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DPA has launched a new website at www.dpamicrophones.com. This retains the large amount of information and resources from the previous site, including the Microphone University, which provides useful information about microphone design, interfacing, stereo and surround techniques and recording in general, as well as product information, user stories and distributor info.

Additionally, the site has undergone a complete redesign, bringing it up-to-date and consistent with DPA's corporate branding, advertising and trade show visuals. Graphics are bolder and improved, and the site features new product photography throughout.

"We wanted to make our website even more user friendly, with a good search function, easy navigation and well-organised content," says Anne Berggrein, head o

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UAE - Look behind one of the main broadcast desks at television studio CNBC Arabia and you will see a flexible, animated and visually professional backdrop courtesy of Martin LC Series LED panels. The semi-transparent, modular system of LED panels - praised for its brightness and set-up ease - is floor-mounted and creates a customizable graphics backdrop and one-of-a-kind set piece.

CNBC Arabia, which broadcasts live coverage across the Middle East and beyond from Dubai Media City in the United Arab Emirates, is the region's first 24-hour Arabic language business TV channel. The channel's Head of Operations, Nick Turner, was looking for an alternative display to augment a range of changeable and moveable 'light-boxes' that would display backlit graphics for a range of new shows.

"We needed something to simplify operations and replace one of the virtual sets we had been us

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UK - The Empire Theatre in the Queensland city of Toowoomba has upgraded to a Midas PRO6, becoming the first performing arts centre in Australia to install the new digital system. Originally built in 1911 as a silent movie house, the theatre was extensively renovated following a fire in the 1930s, and is a stunning example of art deco architecture both inside and out. The Empire underwent another major renovation in the late 1990s, becoming the first theatre in Australia to install a Midas Heritage 2000 in its ongoing desire to provide optimum performance.

In recent years the theatre's audio department has expressed a desire to upgrade to a digital console to provide more features and greater flexibility. Head of audio Ralph Atkinson evaluated many consoles in his search, concluding that none came close to the sonic performance of the theatre's existing console.

That was until

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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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Australia - Located in Australia's capital city Canberra, the Australian War Memorial's newest galleries "Conflicts 1945 to Today," aims to preserve and convey the experiences of Australian servicemen and women on overseas deployments from Korea and Vietnam through to Rwanda, Iraq and Afghanistan. In the age of the virtual theme park it was a major challenge for the AWM to present these epic stories.

Bruce Brown from Mental Media who was heavily involved in a variety of aspects of the design and delivery of the project, says the design process selected the key elements from the Vietnam era to include an Iroquois helicopter, an Armoured Personnel Carrier, the operations bridge from the guided missile destroyer HMAS Brisbane and the Long Tan AV Theatre, together with a diorama and "The Trench Experience" from the Korean War. Fitting all of this and the assignme

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USA - Robert Juliat Quincy profiles play a key role in the new Hall at Patriot Place, a unique sports and educational experience showcasing the history of the New England Patriots and housing the team's Hall of Fame.

The venue includes four 30ft (9.14m) high Magink pylons whose digital displays highlight the careers of each Hall of Famer via video, still images and text information.

As lighting consultants on the project Salem, Massachusetts-based Available Light was tasked with lighting the two-sided, Israeli-made Magink pylons. "They have no light source of their own; they're essentially like a giant LED screen which has to be externally illuminated," explains designer Matt Zelkowitz, a principal designer at Available Light.

In talking to the manufacturer Zelkowitz learned that each pylon needs approximately 300ft candles (3229 lux) of illumination and a 3:1 max

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Germany - Sirius Showequipment, one of Germany's leading tour sound rental companies, has joined the L-Acoustics K1/KUDO Pilot Program. CEO Wolfgang "Schabbach" Neumann is excited at the prospect of using the system for this year's open-air season.

