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Australia - The Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts is a cutting-edge venue which incorporates a 300-seat performance space, modern art gallery, a screening room and multifunctional rehearsal spaces. In 2007 the main foyer of the centre underwent a major facelift with the installation of colour changing fixtures and a comprehensive control solution.

Lighting technician and operator Keith Clark has been with the centre for four years and was instrumental in the refurbishment and comments: "Originally we had fluorescent down lights and the atmosphere was cold and stark. We wanted to make the foyer more colourful and to represent the shows that were going on inside, so that the whole 'theatre experience' begins the moment you enter the lobby."

Steering the whole lig

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UK - Entertainment lighting supplier White Light recently harboured a bunch of fugitives on the run from the Police - the 30 people were quickly recognised as respected television lighting directors, but fortunately they were only at White Light after escaping from the fictional Police of television series The Bill, filmed around the corner from White Light's base in Wimbledon, south-west London.

The visit was part of a joint day out organised by the Society of Television Lighting Directors (STLD). This saw the LDs visit the busy working studio of The Bill in the morning, to look at the techniques and technology used to light a realistic drama on the hectic schedule demanded by a show that is broadcast twice weekly, year round in a tour organised and hosted by The Bill's John O'Brien. After touring the various set inside and outside the studio - offices, cel

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Singapore - Broadcast Solutions selected Allen & Heath's iLive digital system - comprising an iDR10 mix rack with iLive-176 control surface - to manage audio requirements at the recent Barclays Open golf championship, held at the Sentosa luxury island resort last month.

Australian freelance sound engineer, Rob Hornbuckle, was appointed by the event's AV organisers, World Sport Group, to engineer the broadcast audio for the tournament, which was broadcast live on ESPNStar Sport.

"Rob was already comfortably configuring and mixing with iLive before the arrival of our engineers who were supposed to be there to help in the set up," says Bock Thye from Sindo Exports, Allen & Heath's distributor in Singapore and Malaysia, who, along with representatives from their associate company, PT Santika from Allen & Heath's Indonesian distributor, were on hand to provide technical s

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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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South Africa - The hit game show Deal or No Deal has proved to be very popular around the world and has now made its way onto South African television. Lighting plays an important part in setting the ambience for the show, and the production team used ETC equipment to create many of the signature effects.

Unlike the UK show, which features 22 contestants opening the sealed boxes, the South African production has 26 boxes opened by hostesses. Lighting designer Angus Clarke uses approximately 60 moving lights of various types plus 26 ETC Source Four 19º luminaires as profile spots for the hostesses on stage, as well as some Source Four 10º around the perimeter of the stage to create a 'light curtain' in conjunction with some haze machines.

Clarke also uses ETC systems to handle the lighting control, including the compact SmartFade desk for supplemental control, such as

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UK - FocusTrack, the production lighting documentation system already in use on a wide range of shows around the world, has announced the launch of its new on-line support and discussion forums.

Available now through the FocusTrack website at www.focustrack.co.uk/forums, the forums are designed to give FocusTrack users a place to find information, ask questions or offer comments about using the FocusTrack software.

Since its launch in 2005, FocusTrack has been used to document a number of high-profile theatrical productions around the world, including Billy Elliot in London and now in Australia, Mary Poppins, Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, Never Forget, Rock 'n' Roll, Guys and Dolls and Young Frankenstein.

FocusTrack is also in use in a number of theatres that have to document shows that tour or play in rep, includ

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UK - Plus 4 Audio used its new L-Acoustics Kiva system for the main front of house arrays at the recent National Television Awards ceremony held at the Royal Albert Hall. Broadcast live on National TV, the annual event commemorated the most prestigious annual awards for both the stars and programmes alike.

Plus 4 used a total of 32 Kiva split into two arrays of 16 cabinets each, while 24 dV-Dosc in two arrays of 12 took care of the left and right out-fills. A further 4 SB118 subs were utilised for low end reinforcement All the amplification was derived from a mixture of the new L-Aacoustics LA4 and LA8 Controllers.

Stew Chaney, MD of Plus 4 comments: "Sight lines were very tight on this show so we needed the smallest possible system to cover the Royal Albert Hall. I used Soundvision to appraise the system coverage and was really surprised to find that the SPL and coverage

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Italy - Cardito, a town with a population of approximately 20,600 on the outskirts of Naples, recently hosted the launch of Max & Play. The venue takes its name from the owner, Massimo De Vita, a young man who has overcome the problem of impaired sight, becoming a multi-instrumentalist with his group, the Dioniso Folk Band.

Max & Play puts a live room at the disposal of emerging local musicians, with a layout that varies according to the evening (with or without tables and chairs), plus adjacent kitchen facilities and bar. As well as a Yamaha sound system, the stage is equipped with a complete backline and the venue also includes a control room and three recording rooms, one of which can also be used for rehearsals. There's also a welcoming outdoor 'relax' zone, complete with fountains, pools, sunshades and tables.

Max & Play was designed by Massimo's father, who studied archi

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Monaco - A visually stunning 190sq.m of Martin LC Series LED panels were incorporated into the stage set at the 2007 World Music Awards held on 4 November at the Monte Carlo Sporting Club in Monaco.

