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Norway - Midas PRO6 live audio systems were used for front-of-house and monitors for a production of Grease at the Oslo Spektrum. The eight-show run was the first musical to be staged at the 5,500 capacity arena, which usually houses rock concerts, Disney on Ice and sports events.

Local company AVAB CAC, which was technical supplier for Grease, chose the Midas PRO6 due to the exceptional sound quality and the flexible automation system they knew it would provide. Sound engineers Thomas Wold (monitors) and Stein Andre Hovden (FOH) - both employees of AVAB CAC - joined the production 10 days before the first show. As they were both first-time PRO6 users, they spent the first two days setting up the systems and learning how to operate them. By day three, the show

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USA - Opening the GRAMMY Awards this year with Get on Your Boots a track from their forthcoming album, U2 set the tempo for live performances at this year's ceremonies with Bono stepping into the spotlight using a Shure UHF-R wireless microphone equipped with an SM58 capsule. UHF-R continued to cut a wide swath across the wireless frequency spectrum throughout the evening, with a combination of SM58 and KSM9 handheld transmitters chosen by a lengthy list of performing artists including Jennifer Hudson, Coldplay, Kid Rock, Carrie Underwood, John Mayer, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Keith Urban, M.I.A., T.I., Kanye West, and Jay-Z.

With frequency coordination provided by Dave Bellamy of Burbank-based Soundtronics Wireless, the GRAMMY telecast braced itself for the operation of 50 RF channels within the cavernous Staples Center. Out of 28 wireless channels dedicated to the 23 musica

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UK - Litestructures proudly introduced its new line of creative aluminium solutions - LiteConsole - at the recent TPi Awards ceremony in London. Presenter Phill Jupitus described the console as looking like "...something from the Starship Enterprise!"

The original inspiration for LiteConsole came from Paul Oakenfold who required a modular performance console to reinforce his stage presence on his recent global stadium tour with Madonna, and Litestructures totally responded to Paul's requirement.

"LiteConsole represents an innovative, portable and high visual impact solution for corporate presentations and live performances," says the company. The line can be used as musician/DJ/production work surfaces; as eye-catching information booths at trade shows and exhibitions; for TV/video recording projects; and as temporary retail outlets/sales promotion counters

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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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UK - The PLASA Technical Resources Office invites PLASA and STLD members to forget the worries of the credit crunch for a day by blasting around the Silverstone race track.

The event is organised by PLASA's Technical Resources manager Ron Bonner: "If you have ever wanted to drive your own car above the legal 70 MPH limit to see what it is capable of without being snapped by a Gatso - then this may be your big chance. The PLASA Technical Resources Office has reserved Silverstone for a day to hold a day of fun on the track. Included in the day is lunch and if you need it, tuition on how to drive your car in this environment. (Additional tuition fees apply)

"The day is provisionally booked for Friday June 26th 2009 - just a week after the British Grand Prix has been decided - and it is estimated that the full cost of the day and lunch will be in the region of £210

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No Show - Peter Gabriel has pulled out this week's Oscar ceremony after learning his performance as a best song nominee would be limited to just 65 seconds. The singer, co-nominated for Down To Earth from Wall-E, said he had hoped to perform the song in its entirety. The three shortlisted songs will be performed as part of a medley. "It's a bit unfortunate," said Gabriel in a video on his website, adding that he was "an old fart" who could afford to "make a little protest". The Academy had no comment.

In a change to previous years, producers - eager to bolster viewing figures for the Oscar ceremony later this month - have chosen to cut back on song performances. But the British singer, nominated alongside American composer Thomas Newman, said songwriters "deserve a place in the ceremony as well". "The songwriters are a v

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UK - In the few months since its opening, the Westfield London retail complex has already proved a success. And drawing on that success is large format exterior advertising specialist Ocean Outdoor, which has commissioned three large Lighthouse LED screens for Westfield, at a site close to the complex.

