Details
UK - Wireless Solution Sweden is to launch Wireless University, an ongoing series of presentations and hands on demonstrations aimed at educating the industry on the technology and benefits of wireless DMX, at PLASA 07.

The programme kicks off at PLASA with a special seminar titled Wireless Control Technology held on Monday, 10 September from 10:30am to 12:00pm.

The series of technical sessions will continue at LDI in November and throughout 2008 in all major exhibitions worldwide, says the company. Two kinds of courses will be offered: A general overview and a more technical course, with completion earning a 'diploma', certifying the holder as a master Wireless DMX technician, available for on-site support.

In addition, Wireless Solution will host Road Shows and Open H

Details
USA - Disney's High School Musical which started as a Disney Channel TV movie in January 2006 has turned into a global phenomenon. A story of personal empowerment and the pursuit of song and dance dreams in the face of high school peer pressure and cliquey disapproval, kids the world over are interested in musical theatre like never before thanks to High School Musical. The DVD and soundtrack have left millions of fans hungry for more, and a sequel and big-budget movie are in the works.

Disney is also taking High School Musical to the next level via a partnership with the NAMM Foundation that will extend the reach of the show through a public affairs initiative, communicating the vital role of personal creativity, expression and music education to millions.

NAMM's work with Disney includes the development of a public advocacy campaign that will draw content from

Details
International - The first digital edition of Lighting&Sound International magazine goes live today, on the eve of the 2007 PLASA Show.

Timed to coincide with both the PLASA 07 and the re-launch of the popular LSI Online website, L&SI's digital edition will offer an easily navigable and fully searchable on-screen version of the familiar magazine, accessible for subscribers anywhere there is Internet access, as soon as the magazine is published.

The digital edition will allow PLASA Media to significantly increase the global circulation of Lighting&Sound International magazine.

Available free to industry professionals worldwide, the digital edition will boost readership, particularly in developing markets where the cost of subscriptions has previously been an obstacle, and equally in far-flung territories where

featured content

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

Details
UK - Robe Show Lighting is launching two new software packages - Media Fusion and Media Fusion Qube Control. Both products are the latest additions to Robe's versatile Digital Series product line.

Media Fusion software is designed for lighting designers wanting to mix images and video clips in the same way as they handle their lighting visualisations and setup.

Media Fusion's powerful features include video playback, looping and processing from a library of 60 realtime video effects on up to 8 layers. The Media Library can contain up to 61,200 visuals including a folder for video inputs or external camera feeds. All the parameters - like visual selection, positioning, mapping, tiling, blending and masking, effects selection, etc - are accessible via DMX using ROBE's Dream Box device.

Media Fusion Qube Control software builds on Media Fusion, and has been specifically develop

Details
Italy / UK - The DGlink digital audio distribution system manufactured by Rome-based Link s.r.l, is a true modular touring grade distribution system for live sound applications, the company says. DGLink offers a system that can substitute, or integrate with, traditional audio distribution (analogue and digital) during live applications, utilizing one, or potentially multiple, digital standards over Cat 5 or 6 cables.

DGlink's flexible control scheme supports multiple industry standard digital transport protocols, maintains a modular system (with respect to inputs/outputs, digital/analog 19" panels), and may be mounted in custom stage boxes and installation panels.

Link says the current model offers up to 64 mic/line level inputs (microphone, phantom, polarity and gain setting) and up to 64 line outputs (foldback), supports 48 kHz/24-bit audio, offers remote control of all

Details
UK - Sensoft is the operating system at the heart of all InnovaSON digital mixing consoles. The latest version, released at the end of June 2007, is Sensoft 11.1, which will be shown in public for the first time at PLASA 2007.

The release of Sensoft 11.1 coincides with the launch of InnovaSON's new universal output module, the UM-8PO which combines analogue and digital outputs, all boasting their own 31-band graphic EQs, parametric EQ, compressor/limiter, gate/expander.

Sensoft 11.1, which is delivered with the UM8-PO, enables full management of the 31-band graphics in addition to the management of up to four DioCores (InnovaSON's EtherSound-enabled stage box) enabling the dispatch of I/O resources over five remote audio racks (four DioCores plus a Stage Box). Another key feature of Sensoft 11.1 is that the firmware allows you to connect a DioAV interface to the console, provi

Details
USA - As many music fans, historians and Baby Boomers celebrated the 40th anniversary of 'The Summer of Love', high-profile concert events across America made 2007 'The Summer of Aviom', suggests the company. Aviom's personal monitor mixing system and digital snakes have found a niche among musicians and live sound professionals working the summer's biggest music events the world over.

Trevor Lawrence, Jr. used his custom Aviom monitor rig on stage while playing drums with Alicia Keys at the Live Earth concert in New Jersey. Meanwhile, in the cradle of American independence, Philadelphia, hometown heroes Hall & Oates treated the rain-soaked 4th of July crowd with an outstanding 90-minute performance of their greatest hits. Broadcast live on ABC television, the whole band used Aviom personal mixers for their monitors.

