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France - DMX pioneers dAFTdATA have designed a new range of DMX distribution products that are launched at the SIEL trade show in Paris this week.

dAFTdATA's patented mDMX system works by modulating the DMX data over the mains power cable - removing the need for data cabling - providing a competitively priced multi purpose solution. The system, which won a PLASA 2006 Award for Innovation, can now be configured to work either as a DMX to Ethernet convertor, or a DMX to mDMX convertor.

Each unit works as a transceiver, and so can be either an encoder from DMX to Ethernet/mDMX or a decoder from Ethernet/mDMX back to DMX. In Ethernet mode the system works with either ARTNET or WENDI protocols. In mDMX mode, a network of multiple nodes up to 400m away can be set up extremely s

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UK - PRG Europe has worked on a number of live TV shows recently. For ITV1's Soapstar Superstar in mid January, set designer PeterBingemann, working with lighting designer Al Gurdon, included 164sq.m of G-LEC PhantomFrame LED screens. Shortly afterwards,lighting designer Dave Davey worked with PRG Europe on Dancing on Ice.

"The design for Soapstar Superstar was based on the fact that thecompetitors on the show are stars of the small screen - hence the designis primarily based around screens," explains Bingemann. "The set isn'tdissimilar to last year's, with a few gaps filled in, especially whenthe camera looks back into the audience, as they tend to with this typeof show.

"TV studios always have weight limits in terms of the amount of kitwhich can be hung from the roof, and we were right up against that limitthis time round - so it's he

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UK - Stage Electrics' hire is off to a flying start in 2007, with the company supplying the newly opened West End show Boeing Boeing.

Boeing Boeing lit by Hugh Vanstone opened at the Comedy Theatre on the 28 January. It initially opened in 1962 where it enjoyed a five-year run and was subsequently adapted into a film starring Tony Curtis and Gerry Lewis.

Equipment supplied to Boeing Boeing includes Clay Paky Alpha Wash Halos and three of the brand new Martin MAC700 Wash fixtures along with approximately 120 generics.

The new national tour of The Woman in Black for PW Productions opened at the Bromley Churchill Theatre at the end of January with Stage Electrics providing lighting and effects equipment to the tour which runs for 16 weeks.

Fame is also being supplied by Stage Electrics; the new national tour opened in Nottingham on 12 Janua

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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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UAE - The announcement of the fourth all-star annual Dubai Desert Rock Festival at the 30,000-capacity Dubai Country Club in March, is having a profound effect on interest for May's Event 360 expo, an integral part of PALME Middle East.

According to Jonathan Gadalla, project manager for the vertically-integrated show, interest in live music is running at an all-time high in the desert, with international legends such as Iron Maiden, The Prodigy and Incubus heading a Festival line-up that will appear on one of the largest stages in the region. Also included are Junkyard Groove, the winners of SHAMAL (a competition for unsigned rock bands in the region).

Gadalla believes that the world is starting to take notice now that the Middle East is not only attracting leading names in the world of rock, but will also stage a second F1 Grand Prix (in Abu Dhabi) in 2009 - which will

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UK - The ABTT Theatre Show's organisers - The Association of British Theatre Technicians - have announced that its 29th edition has sold out five months before it takes place on 13 and 14 June in London's Royal Horticultural Halls.

Filling all three exhibition halls in London's Royal Horticultural Halls to capacity, the show will again play host to over 100 exhibiting companies who will showcase a comprehensive range of products and services for professionals involved with equipping, refurbishing or up-grading their drama studio, theatre, auditorium or multi-purpose performance space.

Committed to building on the show's success the organisers aim to expand the show's attendance which grew by 5% last year to over 2,400 visitors, and included theatre and venue managers, technical directors, technicians, technical managers, heads of drama departments, architects, consultants, des

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UK - When the plush new Bar Plazma in Wickford burnt down in October 2005 shortly after opening, it was hard to believe that it would re-emerge a little over a year later with an up-rated specification.

