UK - Following a busy summer, temporary power specialist Power Logistics has moved its operations to new, expanded premises in Wiltshire in good time to serve the winter events market.

The new base is in the Chippenham area just minutes from the M4. The move was planned last year, when it became apparent that Power Logistics was rapidly outgrowing its previous operational base, as it experienced growth in the live music, public events and sporting sectors.

The new premises have two warehouses for storage and handling, allowing the company more efficient turnaround of equipment and quicker access to the motorway network.

"The move to new purpose-built offices and storage facilities puts us in an ideal position to offer the best value service to the winter market," say

UK - Prism Sound is taking to the road in November with a series of seminars that aim to dispel many of the popular myths surrounding the recording process.

In conjunction with Apple and monitor specialist PMC, the Prism Sound From Mic To Monitor road show will visit universities and colleges in six key cities over a two week period.

Each seminar will feature short presentations from the three companies involved and a talk by a guest recording professional who will also be available to answer questions from the audience on recording techniques.During its second week the road show will visit LIPA in Liverpool, Salfor

UK - At the 2008 PLASA Show, the White Light family welcomed two new members - truss manufacturer Tomcat, and JB Lighting, manufacturer of LED moving lights.

For Tomcat, White Light will be the exclusive UK distributor for the Tomcat One range of truss products. The One range includes both ladder, rectangular box, triangular and stacking truss designs with either 48mm or 50mm diameter tubes.

JB Lighting is an innovative new manufacturer of LED and more traditional automated lighting fixtures, including the VaryLED A7 Zoom adjustable-beam moving LED washlight. The fixture won a Silver PLASA Award for Innovation this year.

The VaryLED A7 will be available from mid-November, with it and the rest of the JB Lighting range available in the UK exclusively from White Light.

(Jim Evans)

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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

USA - BML-Blackbird Theatrical Services recently installed the audio and lighting system at the new Espace entertainment space in Manhattan. Espace is a modern events venue that holds up to 500 people for seated dinners and 1,000 people for standing receptions. The 10,000sq.ft space hosts a variety of events including fashion shows, corporate functions and fundraisers.

While high-quality audio was an absolute requirement for the system, the owners of Espace did not want the audio equipment to interfere with the visually stunning appearance of the event room. "The owners of Espace wanted sound coverage everywhere possible in the room, but they didn't want to see it," said Don Quinton, audio engineer, BML-Blackbird. "The loudspeaker system had to be blended into the ceiling."

BML opted for JBL Control 300 ceiling speakers for the lobby area and selected AC221

USA - Milos America and Acuity AV will stage an open house event on 31 October to celebrate the launch of two Milos roofs and a staging system which are now available for rent in the eastern United States.

Manufactured by Milos Structural Systems, the MR1 and MR2 roofs and a complete xStage S3 platform system will be featured at the event which is hosted by Acuity AV at their facility in Manassas, VA.

(Jim Evans)

Australia - Following the 2000 Olympics, Sydney now boasts three major international standard stadiums for major sporting events; Sydney Olympic Park (now the ANZ Stadium), Sydney Football Stadium and Sydney Cricket Ground.

However, the city's facilities cater equally well for local and national needs with several 'boutique' sporting venues to host local events such as home games for the National Rugby League (NRL) competition.

One such facility is Toyota Stadium in the southern beachside suburbs of Sydney. Home of the Cronulla Sharks, Toyota Stadium commenced a $9 million plus upgrade in 2007, including the addition of a southern stand and renovations to the existing east and west stands. The ground has the capacity for over 22,000 fans.

Situated on the southern shores of Port Hacking, the facility is exposed to north easterly winds off the Pacific Ocean and, according to G

UK - Rosco has confirmed that Paul de Ville is joining the company as senior sales manager UK.

"Despite the weakening economy, Rosco's British business remains ambitious. We continue to see increased opportunities to enter new markets and expand our existing market share," says Kees Frijters, Rosco vice-president European business. "Growth continues to be one of our main objectives. The timing for Paul de Ville joining Rosco couldn't be better.

De Ville trained as a stage manager and lighting designer before working for Theatre Projects London. From there he spent 16 years with Action Lighting and the Lighting Technology Group.

(Jim Evans)

Canada - CAST Software has introduced its joint innovators for BlackBox, which made its world debut at PLASA08 in London.

CAST's BlackBox is built with special hardware and proprietary software to be an integrated, bi-directional high speed communication solution which enables all control devices connected to it to send or receive instructions from each other. Live, realtime input is received in all forms by the BlackBox which acts as the brains - running on an ultra high-speed hybrid version of WYSIWYG.