"We were very impressed by the power capability of the system, especially the fact that distribution is so equal in both the horizontal and vertical planes," he says. "But what's really struck us is the great response to the system from our customer base. Our new L-Acoustics K1/KUDO system will be the backbone of our rental activities throughout 2009, and the system will be on the road all season.

This is Sirius Showequipment's first purchase of L-Acoustics systems after years of positive experiences renting V-DOSC, dV-DOSC and KUDO on a dry hire basis. The system will comprise 48 K1 line source cabinets, 24

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World - grandMA are plugged into the excitement of AC/DC's long-awaited Black Ice World Tour which takes its theme from the new AC/DC track, Rock 'n' Roll Train, with the stage featuring five curved trusses reminiscent of a railroad station's roof beams.

The Black Ice World Tour marks the first time that the band's lighting director Cosmo Wilson has toured with the grandMA. A main system and backup are on hand to control the extensive lighting package required for the large set and AC/DC's over-the-top performance.

"I've used a lot of different consoles, but I started using the grandMA on some one-off dates for other artists and have done a lot of corporate shows with it," he points out. "This is my first chance to tour with it. That's when you really get to learn it. I've always liked a lot of grandMA's features, and I'd been thinking I wan

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USA - The 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards held on 8 February at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, had a performance line up and duets by Coldplay and Jay-Z; Al Green, Keith Urban, Justin Timberlake and Boyz II Men performing 'Let's Stay Together'; the Jonas Brothers pairing with Stevie Wonder; Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus;, Paul McCartney and Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl; as well as performances by Katy Perry, Carrie Underwood, and many others. California-based ATK Audiotek once again provided live audio production and, once again, chose four Yamaha PM1D digital audio consoles, two at front of house and two for the monitor mix.

"The need for these shows to be flawless is what drives Audiotek to obsess on the details and not compromise on the quality of equipment and people that operate behind the scenes," states Mike Stahl, president of ATK Audiotek.

At the helm of the four Y

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UK - ITV1's successful 4th series of Dancing on Ice - a live competition in which celebrities and their professional partners 'figure skate' in front of a panel of judges - attracts an impressive 9.5 million viewers every Saturday night.

The lighting and projection media servers for the 4th series are controlled by two Vector Greens from Compulite. Lighting designer for the series is Dave Davey with assistance from Dave Hallet and console operators Bill Peachment and John Ford.

"Bill's desk features all the set and effects lighting as well as a Hippotizer media server to project onto the ice. John looks after lighting the people (contestants and judges etc) with a mixture of conventional lights and automated wash and profile lamps," says the company.

Console operator John Ford comments: "Coming from a background of controlling conventional/people lighti

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UK - In Bristol, the Woodlands Church has completed its investment in a house sound system by installing a M-400 V-Mixing System from RSS. The final decision was swung by a Snake, in particular the S-1608 digital multicore package that is integrated with the M-400 console and which provides the Church with the flexibility to relocate its sound control position in the future.

Five years ago, the 1000-strong congregation of the contemporary house of worship Woodlands Church began a programme of investment into new sound reinforcement equipment, starting with the purchase of a Nexo PS15 loudspeaker system, initially paired with an analogue front-of-house mixer.

With music playing a significant role in services, Woodlands soon began to consider the possibilities of a move to digital sound control, appreciating that it would help to build a more consistent approach to sound across

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Germany - Brand-new from Electro-Voice, makers of the world-tour-proven Precision Series P3000 amplifier, are Q Series amplifiers, four models that offer "outstanding audio quality, reliability, and value for a wide range of mobile audio applications".

The new series continues EV's proven concepts in amplifier technology, providing "superior dynamic headroom, transient detail, and a full protection package," says the company.

Based on Class-H layout for maximized efficiency and reduced weight in a 2U design, the amp family features additional switchable LowPass Notch (LPN) filters, providing extra fundament and kick as well as protective low-cut when driving compact 12" or 15" full-range speaker cabinets without subwoofers.

