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UAE - FIFA's World Club Championship sees the cream of the world's football clubs battle it out for the crown of the best club team in the world. The 2009 championship took place in Abu Dhabi and utilised two of the city's stadia, Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium and the flagship Zayed Sports City Stadium, the latter hosting the final.

To accommodate the vast media contingent that follows such a huge event the Zayed Sports City Stadium decided to upgrade some of the facilities and equipment within the media suites, this included the installation of six channels of Sennheiser's new 2000 series. The installation and commissioning was taken care of by live sound specialist Trevor Cronin.

" From previous experience, the transmission range and reliability of the Sennheiser wireless pr

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UK - Showsec provided the event security for the 2009 Sports Personality of the Year Awards in Sheffield. The company supplied its own team of UK security professionals, who ensured the safety of guests in the VIP pre-show party, securing all transport between venues and strategically placing response teams around the VIP audience.

With a live audience of 11,000 guests including some of the world's leading sporting personalities, the 2009 awards were the biggest ever staged.

Showsec is the in-house security partner of the arena and security manager Julian Kumah took on the role of head of security for the awards, supported by special projects manager Steve Reynolds and supervisor Mark Wilcock.

Kumah reports, "The multi-faceted security operation started by ensuring the safety of guests as they travelled from various preshow events into Sheffield Arena. The first

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USA - Synergetic Audio Concepts (SynAudCon) has announced plans to add online training courses to its audio education offerings.

"Our goal is to provide training to more people and to encourage more 'synergy' among our members," Brenda Brown, SynAudCon director explains. "With the changes in technology and the world economy, we think our new programmes will be a valuable option to the industry."

The on-line training programme will consist of three levels, each offering training modules in a variety of subject areas. Audio professionals will have the option of subscribing to the levels that best suits their needs.

"The hands on content and materials that are constantly changing will continue to be offered as in person training," Brown continues. "Topics that are well suited for online learning will be incorporated into the new programme.&quo

featured content

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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Italy - When the Biella Forum arena in Biella, home to basketball team Angelico Biella, decided to outfit its arena with a new sound system, they chose One Systems, a leading manufacturer of direct weather speakers. The installation, performed by Delta Sound of Val Della Torre (Torino includes eight 112IMs with 105 x 60 degree horns and 14 212CIMs from One Systems.

The Biella Forum Arena completed construction in February 2009 and is home to basketball team, Angelico Biella, a competitor in the Italian major championship 'A1', as well as the Eurocup tournament. In addition to basketball games, there are numerous live concerts and events throughout the year as well.

In being awarded the contract to install the new system, Delta Sound worked closely with One Systems' Italian distributor, Etabeta Electronics SRL of Bregnano. The Biella Forum Arena management chose One Systems spe

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UK - ExCeL London has announced that it has in-sourced the audio visual services provision for the venue and created a new in house team, ExCeL London Audio Visual Services.

In addition, ExCel London has signed a new five year services agreement with Blitz Communications to provide support to the in house team in regards to equipment hire and services. James Mark commented, "Blitz has been an ExCeL service partner for a number of years and has made a fantastic contribution to the business. I am delighted that this relationship will continue to develop under the new arrangement.

"Over the years we have brought a variety of venue services in-house and these have proved to be extremely effective in ensuring that we maintain consistently high service levels across the whole business. The creation of this new team will allow us to provide a more seamless service for all o

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UK - Distributor Polar Audio has announced the appointment of key sub-distributors to enhance the support and penetration of its leading audio brands to the industry.

Seven sub-distributors across the UK and Eire have been selected. Spanning the AV, AV and Pro Audio Installation and Pro Audio sectors, each company has been chosen for its specialist expertise, market position and technical expertise.

UK distributors include AC Entertainment, Audio Logic, Leisuretec Distribution, Louis Grace, RW Salt and The Warehouse, and in Eire, Sound Productions. All distributors will carry a wide range of stock from Polar Audio's product portfolio and will have access to its full range of products; in addition, staff will take part in Polar Audio's regular training programmes to ensure the end user receives the best possible service.

Polar Audio's national sales manager, Simon Druce comme

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UK - Tower Productions of Edinburgh has just taken delivery of the first batch of the new powercube lighting and power system. Offering a saving on transport costs, extra-long run fuel systems, on/off control by timer, or photocell and simple quick one man operation, the system is designed for the outdoor events industry.

The units have a hydraulic mast reaching to 8.5m, wind tested up 80 Km/h and four, adjustable stabilisers. The mast can be rotated through 340° ensuring easy focusing. Illumination is provided from four 1000w metal halide lamps.. The unit can be self-powered or run from another supply.

There is a useful 9.0kVA of auxiliary power. With compact closed dimensions of just 1330 x 1225 x 2330mm and weighing in at only 1180kg, an operator can deliver up to 20 Hydropowercubes on one single truck. The extra large 200-litre fuel tank allows for up to 32 hours runni

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India - With the goal of setting a new benchmark for India's live production standards, the young entrepreneurs behind new sound rental company Total Production have invested in a major Nexo Geo D line array inventory.

