Details
UK - A safety passport scheme, aimed at reducing accidents in the live entertainment industry, has grown rapidly in its first year.

"The first few months of 2008 saw the Live Event safety passport grow from a good idea to a scheme that is gaining acceptance across the whole back-stage production area," said Andy Lenthall, general manager of the Production Services Association which represents companies and contractors in the live entertainment industry.

"With safety passport holders now numbering 1,000, and candidates spread across all disciplines at all levels, the PSA is confident that both the concept and course content deliver real benefits in terms of safety awareness."

Lenthall said that many major suppliers were now delivering safety passport courses

Details
UK - Unobtrusive and lightweight yet exceptionally effective, the latest Clarity 656 earplugs from Howard Leight by Sperian are billed as "the ideal choice for protecting the hearing of workers in the music and entertainment sectors".

With a transparent body that makes them almost invisible when in use, Clarity 656 earplugs achieve a high level of acceptance from users that might be unwilling to wear less attractive and more easily visible hearing protection devices. With soft flanges and rigid stems, they are also easy to insert, further increasing their user acceptability, says the company.

Another benefit of the Clarity 656 earplugs is that they incorporate Bilsom's patented sound management technology. This means that, although they are completely passive devices that require no power source, the level of attenuation they offer varies with frequency allowing them

Details
UK - Audio-Technica reports that its 'Road To Success' roadshow got off to a flying start at Lingfield Park racecourse on 21 and 22 May, the tour's first stop on its three-week, seven-location trip around the UK.

Of particular interest to visitors, the company says, was its new ATCS-60 infra-red conference system. Making an exclusive pre-launch appearance on the roadshow prior to its official unveiling at InfoComm 08 in Las Vegas on 18-20 June, the ATCS-60 drew praise from both trade and press attendees for its "flexibility, ease of use and keen UK pricing", say Audio-Technica.

Key features of the ATCS-60 (comprising the ATCS-C60 master control unit, ATCS-M60 mic unit, ATCS-A60 antenna unit and ATCS-B60 battery charger) include secure wireless conferencing - the result of using IR technology; self-contained M60 mic units with built-in speaker, negating the need for e

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 - Eclectic Bars have spent in the region of £1 million converting their Fez Club in Reading to the Japanese-influenced Sakura. Having successfully piloted the new concept in Lincoln, managing director Reuben Harley, promises that the new brand will now be selectively rolled out.

With three floors in Reading trading on 7,000sq.ft, and giving them a combined capacity in excess of 600 people, the company brought in Redgates as the main contractor, Julian Taylor of Taylor Design Associates to reconceive the interior, and SSE Audio Group to design a networked sound solution, using Martin Audio components. The result is a vibrant new infrastructure geared up for a long duty cycle, and unrecognisable from its days as The Fez.

Faced with specifying a system that on the one hand could reproduce hi-fi background music from midday onwards, and high-energy Hed Kandi nights for th

Details
Belarus - Midas' Belarus distributor Belcultproject has sold a Heritage 3000 and a Heritage 4000 mixing console to the Palace of the Republic in Minsk.

The consoles have been installed in the Palace's concert hall, the largest in the country, which hosts a wide range of events from pop and rock through to orchestral performances, opera, ballet and theatre. The 56 channel H3000 is being used at front of house, and is paired with the H4000 - again a 56 channel version - for monitors.

To complement the purchase of the consoles, the Palace has also invested in seven Klark Teknik DN370 graphic EQs and 1248 Plus mic splitters.

"The Midas consoles met all our venue's requirements for new analogue mixers," says the Palace of the Republic's sound engineer Ivan Barovsky. "The user interface and sound quality are second to none. This, coupled with the wide range of featu

Details
USA - New, efficient solid-state lighting solutions for the general lighting market are now available with the North American debut of Philips Fortimo and Lexel downlight modules using Luxeon Rebel power LEDs. Both modules, with accompanying thermal and power systems, enable lighting OEMs to quickly and easily equip the architectural and specification communities with complete white and tunable downlight solutions. Fortimo modules can potentially reduce energy consumption by as much as 50% compared to CFL and Lexel modules can deliver perfectly controllable illumination, says the company.