The Q Series is launching with four models: Q1212 (2 x 1200W @ 4 Ohms / 2 x 1800W @ 2 Ohms) -the Q Series flagship offers t

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USA - North Carolina-based Stewart Sound first became involved with a Barack Obama's election trail last September and since then have provided impressive sound for several important events.

"It all started with a call from Atlas Group in Raleigh NC," says Stewart Sound's founder Chad Stewart. "Atlas is an event specialist and we've done several things with them since that first call. They needed a PA system for a Democrat Presidential campaign event in Greensboro. Obama was on the election trail at the time, and this was a public event for about 15,000 people.

"We put in a PA composed entirely of d&b audiotechnik Q-Series Q1 loudspeakers. After the event Atlas came to us and said it was the first time at one of these events that they hadn't heard a single complaint; not one heckler in the audience said they couldn't hear what was being said."

By the

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UK - Cheltenham-based rental company CSS has recently invested in the new ColorSpot 700E AT from Robe Lighting to add to its extensive portfolio. "The exciting designs that can be created from moving head fixtures with this advanced piece of lighting technology is incredible. The new Robe 700 will add an extraordinary element to any event," the company says.

CSS reports "huge demand" for the hire of the new Robe 700E AT, which they describe as "one of the most sophisticated devices in the present market". CSS have used the moving heads on the London Women's Conventions at Excel, Cheltenham Folk Festival at Cheltenham Town Hall and large Christmas parties at Cheltenham Town Hall.

Lee Dreezer, the company's head of operations says: "The new Robe 700E AT has given us the chance to develop our designs on events due to the variety of settings that

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UK - Leading UK lighting rental company HSL has made a substantial investment in Robe's new Digital Series products - including 6 DigitalSpot 7000DTs and 36 REDWash 3-192s along with 16 REDBlinder 2-96's - primarily for the Pussycat Dolls' European Doll Domination tour, for which they were specified by LD Scott Warner.

HSL is supplying all lighting equipment and crew for the tour which also includes 60 Robe ColorSpot and ColorWash 2500E AT moving lights, 40 Martin Professional Atomic strobes, a 12 way Kinesys automation system with Vector control plus over 60 motors and rigging. HSL also designed and commissioned several pieces of custom metalwork that were fabricated by TFL for the tour which is project managed for them by Mike Oates.

The slick, high-energy show is a colourful and fluid amalgam of classic pop lighting with plenty of attitude and dynamics. Warner makes

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USA - Vibrant colours from Wybron's Nexera colour-mixing luminaires enhance worship services at Woodmen Valley Chapel, a 6,000-member church in Colorado Springs.

Ten Nexeras, in both profile and wash models, paint the back of the church stage, including the fabric draped dramatically on either side of the main projection screen.

"It brings life to the stage. It enhances the senses," says Mark Shrimplin, Woodmen Valley's director of technical arts.

The Nexera combines a powerful light fixture and CMY dichroic colour changing in one unit. The Nexera's compact size and quiet convection-cooled operation make it popular among churches and small theatres.

Shrimplin likes the Nexera's smooth colour changes. Having the colours morph seamlessly into one another helps the church's volunteer lighting crew, he says. The Nexeras also provide quality light for the church's tel

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Denmark - In order to create a stronger, more effective European sales structure, Martin Professional A/S is optimizing its European sales subsidiaries by creating a regional sales organization, Martin EMEA.

Martin EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), will be based at Martin's headquarter office in Aarhus, Denmark. During 2009, Martin's current European subsidiaries will be integrated into the new structure while Martin's distributors within the area will be served by the new European regional organization at a later stage.

Heading the new sales organization is Villads Thomsen, Vice President EMEA. Thomsen, previously Managing Director at Martin Professional's Scandinavian subsidiary, assumed the new position on January 1st. Steen Matthiesen, currently CFO at Martin France, will serve as the new organization's CFO.