But the town centre venue, owned by experienced nightclub operator Douglas Quirk and managed by Alistair Burrell (who had safely evacuated all the staff and customers on that fateful October evening), has done precisely that.

Quirk, who made his name running the epochal Hollywood Romford in the 1980s, turned to fellow Essex contractors, Southend-based Essex Sound & Light and interior designer Colin Stone of Stone Me Design, to deliver a superior interior package. What they have produced is an upscale, all-day chameleon venue which trades from 11am until 11pm (midweek), 1am Thursday and 2am at weekends.

ESL were asked to carry out the technological integration in view of their

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UK - Blackout enjoyed its busiest Christmas ever in December 2006, including supplying drapes to four music awards ceremonies and a further series of three concerts within the space of four weeks.

Within the relentless run-up to the festive season, the Blackout team was called upon to provide black wool serge drapes to a series of prestigious events, all of which were televised.

The hectic period began in Copenhagen, where Blackout supplied drapes to the two venues hosting the MTV Europe Music Awards in November. Blackout then moved on to London to supply black wool serge drapes to the UK Music Hall of Fame event at Alexandra Palace. "We 'black-boxed' the Great Hall and Blackout did an amazing job," says Paul-Anthony Viollet, the event's production manager.

"Working with Blackout is always a pleasure," Viollet continues. "Their profess

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Italy / UK - Leading Italian pro audio manufacturer FBT Elettronica has announced the launch of its architectural/commercial installation product range - FBT Audio Contractor - into the UK market with the appointment of CIE-Group to exclusively represent the brand.

Already a pro audio/music speaker brand throughout Europe, the addition of the 'Audio Contractor' range places FBT in the market for contracts and installations for PA, VA and AV.

CIE-Group - representatives for many of the UK's leading commercial audio brands including Inter-M, Armstrong i-ceilings, Atlas Sound, IC audio and EverFocus CCTV - will be undertaking a nationwide launch of the complete product range throughout the spring of this year.

CIE-Group head of marketing, Chris Edwards is highly enthusiastic about the announcement, saying: "The appointment of FBT Audio Contractor is an essential part of ou

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UK - Robolights Ltd. the UK based manufacturer of stage lighting products has expanded the range of its Smart Socket product to include a model specifically designed to accept BS EN 60309 (BS4343) type 16A socket outlets.

Since its launch, Smart Socket has become one of the standard products used on internally wired lighting bars used primarily in theatre, TV, architectural and retail installations where multiple power outlets for lighting are required.

Technical director, Julian Baycock explained that 16A outlets are more often being specified as an alternative to the conventional 15A round pin 'stage lighting standard'. This is to accommodate moving head lighting fixtures, which are often fitted with 16A connectors, or for outdoor installations where higher IP ratings are essential. In response, Robolights added the 16A version to its Smart Socket range that already includes

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Germany / Denmark / Sweden - Sennheiser Nordic A/S, the Denmark-based subsidiary of German audio specialist Sennheiser, will extend its business to include Sweden, so all Scandinavian markets will now be served by Sennheiser Nordic directly.

From April 1, after a long and close relationship with Sennheiser AB in Stockholm, Sweden will join Denmark, Finland and Norway, giving customers direct access to top products, services and comprehensive consulting support for audio projects of all kinds.

Volker Bartels, Speaker of the Sennheiser Executive Committee, says: "Our experience has shown that setting up our own subsidiaries permits closer cooperation with the end customers. This transition will provide added value and make the best use of resources and infrastructure."

Paul Whiting, vice-president sales of the Sennheiser Group, says: "A local presence in Sweden

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UK - Proel (International) the UK distributor of a range of international Pro Audio and MI brands, "welcomes" the acquisition of UK loudspeaker veteran, Turbosound, by Proel spa, Italy, and confirms that it will be "business as usual - only more so" in the UK.