Hosted by Julian McMahon, the 19th edition of the World Music Awards featured performances by some of the world's top recording artists; Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne, Rihanna and Akon among them.

Ninety-two Martin LC 2140 LED panels were used for set decoration, graphics/text projection and colour accompaniment around a large main stage and side stages. An additional 12 LC panels were located in the audience. According to AED Rent, supplier of the panels, the Martin LC Series was chosen for its light weight and transparency not to mention the fact that there was a large amount available.

Video designer for the show was Dean Price who used five Martin Maxedia HD media servers to pro

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The Netherlands - Audica Professional is making its first showing at an ISE trade show in 2008 (Amsterdam, 29-31 January). On display will be the company's complete range of MICROseries electronics, loudspeakers and accessories.

The Audica MICROseries system is designed for background music in applications such as retail outlets, restaurants, bars and public areas and for AV systems in boardrooms, meeting facilities, museums and galleries, visitor centres and hotel guest rooms.

Established in late 2006, Audica Professional is already distributed in 27 countries and is looking to ISE to further expand its sales and distribution. Sales director, Derek West, comments, "Our first full year of operation has exceeded our very best expectations. We have already exhibited at PLASA, ProLight+Sound, PALME and PALM and we see ISE as a key exhibition to add for 2008. Its focus and in

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Singapore - Spektra Electronics has recently completed a number of audio system upgrades at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel in Singapore, using a variety of Community loudspeaker solutions. Situated next to the historic Singapore River and close to the Central Business District and Orchard Road, the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel is one of Asia's premier choices for 5-star accommodation with 550 lavish rooms and award-winning restaurants.

The original audio systems had been installed by Spektra Electronics when the hotel was built and the company was again appointed to handle the upgrade by the hotel's chief engineer, Mr. Leo Hee Swee. The systems for upgrading covered the piano bar/lobby, coffee house and outdoor dining areas. The brief specified a significant improvement in music quality throughout, with and a particular emphasis on system power and speech intelligibili

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Denmark - No stranger to the principles of Source Oriented Reinforcement (SOR), Karsten Wolstad, one of Det Kongelige Teater's principal sound designers, has employed Out Board's TiMax delay matrix and showcontrol software at the heart of the theatre's new playhouse sound system. The main design objective was to maximise dramatic impact by optimising localisation of amplified voices and effects throughout even the largest performances on the vast main stage.

Wolstad and sound design colleague Jonas Vest worked closely with Out Board's Robin Whittaker to create an SOR-based sound system design to supply unobtrusive and subtle amplification with accurate audio image localisation and hence good intelligibility for all audience members.

Two rows of five d&b horn-loaded full-range cabinets provide the main reinforcement to the circular auditorium, supported by Tannoy NXT flat panel

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Brazil - Held at São Paulo's Morumbi Stadium on 21 November, the 2010 World Cup qualifying game between South American soccer heavyweights Brazil and Uruguay sounded superb, thanks to an Electro-Voice sound reinforcement system deployed by the Tukasom Company.

The São Paulo Symphony Orchestra (OSESP) performed the Brazilian and Uruguayan national anthems before the game, while DJ sets in between the soccer action made the stadium a massive party zone. Tukasom set up more than 50 microphones to capture the orchestra, reinforced via a distribution of cart-loaded EV XLC line arrays, powered by P3000RL remote-control amplifiers running IRIS-Net software. A Midas XL4 was at FOH.

"The fans loved the sound system performance," says Antonio Pereira Neto of EV's Brazilian distributor Teleponto. "Tukasom's system design was excellent; the high quality audio made a very

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UK - XL Video is supplying over 200sq.m of Stealth screen, six cameras, 70 lens, a Kayak HD PPU, eight new Barco FLM18 HD projectors, three Hippotizer digital media servers, a 3m diameter Mi Pix globe, plus crew for Take That's Beautiful World tour.

Video is a core aesthetic element of the show which is production designed by Ray Winkler of Stufish, who worked closely with the show's artistic director Kim Gavin.

The tour is being project managed for XL by Des Fallon who comments: "It's great to be involved in one of the most ambitious tours on the road this autumn, and with Chris Vaughan and his team once again on my seventh Take That tour. The multi-layered video looks stunning and results from an innovative fusion of creative and technical ideas."

The 1237 tiles of Stealth are hung in seven columns and primarily receive time-coded playback footage output f

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UK - Up-and-coming PA rental company Eclipse Sound & Light has made a major investment in a new line-array sound system, bringing the marques of Electro-Voice and Midas to East Anglia in south-east England.

"The new equipment made an impact from the day it arrived," says Eclipse's MD Andy Collins, "we're definitely the big boys in town now."

Eclipse, headquartered in Ipswich, is a company that has grown out of Andy Collins' journey through all aspects of the sound business - from retailing, to DJ-ing, to providing small PA rigs for local bands and weddings. "We accrued such a lot of equipment that it was easier to expand into a bona fide rental company." Eclipse was founded in 2003, and has grown steadily in its local market, building a reputation as a retailer, as a rental provider and as a system installer.