Christian Engsted, Martin Professional A/S CEO, commented

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UK - British DSP manufacturer XTA Electronics has announced the latest addition to their successful 4 Series - the DP426. The DP426 is a 2-in, 6-out audio management tool that has been introduced in direct response to demand from customers following the demise of the popular DP226 and is ideally suited to stereo three-way applications.

XTA sales and marketing director Bill Woods commented: "Our flagship DP448 has been adopted by contractors and touring companies worldwide, as have the DP446, DP444 and DP424. However, we had not really filled the gap left in our range when we discontinued the classic DP226. Although companies use the 4 Series for all sorts of applications, it seems that the good old 2-in, 6-out speaker processor configuration for stereo three-way set ups just won't go away, hence the addition of the DP426!"

The DP426 shares exactly the same features a

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UK - British mixer manufacturer, Allen & Heath, has chosen the forthcoming ProLight & Sound show in Frankfurt to unveil a new addition to their portfolio. For the first time in 15 years, Allen & Heath has designed a broadcast console, which will be introduced from the ZED range of small-format USB mixers.

Allen & Heath will also be introducing updates to the new iLive-T Series compact digital mixing system, which can now interface with popular networking standards such as EtherSound, ADAT and Aviom.

The new Xone:22 2-channel analogue DJ mixer will be shown for the first time in Europe, and the increasingly popular ZED-R16 Firewire recording mixer will also be generating interest. Mixers from the whole Xone DJ range will be displayed, including the :D Series of MIDI controllers, and there will be a cross section of mixers from the ZED, MixWizard, GL, iDR and iLive ranges.

See

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China - PR Lighting has launched the new StarBrite LED cloth and dedicated PR-8710C controller, which comes complete with flightcase.

IPX3-protected (against spraying water), the StarBrite comes with 12 preset programmes for insurance and contains a total of 144 LEDs (18 x 8 sequences), with a lamp life of 30,000 hours.

Outputting 150cd brightness with all the LEDs emitting white light, it also offers strobe, white colour channel (for colour testing, and with strobe and dimming), DMX or manual control. There is also a key-press lock for avoiding improper operation.

The LED StarBrite's power consumption is less than 30W, while the Controller (input 200W, output 150W max) can drive four separate StarBrite cloths.

The product comes in 6000mm x 4000mm cloth sizes with the controller measuring 190mm x 320mm x 87.5mm. The cloth, incorporating 15m signal connection cable, weighs

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USA - Built in 1920s, Hollywood United Methodist Church's architecture was inspired by Westminster Abbey and has provided the backdrop for Whoopi Goldberg's Sister Act in addition to hundreds of scenes in other movies.

But Hollywood UMC's outdated and underpowered sound system could not survive the transition to more contemporary music. It consisted of a handful of little 6" speakers mounted near the bottom of the cathedral's awe-inspiring support columns and was barely sufficient for the choral reinforcement for which it was originally designed.

Eventually the church's A/V tech, Dave Whittaker, requested meetings from area integrators for a Renkus-Heinz-centered system. One of the firms he contacted was Platt Design. Their president and senior designer, Bill Platt, is a two-time Emmy winner and spent 15 years as director of audio and show development for all of Wa

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UK - AV hire and special effects company Arcstream AV has secured a distribution partnership with Ray Technologies to sell and hire for events, the newly developed Arx Series laser system.

In a time when lasers are firmly back in fashion, appearing on tour with TakeThat and in new super-clubs throughout the world, Arcstream AV are working with the creme of laser development specialists to bring a new range of compact, state-of-the-art lasers to the British market, says the company.

Neil Dickinson, managing director of Arcstream AV explains: "Lasers have moved on so much from the systems which used to be available and Arx Series is an impressive piece of technology. They are very compact in comparison with older lasers and designed to be fixed to truss etc, so they can be integrated with the other lighting and PA facilities for a show."

The range includes single col

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