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USA - Voice communication systems specialist Clear-Com is helping Royal Caribbean International's Oasis of the Seas cruise ship with its on-board communication needs by providing its FreeSpeak digital wireless intercom system as the anchor of the ship's communications system. Using FreeSpeak, the Oasis of the Seas crew coordinates many of the ship's theatrical productions, including several weekly runs of the Tony Award-winning, Broadway-licensed musical, Hairspray.

With Clear-Com equipment installed on 16 other Royal Caribbean cruise ships, Royal Caribbean's technical design staff members knew they could rely on it to provide the communications system for Oasis of the Seas, the world's largest ship. As the ship plays host to a myriad of entertainment options, with seven di

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Belgium - ArKaos has introduced MediaMaster Express, the latest update of its successful media server software.

MediaMaster Express is "a simple, cost effective version" of ArKaos' professional tool for creative projection and LED use within video design. It has been created especially for small theatres, clubs, shops, bar installations and freelance light designers. Anyone with a limited budget can now enjoy the results of a powerful media server at an affordable price, the company says.

ArKaos has designed MediaMaster Express to help users to set up a show and incorporate video quickly, easily and cost-effectively. MediaMaster Express uses a similar method to that which made the ArKaos VJ DMX Simple Mode so popular. Just drag and drop visuals on the interface - no video recompression is needed - then assign them to DMX or MIDI triggers.

Control is via a computer

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USA - Meyer Sound has announced the appointment of Brad van Niekerk to the role of public relations manager to spearhead the company's global public relations activities and social media programme.

As PR manager, van Niekerk will work closely with Meyer Sound customers, sales managers, and technical support to develop and oversee comprehensive public relations programs to increase brand and product awareness of Meyer Sound to the media.

"Brad brings an excellent range of experience representing technology brands in global markets," says Meyer Sound's director of marketing, Rachel Archibald. "We're excited to have him lead strategic communications and public relations programs at Meyer Sound."

Bringing more than 13 years of public relations experience in both domestic and international markets, van Niekerk has represented enterprise and consumer technologi

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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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Hong Kong - Specialist event services provider GL Events Hong Kong has boosted its extensive inventory of Nexo sound reinforcement products with the addition of new PS10-R2 compact full-range cabinets. Senior sales manager Axel Moyse says: "GL events works primarily for the production companies of the region which are organising conferences, congress and convention events, gala dinners, fashion shows and product launches.

"Ninety-five per cent of our loudspeaker inventory is Nexo. GL carries the GeoS12 line array, which we use with RS15s, we also have a larger quantity of PS15 and have now added the new PS10 models, and we use the new NXAMP 4x4 amplifiers for all power and system management applications. Not only do the Nexo products offer very high-quality audio performance, but there is great flexibility in the systems. We can stack, rig, fly, hang from poles, and we

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Europe - Stevie Wonder and LD Mark Cunniffe, along with production manager Peter Edmonds again have engaged Bandit Lites as the lighting supplier for the 2010 Stevie Wonder European tour.

Bandit CE Lester Cobrin said, "working with Stevie, Peter, Mark and the entire tour staff is an absolute pleasure. They are true professionals in every sense of the word".

The tour features much of the latest technology, including the new Grand MA 2 console, VL 3000 Spots, Martin MAC 3s, and Pixel Range Pixel Pars. There are also VL 2000 Washes, MAC 2000 Spot and Washes, Pixelines, strobe lights, 8 lights and more.

(Jim Evans)

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Canada - Word of Life Church in Red Deer, Alberta, has developed a worship service style that brings together families and friends from across generations. When the building's original sound system failed to keep up with the church's growth, lead pastor and music director Jachin Mullen realised it was time for an update.

Brendon and Aaron Gerber - brothers, church members, and principals of boutique A/V company Absolute Music - have installed an L-Acoustics dV-Dosc line array system with dV-SUB and SB28 low-end to give the church a pristine voice for its musical focus.

With dark décor, theatrical lighting and stage enough for a full band, Word of Life's 1,300 capacity auditorium is reminiscent of a theatre or music club. A temporary back wall had been removed to provide 50% more space, but the sound system, which had always been somewhat lacking, had not been upgraded,

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UK - The Work at Heights in Theatre Code of Practice was launched at this year's ABTT Theatre Show. The 92-page publication is a compilation of the manufacturers' instructions and experience, written by safety professionals, drawn from all parts of the theatre industry.

"We wanted a concise document that gives good advice on the best type of access equipment to use in a theatre, given the constraints that some venues bring," said Andrew De Rosa, ABTT CEO.

"Working at heights is dangerous. All the way through the book we emphasise that formal training by qualified instructors is required and that equipment that looks easy to use can seriously injure you, and others, if used improperly."

The publication is in seven sections and after a general introduction, deals with Powered Access Equipment, Access Towers, Tallescopes, Ladders, Step Ladders

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Europe - Metal giants Megadeth have arrived in Europe on their Endgame tour with a Midas PRO6 at front of house, provided on this leg by AudioLease.