Now Eclipse has purchased an Electro

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UK - Opened to the public in September 2007, the Lightbox in Woking, Surrey, is a new art gallery and museum which features education at its heart. Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council England and a range of companies, charitable trusts and individuals, the building was designed by a team led by the creators of the London Eye.

Long-term Ampetronic client Scanaudio was the company contracted to install four low spill loop and three counter systems, ensuring that those with a hearing impairment lose none of the impact and excitement of the changing exhibitions and learning opportunities that form the Lightbox's remit.

Ampetronic's engineers designed the four low spill systems - two in the exhibition galleries, one in an education suite and one in a room used for corporate functions - which faced some significant technical challenges.

"These were partly bec

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USA - Meyer Sound has announced the appointment of Mauricio Saint Martin as director of Middle East sales. In his new post, Saint Martin will be responsible for company sales throughout the Middle East and North Africa, as well as on the Indian sub-continent.

During his 18-year career in pro audio, Saint Martin has gained experience in contracting, sales management and international distribution. Prior to his recent appointment at Meyer Sound, Saint Martin served as international sales director for QSC Audio.

"I have known Mauricio for many years and his reputation in the pro audio market is impeccable," says Mike Cooper, Meyer Sound's International sales director. "We are very fortunate to have someone with his abilities and experience join our team."

(Jim Evans)

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UK - Monday's widely reported Led Zeppelin concert at London's 02 Arena was played through a massive Meyer Sound Milo system provided by UK-based sound rental company Major Tom. At front-of-house, Big Mick Hughes of Metallica fame mixed the band, while Roy Williams handled Robert Plant's vocal.

The first full concert Led Zeppelin has played since they disbanded in 1980, following the death of John Bonham, was a tribute to the late Ahmet Ertegun, who signed the band to Atlantic Records in 1969. The 18,000 "chosen" (upwards of one million people registered in a lottery for a chance to buy the 18,000 tickets at $255 a piece) began lining up outside the arena on the Friday before.

Major Tom, headed by Lars Brogaard, which recently provided the sound system for the sold-out Prince concerts at the O2, deployed a powerful sound system comprised of 72 Milo high-power curvili

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USA -This fall's Life@50+ National Event and Expo welcomed 25,000 attendees from all 50 states and ten countries at the new Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Hosted by AARP, a non-profit organisation formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons, the three-day extravaganza featured musical performances by Tony Bennett, Earth Wind & Fire, and Rod Stewart. It also presented a wide range of celebrity speakers, including Brian Dennehy, Maya Angelou, Kirk and Michael Douglas, Whoopi Goldberg, LL Cool J, Bob Newhart, Robert Reich, Joan Rivers, and presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Mike Huckabee.

San Diego-based MSI Production Services teamed with Taylor, Michigan's Thunder Audio to provide sound, lighting and video for the event, including a massive line array of 48 Milo high-power curvilinear array loudspeakers and 24 Mica compact high-power curvilinear

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UK - Element Labs has announced that it has appointed Andrew Hawker as senior project manager, Europe and Middle East. He will be based in Element Labs' London offices and will lead the company's newly created dedicated European project management and support team.

Hawker has over twenty five years experience working within the events, broadcast TV and corporate communication industries. Prior to joining Element Labs, he held senior commercial and technical positions at Blitz Communications and Creative Technology (London). Over the course of his career, he has played a key role in the success of many high-profile projects, including the Athens 2004 Olympic opening and closing ceremonies, where he acted as video and projection consultant for Jack Morton Public Events.

Claas Ernst, European managing director for Element Labs commented: "We are enormously proud to have Andr

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Ireland - Paddy Dunning's popular Temple Bar Music Centre, situated in Dublin's stylish downtown area, has re-emerged as The Button Factory following a major renovation that cost in excess of €1 million.

With its grand reopening last month, the venue now boasts a new layout, expanded capacity (to 750), and a state-of-the-art infrastructure, which includes a Digidesign VENUE D-Show Profile console supplied by local distributors Big Bear Sound.

Although the four-storey Curved Street facility was purpose-built as a live music venue around 12 years ago, the building was traditionally surrounded by button factories (hence the name). Today it houses a myriad of recording facilities. Dunning's original Temple Lane Studios is joined by The Sound Training Centre, which offers sound engineering courses on the third floor, while a rehearsal studio is housed down in the basement.

Tradi

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UK - The new Vista 5 SR live sound mixing console from Studer has made its UK debut, in the hands of front-of-house engineer Simon Wooler and the Concert Sound team. The event, the LIVE07 concerts staged by The Scout Association, was a showcase for the Soundcraft Studer Group, with Soundcraft Vi Series digital desks handling monitoring duties and orchestral submixes.

The Scout Association provides adventurous activities and personal development opportunities for 400,000 young people aged 6-25 in the UK, with some 28 million people participating worldwide. This year, the Association celebrated its centenary, and marked it with two unique entertainment spectaculars at London's O2 Arena, attracting 30,000 (two full houses of 15,000 people) to watch a cast of 3,000 Scouts, encouraged by guest presenters from children's TV programme Blue Peter.

If there is such a thing as an

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