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USA - Following the untimely death of Monte Wise, the following tribute has been issued by Bosch Communications Systems Division VP Americas, Thomas Hansen:

"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Monte Wise, systems applications specialist, pro sound, for Bosch's Communications Systems Division.

"Monte was an expert, a true professional. Monte's 'golden ears' were second to none in the pro audio industry, and he helped perfect thousands of sound systems across the Americas, making friends everywhere he went.

"A model for others, Monte's care for our customers was never-ending. No matter what the time of day, he went to extreme lengths to ensure their happiness. For many, Monte was a mentor who improved and helped shape their businesses.

&quo

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UK / Italy - Outline has successfully launched its Openarray 3D Software. Training seminars were held during PLASA09 on its stand, to train and show system engineers and sound designers the advantage of having a three dimensional software programme that can predict the results expected from either a live performance or an installation of its products.

The intention of releasing an 'alpha' version is to gain the experience of system engineers consistently working in the field. Building on the success of V.I.P. (Vector Implementation Protocol), the idea is to have the engineers contact the company with a "wish list" of additions to the software that would assist them in the future.

Openarray has in its user files at present the three line array products from Outline, namely Butterfly, Mini-COM.P.A.S.S. and Mantas. By the end of this year all the subwoofer products will

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Spain - Mamma Mia is in its fifth year of international touring, having been seen by over three million people in Cape Town, Zurich, Dublin, Beijing, Taipei, Berlin, Paris, Lisbon, Pretoria, Dubai, Copenhagen, Tel Aviv, Riga, Shanghai, Helsinki, Bratislava, Prague, Glasgow and Budapest - and is now on tour throughout Spain.

Lighting designer Howard Harrison and associate lighting designer Pia Virolainen used a grandMA full-size, a grandMA light and three MA NSPs (Network Signal Processor) as well as grandMA 3D for pre-visualisation.

Pia Virolainen comments, "The central issue here was to make the show tourable whilst retaining the original look of the show. We reduced the number of conventional units quite considerably and adjusted the moving light rig accordingly. The back cloth is now lit by led battens instead of striplights and ETC pars - this proved to be ver

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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 - Audio, video and lighting design and installation specialists, TMC have recently been awarded with the ISO 9001 status.

The decision for the application for ISO 9001 accreditation has been driven by the increased number of large scale projects that TMC has been asked to become involved with. Since TMC's involvement with the Governments' Building Schools for the Future Initiative, requests have been "flooding in" for TMC's expertise to design and install sound systems, architectural lighting and interactive visual effects for numerous construction projects.

Working with some of the leading property development companies and highly respected architects, TMC chose Keighley based BTAL and began the process for the accreditation in March of this year.

Natasha Fishwick of TMC commented: "Achieving the ISO9001 status has been an important development for

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UK - After weeks of speculation and buzz around the industry, Allen & Heath and Serato Audio Research have announced the launch of the Xone:DX, a new Plug'n'Play DJ controller, the result of close collaboration between the two companies. The DX, another development in Allen & Heath's Xone:D range of controllers, is a 20-channel USB soundcard and features total integration of the brand new 4-deck Serato ITCH software.

"Serato has always been an admirer of Allen & Heath's DJ hardware and we've watched the development of the Xone:D series of controllers with keen interest. In our opinion, Allen & Heath design some of the best music production software controllers in the professional field," says Serato MD, Steve West. "Rather than a partnership to simply bundle our products, we wanted to collaborate with A&H at the drawing board stage, and design a product that would

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UK - MIPRO's new ACT digital wireless radio system has become the system of choice for UK dance act Chicane.

Chicane sound engineer Tim Peeling knows how difficult it can be to provide the best sound in constantly changing environments. He discovered the MIPRO digital system through UK hire company Concert Sound: "I was interested in it because it's digital and 'future-proof' and because of the rejection."

"I was really happy with the sound of it. The lack of compander works really well: I don't have to worry about the dynamic range. Every other condenser microphone I've used has been very wide open. With this, I can set it up with a very low input gain on the microphone so its sphere of collection is very small and I don't have the trouble of a wide open vocal mic on stage. I don't have to savagely EQ the vocal just to get it stable without feedback; I can EQ t

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UK - Robe REDWash 3-192 LED wash fixtures are at the hub of a spectacular lighting special effect on Massive Attack's latest UK and European tour. The rig has been designed by Robin Haddow and all lighting equipment is being supplied by Blackburn, UK based HSL.

It also includes 15 Robe ColorSpot 250ATs, which are attached to the bases of 15 custom Barco O-Lite video columns which join together to make a 15m wide by 3m high upstage screen.

It's very much styled as a back-lit show, however there are also eight Robe ColorSpot and ColorWash 700E ATs positioned on stands and flightcases on both sides of the stage. These deliver the front, side and required key lighting.

