UK - At ProLight & Sound 2008, MC2 Audio will be showing for the first time its new Ti Series network audio products for use in Cobranet and/or Ethersound systems, offering a complete solution to the audio integrator who wants to combine remote monitoring, configuration and control, with the outstanding audio quality and reliability of MC2 Audio amplifiers and XTA digital expertise.

Core Ti models are: three stereo power amplifiers - Ti 1000 (500W/channel into 4 ohms), Ti 1500 (750W/channel into 4 ohms), Ti 2000 (1000W/channel into 4 ohms), one 4-channel power amplifier - Ti 4-250 (4 x 250W/channel into 4 ohms), all of which include remote level, mute, standby and load monitoring; the Ti Bridge and the Ti Breakout Box, which together allow routing of analogue audio onto and off Co

USA - Digital mixing console manufacturer, InnovaSON has announced the appointment of Marshank Sales as manufacturer's representative in Southern California. Established in 1920, Marshank Sales has been serving the professional audio industry for three generations and has built up a roster of some 15 brands across a number of market sectors.

According to Marshank sales president, Gary Marshank, this is a great opportunity for the company. "The quality and prestige of InnovaSON is a great addition to the lines we represent," he noted. "We've also known Kevin Madden for a very long time and are impressed with his sales and marketing abilities. The combination of a great product and great people is always a winner, so we are looking forward to a very successful relationship with InnovaSON and Kevin."

(Jim Evans)

The Netherlands - A unique training course held at Spotrental's Netherlands premises has boosted the capacity of the American manufacturer Strong to service its followspot products in Europe. This increases the availability of trained technicians able to service such highly-used Strong brands as the Xenon Super Trouper and Gladiator.

The course, hosted by Spotrental, the largest stockist of Strong products in Europe and one of the manufacturer's official European distributors, was attended by participants from the UK, Holland and Greece, as well as US-based experts from Strong itself.

The course is the latest in a developing programme of training that will be extended to cover Australasia, The Caribbean, Central and South America and South Africa in the next 18 months."We started the scheme in 2005 when we realised that no-one was providing this training," says Jack

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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

UK - The Sundial Theatre in Cirencester has upgraded its Robe moving light stock with the addition of four Robe ColorWash 750 AT Tungsten fixtures. The theatre is a busy producing and receiving house, and the fixtures - supplied through Bath-based Enlightened Lighting - immediately went into action for the opening date of comedian Michael McIntyre's UK tour.

The new lights were specified by Sundial technical manager Andy Webb, who wanted a warm colour temperature fixture to blend in with the generic rig and to contrast with their discharge sources. "It was a logical step. In the past, to deal with the need for tungsten washes, we have had to hire ColorWash 575E ATs and use the CTO correction."

For the McIntyre show, the ColorWash 750 AT Tungstens were used to up-light 4 sections of gauze dressing the stage space.

Webb will be utilising these, plus eight more, on Di

USA - To coincide with their 40th anniversary year, QSC Audio Products have launched their new GX series amplifiers. These will receive their European debut at next month's ProLight & Sound expo in Frankfurt.

These new GX Series amplifiers are taking aim at the needs of musicians, DJs, and performers of all description, says the company. At 8 ohms, the GX3 and GX5 are rated at 300 and 500W respectively, offering the continuous power capacity needed for a majority of common passive loudspeakers in use today.

Both GX amplifiers are equipped with all the input and output connectors needed for compatibility with virtually any source, loudspeaker, or wiring scheme. The lightweight design of the amps combines with the compact size to make either model easy to move or mount within small, portable racks. Both the GX3 and GX5 feature straightforward user-selectable functions accessed v

UK - The BBC television series Long Way Down may have finished, but for those who made the incredible journey from John o'Groats to Cape Town, the adventure will never be forgotten. Starring actors and motorcycle enthusiasts Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman, the pair were accompanied on their ride by Swiss cameraman Claudio von Planta, who chose a pair of Sennheiser ew112 G2 radio microphones to record the audio for the entire journey.

"The challenge was to design a camera system which fitted into the tank bag of my BMW GS1200 Adventure motorcycle," von Planta explains. "I chose a Sony V1 camera and with some Velcro I managed to attach two evolution receivers to it. And then with a splitter cable I connected both receivers into audio channel 2, which was set on automatic level."

"I was very pleased with the performance of the Sennheiser evoluti

UK- The installation of unique new art sculpture in Sheffield city centre has been brought to life by audio visual specialists tdc. The Sheffield-based company illuminated the new City of Peace sculpture to celebrate its permanent installation on the chimney of St. Paul's Chambers, on St Paul's Parade, next to the Peace Gardens.

tdc used high power lights on the stainless steel art piece, which features seven life-size doves perched on the chimney.It was designed by Sheffield's internationally renowned artist Richard Bartle and inspired by Pablo Picasso's visit to the Second World Peace Congress held in the city in 1950.

