greece - Lighting Effects Distribution have supplied a major order for LED effects to a television studio in Greece. Because of the fast set changes involved, Skai TV needed a constantly evolving scenic infrastructure in their Athens studio and turned to London-based ITN Consulting (a division of ITN) for assistance.

The company's senior lighting director, Roy Newman, was first alerted to the LED X-Chip and Ayrton Moduled 318 on the stand of Lighting Effects Distribution at a trade show, and knew they would be ideal for his purposes. "The company was clearly a one-stop shop for LED effects," he noted.

"One of the main reasons for preferring LEDs over tungsten was the rapid turnaround between various programmes, and of course the infinite number of colours instantly available." The lack of maintenance and gel changing, he commented, had been another determin

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UK - There was a point during the month of October when sound production company Skan PA had no fewer than seven Digidesign Venue digital mixing systems out on tour. With their two original D-Shows supplied by Marquee Audio assigned long-term to the high-profile Muse tour, Skan's Chris Fitch knew he needed back-up.

But the back-up was soon out on the tour as well - and this month Skan had to call on two further consoles to support Gnarls Barkley during their recent spate of European television and live concert dates. On monitors was Tim Engwall, who has scarcely been away from the D-Show surface since receiving his induction at this year's Montreux Jazz Festival; out front was Steve Curtin who is another recent convert, having made his debut on a D-Show at a festival in Detroit earlier this summer.

Having worked with Eighth Day Sound's Venues in the States, both men were delig

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Belgium - Thirty of Marantz's PMD570 and PMD670 units have been used to create an innovative and versatile learning system for students of a large language department in Belgium.

Local AV specialists Swing CVBA has provided 26 PMD570 Installation Recorders and four PM670 Solid State Recorders to Ghent High School, giving staff the means to exchange materials and mark coursework over the internet, and students the ability to take their language studies off-campus to be continued at home.

The School's previous system used cassette recorders and traditional tape for recording and playback of learning materials, but teachers prompted the move to digital media technology. Using Marantz's PMD recorders, each student uses his or her own flash card, which is removable and can therefore be used to play back lessons and exercises at home. Via the internet, data can be shared among membe

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Spain - A modern construction of concrete and glass, the Granollers TheatreAuditorium just north of Barcelona, Spain, has that special touch theCatalans can bring to such potentially lifeless materials.

But lifelessness still managed to manifest itself in other, more acutely problematic ways. "The auditorium was very dry," said head of sound for Granollers, David Carrión. "Less than one second of reverberationis not a proper acoustic for the performances we wish to present."

Fortunately Carrión has twenty years experience as a sound engineer and knewexactly what to do; install a surround system to support the acoustic. "Wehave established a system configured to provide three reverbs: 1.2 secs forjazz; 1.6 secs for contemporary classics; and 2.0 secs for classical."

Choosing the correct system was less obvious. "Apart from the reverberatio

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UK - XL Video UK is supplying FOH scenic video projection and via Blink TV a three camera PPU for the Scissor Sisters UK arena tour - the first time the band have featured video incorporated into their live show.

The hi-octane pop show is characteristically action-packed with flamboyance. Into this mix, video director Phil Woodhead is bringing his own unique touch of "videosyncrasity".

The pressure was on for Woodhead to come up with something, new, original and non-conventional in terms of IMAG aesthetics, which is beamed onto two 16 x 12 ft side screens via Barco SLM R12+ projectors. The band were very specific that they didn't want to see themselves onscreen during the show, and neither did they want the audience looking at a TV.

The Sony D50 cameras are stationed at FOH and two in the pit on tripods. There's two mini-cams onstage which are clamped into a variet

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UK - The way in which lighting affects people's mood and behaviour is revealed at a new state-of-the-art demonstration theatre developed by Peterborough-based The Leeton Group.

Lightworks is a new interactive demonstration showing the power lighting can have over people. It provides a high-tech setting for talks and demonstrations on the nature of light, its effects on human well-being and behaviour and the progress of artificial lighting from Edison to modern day technology.

The facility - at Leeton's main office at Padholme Road, Peterborough - is available for groups including engineering managers, architects, consultants, human resource managers and technicians, as well as school and college students.

Leeton provides free lectures and demonstrations in the Lightworks theatre. The presentations can be adjusted to suit the level of expertise and the requirements of the gro

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UK - There's now less than a week to go before nominations close for the PLASA Executive Committee election.

