Details
Germany/UK - Unleashing their third studio album, Humanoid, Germany's biggest rock band, Tokio Hotel, is currently embarked on a mammoth tour visiting over 30 cities throughout Europe. Touring with them, under the guidance of production manager Phil Broad, is a set built by UK-based Brilliant Stages.

As one of Germany's most successful bands, with credits including Germany's first Moonman, MTV VMA for Best New Artist and EMAs in both 2008 and 2009, the Welcome to the Humanoid City tour is the biggest show this multi-award winning band has ever produced.

Brilliant Stages took the set designed by Misty Buckley and turned it into a full on touring show.

"This was the first time I have worked directly with Brilliant Stages and they were absolutely amazing,"

Details
UK - FOH engineer Trevor Gilligan has just completed a UK tour with Beverley Knight using a Midas PRO6 live audio system.

This was Gilligan's first time out with a PRO6. "I put together a 37 channel mix using one stereo sub group for Beverley and another for the backing vocals," he says. "This was so I could insert a frequency compressor on each sub group, and they worked beautifully. As I mixed our first show I started to notice how solid and smooth the mix was getting, very easy to control."

Gilligan was impressed with the PRO6's accurate metering, often an issue with digital consoles. "Having grown up with analogue desks of all kinds, you get used to how the metering works, what can peak and what shouldn't peak etc, and the PRO6's metering is spot on," he says.

"The effects are also some of the best sounding I have ever used, clean but r

Details
UK - IT and audio visual rental company, DB Systems (DB), helped provide the IT network infrastructure at last week's televised election debate in Manchester, which was viewed by almost 10m people.

Working with high-end technical support company AT Communications, DB installed various services, such as wifi access points, networking and related IT infrastructure. DB also provided IT support to the Media Centre in order to allow more than 300 journalists to monitor and have instant access to the likes of online polls and live data relating to audience reaction.

ATC was employed by ITV to provide the AV for what was known as the Spin Central where journalists and broadcasters were briefed by politicians before and after the debate.

The broadcast itself was projected on a large 21' screen with relay plasmas and PA helping all to hear and see what was going on. Further sc

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

Details
USA - Lighting designer Kyle Olson from Milwaukee-based Logan Productions used Robe DigitalSpot 7000DTs for the first time at the Milwaukee Urban League's annual Black & White Ball, staged at the Bradley Centre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Rigged above the event's main 40ft x 60ft Transformit Star Stage that was flown over the audience, the two DigitalSpots were utilised as an integral element of the lighting and visuals projecting onto a large screen surface above the audience. The evening also included a live performance by Philadelphia soul legends, The Stylistics.

The DigitalSpots allowed Olson to create a cost effective large projection surface above the guests, with the added bonus of utilising the DigitalSpot's LED module to add colour and depth to the other lighting and creating a "nice even wash".

Olson controlled the units from the lighting desk via Ar

Details
Hungary - Loud And Pro has become the first Hungarian rental company to own a Midas PRO6 live audio system, purchasing two for its fast-growing PA inventory. Loud And Pro, which started life 10 years ago, is now the biggest backline supplier in the country, and has diversified into PA hire.

"We have a small PA system at the moment but it was time to upgrade," says Loud And Pro's sales and marketing manager Levente Csecsi."We contacted many Hungarian distributors including Midas distributor Bluesound, who suggested we try a PRO6 and invited us for a demo. It wasn't hard to convince our boss. We bought two, enabling us to provide a dual FOH/ monitor system. We'll be mainly using them for festivals, for open air stadium gigs, arena concerts and so on."

Loud And Pro cites the PRO6's user-friendliness and classic Midas sound as the main reasons they are the firs

Details
Russia - St Petersburg-based rental company Euroshow has become the latest member of the L-Acoustics K1/Kudo Pilot Programme.

The company, which became an L-Acoustics rental agent last year with the purchase of a Kudo large format line source system, has taken delivery of 48 K1 large format line source cabinets, 24 K1-SB subwoofers, an additional 36 Kudo cabinets and 32 SB28 subwoofers, plus 23 LA-RAK touring racks fitted with LA8 amplified controllers to drive the system.

Euroshow joins several of the world's leading rental outfits in collaborating with the L-Acoustics R&D team to field test the K1/Kudo system. So far, the new system has been used for Rammstein and Faithless concerts plus several local Russian artists.

"The K1/Kudo system is very stable across the full frequency range, as well as being very reliable, convenient to install and, of course, great sounding

Details
UK - PLASA Focus: Leeds 2010 - which takes place this week on Tuesday 27 & Wednesday 28 April at the Royal Armouries in Leeds is looking set to break records as visitor pre-registrations top 2,700 - an increase of some 20% on last year's inaugural show.

The exhibition space itself sold out long ago, as last year's returning exhibitors were joined by 33 new names, filling both The Royal Armouries & Saviles Halls. Dozens of new product launches have been announced, many making their first UK appearance following international launches at Pro Light+Sound.