Based in Bangalore, Total Productions got off to a promising start with its new system. Buying the rider-friendly Geo D system helped the company to win a prestigious contract to provide sound for American rock band Mr Big on the India leg of their reunion world tour, and to beat stiff competition to service the opening ceremony for the 2009 IWAS World Games (paralympics).

Total Productions started life as an event management company, promoting concerts, explains head of operations Francis Perry. "Having used most of the sound rental companies in our region over the last 15 years, we knew all the points of difference for the PA systems that were available.

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France - Coquelles, near Calais - famous for the French Eurotunnel terminal - is consequently a popular arrival and departure point for those travelling between Europe and the UK.

The City Council of Coquelles decided to beautify one of its key commercial streets - Avenue Charles de Gaulle - with an architectural lighting scheme to extend an eye-catching evening welcome for all those arriving and staying there. Many hotels are located on the busy Avenue, and these are in constant use by visitors and business people in transit.

Installation company Forclum Calais (the electrical division of civil engineering operation, Eiffage) specified Anolis ArcSource 6 RGB Inground LED fixtures for the scheme, a total of 30 of which are used to illuminate the trees and foliage along a key stretch of the Avenue.

Forclum Calais contacted Anolis's French distributor Ambiance Lumiere's commer

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Italy - The Magna Lecture Theatre in the Roma Tre University, Rome, is a modern, elegantly-styled venue. Located in the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy, it hosts important lectures and conferences. The only problem it had was sound coverage, which can often be a challenge when fine architecture and acoustics come together. The solution was to completely change the sound system for a new innovative system designed specifically to meet this challenge.

The new sound system is based around Bosch's Hemi-directional Loudspeaker. Embodying an innovative acoustic design using 14 specially positioned speaker drivers combined with advanced filtering, it provides a large opening angle for the whole frequency range. The result is consistent, high-quality sound reproduction over the whole coverage area.

The new installation resolved the innumerable coverage problems that plagued the p

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UK - London-based drapes specialist Cover It Up has supplied a substantial quantity of drapes and scenic surfaces to Phil McIntyre Entertainment for the current Ricky Gervais Science UK tour.

The company has supplied many previous projects for McIntyre's including Dancing on Ice, Peter Kay, Bottom, Chris Rock, Russell Brand, The Mighty Boosh, and not forgetting - notably - a pair of giant 20ft red underpants for one of the Little Britain tours.

The basic touring package was specified by Adam Scott, the tour's production manager, complete with a selection of "get out of trouble" items.

Cover It Up's Rhys Sion says, "It's been great working with the team at Phil McIntyre Entertainment again and especially with Adam Scott. The drapes give the stage clean edges and the versatility of the touring package has made the tour possible in ven

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Belgium - XL-Technologies is a new, Belgium-based LED sales and solutions company, launched to offer innovative solutions for anyone interested in utilising LED technologies for their shows, events, displays, art and installations of all types.

Grown out of the XL Video Group's expertise, XL-Technologies is an independent company well placed to maximise the expertise and knowledge held within the group, thus offering its clients a wide range of LED products and design solutions for purchase.

All major and currently specified LED brands will be available through XL Technologies. Not being tied to any specific range or brand, the company can offer a fully integrated service to fit the exact requirements of its clients.

There is the flexibility to offer standard LED solutions from the wide product range and also second-hand sales from large projects that are now finished, plus

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UK - The new self-powered Meyer Sound ultra-compact UP-4XP loudspeaker recently made its debut at the Royal Albert Hall's renovated Elgar Room. With its peak SPL of 121 dB at one meter, the UP-4XP has helped transform the Elgar Room into an intimate and atmospheric venue in which to appreciate live events and discover new artists, from late night gigs to after-show parties, comedy nights, cabaret and theatre performances.

As part of a £1 million makeover, Sound By Design created a sound reinforcement system of four UP-4XP and four UPJ-1P loudspeakers for the diverse activities at the 350-capacity Elgar Room, with equipment supplied by Amber Sound. "Our brief from the Royal Albert Hall was to create a flexible new performance space that would sound great," says Griff Hewis of Sound By Design. "The UP-4XP fit perfectly for what I needed for the bar area, and a

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UK/Singapore - SADiE's LRX2 location audio workstation has been busy playing a key part in two high-profile live music events, showing off its suitability for live touring. It was selected by Richmond Studios Productions for recording both the recent Children in Need concert at the Royal Albert Hall and the F1 Rocks concert which followed the Singapore Grand Prix.

The LRX2 was used at the concerts by Richmond Studios Productions MD, Toby Alington, and head of audio, Richard Lancaster. Alington has been a SADiE user for over 10 years, with SADiE PCM16 and BB2 systems also in use at the studios, and despite only having had the LRX2 for three months he had no hesitation taking it out on the road.

"I'm always on the lookout for bullet-proof equipment for live multitrack recording systems, but also systems that offer some kind of versatility for fast editing onsite,&quo

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USA - Butterfly and mini-COM.P.A.S.S., two of the vertical line arrays manufactured by Brescia's Outline, were used on the occasion of the lighting ceremony of the Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Centre in New York, at the crossroads of 50th Street and Fifth Avenue.