The REDWashes are attached to eight custom designed trussing sections - fabricated by HSL to ensure that rigging them during the get-in is a fast and efficient operation. The eight vertical truss sections all sit

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The Netherlands - The Airborne Museum 'Hartenstein', in Oosterbeek, has reopened after an extensive renovation including Richmond Sound Design's SoundMan-Server Virtual Sound System software. The Commissioner of the Queen and the commanders of the British and Polish paratroopers officially opened the museum on Sunday, 20 September 2009.

The entire museum was renovated and extended with the addition of The Airborne Experience (September 1944). This exhibit, which leads the visitor from the para-landings, through the streets of Holland, to the 'Bridge too Far' at the Battle of Arnhem, is unique in Europe.

Concept designers Tinker Imagineers were asked to bring the battle back to life in the newly constructed 900 square meter basement. Entering this subterranean extension of the museum you are immersed in the war events of September 1944. Historical guns, impressive sets,

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France - Robert Juliat reports that it has moved its Greek distribution channel to the professional lighting and electrical company, P. Vassiliou SA.

Based in Athens, P. Vassiliou SA is set to focus its attention heavily on the Greek theatre and architectural markets and to expand Robert Juliat's presence in these markets.

The team from P. Vassiliou recently underwent extensive product and after-sales training at the Robert Juliat headquarters near Paris where they were brought up to speed on what Robert Juliat has to offer.

"We chose P Vassiliou SA as our new dealer because it is a very professional company which focuses closely on the product ranges it choses to represent," says Robert Juliat sales director, Lionel Garraud. "This means that, not only are the sales team well informed on all of the Robert Juliat range, but they are dedicated to providing their

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Germany - E/T/C London's Ross Ashton was invited to create a video projection art work on the Germania statue located in the Niederwald Landscape Park, near Rüdesheim am Rhein, Hesse, Germany, as part of the 2009 Rheinpartie Festival of Light.

Ashton's carefully crafted mix of colour and precision lighting transformed the imposing 38m tall monument, built to commemorate the foundation of the German Empire after the Franco Prussian war in 1883, into a symbol of European peace and harmony.

Ashton was first approached at the beginning of the year to contribute a work to the festival by its curator and co-ordinator Helmut M. Bien, who already had Germania in mind as a site. Says Ashton "It was a huge honour to be invited to the Rheinpartie, and even more so to specifically be asked to work on a such a key site with the historic and strategic relevance of Germania.&quo

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UK / USA - PLASA (headquartered in the UK) and ESTA (headquartered in North America), two of the leading bodies worldwide for those working in the live events, entertainment and communications industries, have signed a Letter of Intent to merge.

The announcement comes on the back of long-term strategic reviews conducted by both Associations who believe that uniting as one body will lead to a stronger voice for members, the enhancement of existing initiatives and an expansion of the range of benefits and services.

The proposed merger has the full backing of both the ESTA Board of Directors and the PLASA Executive Committee who voted on the proposal this Summer and who will formally recommend the move to their respective memberships, subject to due diligence being completed successfully, during the Spring/Summer of 2010. If both memberships vote to go ahead, the first stage of t

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Italy - Over 1.2 kilometres of Milos M290 Trio system trussing was used to construct the support structure for a massive projection screen in Verona Arena for a special gala evening celebrating 40 years since Spanish tenor Placido Domingo's debut in the north Italian town.

The fan-shaped screen was located behind the stage covering the back seating tiers, and reached right up to the full height of the top of the venue. Its total surface area was an impressive 2,160sq.m.

Fondazione Arena di Verona is a Roman amphitheatre dating back to 30 AD. The task of designing, supplying and installing the projection screen into this performance space was trusted to rigging and trussing rental company Decima Italia from Padova.

One of the many challenges they faced was ensuring that the installation had minimal impact on the natural architecture. The screen also had to be positioned milli

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Austria - AKG's new C 414 XLS and the C 414 XLII microphones offer nine pickup patterns that enable the choice of appropriate setting for every application. For live-sound applications and fixed installations, all controls can be disabled easily for trouble-free use, and the peak hold LED displays even the shortest overload peaks. Both mics have three switchable bass cut filters as well as three pre-attenuation levels that allow lead vocals and solo instruments to be placed in even the densest mixes.

"For over 60 years, leading musicians and engineers have used legendary AKG microphones to capture their sound so their audience hears every nuance," said Thomas Stubics, product marketing manager for recording and broadcast. "The C 414 family has been one of the world's most widely-used and respected studio and stage microphones in audio history. With the new useful

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USA - Digital and automated lighting manufacturer Barco has announced the release of a new lighting product from High End Systems - the Cyberlight 2.0. This new product was recently unveiled in a sneak preview at the Austin City Limits festival in Austin, Texas.

The Cyberlight 2.0 is a full-featured automated luminaire with a 2000W short arc lamp, producing over 30,000 lumens of output from a new electronic ballast. As the newest version of High End Systems' classic Cyberlight, the Cyberlight 2.0 offers increased output, updated software capabilities and stunningly fast mirror movements. In terms of control, the fixture includes new RDM and DMX protocol and addressing, 5-pin DMX connectors, and an intuitive LED menu for DMX addressing. In addition to cosmetic changes, the Cyberlight 2.0 also offers a high degree of creativity, with tools such as electronic strobing, TriColor eff

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UK - The people behind FocusTrack, the increasingly popular tool for documenting show lighting, have announced the launch of another useful lighting tool: SpotTrack.