For 2007 there are four seats available - three representing three-year terms and a fourth representing a one-year term. PLASA is undergoing a time of rapid development - key projects include the running of the PLASA Show, the launch of an industry certification programme, a major membership restructure and much more. Those elected to a place on the committee play a key role in influencing the development of all aspects of PLASA and the industry it serves.

If you are interested in working with the Association, and are employed by a Full UK PLASA Member, please consider standing for election. The closing date for nominations is 5pm Wednesday 15 November.

If you would like to know more about what's involved or need a nomination form, please contact Norah Phillips on 013

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Spain - The desert landscape of Aragon, Spain, was teeming with 40,000 revellers this summer, come to enjoy an oasis of the best electronic music at the 12th annual Monegros Desert Festival (MDF). Larger than in previous years, the festival boasted seven main stages, installed with Xone:62, 92 and 3D mixers, which hosted more than 70 artists, including Jeff Mills, Ángel Molina, Richie Hawtin, Thievery Corporation, Danny Tenaglia and Cypress Hill.

The 'San Miguel Tent' included an impressive 100-metre stage, installed with Allen & Heath's latest addition to the Xone range, the Xone:3D MIDI controller/mixer. This stage hosted national hip hop and international techno DJ's, including Chris Liebing.

An Xone:92 mixer was used on the Beach Club stage, a stone built club with a small beach, together with deck chairs for guests to relax. A Xone:92 was also installed in the 'Bacardi T

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Brazil - Adamson Systems Engineering and Sotex, a division of Grupo Classic based in Contagem, Brazil recently came to an agreement to have Sotex be Adamson's exclusive representative for Brazil.

Grupo Classic is made up of five companies. The oldest "A Serenata Ltda", is a retail store chain that was established over 40 years ago by Marco Bousas' grandfather Antonio Carlos, who still runs the division today, with the help of his son Junior. At the inception of the company, it was primarily a retail store for musical instruments. Today it sells over 5000 local and international brands of music industry related items. "Michael" the wholesale musical instrument division is now seven years old and sells a total of 700 different instruments including two proprietary brands Michael and Trigger. Icone Logistica is a one year old logistics division that takes care o

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Italy - Notti di Luce (Nights of Light) has been offering events at a high cultural level for eight years and - thanks also to the increasingly frequent air links with Orio al Serio airport - has made the City of Bergamo an international destination sought after by tourists rediscovering the pleasure of experiencing the city by night. This year, Nights of Light has widened the circle of associations, institutions and businesses involved in the project: the organising staff, too, included highly experienced and dynamic professionals, including Walter Barbero, who took charge of urban lighting, and Domenico Egizi, in charge of architectural interiors.

Nights of Light 2006 spread over two weeks, starting from the Feast Day of St. Alessandro, the Patron Saint of Bergamo. During the course of these two weeks light was used to pick out places and architecture in b

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Singapore - The Sentosa Golf Club of Singapore is one of the most highly regarded golf resorts of Asia. Its Italian restaurant and lounge Il Lido offers refined dining in a relaxed atmosphere right in the heart of Sentosa's picturesque Tanjong 18-hole golf course with its panoramic views of the South China Sea and stunning sunsets.

To supplement the existing background music system in the Il Lido lounge, the club recently acquired an ELIAS PX system.

Tirso Garcia, marketing & entertainment manager of Il Lido explains their rationale: "Especially on weekends our guests often want something more after dinner than plain background music, and so Il Lido will often spontaneously transform itself into a dance club. To allow for this flexibility, we wanted a sound system with a great deal more 'kick'. Plus, we hold our sound system up to the same high quality standards as we do

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UK - Shuttlesound is boosting its profile within the UK concert sound industry with the appointment of Neal Allen as a representative dedicated to the customers of Electro-Voice loudspeakers, amplifiers, microphones and network solutions.

Electro-Voice's range of sound reinforcement products means that the Shuttlesound customer base includes great diversity, from school fetes to Britannia Row Productions. The appointment of Allen signifies a strong commitment on the part of EV's UK distributor to increase its contact with users at every level, providing more communication and support as well as assistance with system design.