"Nothing but a Midas will do," says Doug Short, FOH engineer for Megadeth who has also worked with artists like Prince, Van Halen, and Joe Cocker. "I've tried just about every digital console on the market, and they just don't measure up sonically."

Short, a committed analogue fan, was first persuaded to use the PRO6 by Thunder Audio's Paul Owen for the US leg of the tour which opened in March. "When Megadeth started up," says Short. "My rider required a Midas XL4 at front of house. But Paul said, 'Instead of taking out 1,168 pounds of XL4, why not give the PRO6 a shot?'"

Short faced a baptism of fire with a new desk and no production rehearsals. He pays tribute to Eric Rogers from

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USA - The Big Game from PokerStars.net dealt its first hand 15 June on Fox, airing on Fox affiliates around the country and online at PokerStars.net. FLDA Lighting Designer Bruce Ferri brought his signature lighting style to the six week poker programme.

"We shot for six days at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, covering 150 hands of poker per day," says Ferri. "In total, we shot 900 hands of poker to get six weeks of programming. Each round of 150 hands is five days of broadcast episodes. It was actually really interesting because poker is unpredictable and the stakes are high."

Ferri has been lighting poker shows for a number of years. His signature method of lighting television, using ellipsoidals mounted to the grid for all of his keylighting, is a departure from the usual use of large light balloons for poker broadcasts from casinos

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UK - Fusion is the latest destination restaurant/lounge bar/club venue to open in Northampton, and has been an instant success with its blend of accessible international cuisine, elegant interior design and cool energy-efficient lighting.

Owners Rochmills initially approached the UK office of LED brand Anolis when they were looking for environmentally-friendly, low maintenance interior and exterior lighting schemes for this new-build project. Anolis had come highly recommended to them, and, explains Anolis's Scott Callis, "They in turn have the foresight to consider green issues and be prepared to invest money now to save in the long term."

The brief then expanded to include lighting for the downstairs VIP lounge and after-party area, which was designed by Nathan Wan of Robe UK.

A basic scheme had already been suggested for the outdoor elements, so that was followe

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UK - Llanelli-based Vaughan Sound Installations (VSI), part of the PAI Group, has installed and integrated new sound, lighting, video and control elements for The Pierhead in Cardiff Bay, transforming the main room of the Grade One listed building of the National Assembly for Wales into a multi functional space.

It is one of the city of Cardiff's most familiar landmarks, originally built in 1897 as the headquarters for the Bute Dock Company.

The venue's main hall can now be run as an interactive visitor attraction or utilised for numerous events and functions. VSI worked to a technical specification originated by theatre consultant Paul Covell, adding their own expertise and specialist knowledge.

The new installation includes a projection system that shows a seven-minute video biography detailing the history of the Pierhead. This combines various archival and current materia

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USA / Switzerland - The HMP100 Hyper Media Player from Swiss digital signage manufacturer SpinetiX received the NEC Best of InfoComm Award 2010. The award was received at InfoComm 2010 on the NEC stand with the judging panel and InfoComm representatives. SpinetiX donated the $25,000 prize from NEC to both the InfoComm Education Foundation and the National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA) Education Foundation.

Serge Konter, marketing manager at SpinetiX, says, "This prestigious award directly reflects our product's innovation, recognition and acceptance in the US and International markets. The features that make this product stand out from the crowd are its use of open standards for integration with third-party equipment from top AV companies. These open standards have the benefits of driving down overall system running costs. The player also encompasses high-end funct

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UK - UK distributors for Swiss loudspeaker manufacturers PSI Audio, eMerging, unveiled a new active reference monitor at the recent AES show in London.

The two-way A21-M v3 builds on the success of the existing A21-M, and is a more powerful and efficient design producing less wasted energy. Thanks to the inclusion of a new-generation Class G amplifier inspired by the one used in PSI's existing A215-M, the new A21-M v3 features an enhanced (38Hz to 20kHz) frequency response, improved thermal efficiency and power yield (an extra 20W), and a higher maximum continuous SPL of 108dB, says the company.

The monitor otherwise offers all the features of the existing successful A21-M. Users of the older version of the monitor can even upgrade it to the specification of the latest revision. The upgrade can be carried out quickly and affordably by a PSI dealer, including eMerging in London

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UK - Over 25,000 spectators have been treated to a spectacular new event hitting summer's social calendar. Mint Polo in the Park brought the sport of royals to London's Hurlingham Park over three days this month, with a new format to the game making for a faster and more exciting experience for TV and event spectators.

Eight teams of three players, a smaller pitch, no changing of ends after each goal, point incentives for long shots on goal, hard plastic balls to give players more length to their shots and full match video coverage with live competitor commentary have updated the glamorous game of Polo to make the sport faster and harder in a similar way to how Twenty20 has changed the game of cricket.