SpotTrack is a new program for making and managing followspot cue sheets - something that has traditionally been done in Excel or Word using ad-hoc documents created from scratch as required. SpotTrack, by contrast, has been built for the job - managing shows with one to four spots, and making it easy to do things that have traditionally been hard, like printing the cue sheets for each spot without it being full of blank lines occupied by cues for the other spots. At the same time, SpotTrack breaks up the cue sheet into scenes or songs, making it easy for the caller and all of the spot ops to find their place when jumping around the show during technical rehearsals.

SpotTrack also aims to reduce the amount of typi

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Australia - Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons sold 175 million records worldwide - all before they were 30. And now their story is being told in Jersey Boys at Melbourne's Princess Theatre, with the help of lighting designer Howell Binkley and Bytecraft Entertainment. In Australia, Hugh Hamilton is acting as both associate lighting designer and production electrician.

The star of the show, from a lighting point of view, is a giant 'stadium with six lighting towers' made up of 144 ETC Source FourPARs. These hold custom donuts (gel frames that limit the size of the aperture of the light after the lens) fabricated to create an impression of perspective for the luminaires, which were placed upstage, facing the audience.

"The bank of 144 Source FourPARs, along with some strobes, looks amazing and is an epic look in the show. It comes at the end of the first act, as The

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UK - The trustees of the Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT) has announced its search for a chief executive officer, to manage the business of the Association, to be its public face and to lead the organisation, as it grows to meet the increasing needs of today's membership and the theatre industry in general.

Founded in 1961, the ABTT was started by a small group of enthusiastic professionals, whose main objective was to raise technical standards in the theatre, through the collation and distribution of information on working methods, theatre planning, stage machinery, lighting and sound equipment, acoustics, scenery construction, stage management and all aspects of live performance.

Starting from a membership of under 100 almost 50 years ago, the ABTT currently enjoys a membership approaching 1800, drawn from theatre consultants, architects, engineers, designer

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UK - London-based LD Peter Mumford used Martin Professional's high-brightness EvenLED RGB LED panels on the new opera Prima Donna at the Manchester International Festival.

Mumford used 111 EvenLED panels to light a large cyclorama for the opera which played at the Palace Theatre. "I particularly wanted to use EvenLED for Prima Donna to achieve a perfectly even cover using a rear projection cyc behind a painted glass wall and have the possibility of numerous colour changes and 'wipes' of color," Mumford commented.

"In the finale aria of the show entitled Feu d'artifice I was able to animate an abstract 'fireworks display' through another huge glass window and the result was very beautiful." Working with Mumford was a team led by production electrician Keith Johnson and programmer Victoria Brennan.

Festival technical director Jack Thom

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UK - ML Electronics has announced a new low cost two-wire LED lighting control system design that can be managed from an iPhone as well as a PC or other computing device.

ML Electronics has completed a reference design for a low cost home LED lighting control system for 'retro fitting' into existing standard housing as a replacement for, or enhancement to, conventional lighting. A key feature of the system is that the same 24 VDC supply lines that power the LEDs are used for the control signals, using a unique protocol developed by ML Electronics.

The system is operated using one or more master controllers which address a number of slaves, and each slave controls clusters of three RGB/white LEDs. The master can be controlled via Ethernet, Wireless LAN (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, DMX512, DALI or any custom control interface. As part of the development, ML Electronics produced both PC a

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USA - Rock legends Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood recently reunited to tour North America: Escondido, California-based Sound Image provided the pro audio equipment, including a selection of JBL VerTec line arrays powered by Crown amplifiers, all fed sound by Clapton's long-time live sound engineer Robert Collins at front-of-house.

A sell-out reunion date at New York's Madison Square Garden last year paved the way for the 2009 "Two Legends, One Live Experience" tour, which spanned 14 cities in 20 days, beginning at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey and culminating at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. The nightly set list included several songs from the classic 1969 album Blind Faith, which Clapton and Winwood recorded with bandmates Ginger Baker and Rick Grech.

The live sound reinforcement system for the just-completed tour included a total of 84 VerTec

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UK - Students at south London's BRIT School's technical theatre course need to learn on a lighting control desk which will be able to handle the most complex, multi media filled rigs, yet simple enough to get to grips with as part of their course. And it needs to be one which they might go on to use when they start working professionally. When Andrew Smith, the school's technical manager, started looking for a replacement desk last September, he settled on an ETC Eos and its smaller sibling, Ion.

For the final assessment show of the year, 18 year old BTEC National students Ben Couch and Chris Burnage directed and programmed the lighting and AV on the Eos and Ion, working on discrete software partitions. Both have used lighting control desks before, but found that the additional functionality which ETC's desks offer has made their projects much easier. Couch explains: "The p

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