Facing the major Holland Park roundabout, the three large 12 by 4 panels (12.24m (w) x 3.04m (h) each) R16i/o 16mm outdoor screens, housed in a gigantic, standalone rectangular structure, provide an eye-catching display to a captive audience of thousands of drivers per day.

A wide range of exterior signage types compete for attention throughout London, so this installation demanded the ultimate in what is currently available. Lighthouse R16 combines the ideal image resolution for the site with 5000 nits brightness, 2000:1 contrast ratio, superior colour reproduction and Lighthou

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USA - Technomad LLC, a leader in weatherproof loudspeakers and audio systems since 1995, has announced that AVX Northwest, an AV equipment dealer, consultant and installer based in Centralia, Washington, has completed two Technomad Turnkey PA school installations in the Pacific Northwest.

The Technomad installations, at Saint Martin's University of Lacey, Washington and Kalama High School of Kamala, Washington, provide substantial athletic sound system upgrades on the campuses indoors as well as outdoors.

"The reliability and durability of Technomad loudspeakers outdoors is renowned because of their weatherproof design, and the voice projection and musical quality is also very much appreciated in this industry," said Mark Abbott, Founder of AVX Northwest.

"That audio quality and reliability translates phenomenally indoors, especially in gymnasiums for live spo

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UK - Italian lighting manufacturer Clay Paky has donated intelligent lighting fixtures to the BA (Hons) Lighting Design programme at Rose Bruford College.

The fixtures - four 1200 Stage Zoom and six Golden Scan units - will be added to the programme's teaching and production stock of generic and intelligent luminaires. Rose Bruford College's BA in Lighting Design, together with the new BA in Lighting Programming, are among the UK's leading specialist lighting degree programmes, and students are taught in a wide variety of lighting applications, from live performance to architectural and event lighting.

"The Clay Paky units will be of invaluable use to us, both on teaching seminars and production work, and my students are already using them on several shows this term, as well as learning new skills in moving light control in our lighting labs," says Hansjörg Schmidt,

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Australia - Thanks to its long-standing Australian distributor Syntec, Rycote, the UK-based microphone windshield specialist, has secured a sizeable order for nearly 70 windshield kits from one of Australia's newest outside broadcast companies.

On Site Broadcast Australia (also known as OSB) was created late last year when two existing OB companies, Sydney's zerO1zerO and Melbourne's Broadcast Rentals, merged. The windshield kits, which are for use in OSB's outside broadcast vehicles, are being supplied via Syntec.

Even before the company merger, zerO1zerO was in the process of ordering over 20 Rycote windshields last year to kit out its newest HD OB vehicle, which was commissioned with assistance from Sony Broadcast.

Following the merger, the decision was taken to refurbish two of Broadcast Rentals' older SD vehicles and to re-equip zerO1zerO's existing SD truck. Rycote win

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USA - Zaxcom has added to its wireless microphone product line with the introduction of the environmentally friendly TRX992, a boom pole unit that performs the functions of an audio transmitter, monitor return receiver, backup recorder, and phantom power supply - all within one compact wireless system.

The TRX992 is a completely digital transmission system optimised for boom mic operators working on motion picture and television productions, say Zaxcom. It features patent-pending internal recording that backs up transmissions to guard against lost audio files. Users can record up to 24 hours of audio to a removable mini or micro SD card using the TRX992. The system features a user-selectable power output ranging from 10mW to 100mW. Zaxcom also says that the audio dynamic range is 106dB, making the TRX992 "sound like a hard-wired microphone without any of the typical FM audi

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USA - PowerLift, J. R. Clancy's popular automated theatre hoist, has been listed as meeting the rigorous UL 1340 Hoist standard for safety by ETL. A Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL), ETL was originally founded by Thomas Edison in 1896. PowerLifts will now carry the ETL Listing Mark.

This listing signifies that PowerLift meets the safety requirements of the world's most trusted source for product compliance, illustrating Clancy's ongoing commitment to backstage safety.