CAST is working with key industry leaders - each a respected innovator in its own field -- to ensure BlackBox meets its technical objectives. In exchange, each will get a 12-month exclusive leadtime to enhance their own products to capitalize on the power and speed of BlackBox. Representatives of these companies were on hand during PLASA for the Beta launch phase to announce t

Denmark - The Jem K1 Hazer is Martin Professional's new generation, top-of-the-line hazer for high performance applications where a high level of reliability and easy serviceability is required.

Feature-rich, the Jem K1 is a professional machine that provides the combination of continuous operation, long hang time, and low fluid consumption for greater economy. Says the company.

Easy to set up (turn it on and press a button), the Jem K1 is quick to heat up. It features "exceptional output" from an innovative and powerful 600 W heat exchanger yet overall power consumption is less than 750 watts.

A high quality air pump system gives a smooth and uniform output while a special mixing channel allows the haze to optimise before being expelled. An automatic shut-down cycle has been implemented to prevent clogging.

DMX controllable, the Jem K1 Hazer is continuously ope

Spain - The Canary Islands' Heineken Jazz Festival is the most important jazz event on the Islands' calendar. Held each year between June and July, it is staged at different venues around the islands, from open-air events and concert halls to intimate salons. The 2008 festival included performances by The Crusaders, Madeleine Peyroux, Spyro Gyra and many more.

This year sound engineer Hilario Benìtez introduced a new PA system to the event at two of the venues on Gran Canaria. "I've tried the Q-Series loudspeakers from d&b audiotechnik several times on the mainland in recent years," he said, "and I've always believed it would prove an ideal system for this event. Small, unobtrusive, easy to use and great detailed sound; just what you need for the intensity of the musicians who play here and the highly critical audiences who come to hear them."

Benìtez pla

UK - Since acquiring the SADiE brand at the start of the year, business has been booming for Prism Sound - so much so that the company has added a number of new staff to help satisfy demand for its range of recording, post production and test and measurement products.

"Despite the economic doom and gloom, we've had an exceptional year and this has led to the need for additional staff," says Prism Sound's sales and marketing director Graham Boswell. "Our existing product range is going from strength to strength and we're now developing new products that will combine Prism Sound and SADiE technology in ways that will be of real benefit to our customer base."

Some of the new recruits to Prism Sound needed no help in finding their way around the company's headquarters in Streatham, Cambridgeshire, because they were already familiar with the lay-out having moved

China - Situated in Ningbo, one of China's oldest cities and a key trading port for at least 2000 years, the eighth in the rapidly expanding chain of Bar No.88 venues has installed Turbosound NuQ, TXD and TCS series loudspeakers.

The No.88 chain is inspired by American-style venues, with music by in-house DJs and live performances by in-house singers. Installed by Chengdu Ruisheng Audio Equipment Co. with help from Mac Lo, technical director of Turbosound's Chinese distributor Phoenix Audio, the system at the Ningbo bar comprises 21 Turbosound NuQ-15 full-range loudspeakers and 22 TXD-218 subs, with 12 TCS-101C for in-fill beneath the club's balcony.

"The speakers are strategically installed to achieve a very even and consistent coverage, making sure all clients in the bar get the same high quality sound," says Shirley Zhuang of Phoenix Audio.

"As the ceiling

UK - Large format projection specialists E/T/C London supplied seven 6kW PIGI projectors with double rotating scrollers to produce a 120m wide backdrop on The Old College building at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, for Music On Fire 2008.

It is the third time that E/T/C London has been involved in the biannual three-day mixed-media extravaganza and Firework Prom which attracted audiences of up to 10,000 per night with proceeds going to the Army Benevolent Fund.

The PIGI scrollers contained 19m of film and produced over 100 looks on the building, with all artwork created by media designer Paul Chatfield.

Chatfield took approximately a month to research and compile the finished artwork, working closely with show producer, Major Sir Michael Parker who also storyboarded the production.

The seven projectors were positioned 46m from the building, covered by S

UK - An Avolites Pearl Tiger lighting console has been installed at the Island Theatre in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. The theatre is a busy receiving house, staging medium scale professional and amateur shows, concerts and events. The main hall is a flexible space offering a 402 capacity when in its seated configuration and 680 standing. There is also a studio theatre space.

The Tiger was supplied by Belfast-based Production Services Ireland (PSI). The theatre has been hiring additional kit off PSI for some time to supplement their larger shows and annual summer festival, including a Pearl console.

The Island had also recently invested in eight Robe ColorMix 240 ATs colour-changing fixtures, primarily for the Studio theatre, and these needed a control desk, so everything converged to make sense for them to buy a Tiger. The console gives them more than enough power and flexibili

UK - DMi D&M Installation is introducing the Denon DN-A300M stereo installation amplifier. The DN-A300M replaces the Denon PMA-100M, a favourite with commercial installers. Like its predecessor, the DN-A300M offers a solution for small installations, and provides improved mic mixing functionality and increased amplifier power over the existing model range.