Summer concerts in the park are becoming more popular throug

Details
UK - Smoke Factory of Hannover, Germany, has been regarded as an "innovator in fog" for almost 20 years. Their first appearance at the PLASA Show was in 1990, followed by hundreds of successful UK installations, from major West End musicals to the Imperial War Museum.

Florian von Hofen, owner of Smoke Factory, comes from a practical special effects and touring background himself and as a result has always concentrated on developing equipment for live and touring professionals. Many of his innovations have become features of fog machines today: transportability, 0-10V control, radio remote control, DMX interfacing, flow control and "permanent ready" function to name a few.

In its home market Smoke Factory machines are an industry standard to any rental company. Europe's largest rental company, Procon, has recently standardised on 'Captain D' as its fogger of

Details
UK - A seminar chaired by Mhora Samuel, director of The Theatres Trust, will highlight what leading theatre owners are doing to limit the carbon footprint of their venues - and what the industry can do to help. The seminar will take place at the forthcoming PLASA Show in London.

Following the Kyoto Protocol, the UK Government set a goal for CO2 emission reductions at 20% below the 1990 level by 2010. With the Climate Change Act due to be in place by Easter 2008 all businesses are being asked to play their part. Many theatres are aware that reducing emissions also helps to reduce their energy bills and are taking action now.

At this seminar, organised by The Theatres Trust, Dr Ben Todd, executive director of Arcola Theatre and Natalie Lewis, group operations co-ordinator of Ambassador Theatre Group, will talk about their plans to reduce CO2 emissions in their theatres and what

Details
UK - Draping and stage machinery specialists J&C Joel has designed, manufactured and fitted 42 acoustic elements into London's newly refurbished Royal Festival Hall.

The project includes the supply of four concertina banners and 38 acoustic roller blinds, plus ten chain driven tapestry tracks to which the Hall's famous Hilary Bourne designed tapestries have been re-attached following restoration. The movement of all these elements is integrated into the Stage Technologies automation control system.

Acoustic consultants Kirkegaard Associates were responsible for transforming the room acoustics into a perfect environment for staging world class events of all types and productions of all sizes, and they specified all the various treatments. Getting the acoustics right was a major part of the whole refurbishment scheme, and the overall project was led by architects Allies and Morr

Details
UK - The last 12 months have been a busy and prolific period for French digital mixing console manufacturer Innovason. Several products have made their debut this year, all of which bring new functionality to the Innovason digital mixing experience.

The most important development is the FM-8VB 8-in/8-out plug-in effects module offering 32 effects engines. Compatible with all Innovason audio racks, the new module will ship in December. For more information, please see separate press release.

Further processing capability comes in the form of the UM-8PO universal output module. Replacing all previous output modules from Innovason, the UM-8PO combines analogue and digital processed outputs for the first time ever in any digital mixing console. Equipped with eight XLR outputs that are configurable (in pairs) as analogue, AES or even ADAT, each output benefits from a powerful and c

Details
UK - The appointment of Beyer UK as exclusive UK distributor for MC2 Audio products has been announced at PLASA07. This major change to UK distribution has come about as part of MC2's ongoing appraisal of business performance and aligns MC2 Audio distribution with that of sister company, XTA Electronics.

Beyer UK has a long history in the pro audio industry and counts many brands that are considered to be 'industry standards' within its product portfolio. The company mission is to supply audio and video equipment, sourced from some of the world's leading manufactures, to the live, installation, recording and broadcast segments of the market as well as specialist products for the conference sector.

A combination of system design expertise, depth of product knowledge provided by their specialist product managers and full technical support, all adds up to Beyer UK being well qual

Details
UK - Lab.gruppen outlined at PLASA07, the benefits of its new association with Dolby Laboratories Inc.

The new product - the first fruit of the technology collaboration between the two companies that was announced last October - is a sound engineering tool which offers "far more than the sum of its parts", in the words of Lab.gruppen's Tim Chapman. A potent mix of existing and new technologies, it also supports a new audio networking standard which promises extreme low-latency Ethernet distribution.

The product is the PLM10000Q - the first in a series of Powered Loudspeaker Management systems - which combines the functions of crossover, delay, equalization, limiting and power amplification in one box, along with a host of new features.

The Dolby Lake Processor, the first live sound tool released by Dolby, was launched at PLASA last year, where it collected a PLASA

Details
UK - Bandit Lites UK supplied full lighting production and crew for the first three-day Fantasy Island 'Big Weekend' event, staged at one of Britain's best known holiday destinations, Skegness. Bandit was again working with event producers Production North.

Bandit Chief Executive, Lester Cobrin says, "It's always exciting and challenging to be involved in a completely new project, and naturally it was great to be working with Iain Whitehead and the Production North team again."

Bandit charged Dave Lee with ensuring that the three headline acts - Status Quo (LD Patrick Marks), Girls Aloud (LD Andy Hurst) and The Human League (LD & Visuals Rob Sinclair) - had their lighting requirements satisfied.

"The rig was based around Girls Aloud's arena tour spec," explains Lee, "which offered extremely good general stage coverage plus a selection of well chosen

Details
UK - Stagesafe, the event safety consultancy set up 10 years ago by Chris Hannam, has introduced a new Event Safety Vehicle, based on a 4x4 Jeep Cherokee, that besides serving as a patrol vehicle for event safety staff during festivals and events, is also designed for use as a rapid response vehicle in emergency situations.