"This is an important step forward, as most of the theatrical hoists installed in the U.S. are not listed by any agency," said Tom Young, Clancy vice-president of marketing. "By complying with the most rigorous standards in the industry, we're helping to reduce the risks backstage. Now it's clear that PowerLifts can help the show go on - safely."

To be listed, the product must

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UK - Broadcast Video Expo 2009 will be the first UK opportunity for broadcast professionals to see and hear Audio-Technica's new ATH-M35 monitor headphones. Aimed at studio, field recording, broadcast and live sound use, the headphones "are designed for long service and exemplary performance", say Audio-Technica.

Key features include a foldable design for easy storage and a rugged storage pouch, enhancing the headphones' durability and lifespan. They are an ideal choice for a wide range of applications, from professional studio and home recording use to more portable situations such as live sound, broadcast audio-for-video and location recording.

The ATH-M35s employ a low-profile, closed-back design, providing high quality clarity and isolation in high-volume listening situations. The headphones feature a neodymium magnet structure and have a frequency response of 20

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UAE - Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI) is a state-supported media organization based in Dubai. Recently the company, which runs five separate TV channels, invested heavily in systems from Telex and RTS.

DMI's purchases included digital matrices (ADAM CS, Cronus, and Zeus), talkback systems and a RadioCom intercom system. To ensure maximum efficiency when reporting on local, sporting, and cultural events, the DMI team also equipped its fleet of six OB trucks with equipment from Telex and RTS.

"The experts at DMI considered it essential to invest in pioneering equipment," says Ammar Fawzy, regional sales manager CCS for Telex RTS Intercom. "The modular structure of the systems purchased, the compatibility of the various devices with one another, their legendary reliability, and - last but not least - the outstanding image of Telex and RTS were all factors in their d

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Croatia - Oktava, RCF's distributor in Croatia, working closely with RCF's Systems Engineering Department, have designed and installed a complete new audio system for the Zadar sports arena.

The system was specially conceived to be extremely compact and controls and distributes audio in every part of the arena.

RCF TT+ loudspeakers were chosen for the playing and the seating areas because of their "high power and sound definition". TT25-A loudspeakers were installed on the round structure above the parterre, amplifying the sound towards the seats while TT22-A models were used for the playing area. An MX1822 mixer manages the audio signals sent to the loudspeakers.

RCF PL60 ceiling speakers have been installed in all the other areas - locker rooms, corridors, pressroom, restaurant and VIP room - using the A1360 mounting hardware.

On the external parts of the build

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UK - Recognised globally for robust and reliable manufacture as well as "excellent after-sales service", Sheffield-based Cloud Electronics Ltd (CEL), has reinforced its brand value by extending the standard warranty period on all new products from one year to five years.

Cloud's MD, Simon Curtis, explains: "Cloud audio equipment is British-made to a demandingly high standard. The products have such a reputation for reliabiliy that it is a pleasure to be able to pass on our confidence as a peace of mind guarantee to our loyal customers - who continue to specify Cloud product for hassle-free installations - and new customers alike."

The five-year warranty covers parts only against faulty manufacture and original material failure provided equipment has not been abused, damaged or modified. The warranty applies to products purchased through an authorised distri

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USA - Mackie has announced Vista support for the Onyx FireWire Card and added Vista 64 support for all FireWire devices. Users of Mackie FireWire interfaces such as the Onyx Satellite, d.Pro Series DJ Mixers and now the Onyx FireWire card can now enjoy support under the Windows Vista operating system.

This update not only adds compatibility, but includes feature updates from the previous build. The following FireWire interfaces are compatible with Mackie Audio Driver V1.1.0: Onyx FireWire Card, Onyx Satellite, u.420, u.420d, d.2 Pro, d.4 Pro and TAPCO Link.FireWire.