The Fortimo DLM 1100 uses 18 royal-blue Luxeon Rebel LEDs and a remote phosphor lens at the top of a mixing chamber to create a white-light module delivering 1100 lumens of light output with an efficiency of 62 lm/W. A second version of the Fortimo module delivers 2000 lm at 45 lm/W. Initially

Details
Taiwan - ACT- 51 is a new wireless microphone system incorporating Mipro's proprietary and now, the company claims, "industry standard" ACT (Automatic Channel Targeting) and AutoScan functions, the easiest and fastest channel set-up feature.

AutoScan technology quickly scans and finds a clear, non-interfering receiver frequency at the push of a button; then ACT technology syncs the receiver and transmitter frequency automatically - again, with push of a button.

Receiver front panel displays all functions (channel, frequency, RF and AF signal levels, transmitter battery levels, SQ levels and diversity and interference warning indicators) at a glance, with easy to read characters thanks to a bright, full colour VFD (vacuum fluorescent display) - another world first from Mipro, the company says.

Key features include UHF frequency-agile, reliable diversity reception; r

Details
UK - The RSS S-4000 Modular Digital Snake is holding together £1/2 million of audio and video technology in a newly-built performing arts space and TV/recording studio at one of the UK's youngest universities.

Beneath the extensive production facilities of the Southampton Solent University's new 200-seater venue Studio C, lightweight Cat 5e cables are distributing up to 40 channels of high-quality 24-bit/96kHz audio between stage and recording studio, TV studio, and either or both of two discrete PA systems. Although it holds all the audio together, the RSS Digital Snake remains out of sight and out of mind, only visible at the point of source connection, where there is a 32x8 modular stagebox.

SSU's Studio C is an ambitious concept; a former lecture theatre which has been converted into a multi-purpose live space, it aims to provide training and performance facilities f

Details
USA - Gemini has extended its PS Series Professional mixer series with the introduction of the PS-626EFX and PS-828x.

Based off the updated and ergonomically re-designed PS-626x, but with the added features of built-in digital effects such as filter, flanger & trans effects, the PS-626EFX Professional 10" 3-channel mixer is equipped with all the essentials DJs need and want, plus the added bonus of one touch effects control with adjustable EFX parameter wheel, says the company.

The PS-828x is equipped with four Channels, five lines with two phono inputs, balanced XLR outputs, three-band rotary EQ per channel with -30db cuts, assignable crossfader with curve control and a separate microphone volume with talkover and two-band EQ.

(Jim Evans)

Details
UK - A Vertex 3D Flying System, provided by London-based rigging specialists Vertigo, brought a spectacular extraterrestrial dimension to electronics giant Siemens' annual Customer Service Awards dinner, hosted at the Science Museum in London. The evening was created by Private Drama Events, winners of the RSVP Award 2007 for Entertainment Agency of the Year.

"The client's brief," says Private Drama Events director Adam Blackwood, "was for a glamorous, spectacular awards dinner with a knockout theatrical element, and the Science Museum was chosen to align the theme of space exploration with people who had done extraordinary things for the company's customers."

After a reception in the museum's Exploring Space gallery, guests made their way upstairs past a flashing runway and into a recreation of the Houston NASA Mission Control Centre, starring a life-sized

Details
UK - The Association of British Theatre Technician's ABTT Theatre Show is gearing up to celebrate its 30th birthday in London's Royal Horticultural Halls, 11-12 June 2008.

Many product developments will be on show, across all disciplines of lighting, audio, rigging, staging and accessories.