Another major draw has been the two-day Education & Learning Programme, a popular feature last year, which has again attracted top industry names in a feature-packed seminar agenda.

"There are lots of reasons to visit," said Kelvin Brown of Brooklyn Sound Systems in Middlesborough. "PLASA events are always well

Details
UAE - Despite the airline chaos just prior to the PALME show in Dubai preventing UK staff attending, SES/RFW had a very busy show serving existing and new clients. The stand was set up and ready to go by Saturday lunchtime, and the enquiries and orders gained during the show proved a year on year increase to the business in the region.

SES's Gordon Cooper commented: "The aim of this year's show was to launch the RFW business as THE main Dubai-based supplier to the industry for Power Distribution and associated products. This has been well received since its inception back in January and sales are increasing on a monthly basis, as customers realise that RFW have the stock on the shelf ready for collection or delivery at very competitive prices, along with top quality. Palme has proved yet again to be a great springboard for both SES and RFW in the region, and this has been p

Details
UK - This spring, Somerset House Trust and Sound and Music, presents 'River Sounding,' a major new commission by sound artist Bill Fontana, inviting visitors on a journey through the hidden sound worlds of the River Thames. This new work was made possible by Richmond Sound Design's brand new AudioBox II which is capable of controlling up to 576 channels of audio using a variety of standard computer audio interfaces and represents a significant breakthrough in multichannel sound.

Located at Somerset House, 'River Sounding' creates an imaginary acoustic map of the Thames, taking visitors through Somerset House's atmospheric subterranean spaces, normally closed to the public, and out to the Great Arch on the Embankment, highlighting the building's historical connection to the river.

'River Sounding' at Somerset House features a series of different sound sequences, recorded by Bil

Details
Philippines - The First Philippine National Police (PNP) IT Exhibition has come to a close, and the LED screen provided by Lighthouse Technologies played a key role. The exhibition, held at the PNP Multipurpose Centre, demonstrates Lighthouse's commitment to support the Philippines' e-governance efforts as well as its continued rise in the Asia Pacific region.

The R16i/o 16mm 4.092m (W) x 2.304m (H) LED screen was installed at the main entrance of the PNP Multipurpose Centre. It was used to display important event information and visuals in clear, accurate colour, while a 2000:1 contrast ratio and 5000nits of brightness ensured excellent visibility even under direct sunlight. A seamless mechanical system made assembly and installation quick and painless, and minimal maintenance was required.

The exhibition, titled Transformation through Information and Communications Techno

Details
USA - EAW has announced the launch of the SB2001 Subwoofer. The dual 21-inch cone driver represents a noteworthy upgrade to the SB1001 in terms of output capability and low frequency extension (17% larger voice coils, 59% greater Xmax and more than double the volume of air displaced) without a significant increase in size. The stunning result is a new and more powerful workhorse, says the company.

"The pro audio market has seen a recent return of larger format subwoofers - most of which are very expensive and often esoteric, with limited application flexibility," remarked Nathan Butler, EAW principal engineer. "The SB2001 goes lower, gets louder and moves more air - which is a remarkable value, given the cost."

The driver mounting of the SB2001 maximizes cone area and allows for the integration of an extremely low turbulence port while minimizing frontal ar

Details
Switzerland - Phonak Communications has announced the next-generation version of its popular guide-U wireless tour guide system, featuring new sound performance and full interactive functionality.

Available through Phonak's worldwide distribution partner Espro Acoustiguide, the all-new guide-U is a tour guiding system that is suitable for use at every type of visitor destination, from tourist attractions and museums to exhibition centres and production plants, says the company.

"This next-generation guide-U offers the best sound quality in the industry and with its flexible configuration options suits all group sizes and situations," says Evert Dijkstra, managing director of Phonak Communications. "We are confident it will more than meet the needs of tourist sites and visitor centers for many years to come."

guide-U employs Phonak's Dynamic Speech Extract

Details
UK - Wireless Solution Sweden AB is unveiling W-DMX Generation 4 during PLASA Focus: Leeds 2010 this week.The new G4 BlackBox is able to repair corrupted data and vouches for maximum security by running on dual band and creating a backup duplicate of the signal. This new standard is transparent and works with several protocols, creating extreme flexibility and reliability without need for additional controllers or software.Attendees will learn about how the new G4 product line brings innovative new features to the award-winning W-DMX line of products, including Adaptive Frequency Hopping technology for peace of mind when using other radio products, W-DMX invisi-wire and data-safe technologies for unparalleled fidelity, and support of RDM so units can be configured remotely with no fuss or cables. W-DMX G4 is the only product on the market to support the 5.8GHz band, ensuring that

Details
UK - AC-ET's Rigging division has supplied a quantity of Litec QL52A truss to production services company Peak Hire for various events, including the spectacular pantomime production of Peter Pan at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury. Starring Ade Edmonson as Captain Hook, the production featured "dazzling sets and fabulous musical numbers".