The Mackie 400F & 1200F have been Vista compatible for some time and require no update. Users who wish to update to Mackie Audio Driver V1.1.0 should visit the respective product page at www.mackie.com

(Claire Beeson)

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UK - DPA's UK distributor Sound Network has supplied a large quantity of DPA microphones and accessories to the Department of Music at the University of Huddersfield. The university has purchased a DPA 3511 stereo cardioid kit, DPA 3506 stereo condenser kit, a DPA 5006-11 surround mic kit with an S5c surround mount, a DPA 3521 compact cardioid stereo kit and two each of DPA SMK 4060 and 4061 miniature stereo kits.

The mics were specified by Dr Pierre Alexandre Tremblay, senior lecturer in composition at the university, as part of his research in mixed music, a blending of acoustic instruments with electronic sounds and processing.

"The project, Thinking Inside the Box, examines ways of bridging the gap between studio composition and its concert rendition," explains Tremblay. "Transparent, linear microphones were needed, for both instrument sound recording

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Italy / Venezuela - AVCom, CA has been appointed as the new distribution partner for Powersoft products in Venezuela.

AVCOM is a well-established organisation, founded in 1999, and specialises in pro audio solutions. The company has a strong reputation in the marketplace both for the broad range of products available in its portfolio and for the high quality of service it provides for its customers, say Powersoft.

"We are very excited about our new relationship with Powersoft," said Alberto Dillon, director of AVCom. "We pride ourselves of selling the best products, technology and services in our market, as such, Powersoft is an excellent complement to our product portfolio that will help us expand our share in the PA and installed sound markets. We definitely are looking forward to a long relationship between our companies."

"We have chosen AVCom as

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UK - As reported on LSI Online last week, fears over the future of the entertainment and broadcast industries' use of radio spectrum continue, in the face of Ofcom's vague and inadequate assurances of protection and compensation.

At a meeting on 13 February, representatives of the programme making and special events (PMSE) sector agreed their common position on Ofcom's latest proposals for the future of the 'Digital Dividend' spectrum. These stakeholders included equipment manufacturers, end users, rental users and trade associations.

Alan March, representing manufacturer Sennheiser, is a member of the British Entertainment Industry Radio Group (BEIRG), the sector's campaign group formed to represent the interests of PMSE users to Ofcom. He said it was "unfair, unreasonable and impractical" of Ofcom to expect the industry to move to "new spectrum which is undete

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USA - At the 51st Annual Grammy Awards Show, telecast on CBS from L.A.'s Staples Centre 0n 8 February, XM Productions/Effanel Music employed Genelec 8200 Series Active DSP Monitoring Systems.

Genelec DSP systems consisting of 8250 and 8240 active monitors, along with the 7260 subwoofer, were used in XM Productions/Effanel Music's L7 truck for the live music mix, as well as in the mirrored system in the Nova offline remix booth.

Music mixer John Harris stated: "Genelec active monitoring is the industry standard for high-end monitoring solutions, without a doubt. Their performance is absolutely consistent show after show, and the sound is the most musical we've ever used. With the ability to adapt the surround speaker field with the DSP technology, Genelecs offer the peace of mind of knowing our monitors are exactly what we need them to be."

(Jim Evans)

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China - The National Petroleum Corporation is China's largest integrated oil and gas company, and is one of the 25 largest companies in the world. In the CNPC Building in Beijing, a record-breaking installation of conference and sound reinforcement systems has just been completed - including the fitting of nearly 400 of Vieta's DO Series loudspeakers and 44 digital amplifiers.

CNPC Building in Beijing is a massive office block, covering an area of three hectares. Its conference and sound reinforcement systems are an important component of this high-tech intelligent building, which has more than 40 meeting rooms of varying sizes.

Vieta's loudspeakers and amplifiers are used throughout the CNPC Building, in a system comprising RCF digital devices and BSS signal processing. According to a spokesman for Tico (Vieta's distribution agent in China), "we found through analysis th

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