The DN-A300M provides "classic Denon sound and build quality at an affordable price point", and is designed for small commercial AV applications in numerous types of venues and environments. The new model features a mic input mix with auto gain control, coupled with 100 watts per channel of power amplification.

A ¼ inch / 6.35 mm jack mic input and level control enables a microphone signal to be mixed with other audio input sources. Switchable mic on/off, mic auto gain control, and music auto mute control enable r

USA - Bandit Lites recently wrapped up the first leg of O.A.R.'s latest tour. The American rock band played shows across the United States supporting their most recent album, All Sides.

Lighting designer William Anglin said the design was fairly simple, with three straight trusses and a small floor package. "I recently did a tour with A.J. Penn and he really opened my eyes to the fact that a utilitarian design can be more than you need when you try. I have always thought that way. It makes no sense to spell your name out in truss. And I've been on some big productions where trucks 15, 16 and 17 don't really add as much to the show as they cost."

Anglin primarily chose to use Vari*Lite 3000 Spots, Martin Atomic 3000 Strobes and High End Systems Studio Beams, which he said provide a lot of punch for such a small fixture. On the floor, he added Cyberlight Turbos

Norway - Over 600 Anolis LED fixtures and Robe moving lights have been installed into Spot, Norway's "hottest and most technically advanced club", located in Kristiansand.

Lighting for the two-storey 400 capacity venue was designed by Einar Salomonsen, one of Norway's best known nightclub architects and designers. All fixtures were supplied by Kristiansand-based Live Technic DA, the Robe/Anolis Norwegian distributor, and installed by PA Compagniet AS from Kristiansand using electricians from ABB.

Spot is divided into multiple zones. The main bar and dancefloor offers a music policy of "commercial dance", while the other zones can feature either live performance, DJ or background music.

A wide range of Anolis products have been utilised. The walls and ceilings are lit with Anolis ArcLine Optic RGB with 25 x 6 degree lenses - a mix of 12, 18, 24 and 36 unit

UK - Three years ago Lee Evans' XL Tour 2005 established the artist not only as a top stand-up comedian but a consummate performer that could command the attention of arena sized audiences (the 13,000 who attended MEN in Manchester at the time set a UK record for the most people attending a comedy show).

This placed enormous pressure on the tour sound production company Capital Sound Hire, and its Martin Audio line array rig, which had to create transparent speech intelligibility and intimacy to fans sitting in every one of those seats. In addition, they had to contend with additional FX play-ins and the exigencies of a camera crew.

Three years on and fundamentally little appeared to have changed. Promoters, Off The Kerb Productions, and production manager Mark Harris were pleased to keep the faith with Cap Sound, and other than Evans swopping his mandolin for a ukulele

UK - Rycote has upgraded its range of Windshield Kits. Purchasers of Rycote Windshields Kits 1 to 6 will now find their kits fitted with new Lyre suspensions and a Rycote ConnBox, at no extra charge. Windshield Kits 7 and 8 also incorporate the new Lyre suspensions and come with a flexible microphone 'tail' instead of the ConnBox.

Lyre suspensions were first introduced in 2007 as part of Rycote's S-Series and were subsequently launched as part of the InVision range of shockmounts designed for stand or static studio boom use. The response was overwhelmingly positive, so Rycote decided to incorporate the design to enhance the company's most popular range of products - the Windshield Kits.

The supplied Lyre suspensions are universal fits, accommodating microphones from 19mm to 25mm in diameter. Included in the new packages are a pair of 25mm square-sided Lyres that are suitable f

USA - Recently ESTA announced the creation of its Rock Our World awards to help honour groundbreaking achievement by its members. One such award honours innovative product design and Total Structures reports that its AIR Roof inflatable outdoor roof system has been chosen as one of the three nominees for this year's inaugural award.

The AIR Roof tackles a long-term industry challenge of how to provide an attractive 'sun shade' medium capacity outdoor roof system on a budget. This is achieved through the use of a non-rigid inflatable apex system, which is attached to the truss and provides the roof with the slope necessary to provide adequate rain run-off and protection to the stage below.

The Rock Our World Winners will be announced at the 2008 ESTA Annual Dinner, which will take place at Harrah's in Las Vegas on 23 October 2008.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Norwegian projector manufacturer, projectiondesign was recognised as the European Manufacturer of the Year, for the second year running, at the 10th annual AV Awards, held last week at the Hilton Park Lane hotel in London.

Sture Berg, director of operations and finance at projectiondesign comments: "Winning this prestigious award for the second time running is a real achievement. It shows that the AV industry recognises and understands projectiondesign's value offering and dedication, both to the channel itself, but more importantly to the users and owners of our products. Without satisfied partners and users, we would have not existed the way that we do."

Barco won three awards. The DML-1200 digital moving luminaire was awarded Best Display Product of the year, while The Comcast Experience with Barco's NX-4 LED product won the award for Digital Media Project o

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