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USA - Element Labs has announced that it has appointed Bart Van der Beken as sales director EMEA Entertainment. The appointment forms part of Element Labs' continued growth strategy.

Van der Beken brings to Element Labs over 20 years international experience in key commercial roles in different AV industries. Prior to joining Element Labs, Van der Beken spent a substantial part of his career at Barco's Media & Entertainment division, which he joined in 2000, in effect witnessing the emergence of LED technology as a commercially viable large-screen display solution. Van der Beken quickly rose through the ranks at Barco to take on the position of international sales director events EMEA & APAC.

Marc Van Eekeren, vice president of worldwide sales at Element Labs, said: "Elemen

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USA - EAW is now shipping the MicroWedge15 Stage Monitor (MW15), the newest addition to the MicroWedge Series of products. The 15-inch MicroWedge15, a direct result of extensive research and field evaluation with FOH/monitor engineers touring companies and audio consultants, joins the 12-inch MicroWedge12 (MW12, a number of which are also shipping) as the most recent product in the MicroWedge line.

The MicroWedge15 is the second model of the EAW MicroWedge Series to be released since an agreement was reached with MicroWedge developer Rat Sound Systems in late 2007, stipulating that EAW would serve as the exclusive manufacturer and distributor of MicroWedge products. Additional EAW-exclusive MicroWedge Series products will be introduced in the near future.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - After opening a dedicated sales office in the UK on 1 January 2009, Klotz a.i.s is now able to provide the UK's MI and ProAVM market with rapid, customer-oriented service and support. The new regional sales manager Grant Roomes will coordinate all sales and marketing activities for Klotz a.i.s. in the UK and Ireland. He has worked previously with Harman Pro Distributor GSL in Dubai and most recently as sales manager for Soundcraft with responsibility for the Latin American market.

The new sales office is the latest addition in Klotz's expansion of branches into core and key markets including France, The Netherlands and Singapore/Asia. Grant Roomes will provide support for the entire UK & EIRE market from his North London office. He comments: "I'm delighted to take over responsibility for the UK/EIRE market on behalf of such a prestigious company as Klotz. In my years w

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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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Taiwan - LED light manufacturer GlacialLight, a sub-division of the technology manufacturer GlacialTech has strategically placed itself as one of the frontrunners of the emerging energy saving LED lighting technology market.

As a seasoned Taiwan manufacturer of IT power and heatsink products, GlacialTech management decided that their existing experience in manufacturing computer parts suffices for the crucial components of LED lighting. This puts GlacialLight in a position to make superior and cost effective products to bring the LED Company to the fore of current LED manufacturers. In addition GlacialLight is well positioned to enhance its contribution to the global need to save energy to conserve our planet, says the company.

GlacialTech is developing a comprehensive range of products under the GlacialLight brand, stretching from street lighting solutions to all forms of ind

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USA - The TAO of Wood represented a new venture for Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart into the world of visual arts. The exhibit debuted at the Dennis Rae Fine Art gallery in San Francisco, with a reception event featuring a duet performance by Hart and percussionist Zakir Hussain who played on an eight-foot-tall functional sculpture and multitimbered percussion instrument named Ramrod, amplified and played back through a Meyer Sound surround system.

From his days with the Grateful Dead to his globetrotting studies in musicology, Mickey Hart has lived and breathed percussion. The choice of wood as a musical instrument was hardly a new concept for Hart. "The wood is old growth, hundreds of years old, and very sonorous," says Hart in a report in Marin Independent Journal. "It has these extremities that make different sounds. They're beautiful in

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Germany - NetMax has advanced to the next level with the N8000-1500. At the heart of the N8000-1500 is the new DSP-2 engine. Composed of three dual-core processors, the DSP-2 expands the total processing power of the N8000-1500 to 1500 MIPS. The modular nature of NetMax means that each input or output card added to a chassis provides an additional DSP engine and another 100 MIPS of processing power. This means that a fully loaded chassis provides 1900 MIPS of processing - almost double the power of the original N8000.

Combined with the optional CobraNet interface, NetMax's monitoring and supervision options, FIR-Drive, and the multitude of control options provided by IRIS-Net, the N8000-1500 represents the most powerful pro audio processor on the market, claims the manufacturer.

(Jim Evans)

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UK Litestructures' latest project is for the Pussycat Dolls current Doll Domination tour.. It's the second time the company has worked with the American girl band.

The stage measures 15m(w) x 10m(deep) and 8ft tall - made to fit on 60ft x 40ft house stage. The main feature includes three sets of staircase - all custom-built. Steps made of a small aluminium frame with a makrolon top. The other main feature of the stage includes five scissor lifts all from Litestructures' hire stock. The top of the decks on the lifts had to have special fixings to accept on stage motorbikes and dancing poles.

