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UK - The Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT), is sponsoring Performing Theatres, part of The Theatres' Trust Conference 07. Performing Theatres follows on from the successful 2006 ABTT Theatre, Architecture and Engineering Conference and develops the need for there to be a stronger profile for users in setting out requirements for building and refurbishing theatres.

Raising issues about how best to maximise theatre design in the 21st Century, the Performing Theatres Conference is chaired by Ian Brown, artistic director, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Genista McIntosh and Venu Dhupa, director of creative innovation, Southbank Centre. The one day event promises to offer a lively and wide-ranging debate on how the design of theatres will meet our needs in the 2

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Hong Kong - Following the 64PXL panel series, Traxon Technologies has released modular elements in compact 25 x 25cm size with 16 individually controllable pixels with which architects, lighting designers and consultants can create their own lighting scenarios and installations. The lighting effect created by the 16PXL Board and Module with their wide beam angle of 120 degrees provides intricate colour changing patterns, graphical displays, scroll texts and logos, says the company.

Installed behind semi-frosted surfaces, the Board unfolds its full potential, while the Module is designed for direct view applications and features a protective housing that allows for a variety design inlays. The 16 pixel Board and Module can be easily installed on almost any surface including walls, ceilings and ground surfaces.

The Quick Clip Mounting System ensures fast mounting and demounting,

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UK - The concrete is dry, the first crowds have walked the terraces, and just after Easter it was time to test the sound. "When we were approached to test the house sound facilities at the new Wembley Stadium in conjunction with a concert system set-up, we were of course delighted," said Mike Lowe of Britannia Row Productions Ltd. "We expect to be servicing many shows here over the coming months and years, so the opportunity to be the first to get a real feel for the building was not to be missed."

Over three days (11-13 April) Britannia Row crews rigged the stadium for 'end on' and 'side on' concert configurations. "We rigged an EV Xline system off 15 metre SmarTmasts from Summit Steel as for a main stage system, and then added Outline Butterfly delays off 11 metre masts out in the field. The system was then linked into the house EAW installed system an

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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 - HSL pulled out all the stops to deliver in excess of 700 Pulsar Chroma Heart LED fixtures to illuminate the set of the new ITV games show Golden Balls for LD Tom Kinane.

Golden Balls is an Initial-produced 40-part series being recorded in TV6 at the BBC's Wood Lane Studios. It is directed by Simon Stafford and Julian Smith and aired daily during the 5-6pm prime time slot on ITV1. Presented by veteran comedian Jasper Carrot, it is a game of luck, intuition and barefaced bluff as four contestants battle it out to win - or loose - thousands of pounds.

HSL's project manager Sean McGlone comments, "We already had 150 Chroma Hearts in stock and allocated for this project, and then at the last minute, it was decided to increase the level to over 700 units. Rising to the challenge, Sean decided to purchase the additional 600 units and Pulsar decided they were g

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USA - ETC has released version 4.3 of the control software for the Congo and Congo jr lighting control consoles. This software update is mainly designed to provide system features such as multi-user operation and support for streaming ACN, the new lightweight single-direction protocol used to transmit whole DMX universes over Ethernet.

Many other smaller improvements have also been made. The update also allows Congo Offline Editor and Congo Client PC to run in a standard Windows frame. This makes it possible for the application to run on lower spec computers.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - Pro audio manufacturer, Allen & Heath, will be introducing a fourth control surface to the iLive digital mixing console system, joining the existing iLive-122, iLive-144 and iLive-176 at the forthcoming ABTT show.

Designed for smaller venues, the new iLive-80 is the smallest in the range of control surfaces, providing 80 control strips grouped in two sections each with four banks, with an LCD display above each fader for labelling and colour-coding. The channel controls for preamp, filter and EQ are laid out across the top of the surface, while a colour LCD touch screen presents a graphical view of the processing and access to the automation and set up screens.

Also new to the show is the WZ³12M monitor mixer, a rackmount/desktop console which combines the design principles of the industry-standard MixWizard Series with many modern monitor facilities, implemented in the

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Italy - FBT has announced the launch of the new HiMaxX series of professional powered polypropylene moulded speaker systems.

The HiMaxX40a is a 2-way, professional powered polypropylene moulded speaker system featuring: built-in 500W rms power amplifier in Class D (PWM technology) for the LF woofer; built-in 150W rms power amplifier in Class G for the HF compression driver; +4dB (measured at 1mt with music signal) increase, thanks to the higher power, to a woofer granting a lower power compression and to a more sophisticated limiting circuit.

Also key to the series is a new FBT proprietary 12" neodymium magnet woofer. B&C custom made, it has a more efficient ventilation system resulting in a 1.5dB reduction of power compression and a more rigid cone for increased reliability and sensitivity. The internal coil has 75mm (3") diameter for greater power handling and reli

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Canada - To maximize support, shorten lead times and improve price competitiveness in the European market, Adamson Systems Engineering is announcing a new European support and sales structure.