On the lighting front, Selecon will showcase its new 80V Power Supply with direct DMX control, while ETC will highlight products that offer low cost of ownership and sustainable solutions. PRG Europe will highlight its products and services.

Zero 88 will demonstrate its new version 3 software for its Leap Frog 48 & 96 consoles and its Jester ML series. Stage Electrics will premiere the QMaxz 575 moving head, which they say offers cost effectivity and high performance as the latest addition to its expansive rental fleet.

TMB will showcase the multi-award winning Blues System comprising t

Details
Slovakia - Over 100 Robe moving lights were at the core of Martin Kubanka's lighting design for the 2008 final of Miss Universe Slovak Republic, staged at the National Tennis Centre in Bratislava.

The rig - all supplied by leading Slovakian rental company Q-99 - also included 24 Robe ColorMix 575AT fixtures and 26 Robe LEDWash 136LT and LEDWash196 LT blinders.

Kubanka's brief was to provide a glamorous show - extra special for the 10th anniversary of the Slovakian Miss Universe event - that looked equally as good on camera as it did for the live audience. It was broadcast live on STV 1, Slovakia's primary TV channel.

The moving lights were hung off a series of trusses in the roof and also spread out across the floor and set which was designed by Michael Kland.

In the air, positioned on approximately 180m of trussing installed for the show, were 40 Robe ColorSpot 1200E ATs,

Details
USA - High End Systems has released v1.4.0 software for its family of Digital Lighting products including DL.2, DL.3 and the Axon media server. The release is the culmination of major improvements and upgrades to the graphics engine and core components within the XP Embedded Operating System (O/S) image, says the company.

"This new software represents a year's worth of effort by our digital lighting team," says Scott Blair, HES director of digital lighting development. "Beyond the performance improvements and features that we have included in this release, this effort provides a solid foundation for future enhancements to come in our digital product line."

Improvements have been made to the Network Media Sync to allow multiple digital lighting units to perform in synchronized playback. Major improvements to In-Frame and Out-Frame seeking allow for precision

Details
UK - High End Systems.and Projected Image Digital (PID) recently co-hosted the latest installment of the Digital Lighting University programme (DLU). This is designed to help professionals learn to use digital lighting in their work, using a hands-on approach. DLU was held at the Cochrane Theatre, part of the Central St. Martins College of Art and Design in London.

A mix of lighting designers, operators, video technicians and other professionals in the lighting, video and special events industries spent two days at DLU, listening to case studies, practising techniques, and networking over coffee and lunches. A Thursday evening event included a live band and a party at London's Sway Bar.

Keynote speakers included Peter Canning, Scott Chmielewski, Raoul Simpson, Hugh Davies-Webb and Rolf Wenzel, who shared case studies, new techniques and guidance through specific exercises such

Details
UK - After working with engineering design company Xolve for some three years on a freelance basis, draftsman and designer Andy Prescott has now formally become part of the team adding his extensive CAD and project management skills to the Xolve portfolio of technical and mechanical capabilities.

With six years' experience in the entertainment industry, an inherent ability to problem-solve and an in depth understanding of 2D and 3D CAD, Prescott is perfectly positioned to complement Xolve MD Neil Darracott's mechanical engineering and design expertise and to hasten the development of this growing business.

Having already supported Darracott on such high profile projects as last year's rugby world cup, and West-end musical Gone With The Wind earlier this year, Prescott has recently led Xolve's work for George Michael as his 25 Live tour prepares for the USA in the summer

Details
Germany - For the first time, beginning next year, the Musikmesse will provide a Business Centre for exhibitors and visitors. With the new Business Centre, the Musikmesse - International Trade Fair for Musical Instruments, Music Software & Computer Hardware, Sheet Music and Accessories - will create an area reserved exclusively for dealers, wholesalers and the industry. Initially, the Business Centre will occupy a whole floor of an exhibition hall and give exhibitors the space they need to conduct talks or business negotiations in a quiet and intensive atmosphere.