Contracted by World Polo Ltd., Dimension Audio provided full audio facilities for the three day event. Control and playback in the form of LS9-16 and Instant Repla

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UK - Lighting, control and dimming manufacturer ETC reports an enthusiastic response to their new and updated products at this year's ABTT show in London.

In addition to showing the latest software versions of the company's lighting control desk range, the company were showing the latest portable dimming from the Smart Solutions range and the new additions to award winning Selador series of LED fixtures.

Mark White, ETC's regional manager for UK and Ireland, said, "The signs of economic uplift continue; many of the initial enquiries we received last year are turning into firm orders, and this was reflected in the amount of interest in many of the products on the ETC stand."

The new Selador Vivid Fire and Ice attracted considerable interest. "We set up a brightly dressed mannequin, to demonstrate what happens when Selador lights colours, then compared it to the

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USA - DNP Denmark showcased a suite of innovative media solutions at InfoComm 2010. All received an extremely enthusiastic reception, and according to S°ren Kræmmergaard, dnp denmark's global sales manager, these successes were in context with the show - which he felt had firmly turned the corner.

"The AV industry in the US seems to be on the right track again after the global economical tsunami," he stated. "While dnp denmark has weathered the global crisis well, the US market in particular has been badly affected - but now we are glad to see that things are changing."

dnp denmark themselves recorded a doubling of visitors attending their booth compared with the previous year. "As a result we can now look forward to the massive process of following up the many progressive discussions with our partners and customers," remarked Kræmmergaard.<

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UK - The ABTT (Association of British Theatre Technicians) reports another successful new product Awards ceremony staged at its annual ABTT Theatre Show.

This year the competition for the coveted Hook Clamp Trophies was as strong as ever, with a host of companies entered across five key categories, which represent the spectrum of the industry. The Awards continue to set a precedent, highlighting the spectrum of products and services for the theatre production and staging market. The winners of the Awards were:

Best New Lighting Product: White Light scooped the Award for best new lighting product with its Prism Reveal, which was chosen by the judges for its flat field, colour correcting ability and overall efficiency. The nominees in this category included: Robin 300 Plasma Spot from Robe; the Gekko Kezia LED Spot Lamp from PRG and the Cyclo LED Panel from Showtex.

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Italy - Despite the financial constraints that most companies are finding themselves in at the moment, many different types of venues are investing in Yamaha audio solutions, just one of which is Sicily's Mambo Wine Bar, the company reports.

Located in the Isola delle Femmine province of Palermo, Mambo Wine Bar combines sophisticated internal décor with stunning views of the island's dramatic north coast. Enhancing the ambience is a Yamaha audio system, which is also giving the venue a significant audio advantage over a neighbouring club.

The bar's owners wanted a high specification audio system whose quality would be the perfect complement both the high quality surroundings and exquisite coastal views. Having examined a number of different options, they chose the Yamaha system proposed by design and Palermo-based installation company Decibel Pro.

"The Yamaha sys

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Sounds Of Silence - Simon and Garfunkel's planned tour of North America has been "postponed indefinitely" because Art Garfunkel has a condition affecting his voice. He is recovering from a vocal paresis which "inhibits the duo from performing shows" to their normal standard, a statement on their website said. The tour had already been postponed from April to July.

"According to his doctors, Art is expected to make a full recovery. However, they cannot predict an exact timeline," a statement said. Garfunkel added: "I do feel bad about disrupting so many people's plans but, as I continue to mend, I can't yet bring my A-game to a tour, and I would not perform for you with anything less."

In The Sale Room - John Lennon's handwritten lyrics to Beatles song A Day In The Life have sold for $1.2m (£810,000) at auction, well a

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China - Christie has announced the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Shenzhen to meet the growing global demand for digital cinema projectors to screen 2D and 3D movies.

The new facility will significantly expand the company's production capabilities, with the Christie SolariaT projectors scheduled to roll off the assembly line in July. Production will begin with the Christie CP2220 and the Christie CP2210, with the Christie CP2230 to follow. The Shenzhen factory will initially feed the Asia Pacific market, freeing up capacity at Christie's North American plant to increase supply to the rest of the world.

"Assembly in China opens up significant new opportunities and shipping flexibility for Christie that will allow us to better serve all our customers around the world," observed Ihor Stech, Christie's vice-president of operations. "It is the ideal locat

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UK - Bose is to exhibit at this year's PLASA exhibition for the first time in a decade. The decision was taken as the company's Professional Systems Division pushes forward with plans to work more closely with consultants and integrators on a series of prestigious projects.

Bose Pro divisional manager, Simon Holley, says, "It's been several years since Bose last exhibited at PLASA, but we feel that the time is right to demonstrate our commitment to the pro audio market. We have some exciting new products in the developmental stage, so this year is all about connecting with new contacts and building on existing relationships to create a strong foundation from which to move forward. We are delighted to join so many strong brands at what should be a tremendous show."

Bose will be fielding a strong side at the show, with representatives from both the technical and sales

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