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Austria - Vienna-based Concept Solutions is a major system provider in the Austrian market, servicing everything from small to large live music events, club gigs and corporate functions. Recently the company needed to expand its mixing console inventory and invested in the DiGiCo SD8.

"I had heard a lot about the great sound of DiGiCo consoles, so I decided to try them out," says Raphael Rupprecht, Concept Solutions technical director. "I tried the D1 and was amazed at the quality of the preamps, the EQs and the dynamics. Even my reference CDs sounded better over the PA when routed via the D1 - I could hear details I had never heard before."

The next DiGiCo console he tried was the SD8, and this immediately became the 'gold standard' for Concept Solutions.

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Germany - Belgium based XL-Technologies supplied two customised Pixled F-30 screens for the flagship Mercedes Benz Gallery showroom in Berlin.

XL-Technologies was commissioned to build the screens by Frankfurt-based design agency Atelier Markgraph. The company was recommended to provide a bespoke LED solution for the project by rental partner XL Video, which has worked on a variety of Motor Show Mercedes stands designed by Markgraph.

The two specially shaped screens are different sizes and flown at different angles in the showroom, Each has staggered edges and is made up from specially adapted and sized Pixled modules.

Screen 1 consists of 22 Pixled modules giving a full screen area of 20.6sq.m, with a plasma monitor inset at the lower levels. The second screen is constructed from 30 Pixled F-30 panels, making up a total surface area of 29.7sq.m with a much larger plasma mon

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USA - Hot on the heels of its new DN-X1700 flagship mixer, Denon DJ has announced the launch of the DN-X1600 model at NAMM. Derived from the same R&D development programme, the DN-X1600 offers much of the same quality, performance and a comparable feature set to a wider market at a more affordable price point, the company says.

Like the DN-X1700 announced last week, the DN-X1600 similarly represents a new class of DJ mixer, in particular providing a new feature and performance standard in its price category. The DN-X1600 shares many of the same features and performance specifications, as well as offering some new and improved features of its own. Included are Alps channel faders, extensive USB connectivity (both Windows and MacOS compatible), matrix input assignment with DVS mode, 32-bit internal digital processing, simultaneous MIDI operation - expanded to provide wide ranging

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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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Germany - Steinberg has announced the immediate availability of a fully functional trial version of its Cubase 5 Advanced Music Production System. All that's needed to use the full 30-day trial version is a USB eLicenser and a MySteinberg account at www.steinberg.net.

The Cubase 5 software can be downloaded from the Steinberg website or obtained on DVD from any authorized Steinberg dealer. Users of other DAW products who do not yet own a USB eLicenser receive a full refund on the price of the USB eLicenser in the Steinberg online shop when buying the full Cubase 5 version.

"The Cubase 5 Trial version is the ideal way for customers of older Cubase versions or any software that uses the USB eLicenser to try out Cubase five for 30 days," comments Helge Vogt, Steinberg's product marketing manager for Cubase.

"Importantly, this is not a functionally limited demo ve

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UK - TOA has launched the Type C line array speaker systems. Type C will be revealed to the audio-visual, sound contracting and system integration communities on the TOA Europe stand at Integrated Systems Europe next month.

The system is based on TOA's phase wavefront control technology for audio clarity and uniform sound dispersion thereby focusing the audio on the intended area more accurately. The Type C offers a choice of 15-degree and 5-degree vertical dispersion angle modules, together with a 15-inch subwoofer enclosure for low-end reinforcement. Different modules can be combined together for their intended application where a combination of short- and long-throw coverage is required, while all three boxes are also available as IPX4-rated splash-proof enclosures.

Both mid-high modules use TOA's proprietary Sync-Drive waveguide design, and can be run in a choice of single

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UK - The Sound of Music featuring sound design by Mick Potter, continues to attract capacity audiences around the UK. Involving nine trailers' worth of equipment and scenery, The Really Useful Company's take on the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein original requires a backstage crew of 92, a cast of 28, a 14-piece orchestra, and scenery on a mountainous scale requiring five-ton stage lifts.

Orbital Sound has provided an equally impressive complement of sound equipment, with Mick Potter adapting his original design for the 2006 West End production to cope with the venue variations and the tight schedule on the extensive national tour.

Overall, the touring version of the show matches up closely to the West End production, with the exception of a slightly re-organised orchestra to allow for the logistics of touring a 14-piece band. The sound system revolves around Potter's trad

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USA - FaitalPRO has a strong presence at this week's NAMM show in Anaheim, headed by the release of its latest 15" woofer branded 15FX560.Other product innovations include additions to the 'Serie 520', where the present 15" currently available on the market is joined by two new models, respectively 10" and 12", to complete the series that will be available within the first quarter of the year.

There are also new products in the compression driver area for the HI's, including the HF144 which features neodymium magnets, a 65mm voice coil and 1.4" mouth. Incorporating a Ketone-polymer diaphragm and an innovative annular phase plug, it holds 80 W nominal power, characterized by an efficiency of 109 dB (1W@1m) and a frequency range of 700 Hz to 18 kHz.