The Business Centre will also be open to exhibitors and trade visitors of Prolight + Sound, which is held parallel to the Musikmesse. The International Musikmesse in Frankfurt am Main will be held from 1 to 4 April 2009.

(Jim Evans)

Details
USA - Prince let members of the Time and Sheila E. kickoff his show before launching into 1999 and nearly two hours of music to close day two at this year's Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. Singing into a Shure KSM9, The Purple One proved demonstrably that he still has a hold over audiences few other major pop performers can claim today.

Guitar tech Bill Mayes additionally chose Shure UHF-R wireless for Prince's guitar. "The reliability and easy-to-use system makes this the only choice," Mayes said following the show. "Especially when there is no room for excuses."

(Jim Evans)

Details
USA - For Sheryl Crow's current spring tour, promoting her new album Detours, FOH engineer Sean 'Sully' Sullivan (Beck, Justin Timberlake) put together a streamlined live sound system based around a Digidesign Venue D-Show Profile integrated with a Pro Tools|HD system.

Keeping the system compact was a primary objective for Sullivan. The Venue system allows him to reduce the need for outboard analogue processing in favour of TDM plug-ins. And when combined with Pro Tools|HD, the D-Show Profile provides Sullivan with access to studio-quality production tools that allow him to achieve album-quality mixes from venue to venue on a nightly basis.

"On this tour, I have a very small simple setup," he explains. "When my production manager saw my rig he asked, 'When does the rest of it arrive?' But the bonus is, with the Venue [D-Show] Profile, my favourite plug-in

Details
UK - Adlib Audio supplied a JBL VerTec sound system, three Yamaha PM5Ds and a Soundcraft Vi6 console along with all sound production equipment and crew for the Kaiser Chiefs rocking homecoming gig at Elland Road stadium in Leeds.

This followed on from Adlib's work with the band on the last UK arena tour at the end of 2007. Adlib's FOH systems engineers were Tony Szabo and Dave Kay. They undertook their first Elland Road site visit in February - the Leeds United Football Club ground is not commonly used as a concert venue. They measured it up and created a 3D model using SoundVision and EASE software which also highlighted specific issues like coverage and delay sightlines.

The main front hangs consisted of 16 JBL VT4889s a side, along with 14 VT4880A subs flown right next to them.

The house right side hang was 14 VT4889s firing into the low seating stand on that side. On hou

Details
UK - Sennheiser UK has announced that John Steven has left the company. Having been Sennheiser UK's director of marketing for the past eight years, he leaves to start and run his own company, John Steven PR.

Steven will continue working with Sennheiser UK on a freelance basis on various special projects, including assisting general manager Phil Massey with the company's ongoing involvement with the National Film and Television School and the Liverpool Institute of the Performing Arts.

Massey wished his departing colleague well. "John's been very committed to this company for a long time and we're sorry to see him go," he said, "although I'm glad he'll still be involved with us in a freelance capacity. He leaves behind a very strong and capable marketing team."

Steven joined Sennheiser UK in January 2000, having previously worked for their appointed PR Com

Details
USA - Avril Lavigne has morphed, over the course of a career that is less than a decade young, from a self-professed skater punk to a newly married pop princess with her own fashion line. But one thing that has remained constant is FOH Engineer Jim Yakabuski who has been running Lavigne's sound since midway through her first tour in 2003.

For Lavigne's latest North American trek, in support of The Best Damn Album, Yakabuski and Orlando-based sound reinforcement provider LMG have chosen to return to an L-Acoustics V-Dosc and dV-Dosc loudspeaker system - this time supplementing the rig with the manufacturer's Kudo enclosures and new LA8 amplified controllers.

"We have 15 V-Dosc with three dV-Dosc down-speakers per side as mains, and then 10 Kudo a side as side- arrays," Yakabuski explains. "We've also gone back to using a centre sub cluster, which has prove

Page 2203 of 3465

Latest Issue. . .