As of 1 April 2007, Adamson is implementing factory direct sales to distributors, and countries without established distribution, throughout Europe. Previously, France based DV2 managed all EU territories, but now maintains distribution duties for France and Belgium exclusively. DV2 will continue to contribute as a key partner to the overall support throughout Europe.

Countries with established distribution are France & Belgium (DV2), Spain (Lambda/2), Italy (Reference Laboratory), The Netherlands (Sound & Light Import), Denmark (Nordic Rentals), Czech Republic (Mediatech Spol.sr.o.), Greece & Cyprus (Enttech S.A.) and Russia (I.S.P.A.).

Adamson has retained Andy Weingärtner in the ch

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UK - Sitting quietly in Bristol harbour, one of the UK's most quirky - and in some ways historic - venues has recently had a sound and lighting makeover, including the installation of a major Turbosound loudspeaker system.

Owned by DHP, the Motor Vessel (MV) Thekla gained notoriety in the 1980s as The Old Profanity Showboat, run by well-known eccentric and former Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band main man Vivian Stanshall.

The makeover includes a complete new lighting and sound rig, supplied by Stage Electrics. The hold is still the main performance area, which sees six Turbosound QLight TQ-445 full range enclosures, four TQ-425 bass units and two TSB-118 subs installed, controlled by two LMS-D24 digital controllers and driven by Turbosound-badged MC amplifiers.

On stage six Turbosound TXD-15M wedges are used for foldback, while the bar area in the main room also sports four QLight TQ-

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Europe - UK-based wireless specialists dAFTdATA, Belgium-based Luminex, manufacturers of Art-Net products, leading UK rental company Essential Lighting and French equipment distributor Sonoss, all joined forces to send the first "eDMX" wireless DMX signals across the Channel from France to England, as reported in the latest issue of Lighting&Sound International.

The link up took place on 15 March between Cap Gris Nez, west of Calais in France, and the White Cliffs of Dover in the UK. The distance covered was, according to GPS, 20.82 miles/ - believed to be the world's longest ever wireless DMX signal transmission to date.

The experiment germinated from a meeting between dAFTdATA and Luminex at LSI's wireless 'shootout' in 2006. Discussions ensued which resulted in them working together to produce systems that tal

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Latvia - GaCo is one of the oldest sound, light and stage rental companies in Latvia. Recently it celebrated its 10th anniversary. For the birthday show with 150 guests, lighting designer Maris Meness used one grandMA light, grandMA video and three MA mediaPC servers.

The main idea of the event was to bring together all customers, partners and producers to celebrate together and to show how the company has grown in the past years.

The grandMA light and the MA mediaPCs were used to display logos, bitmap effects etc. on five screens: "It was a good chance to show to Latvian entertainment people what you can do with a grandMA," said Maris Meness.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - Fuzion plc has announced a series of regular, affordable training courses through May, June and July on the latest Compulite consoles, Dlite and Vector.

The course includes both introductory and advanced levels, with topics covering media-server connectivity between Hippotizer and Catalyst, LED matrix programming, Timecode programming with MIDI and SMPTE, and Networking awareness.

All courses will take place at Fuzion's offices in Walton-on-Thames, and run from 10am to 5pm (including lunch with refreshments). The courses are already booking fast and have limited spaces, says Fusion.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - Leisuretec Distribution and Global Design Solutions (GDS) are coming together at ABTT to showcase the Blues System.

GDS will also be showcasing its new i Stage Managers Desk which was manufactured for the Royal Welsh College of Music Drama and Art in 2006, since then the company has supplied three more desks for major UK venues and are working closely with both the British and Irish Stage Managers Association for both consultation and advice.

(Jim Evans)

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Denmark - Martin Professional is introducing two new foggers in its expanding Magnum range of durable fog machines. Tough enough to meet the demands of any nightclub or special event, and ideal for DJs and performers of all types, the Magnum 1200 and Magnum 1800 foggers feature an all new, sleek design, says the company.

Features include a remote control storage compartment, rugged aluminum handle, easy accessibility for quick service, and large fluid containers for long runs. Also included is a new timer remote control to accurately set both fog output and on and off timing.

Soft start electronics give a smooth, low-noise output at the low end while operation is continuous at reduced output levels. Both machines are also daisy chain capable. A lid-up fluid container is included to easily view low fluid levels even when the machine is placed in a dark corner.

Featuring the p

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UK - As the UK distributor of HME's range of advanced wireless intercom products, Orbital Sound reports that it has recently been awarded HME's Outstanding Distribution Award for the second time. Orbital earned the award by continuing to deliver the DX wireless intercom series, which comprises the DX 200 and DX 100, to the UK's broadcast, live performance and installed sound markets.