Proel International's MD, Paolo Burocchi says: "This is excellent news for all the parties involved and for the audio market as a whole, because it strengthens two major European brands. We offer our congratulations to both Proel, in Italy, and to Turbosound.

"Meanwhile, Proel (International) continues as the UK distributor for a wide range of products including those from Proel, but not for Turbosound, which will still handle its own brand in this country."

Burocchi continues: "For our part, we have recently expanded our management and technical teams - an announcement will be m

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UK - When The Automatic's FOH sound engineer James Lawrenson first started prepping his band's production for their headline role on the hugely influential NME Awards Indie Rock Tour he was unaware of the Digidesign Venue digital mixing environment.

But the Welshman was savvy enough to listen to the recommendation from his friend Richard Jackson, who recounted that he had used Digidesign's D-Show live console while mixing Welsh band Super Furry Animals.

From that point things moved quickly into gear, so that by the time the UK mainland tour commenced at the Glasgow Academy, the sound engineers from all four bands had become willing converts.

Two companies had provided the catalyst for this: Digidesign resellers Marquee Audio, and the tour's sound production company Stage Audio Services, who were more than happy to accommodate the desk - supplied with a mobile Pro Tool

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UK - Vision Fire & Security has announced that The O2 Arena has selected Millbank solutions to provide voice alarm and public address systems for the new music venue. The O2 is being re-developed by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) to transform the Millennium Dome into "Europe's finest music venue". The 23,000 capacity in-door arena aims to host up to 150 music, entertainment and sports events in its first year.

The building will be renamed The O2 will also have a smaller Music Club venue with a capacity of 2,200, a multiplex cinema, an ice rink, a world-class exhibition space and a vibrant 'entertainment district' featuring a variety of bars, restaurants, retail and leisure facilities.

Building on Vision Fire & Security's global partnership with Tyco, the Millbank team began working together with ADT to realise the challenging brief from the early stages.

The pr

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USA - Philadelphia Park Casino and Racetrack in Bensalem, Pennsylvania is an established horse track - home of the prestigious Pennsylvania Derby - that houses a more recent casino addition. A somewhat drab exterior facade fuelled owners' desire to enhance the venue's Porte Cochere entrance and thereby draw attention to Philadelphia Park as a newly diversified, dynamic entertainment facility.

Lighting Design Alliance of Signal Hill, California was called upon to create the eye-catching look. Scott Hatton, Principal of Lighting Design Alliance, commented, "The façade is a white semi-transparent fabric that conceals a fairly uninteresting building that had no exterior lighting at all. As this was an existing building that was being converted from just a racetrack to both a racetrack and a casino it was critical to clean up the façade cheaply and quickly and to light it in a

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UAE - Stage One demonstrated the its Q-Motion motioncontrol system recently when it was called into action for the 18th Gulf Cup, heldin Dubai. Brought on board by Dubai based production company HQ Creative,the team were tasked with pulling a world class show together just 43 days afterreceiving the go-ahead from the organising committee.

Fortunately, the Gulf Cup followed hot on the heels of the Asian Games, whichhad just taken place in Qatar, meaning that a great deal of the expertise, technicalequipment and skilled personnel were already in the region and available oncethat project was concluded.

Jim Tinsley, technical director for Stage One, says: "The success of this ceremony isdown to sheer hard work. It was pulled off in an incredibly short time scale - onewe wouldn't want to make a habit of! It does demonstratehowever, that we can provide a service that goe

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Korea - Cadac Electronics plc, working in partnership with local distributor Dreamsound Co Ltd, reports a series of installations in Korea. Four international musicals are currently being staged, with J-Type Live Production Consoles at the core of each show's sound system. In addition, Dreamsound has supplied Cadac's Digital Series Stage Rack (DSSR) to two major theatre installations - for the Sejong Center's Grand Theatre in Seoul and for the Grand Performance Hall at the Pohang Theatre.