Eamonn Hunt, director of tdc, said: "It's good to be involved with Richard's work - the sculpture is truly symbolic of key events from the city's past and if things go to plan then it may be replicated in the other countries that held Peace Congresses. It

Ireland - Alternative hip-hop trio Fun Lovin' Criminals chose a Soundcraft Vi6 digital console for their Irish tour at the end of last year, at the behest of sound engineer Chris Roberts, who has worked with the New York City band for nine years.

"The desk is so easy to use,"says Roberts. "Everything is completely accessible on the touch sensitive screens. There are plenty of gates / compressor limiters, all available at the touch of a screen, and in several banks of 8 channels, so you are not limited to working with one channel at a time.

"There are loads of channels. I managed to fit the Criminals on the first layer, and the tour support (Cantaloop from Leicester) on the second. In addition, the Vi6 output busses could be configured for whatever purpose I required. For mixing purposes, I was able to set the up the first eight busses as sub-groups with com

UK - Show Support (part of the XL Group of companies) has announced the appointment of Nick Hart as business development manager. Hart brings plenty of experience at the sharp end of the live events and video rental markets through working with Blitz for the last year.

MD Rich Rowley says: "I have known Nick for some time and am delighted he accepted our offer. His energy and enthusiasm fits perfectly with the tight teamwork and personal management style we encourage at Show Support. I am expecting great things."

(Jim Evans)

USA - Philips Solid-State Lighting Solutions, the new entity formed by Philips' acquisition of Color Kinetics, is continuing to expand its EssentialWhite series with the launch of two new LED luminaires for common interior applications. The luminaires will debut at the ARC Show, 11-13 February, at the Business Design Centre in London, UK (stand M20).

The EssentialWhite series is designed to deliver the inherent advantages of LED sources for common white light applications that don't require sophisticated control systems. The product series incorporates Philips' knowledge of LED technology, efficient LED drivers, mechanical and thermal engineering, optics and binning management - providing "easy-to-use LED solutions that meet specifier-grade standards". In line with a growing number of standards and mandates, the products comply with the California Energy Commission's 2

Germany - Maria Xithalis has joined Klotz Digital Audio Systems Inc. as Director of Sales - Americas. Key functions of her duties will be business development and the management of sales and customer relations. Xithalis will be based in Ontario, Canada, but will work closely with Klotz Digital's team in Atlanta.

"With 14 years experience in the industry, in the fields of management, marketing, channel-sales and direct-sales organizations, Maria has the ability to carry Klotz Digital Audio Systems to a new level of excellence", says Thomas Klotz, CEO of Klotz Digital AG, who made the announcement. "A true team player, and well known in the industry, she has come very highly recommended and is most welcome in her new position."

(Jim Evans)

Germany - ChainMaster will be releasing a new catalogue at the ProLight & Sound 2008 trade fair. Entitled Stage & Studio Equipment 2008, the new brochure contains, among other things, new items of equipment such as, in the area of computerised controllers, the XYZ controller (previously undocumented in the catalogue) and, among chain hoists conforming to the BGV-D8 code of practice, a number of new models.

The Eilenburg-based company has already brought its Internet site up to speed with these and other developments. In the Downloads section, for example, you can inspect the newly revised collection of icons that customers can use to specify the exact chain-hoist configurations they desire. An online form for direct enquiries is also available.

(Jim Evans)

Germany - Celebrating its fifth anniversary, Alcons Audio will be present at the ProLight + Sound show with a number of new pro-ribbon products.

Additions to the successful Q-series pro-ribbon line-source columns, as recently installed in a number of famous German theatres, will be shown. With the similar front shape of the QR36 and QM36, the pro-ribbon-loaded QR6 addition is further extending the intelligibility problem-solving power of this product concept, says the company.

The BF302, that has been in Alcons' product portfolio since its founding, has been given a re-design. The BF302mkII is a new, front-loaded double-15" bass system, for both permanent and portable applications. In combination with Alcons' proprietary Signal Integrity Sensing pre-wiring, the BF151 delivers "high quality, tight and accurate bass response".

The Digital Drive Processor (DDP) e

Europe - Customers at selected Tommy Hilfiger Denim stores can now join the Hilfiger Hall of Fame, by adding their pictures via a pioneering interactive storefront campaign.

Hilfiger stores in (London, Amsterdam, Cologne, Antwerp and Dublin) now feature through-window touch screen technology, providing an interface for passing shoppers to capture, stylise and submit their image as part of a collage of images being shown on digital screens in the shop windows.

The digital storefronts enable customers to interact with the Hilfiger brand even outside of business hours. At the end of the campaign, customers will be able to return to the store and have their own T-shirt specially printed using the image they created as the design.

This is the first time a global fashion brand has embraced an interactive out-of-the-home format to create a unique channel for 24/7 dynamic relationsh

USA - ShowPro provided over 1,000 high resolution Element Lab VersaTubes for the 50th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on 10 February.

The VersaTubes are part of a design collaboration between Emmy award winning lighting designer Bob Dickinson and Scenic Artist Brian Stonestreet. Mounted into moving set pieces that open and close to reveal performance areas on the stage, the configuration of the VersaTubes takes advantage of, not only the point source effect of the tubes, but also reflected light due to the finish on the set pieces, says ShowPro.