Flavio Naggi, FaitalPRO overseas sales manager, comments: "For us, this NAMM will be the most success

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USA - Sensaphonics has announced at NAMM the introduction of its latest model, the 3MAX triple-driver custom earphone. The first triple-driver earphone with the long-wearing comfort of soft-gel silicone earpieces, the 3MAX also features a field-replaceable cable as standard. By combining a proprietary twin-driver bass system with a precision high frequency driver, the 3MAX delivers exceptionally accurate in-ear audio with higher SPL and more bass headroom than any previous model, says the company.

"We were the first manufacturer to extend low frequency response by adding a second speaker to a custom earphone," notes Sensaphonics president and founder Michael Santucci. "To meet today's demands on IEM earphone performance, we developed a triple-driver design that can deliver as much acoustic push as modern wireless systems can provide, while retaining the sound sign

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UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies has introduced to the entertainment industry the IEC-lock, a power lead specifically designed to guard against accidental disconnection of electrical appliances powered using a standard IEC inlet.

The IEC-lock is an IEC female line plug with an integral locking system that is backwardly compatible with existing IEC male inlet sockets. An internal latch clamps the earth pin, making it resistant to accidental disconnection and vibration. The IEC-lock is used just like a normal power cable, except to unplug it, the user simply pulls back a red button on the underside of the connector to release the lock.

This makes the IEC-lock's locking mechanism suitable for protecting entertainment technology electrical appliances, including computer equipment and data communications applications that require a secure power source.

The IEC-lock is availab

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The Netherlands - The first Streetcaster screen in Holland was recently launched in the city of Lelystad, where it is placed on the Stadhuisplein in the centre of the city. This screen is the first Dutch project for Streetcaster and will be followed by other screens in several other Dutch cities. For audio reproduction, the screen is fitted with Alcons LR7 micro line-arrays.

A Streetcaster screen is more than just an electronic billboard with video and audio capabilities. "The commercial options of a Streetcaster screen are quite obvious." says creative director Hans ter Burg of Streetcaster. "But a Streetcaster screen does have much more possibilities. Every screen is supported by an editorial staff which engages itself to generate content for the screen. Apart from public announcements and commercial messages, the screen can also be used for news made available

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USA - Proel's Xenia is a series of speakers designed specifically for high-profile installed sound applications and featuring contemporary Italian styling and advanced technical solutions.<>All of the models - on debut this week at NAMM - in the Xenia range utilise high-definition dome tweeters and high-efficiency woofers providing "superior quality, full-range sound for a wide scope of installations where the sound system must blend perfectly into a stylish environment".

X30T is a model specific for paging and background music in environments (shops, restaurants, offices) requiring unobtrusive, small size speakers, able to provide a good SPL and a high-quality sound.

X50T is suitable for a variety of applications requiring a full-range sound in a limited space, such as bars, pubs, department stores and outdoor venues. It delivers an extended response with deep lows

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USA - A recent renovation of Grand Hyatt New York's elegant Empire Ballroom placed a strong emphasis on flexible, high-fidelity sound, with the addition of Tannoy QFlex digitally steerable arrays and CMS in-ceiling loudspeakers, plus various lobby speakers powered by Lab.gruppen C Series amplifiers.

"Our existing sound system didn't offer the quality of playback that we need for guests using our landmark ballroom on 42nd Street in the heart of Manhattan," says Matt Adams, the hotel's VP and managing director."

The Empire Ballroom comprises six interlinked areas that together can host events for between 100 and 1,700 patrons. The larger ballrooms B, C and D are laid out in a row with dividing air walls, while ballrooms A and E plus the West Ballroom serve as satellite areas with interconnected AV systems. "Previously, Grand Hyatt has brought in music-playbac

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UAE - Dreamland Aqua Park in Umm al-Quwain is one of the largest water parks in the UAE with over 25 attractions for children and adults, surrounded with palm trees, a roaring volcano and replicas of wild animals.

Dreamland Aqua Park contacted Jean-Paul Jeannet, director of The Brain Concepts company - a special effects design company working for the entertainment industry - to be the show designer and constructor of the newly-built Volcano Dreamland attraction.

The Brain Concepts selected Medialon to be the main show and media control system of the attraction which is located in the water park and offers visitors a special experience inside the volcano itself.

When coming to the Volcano, visitors can watch a spectacular three-minute show filled with fire and water explosions, roar sounds and many other special effects.

One Medialon Manager V5 Pro license embedded i

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USA - Audio-Technica is displaying the AT4050ST Stereo Condenser Microphone, a stereo version of A-T's AT4050 and one of the new offerings from A-T's expanding 40 Series microphones at NAMM this week.

The AT4050ST, developed in direct response to feedback from end users, is a stereo side-address externally polarized (DC bias) condenser microphone with independent cardioid and figure-of-eight elements, configured in a mid-side arrangement with switch-selectable internal matrixing.