America has celebrated Christmas round this tree - decorated with 20,000 coloured lights - since 1931. Once again this year, there was a show that attracted thousands of people: this was also thanks to the spectacular ice rink, which, since it was opened in 1936, continues to draw people of all ages.

On stage to celebrate the event, amplified by the 'Outline arrays' - as well as other systems - stars included Aretha Franklin, Shakira, Alicia Keys, Rod Stewart and the Muppets, all performing Christmas classics.

The show, transmitted live on NBC and New York mayor Michael Bloomberg turned on the lights of tree, w

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USA - In an upgrade, Baker Audio recently selected JBL VLA and PD series loudspeakers for the new audio system at Bobby Dodd Stadium, home to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets' football team.

Renovations to the Boddy Dodd Stadium audio/visual system began two years ago with the upgrade of the Stadium's 10-year-old video setup. Although most of the budget focused on the video system, Baker Audio was still charged with providing an audio system that could mirror the new scoreboard's quality. The company developed a JBL solution that included two arrays of four VLA601H and two VLA601 line array loudspeakers in the stadium scoreboard on either side of the video board.

The VLA series loudspeaker arrays cover approximately 80 percent of the stadium. There are four PD5212 boxes for down-fill in front of a Panasonic video board in the south end zone, and four PD764 loudspeakers used for

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South Africa - Since audio specialists Sound Stylists invested in its second DiGiCo D5 Live digital mixing consoles, bought in for the R Kelly Concerts earlier this year, the company has found both an increasing acceptance and demand for the console from the local market.The latest project for the Sound Stylist team and its D5 was providing full audio support at the annual Jo'burg Day, held in October at Riversands Farm, just outside Johannesburg.

Jo'burg Day is a family orientated concert and hosts only local South African talent, with artists such as Johnny Clegg, Prime Circle, Zebra and Giraffe and Flash Republic performing to a capacity crowd.

"We had the luxury of soundchecks with each of the bands the day before the concerts and are therefore able to build scenes for each of them," says Sound Stylists' Nardus De Lange. "In addition to this, a

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Norway - The 2009 Nobel Peace Prize Concert took place at the Oslo Spektrum in December, with the live show and broadcast once again handled by a sophisticated network of Midas digital consoles. Norwegian audio company AVAB-CAC deployed two Midas XL8 live performance systems and three PRO6 live audio systems, extensively utilising the AES50 networking to maximum effect.

The setup was similar to the 2008 event, with three stages facilitating the rapid changeovers required for the live televised event. However this year, a house band provided musical backing for three of the artists.

FOH duties were handled by two XL8s, one taking care of the 72-piece Norwegian Radio Orchestra and the house band, leaving the second console free for visiting engineers to mix their own artists, and for MCs Will and Jada Smith. This year's lineup included Donna Summer, Westlife, Wycliffe Jean and A

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South Africa - Gearhouse South Africa supplied full production - lighting, audio, video and rigging to The Killers' recent - and first - tour of the country which featured three sold-out performances, two at the Coca Cola Dome in Johannesburg and one at Val De Vie Estate in Cape Town.

The band has been on this current world tour since the middle of 2008, with the schedule stepping up after the release of their third studio album Day & Age in November last year. It finishes up in February 2010 after visiting Asia and the Far East.

Killers' lighting designer Steven Douglas has worked with Gearhouse SA before on a Kanye West tour three years ago, and says he was confident that the production and service would be "excellent" when it came to the SA leg of the tour.

His original full production touring rig has several different permutations to allow for the variab

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UK - SSE Sales has recently completed a major audio and lighting installation, bringing Nexo's compact Geo S8 line array system to a former North London church for the Nigerian-based Christian charity, House on the Rock.

The old building at St George's Church, in Tufnell Park, has been renamed Rock Tower and has reopened as a place of worship. The building, which operated as a theatre and a community space in recent years, has been fully refurbished with a new extension, a cafe with free Internet access for the community, a youth centre and a day care facility for under-fives.

The charity approached SSE over two years ago at the earliest stages of the renovation. SSE was commissioned to install a complete audio and lighting installation for the church auditorium and adjacent spaces.

The audio design for the main auditorium was a challenge because the local Council had set de

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UK - Allen & Heath has entered into a joint distribution agreement with John Hornby Skewes & Co. (JHS) for the sales and support of the GL2400 and MixWizard (WZ) range in England, Wales and Scotland, effective from January 2010.

JHS has been the exclusive distributor for Allen & Heath's PA and ZED Series in the UK and Ireland since September 2008. By sharing distribution with Allen & Heath in mainland Britain for the GL2400 and WZ range, the remaining A&H small-format PA mixers are incorporated in the JHS portfolio.

"JHS has a great track record and a prominent position in the MI market," says Allen & Heath UK sales manager, Martin Daley. "It was logical to share distribution of the MixWizard and GL2400 and expose their customer base to all of the relevant product lines in our range."

"It is a privilege to include these proven and award-winning produ

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