Musical theatre has seen a significant rise in popularity across the region, with a resultant demand for high quality audio systems, as evidenced by Cadac's regional success. Mamma Mia! recently opened in its third Korean city, SeongNam, following the high profile Korean-language production of Disney's The Lion King, which opened last October in the Charlotte Theatre at LotteWorld

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South Africa - Even 15 years after the death of lead singer and consummate showman Freddie Mercury, fans still rank Queen as the greatest rock band of all time. For proof positive of their legacy, witness the overwhelming success of We Will Rock You, a musical based on their song catalogue that has proved a worldwide sensation.

Written by noted British author Ben Elton in conjunction with band members Brian May and Roger Taylor, We Will Rock You has sold over four million tickets in London, Tokyo, Moscow, and many other cities around the world in four years. Six main cast members backed by a sizable ensemble, a live band, huge sets that change in seconds, synched video, dozens of sound effects, over 200 lighting changes, and a long equipment list make the technical scope of this show mind-boggling.

Tickets were snatched up for the recent Johannesburg, South Afric

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USA - Demonstrating the system's ability to meet the needs of diverse concert artists, JBL Professional Vertec line arrays were deployed by leading rental company Sound Image for the 20th Annual Bridge School Benefit concert at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA. The Crown-powered system consisted of 52 Vertec VT4889 full-size line array elements and 24 VT4880 full-size arrayable subwoofers.

The Bridge School Benefit is an annual event organised by Neil Young in support of his Bridge School non-profit organisation. The Bridge School supports the development of assistive technology for individuals suffering from severe speech and physical impairments to enable full participation in their communities. As is the case each year, the event featured performances by a wide variety of high-profile artists. Norah Jones, Dave Matthews, Pearl Jam and Emmylou Harris were just a

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UK / Hong Kong - The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), one of the largest horse racing organisations in the world, has recently undergone an overhaul of the audio system in its plush executive suites. The extensive new system comprises seven Allen & Heath iDR-8 digital processing mixers, an iDR-switch, iDR-Out, and from the accompanying range of PL remote control units, six PL-10 rotary fader panels, four PL-9 connection hubs, and 40 PL-4 wall plates.

Horse racing is the most popular spectator sport in Hong Kong, and the Club is the only authorized operator of horse racing. The government-run organisation also offers betting on football matches held outside of Hong Kong. The HKJC also provides dining, social and recreation facilities to approximately 20,000 members.

Designed and installed by Eastern Acoustic Development (EAD), the new system has been installed to manage three exec

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UK - XL Video chose one of the highest profile live TV events of the year - the 2007 Brit Awards - to launch its new high definition PPU.

The newly commissioned PPU is based around a Grass Valley HD Kayak mixer and GV LDK 8000 HD cameras, three of which XL supplied for the Brits. 10 further HD feeds from broadcasters CTV were also fed into the XL system which was used for the live stage IMAG mix, cut by Chris Hilson.

This was beamed onto a striking heart shaped high resolution LED screen centre stage and another large landscape shaped screen on stage left, upstage of one of the two performance areas. Both screens were also supplied by XL, built from Lighthouse R16 modules.

XL's two project managers were Chris Saunders and Paul Wood. Saunders managed the control side of the show, while Wood did the same for the screen elements. Both worked closely with technical

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UK - Suitable for a wide variety of sound reinforcement applications, the Tannoy Di Series is a range of compact surface mount weather resistant loudspeakers offering premium performance and ease of install with style, says the company.

Equipped with Tannoy's point source, constant directivity drive unit technologies (Dual Concentric or ICT), Tannoy claims that the Di (designer installation) products deliver an acoustic performance of outstanding clarity, definition and detail with class leading vocal intelligibility. All models are full bandwidth loudspeakers and will satisfy a host of commercial, professional and residential applications where environment durability (both indoor and outdoor) and high quality sonic performance are required. Suitable for background or foreground music systems in applications as diverse as theme parks, retail premises, restaurants and café

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