Says Hannam: "The specially equipped vehicle can be called in instantly by radio to a hazardous situation that can then be evacuated, cleared, contained and made as safe as possible until the full support of the emergency services arrive. Following the emergency, safety staff can then deal with the aftermath and conduct an investigation designed to prevent further or similar incidents."

The new vehicle is, he says, designed to protect organisers, staff, audience and performers, adding that it can also be used to transport emergency crews, equipmen

Details
UK Behringer and Infinium Technologies have confirmed the signing of a deal to use Infinium's patented contact-free fader technology in future Behringer DJ products.

Infinium and Behringer have been co-developing a new 45mm optical and contact-free fader which meets "the highest demands in terms of quality, feel and especially longevity". The new fader will be used in a series of Behringer DJ mixers scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2008.

Uli Behringer, chairman and R&D director commented, "We are very excited to cooperate with Infinium, as we believe we have found the perfect technology to match our new high-end DJ mixers. A 'wear and tear-free' fader is crucial for DJs and adds tremendous value to our products."

René Moolenaar, business development director of Infinium Technologies noted, "This partnership is another important mi

Details
UK - Sennheiser UK confirmed at a press conference at PLASA07 that it is now the sole UK distributor for Italian high-end pro audio amplifier manufacturer Powersoft.

"We're delighted to add Powersoft to our portfolio of brands," explained Sennheiser UK general manager, Philip Massey. "Having spoken to many end-users over the past few months, Powersoft's reputation for versatility, sonic excellence and reliability is well deserved. This is an important partnership for us and we're very much looking forward to increasing the brand's profile over the coming years. Naturally, this is a great time for live music in the UK, but we're also assessing the potential for the brand in the Middle East."

"We are extremely proud to have signed this agreement," confirms Powersoft's commercial director Luciano Ciappi. "We think that Sennheiser UK can help us

Details
UK - Allen & Heath chose PLASA07 to launch a new range of small format, USB-equipped mixers for live performance, recording, and production. The first mixer to appear in the range is the ZED-14 stereo mixer, which provides 13 independent sources to the mix; 10 independent outputs; 2 pre-fade and 2 post-fade aux sends; a USB send and return for PC or Mac recording, playback and effects; a unique dual stereo input capability; and advanced monitoring facilities.

The ZED-14 has 6 mono channels with a responsive 3-band, swept mid-channel EQ, and 4 stereo channels with a 2-band EQ, in 100mm faders. In addition to the twin TRS jack inputs, flexible dual input options include Stereo RTN on RCA, 2TRK on RCA, and USB interface are provided to enable the engineer to control and route any source.

The ZED-14 features a high performance preamp designed by R&D manager, Mike Griffin. The Duo

Details
UK - The festival season continued apace for Adlib Audio, who supplied JBL VerTec and Nexo Alpha sound systems plus 18 crew to the NME/Radio 1 stage and the Radio 1 Lock Up stage/Dance Arena at both Reading and Leeds sites of the 2007 Carling Weekend event. This follows hot on the heels from their successful supply of sound and lights to the Virgin Mobile Sessions Stage at the V Festival two weeks previously.

Adlib was asked onboard for Reading/Leeds by Chris Beale of CBA who provided an audio brief and a list of specs for all the different bands. Adlib ensured they specified kit to meet everyone's requirements, and repeated the formula that worked so well at the V Festival of supplying identical systems for both stages at both sites.

One of the biggest challenges of the event was the short changeover times on the high profile NME/Radio 1 stage - most had to be completed in j

Details
UK - Meyer Sound has announced the new self-powered MM-4XP miniature loudspeaker - a tiny product, just four inches square, which is certain to garner a very big response from sound professionals who deal with jobs involving space limitations. The MM-4XP miniature loudspeaker is the long-awaited self-powered version of the MM-4 miniature wide-range loudspeaker, another Meyer Sound innovation that has become one of its most popular products.

The MM-4XP contains all amplification and corrective processing onboard, and receives 48V DC from an external power supply on a five-pin EN3 connector that also carries balanced audio. The Switchcraft EN3 connector has been successfully used on the weather-protected version of the MM-4 for years, and offers the dual advantages of small size and excellent protection against adverse environmental conditions, facilitating use of the MM-4XP in ou

Details
UK - ELC Lighting held a triple celebration on the White Light stand today to mark its 10th anniversary.

Introduced by White Light Sales Director, Peter Threadgold, Silvio Cibien of ELC Lighting made a series of presentations. The first was to Stuart Lodge of Wimbledon High School who received an ELC focusBRAIN wireless remote control system on the school's behalf. This system was registered as the 2007th remote control to be produced by ELC and, to mark the occasion, ELC took the school's original order for an ELC focusHAND unit and upgraded it to the more advanced ELC focusBRAIN.

The school had chosen the focusHAND on the recommendation of White Light because of the ease of use, stable and robust construction and the fact it can work with any lighting control system. "When we found we were to be given a focusBRAIN instead, with all its additional features, we couldn't b

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