The production spent six days in the Litestructures Studios for full production rehearsal. Production manager Bryan 'Froggy' Cross comments, "When it comes to set fabrication and rehearsal space for a full production, Litestructures is the only place I trust with all of my artis

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USA - Global Truss America has launched its first-ever lighting product - a colour-changing LED truss warmer designed specifically to fit inside the company's square truss. Powered by nine ultra-bright 1-watt LEDs (three red, three, green, three blue LEDs), the new TW-RGB9 Truss Warmer uses RGB colour mixing to turn any rig into a rainbow of colours, for an uplighting effect at concerts, stage productions, nightclubs, DJ shows or any entertainment venue.

Featuring DMX-512 protocol, the TW-RGB9 can create thousands of colours, produce colour changes, and perform colour fades with 0-100% electronic dimming. It's also equipped with pre-programmed colour macros and a built-in microphone for sound-active operation, allowing it to be used without a controller.

The TW-RGB9 apart is that it was designed from the inside out to serve the function of a truss warmer. Compact in size yet p

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Russia - Moscow's "MODI", which serves as an Arts Center for the Kuzminki region, recently underwent a major renovation that included new audio and lighting equipment, cabling, power equipment, new seats, complete hall renovations (ceilings and flooring) and more. On 18 December official dignitaries commemorated the opening of the renovated theatre.

LTM Music supplied the lighting and audio equipment for the theatre which houses two venues. The first includes 593 seats in the main hall and a further 191 seats in the balcony area, whilst the second venue has 199 seats.

Compulite lighting equipment included: Vector Red; Vector Blue; 7 CompuDim 96/48 cabinets (244x5kW, 100xRelay 25A); 2 CompuDim 72/36 cabinets (100x3kW, 24xRelay 16A); and 4 MobileDim (40x5kW, 32x3kW).

LTM engineers worked closely with in-house technical management when selecting the lighting consoles

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Spain - Wybron has expanded its global distribution network to Spain. Based near San Sebastian with offices in Madrid, Entertainment Equipment Supplies will distribute Wybron products across the western European country. Founded in 2004, EES sells a variety of lighting equipment and mainly serves the rental, television and theatre markets, said CEO Nacho Acha-Orbea.

EES chose Wybron because of its reputation for reliability, Acha-Orbea said: "We're just focused on high quality brands and equipment with which we can be confident we're offering the best products with the best service."

Wybron sales manager Miles Dudgeon added: "EES has been great to work with, and we're excited to have a bigger presence in such a beautiful country."

(Jim Evans)

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Belgium - Arkaos has released its latest media server software, Media Master. First announced at the PLASA show in London, the software is now, after months of final development and testing, shipping with immediate effect. Media Master has been designed specifically with show and lighting market in mind.

Built on ArKaos' latest generation of technology, Media Master runs perfectly and reliably on standard laptops or can play up to eight full frames-per-second HD movies on an octo-core server, says the company.

Media Master's new interface has been designed to give lighting designers and video artists "the best ergonomics possible". Designed around one single window, it is possible to display all playing layers simultaneously, giving designers improved visibility of their shows. Supporting MSEX (Media Server Extensions) protocol, the ArKaos Media Master allows thumbna

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UK - Crowd safety barrier specialist Mojo Barriers celebrated 21 years of business with the international launch of Gatekeeper at The Event Show at Olympia, this month.

Gatekeeper is a smart turnstile system with proprietary software, designed to improve crowd safety at events. By counting the number of people entering and leaving a controlled event area through multiple exits, it monitors and automatically controls the capacity in real time.

"Gatekeeper meets a longstanding demand of promoters and public event organisers everywhere in the world," said Patrick Jordan, managing director of Mojo Barriers. "Until now, there has been no way of measuring the exact size of a crowd entering or leaving a public space through many different gates. Gatekeeper can keep track of the number of people in any controlled space, allowing organisers to prevent overcrowding even

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The Netherlands - At Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), to be held 3-5 February in Amsterdam, Meyer Sound will showcase its commitment to providing comprehensive system solutions that keep pace with the changing role of audio in today's complex integrated systems, says the company.

"With HD video offering bigger and brighter images, it's crucial not to let the audio portion of AV presentations fall behind," comments Meyer Sound director of marketing Rachel Archibald. "At ISE this year, we will showcase complete solutions with innovative products and support services to meet the challenges that today's systems integrators face in delivering 'high-definition audio.'"

Meyer Sound will bring a spread of products to ISE this year, including the tiny self-powered MM-4XP miniature loudspeaker and the flexible UPJunior VariO loudspeaker, as well as HD-1 and X-10T stu

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UK - Following the launch of Animotion Live, AV solutions company PSP has introduced another new concept to the market - 3D-holocube. PSP is working closely with the UK distributor, activ8-3D, which also delivers the 3D projection platform for the Animotion Live system.

3D-holocube provides an alternative advertising medium and offers a new way of enhancing brand experience. Ideal for point of sale applications within the retail market, product launches and live events and exhibitions, 3D-Holocube is a fully integrated, mini 3D holographic system that creates 3D video holograms to deliver instant impact, says the company.