Recent organisations that have embraced the DX200 system include The Royal Court Theatre, Scottish Opera, Queens Theatre Hornchurch, Grand Theatre Wolverhampton, Royal Welsh College of Music & Dance and Hull Truck Theatre Company.

HME's sales director John Kowalski comments, "Orbital Sound followed up 2005 with such an amazing performance in 2006. HME systems can be found throughout the live performance and broadcast markets in the UK and Orbital Sound is behind this. We're proud to be associ

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USA - Despite the dizzying success and exploding fan base of Arcade Fire over the last year, their current Neon Bible Tour has the remarkable feel of a very intimate show, say observers. Lighting designer Paul Normandale put together a stage design that kept things slightly less assuming, but just as bold and entertaining as the band's theatrical performances. Using a mix of Martin moving lights, LEDs and some projection, the show achieves a powerful, energetic feel that is at the same time close and informal.

"There is a real emphasis on the band's performance," says Normandale. "It is definitely not an R&R show." Having specified MAC 700 Profiles on several recent projects, he chose them again as the main spot for his lighting design, while the MAC 250 Wash served as the foundation of dynamic colour on the band and background.

He continues, "W

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UK - A Radical Lighting RADlite NG1 digital media server is in action on the current Australian Pink Floyd UK arena tour which has just kicked off again with a completely new design for 2007. The RADlite is being used for soft-edging and masking images, movies and effects being projected onto a 60ft wide upstage arched surface with a 5m diameter circular truss hung in front of it.

Lighting director Phil White and show projectionist Chris Gadd were instrumental in getting RADlite specified for the tour, having used the system before and knowing that lighting and video supplier Entec has also invested in RADlite systems.

Visuals are looked after during the show by Gadd, along with White and video aficionado Richard Hutton. These three are joined by super-tech Simon 'Boff' Howarth, another Entec regular, and rigger Danny Spratt. Lighting has again been designed by Dave Hill, who

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Japan - The second Midas XL8 live performance system to be sold in Japan has been delivered to PA company Zero-db by EVI Audio Japan.

Established in 1997, Zero-db has become well-known for its application of innovative solutions to the live music scene in Japan. The company has invested heavily in Midas technology over the past decade, with analogue consoles including XL3, XL250 and Heritage featuring on its inventory.

"When we heard that Midas was to launch its digital console, I instantly decided to add it to our rental stock," says Zero-db president Mr Shunji Izawa. "As I've been using Midas products for a long time, I was assured of its ease of use and reliability of operation. Perhaps most importantly, we also know we can rely on the Midas philosophy towards concert sound and the audio quality we've come to enjoy from their consoles."

EVI Audio Japan

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UK - When the award winning team at ElectricFly Productions took on the task of designing the UK and European leg of Jarvis Cocker's new tour, they turned to Maxedia as the digital media server for the job. Using the artwork on Cocker's latest album Jarvis as the foundation for the stage design, Nick Jevons created a rig, rich in LEDs and deep in novelty.

Most of the early design was created on Martin Show Designer, back in the ElectricFly studios. This was then manipulated and pixel mapped using Maxedia.

"As we did all the programming in the office, when I got out on site it was all there, I just had to tweak it a bit," says Jevons. "When we got it up and running at the first venue of the tour, we realised it was too tight a fit, so using the Maxedia I was able to do some quick pixel mapping and reconfigured the graphics in just ten minutes. The show sti

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USA - Bandit Lites provided lighting for the first annual 'Volscars', an awards banquet for The University of Tennessee's athletic departments. Lighting director Will Twork used a combination of Martin MAC 2 Ks, 600s and 500s, High End Cyberlights and Coemar LED pars and ETC Source Fours to light the event, all controlled by a Whole Hog II.

Twork said that the vibe he was going for was similar to that of the Oscars or Grammy Award Shows. He designed a warm look for the awards section of the evening and a cooler look for the dinner. MAC 500s and 600s were projected on the ceiling to provide backlight for the room.

Martin MAC 2000 Performances were used to animate triangle-like structures covered in white fabric, which were placed on either side of the video screens.

In transition between gigs with Brian Wilson's world tour and lenny Kravitz, Twork says, "I am very thankf

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UK - Christie's working relationship with the Harrods brand has been extended with the installation of an LX66A 6500 ANSI lumen digital projector in the Harrods Estates office in Mayfair.

The system integrators were London-based Handy AV, who in just five years have built up an extensive portfolio of clients in their specialist areas of providing a complete systems approach to corporate and retail. Their product supply ranges from their specialist own-branded HandySCREEN and interactive HandyTOUCH displays (such as those showcased at the Hayward Gallery on London's South Bank) as well as mainstream A/V utilities.

Christie's long association with Harrods extends back to the Peter Pan window display during Christmas 2003, which was followed up with the permanent installation of two Christie S+16K 16,0000 lumen DLP projectors, firing onto a vast 4.7 x 3.5m portrait canvas

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