Allen brings a truly multi-faceted CV to his role with Shuttlesound. Eight years in music retail led up to a position as PA buyer for the hugely successful Academy of Sound Group. He has run his own PA hire company, and is still teaching a live sound modul

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UK - Last weekend saw Opera North undertake its first major get-out at the Grand Theatre, Leeds using the revolutionary engineering solutions devised by theatre consultancy Theatreplan under the direction of Stage Engineering consultant Clive Odom and senior stage engineer Richard Brett, in collaboration with Opera North's technical director Ric Green and structural engineer Oliver Plunkett of BDP.

As part of Leeds City Council's Phase 1 £20.7m upgrade of the Grand and the creation of a permanent home for Opera North, the equipment installed has modernised procedures and proved indispensable in getting the company's current season out on the road for its autumn tour.

Replacing the old, manual double-purchase counterweights, the first full power flying system ever installed outside of London, has been enthusiastically welcomed by the technical crew and production teams al

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USA - Syncrolite has been a pioneer in the production and design of automated xenon skylights since its first DMX controlled xenon light introduced in 1989. Since then, Syncrolite has brought the lighting industry a wide array of fully automated xenon skylights for use in theatrical and architectural applications.

Syncrolite has now introduced the OmniColor* D, which it says is "the first and only true thin film Dichroic Color Mixing system" - CYM and RGB. (Worldwide Patents Pending.) Dichroic colour deposited on 4mm flexible substrate formed into Syncrolite proprietary welded scrolls, which are heat, wrinkle and shrink resistant, the company says. The scrolls do not burn or warp like standard colour scrolls and are available for Syncrolite Series 2 and Series 3 instruments. Syncrolite also offer scrolling lenses.

Syncrolite Iare also introducing its new series 3 Syn

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UK - London-based event services company PSL has been taking advantage of the surge in popularity of the recently refurbished Roundhouse; in a single 10-day period, the venue staged three significant entertainment awards shows, and PSL was on hand each time to provide visual display technology - for the BT Digital Music Awards, the British Academy Video Game Awards, and the Vodafone Live Music Awards.

Staged by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), the British Academy Video Game Awards ceremony was nominated by PSL's Pod Bluman as the most technically adventurous of the three events. Working to a brief from producer Lucy Smail of West Design & Production, PSL was able to create projection in the round for the first time, exploiting the Roundhouse's unique architecture to build a 300 degree screen, using a central cluster of projectors suspended from a speciall

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UK - At the recent Mobile Choice Awards, sponsored by Mobile Choice Magazine, the cream of the mobile phone industry gathered to receive this years awards.The event was held at one of the City of London's oldest building, the Grand Hall at Billingsgate, now converted into a conference and events centre. Billingsgate has four floors, the largest of which is the Grand Hall on the Ground Floor. This area boasts a grand 25 ft, triple height ceiling, double height windows on the south and north sides of the building, with an architectural suspended gallery across the centre of the Hall.

Though pleasing to the eye, the Grand Hall presented Jason Price of JAP Sound Hire with more than few acoustic problems. He takes up the story "The awards ceremony is the biggest event in the mobile industries calendar. For us it's not only the voice presentations, but the system also has to supp

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USA - Following this year's dominance at the 48th Annual Grammy awards, leading microphone manufacturer Audio-Technica carried that theme to the world's premier Latin music awards show - the seventh Annual Latin Grammy Awards which was held on November 2 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The show was broadcast live on the Univision Network.

Artists who performed using Audio-Technica's Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless System, with the AEW-T5400 handheld microphone/transmitter and AEW-R5200 true diversity frequency-agile dual receiver, included: Thalía, Grupo Pesado, Joan Sebastian, Gilberto Santa Rosa, and Andy Montañez.

John Harris, music mixer for the seventh Annual Latin Grammy Awards, explained: "I used a wide selection of Audio-Technica microphones at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards with great success, and I wanted to have that same kind of reliability and au

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USA - FocusTrack, the database system for tracking and documenting the use of lighting for theatrical productions, is helping the smash-hit musical Les Misérables return to Broadway - just three years after the show ended its triumphant, sixteen-year first New York run.

The new production marks the first time that automated lighting has been used to light the show in the US (with the exception of moving light curtains, which have always been part of the show's design).

Lighting designer David Hersey started using moving lights as part of the rig for the 1997 UK tour of the show, and that rig has since been used on productions around the world. When the London production of the show moved theatres in 2004 the rig was revised to use Vari*Lite VL2000 Spots, VL2000 Wash and VL3000Q Spot units alongside DHA Digital Light Curtains.

For the New York production, Hersey

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