The AT4050ST offers sound recordists the choice of selecting a left-right stereo output (wide 127º or narrow 90º) via the microphone's internal matrixing system or choosing discrete mid-side signals for later manipulation. As with all of Audio-Technica's 40 Series microphones, the AT4050ST comes standard with a newly announced extended five-year warranty. This product has also recently been certifie

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UK - London-based drapes specialists Cover It Up supplied nearly a kilometre of free standing black wool serge drapes, rigged on 90 sets of pipe-and-drape system for the Slammin' Vinyl NYE-NEC event staged at Birmingham's NEC.

Cover It Up helped transform the main Arena and the Pavilion areas of the venue into one of the biggest and most successful dance party events in the country, celebrating the start of a new decade with six action packed arenas and a dynamic line up of DJs and performers.

Cover It Up's main challenge with this one was to design and rig a sonic baffling system that would separate the sounds between the two principle spaces - the main One Nation arena and Hardcore Heaven - which were set up back to back in the NEC's Arena.

The client was primarily concerned about the potential bass seepage between the two arenas, but Cover It Up's Elliot Stennett r

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Denmark - Seelite A/S of Copenhagen completed one of its busiest years with the lighting for one of the most historical political summits that the world has ever seen.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP 15 for short, closed with top marks given for the lighting of the entire proceedings. Seelite A/S under the direction of lighting designer Lars Nissen, deployed more than 1000 GLP Impression fixtures to light the plenum rooms, television broadcast locations and other ancillary areas. Seelite used all of their own fixtures, which they originally purchased for the Roskilde music festival and sub hired the remainder from AED Rent in Belgium, knowing that the Impression could easily handle this task.

A goal for using the fixtures was the reduction in power consumption over previous systems, without compromising light quality. The Danish foreign ministry, Se

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Belgium - An Audient Zen mixing desk was the appropriate solution for engineer, songwriter and solo artist Born Meirlaen, who was looking for a versatile console to be at the centre of his studio.

"As an engineer I wanted hands-on control and flexibility," says Meirlaen. "Audient Zen gives me all the control I need. Hooked up with my ProTools HD2 system, a rack full of outboard gear and a small patchbay, I can now do and control everything from one location, be it providing eight separate mixes for tracking several musicians at once, to mixing down 32 channels coming from PT and inserting outboard and adding FX without compromise.

"What's even better is that I've got 16 more great sounding preamps and a versatile bus compressor added to the already fantastically clean and crisp sounding desk.

"I need to be able to grab any opportunity or challenge t

Details
UK - Stage Technologies recently launched its all-new, content-rich website, Stagetech.com, for the start of 2010. The site has a sleek look-and-feel that reflects both the trademark technology behind their core design and automation business and the vibrant energy of the entertainment world, says the company.

John Hastie, operations director comments, "The site is aimed to reflect what theatre automation should be all about - it's easy-to-use, visually exciting, dynamic and we wonder how we ever managed with the old, static site."

(Jim Evans)

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Belgium - Tait Towers and Frederic Opsomer, founder of System Technologies - both well-known names in the entertainment design industry - today announced the joint founding of the new company, named Tait Technologies, effective as of 1 February 2010.

The new company will be lead by Frederic Opsomer, who assumes the position of CEO of Tait Technologies. The company will have its headquarters in Waardamme, Belgium.

By setting up Tait Technologies, both parties have taken a strategic decision to refine their focus on the converging video and scenic industry. The company will develop and supply standard and bespoke mechanical and automation solutions that allow easy and seamless integration of video and scenic products.

Backed by long-standing reputations in the live entertainment design industries, Tait Technologies will focus on providing the entertainment and event design ind

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Russia - French loudspeaker manufacturer APG reports that it has enjoyed steady growth in the Russian market due to the "sterling work" of its sales partner, Yugdoka, based in southern Russia. No less than five clubs in Krasnodar Krai region of southern Russia have been installed with APG systems in the last six months.

The principal loudspeaker of choice for these clubs is the multi-purpose, high precision, high power SMX15 monitor speaker from APG. Across the five clubs, a total of 20 SMX15s have been installed, supplemented by APG's TB218S subs, with the exception of Club Malibu in Krasnodar city which has four APG DS15S multipurpose Dispersion Series loudspeakers, supplemented by two TB218S subs.

The nightclub industry is clearly thriving in this part of Russia - each club boasts its own website and is sumptuously furnished and decorated. The biggest club, the Mo

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USA - Lighting designer Lee Rose of Design Partners used some of the first Martin MAC 401 Dual lighting fixtures available in the US on two holiday TV specials - Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve, both on ABC.

For the last 25 years, Rose has lit every annual New Year's Rockin Eve (NYRE) show, and if you were tuned in on 31 December you couldn't have miss Martin's newest LED fixture prominently lined on each side of two performance stages.

"When I had the fixture in our light lab for pre-programming on the Disney Parks Christmas Parade I got a chance to explore its capabilities, I was quite impressed by it," Rose commented. "I wanted something for the NYRE stage that looked different, an LED fixture that didn't show discreet LEDs per colour."

Production designer for the event, Bruce Ryan a

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