"3D-Holocube offers our clients vast opportunities," says PSP general manager, David Woodcock. "Content needs to be specially produced. This is a service we provide alongside the rental of the 3D-Holocube unit itself. Images can take anything f

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UK - Pearce Hire has been awarded a three year contract to provide all the power and lighting for the Forestry Commission live music tours.

The Forestry Commission Tours bring a range live music to locations situated within woodland or forests to encourage people to appreciate the beautiful world around them, whilst also generating valuable income to plough back into the woodland.

Artists already confirmed for the 2009 series of concerts around the seven venues are Paul Weller, McFly, Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, Vanessa-Mae, Katherine Jenkins and Status Quo, with the competitively priced tickets already achieving good sales.

Pearce Hire provided power for the first series of tours in 2000 and has been providing power and lighting for eight years. One of the main challenges of the tour is designing equipment that fits the wishes of all artists and delive

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UK - The Roland Systems Group has expanded its UK-based team of pro-audio specialists with the addition of Simon Kenning who joins RSG from Stage Electrics, where, for the last seven years, he has been a business development manager. He has freelanced as a sound engineer on many prominent festivals in western England and Wales, and also spent a couple of years teaching sound design and engineering.

At Stage Electrics, Simon was responsible for the design and implementation of several technical systems within theatres and colleges. At RSG he will provide sales and support for the RSS portfolio of digital control systems such as the M-400 V-Mixing System.

Another addition to the team is Helena Lewis, who will be the RSS point of liaison at Roland's national headquarters in Swansea.

(Jim Evans)

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Japan - Yamaha Commercial Audio is showing a wide range of new and existing products at the Integrated Systems Europe 2009 exhibition taking place at the Amsterdam RAI 3 - 5 February - as well as running a series of hands-on digital mixing workshops.

Located at Booth E90, Hall 11, Yamaha will be showing the new Installation Series IMX644 rackmount mixer and IPA8200 eight channel power amplifier for the first time in Europe along with a comprehensive range of Installation Series loudspeakers including the new IS1112 subwoofer.

In addition, Yamaha will also be showcasing a wide range of the company's other industry-leading solutions for audio systems integration. These include analogue and digital mixing consoles, such as the 01V96 and the feature rich, cost-effective LS9 complete with the recently-introduced SB168-ES stage box. Yamaha's versatile DME (digital mix engine) will b

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USA - D&M Professional, the owner of Marantz Professional, Denon Professional and Denon DJ, announced at NAMM that it has entered into an agreement with JAM Industries, that its division Erikson Pro will now serve as the exclusive distributor of the D&M Professional brands in Canada.

The announcement was made by Paul Mathis, senior vice president, D&M Professional. Gerry Zegarra, formerly of D&M Professional Canada, will now serve as the main contact, working for Erikson Pro.

Christian Bouchard, VP Erikson Pro, stated, "We're honoured to be chosen by D&M Professional to distribute Denon Professional, Marantz Professional and Denon DJ Products in Canada. Additionally, we are glad to have Gerry join our organisation. His extensive knowledge, industry contacts and dedication to M.I./pro audio makes him a perfect fit for our organization."

"We are elated to be wor

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Norway - Succeeding the F30 series of DLP projectors, the new F32 series from projectiondesign is now shipping in SXGA+, 1080p and WUXGA image resolutions.

Like all of the company's new wave of product platforms, the F32 features Philips' latest VIDI lamp technology, along with completely revised colour management and configuration options. To these, the F32 adds active cooling, which enhances reliability and prolongs useful product life for a lower total cost of ownership, says the company.

The F32 offers projectiondesign's DuArch dual illumination architecture with 'hot swappable' lamp modules, along with Texas Instruments' BrilliantColor technology and their own RealColor colour management suite.

The F32 utilises its feature set for greatly enhanced image quality and extended calibration and colour-matching capabilities. It also boasts a sealed optical architecture design

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UK - Live event and audiovisual hire specialist First Network is the first UK company to add the new Panasonic PT-DZ12000 projectors to its product portfolio.

Dennis Georgiou of First Network reports: "We have been very pleased with the performance and popularity of the Panasonic range of projectors and have maintained a good stock, so investing in the PT-DZ 12000 was a natural progression. The features guaranteed from Panasonic, such as high resolution, clarity and brightness, along with Panasonic's sales and technical support, have often convinced our purchasing decisions their way.

(Jim Evans)

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Welcome News - West End theatres enjoyed another record-breaking year in 2008 despite the economic downturn, figures reveal. The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) said box office takings increased by 3%, totalling more than £480m. Audiences were also up 1% on 2007, reaching 13.8m as musicals, plays and dance performances proved popular. SOLT said attendances weakened in the second half of the year as the economic crisis gathered momentum, but a strong Christmas period boosted the figures. "Last year was a record breaking year, we didn't expect to surpass it or match it," Nica Burns, president of SOLT, told the BBC News website.

"The bottom line is we have very good shows on, full of creative talent both on stage and backstage. It shows we really are the theatre capital of the world," she added. Ms Burns said that new shows including Zorro, Hair

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