The final product is a fascinating combination of high-tech digital lighting and classic theatrical light box effects. "It's great to see such a creative and impactful use of LED display on this show" says company president David Smith. "This further exemplifies the visual convergence of video a

UK - Working in close consultation with designer Andy Liddle, Hawthorns provided the extensive lighting rig for the launch of the new Liverpool Echo Arena, combined with the celebrations of Liverpool's new status as European City of Culture 2008.

The moving lights were almost entirely sourced from the Clay Paky Alpha range, comprising 12 of Hawthorn's Alpha Profile 1200s, 32 Alpha Spot 575 HPEs, 24 Alpha Wash 1200s and 24 Alpha Wash 575s. On top of these, the rig housed the new Alpha 300 range, with 24 HPEs and 12 Wash lights.

Also featured for effect were 24 GLP Impression LED moving heads. These units were even rigged to the automated 45ft cherry pickers just to make things more interesting. The arena side walls were lit with IPIX Big Boy LED floods.

The main set piece (an eight-storey building site scaffolding) was back lit with Studio Due City Colours, while each bay of

Sweden - ProLight & Sound 2008 sees the first showing at the Frankfurt trade show of the recently launched PLM 10000Q, the first product of the revolutionary new Powered Loudspeaker Management Series from Lab.gruppen. The PLM 10000Q comprises a four-channel amplifier, dual Dolby Lake Processor modules, Dante low-latency networking and groundbreaking features for load verification and performance monitoring.

In order to better present the new PLM concept to the widest possible audience, Lab.gruppen will be running a series of multilingual presentations on their stand at ProLight & Sound 2008. Visitors will be able to see and hear PLM presentations in English, German, Spanish, Italian, Swedish (obviously) and Danish. Furthermore, persons attending the presentations can win a luxury weekend for two or one of hundreds of other rewards. More information is available at www.labgruppen

USA - Boston-based Lightspace Corporation, a developer of interactive entertainment and display technology, has announced the appointment of Lee Engineering as its UK distributor.

The Lightspace range comprises three systems - Lightspace Play; Lightspace Design and Lightspace Dance - based on an interactive floor/wall system using 400 sq.mm low-res LED tiles. Each tile contains 4 x 200sq.mm RGB pixels and four pressure sensors, through which the user can interact with the Lightspace surface.

Lee Engineering directors Phil Leedal and Ian Nelson state that the technology fits perfectly within their Education and Special Needs portfolio - a key market for the Lancaster-based company; but there are also systems specific to the entertainment and architectural markets.

(Jim Evans)

Germany - Nexo will be showcasing its latest compact tangent-array SR systems for touring applications and fixed installation, notably the Geo S12 Series and Geo D with Geo SUB, as well as its internationally-established PS Series. The main attractions are sure to be the debut of the RAY SUB Series of modular scalable bass cabinets, and the first exhibition in Frankfurt of the NXAMP powered TDController, says the company.

The RS15 is a low-profile high-output, modular, scalable bass cabinet which is capable of operating in both omni-directional and cardioid modes.

Nexo's new NXAMP is a powered TD Controller, the first product to be generated by the collaboration with Yamaha. The integration of amplifier, available in two 4-channel sizes, with the Nexo TDController provides a cooler, cleaner and more efficient solution which brings cost and operational benefits to live use as w

UK - P&O Cruises' Artemis has been refitted, with Luton-based install company TED AV, deciding that Sennheiser audio equipment would be at the heart of The Artemis' entertainment hardware.

Mark Morley, technical production manager for TED AV, comments: "The Artemis was the third Carnival UK Group ship refit we did in 2007. We needed to provide mics for two lounges on The Artemis. One was The International Lounge, which is the main entertainment venue on board. The other was The Horizon Lounge, wrapped around the funnel at the top of the ship, which is more for duos, trios and karaoke nights. That's more of a multi-purpose venue."

In The International Lounge TED installed an eight-way system comprised of four EM3532-U Sennheiser Receivers, four SKM 3072-U handheld mics, nine SK 3063-U beltpacks, ten HSP 4-4-3 radio mics, and four MKE 2-4 Gold lavalier mics routed thro

USA - The show may have been called Clash of the Choirs but it was all sweet music with the grandMA controlling the lighting for the new NBC series. The show featured five music celebrities - Nick Lachey, Patti LaBelle, Blake Shelton, Michael Bolton and Kelly Rowland -who assembled amateur choirs in their hometowns.

The choirs performed on four consecutive nights in the week leading up to Christmas with viewers eliminating groups as the nights wore on. Lachey's Cincinnati-based choir emerged the winner taking home $250,000 for the Cincinnati Children's Hospital.

Lighting designer Greg Brunton was challenged to light more than 40 songs during the course of the shows. "We knew what songs would be performed from night to night only one hour before the show because we didn't know which choirs would be moving on," he explains. "So we had to reformat cues each

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