Peter Pan was held in the Marlowe Theatre Arena, a temporary venue, in use until the original theatre re-opens in 2011 as a much larger concern with a new programme of world-class shows. Peak Hire was approached by Theatre Tent to provide a rigging solution for the lighting and sound systems, as well as a track for flying Peter and Wendy above the audience.

The project required a compact, high load, anti-twist truss that would be strong enough to support the weight of the various production rig equipment. As an existing Lit

Details
USA - LS-Live (a division of Litestructures GB) has once again come up trumps at extremely short notice, this time for three-time Brit Award winner, Lady Gaga. LS-Live was commissioned by set building company, Perry Scenic, to design and build a variety of elements for Lady Gaga's Monster Ball tour in support of the artist's second studio album, The Fame Monster. LS-Live deployed their custom design group to ensure the project was successfully delivered within the three-week deadline.

The concept was based around a journey through Lady Gaga's home city of New York and incorporated several iconic New York symbols, including an impressive model of a New York subway carriage with automatic doors constructed from a combination of aluminium and perspex, and a rolling staircase which mimicked a New York fire escape, with the addition of 4 ft long syringes which made up t

Details
UK - A multi-million pound community investment programme by Scotland's Perth and Kinross Council has seen the creation of several Community Campuses, each of which incorporates schools and a wide range of community facilities. A key aspect of each development is a high specification Yamaha audio system, which combines quality sound with ease of use.

At the heart of each Community Campus is a new school (in most cases more than one), but each also has facilities for much wider community use. Thus, the assembly hall of each school is also designed for use as a community cinema, theatre, live music venue and space for a range of other events. To facilitate this multi-purpose use, a Yamaha system has been installed at North Inch (Perth), Loch Leven (Kinross) and Strathearn (Crieff) Community Campuses, with Breadalbane (Aberfeldy) due for completion later this year.

Designed and s

Details
UK - Scott Anderson has been appointed as senior operations executive for Showsec's Scotland area office. Responsible for the overall operational management of the area, he will also focus on the continued expansion of Showsec's Scottish client base, developing new and existing relationships.

Anderson previously worked for Showsec from 1997 to 2002. Since then, he has worked in business development and client relationship management.

Says Anderson, "The company and the industry has progressed massively and I am returning to a far more professional, customer focused organisation already enjoying success in Scotland. I look forward to being part of the team that builds on the huge potential for a security company with Showsec's values and operational excellence."

(Jim Evans)

Details
UK - AC-ET has appointed industry veteran, Keith Hartley, as Northern service technician for the company's new Technical Services department in its Leeds office. The appointment is part of an overall expansion of its servicing facilities, which also includes increasing the existing servicing area of its High Wycombe office by over 50% and a doubling in size of its separate rigging motors servicing area.

This is in response to a major growth in AC-ET's servicing business to support the increasing range of product brands it stocks, as well as meeting customers' existing equipment needs. Despite 2009's challenging market conditions, the company has maintained its track record of trading profitably for over 40 years without any redundancies, and is currently enjoying a growth rate of over 10%.

As well as offering servicing and repair for many leading brands it stocks, AC-ET is an

Details
Italy - Proel is now the exclusive Italian distributor for US-manufactured Line6 products.

Michael Utley, Line6 international sales manager comments, "Proel is the right partner we need for the Italian distribution of Line6 product lines; in a market environment which is still challenging and yet showing significant signs of recovery, we have finalised this deal in order to bring about a turning point in the marketing of our brand in Italy. Our cooperation, which is already proving to be really fruitful, is based on very similar working methods, especially as far as quality and concreteness are concerned."

Michele Palladino, sales manager of Proel's Musical Products Division, says, "Adding to the product lines we currently distribute, Line6 will allow Proel to further strengthen its leading role in the professional music market."

(Jim Evans)

Details
Canada - Following comprehensive beta testing, CAST Software has announced the members only release of wysiwyg R25 this week.

"Our Beta Testers give us extremely valuable feedback," says Gil Densham, president of CAST Software, "When we compiled the results from the Beta testing on R25 the response was an overwhelming thumbs-up. For CAST, it's all about producing the best product for our Members. From the feedback, we truly believe R25 is the best Release ever."

(Jim Evans)

Details
Austria - AKG has introduced the comprehensive line of 99er microphones. With nine different products in the line that provide nine different applications, the 99ers are a diverse group of microphones that offer a solution for nearly any installed sound application, says the company.

The new line - which consists of the CGN99, CHM99, CBL99, CK99 and the DGN99 - incorporates components from classic AKG products such as the capsule of the C542 BL boundary layer microphone and the well-proven acoustical components of the discreet gooseneck range. All of the microphones are equipped with proper RF shielding to meet the high demands of electromagnetic compatibility in everyday installations. The family consists of nine microphones for nearly any typical installed sound application, including: conferencing, paging, surveillance, on-stage use and recording.

"The 99er line is a s

Page 2481 of 3465

Latest Issue. . .