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USA - Neil Young has long advocated a green lifestyle. This year saw Young embark on a solo acoustic tour with an eco friendly and starkly different lighting system. Long time Neil Young lighting designer Keith Wissmar was given the task to produce a visual array that was dynamic and budget friendly. Wissmar tuned to Dizzy Gosnell at Bandit and began to create his project.

In true Neil Young fashion, the base system began with the oldest lights in the business, fresnels, lekos and scoops. From there Wissmar layered on the latest technology, LED fixtures including GRN Battens and GRN Washes. All the equipment was suspended from various Matthews grip stands and 16' crank up towers. The power draw was minimal due to the LED gear, and the colour washes were all achieved with the LED f

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UK - Newcastle-based production company NiteLites have replaced their front line inventory of sub-woofers by investing in 24 of Martin Audio's WS218X twin 18in high-output enclosures.

This large-scale system was pressed immediately into service with two high-profile DJ arena shows in front of crowds of 10,000 people - first with David Guetta, who played Edinburgh's popular Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston, followed by DJ Tiesto's performance at Braehead Arena in Glasgow.

According to NiteLites director, Jamie Moore, both were exceptional shows which provided a great baptism for the speakers. "We had needed more subs to do some cardioid stacking - and with these shows coming up, coupled with the start of the fireworks season, we knew we were not going to reinvest in the brand we had been using previously."

Instead he opted for the WS218X. "This is one of the

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Italy - Crystal Le Club is a new night destination venue in Brescia, Italy, located within the imposing Crystal Palace skyscraper. It's owned by renowned Italian singer Francesco Renga, his brother Stefano, and artistic director Dante Fontana.

There is one main room on the first floor plus a smaller 'Blanc De Blanc' VIP area below, and in keeping with the 'exclusive' feel of the venue, they wanted a super cool lighting scheme to compliment the stunning interior designs. This features lots of mirrored surfaces, branched candlesticks and crystal ornaments and objects which reflect light beautifully all around the space, adding a warm ambience.

The lighting is designed by Emanual Pintos from locally based Morix Italia, the suppliers and installers of all the equipment, a task that was also co-ordinated and programmed by Pintos. All the Robe and Anolis kit was supplied via Robe Mu

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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 / USA - The third major update this year has been released for the LED lighting control software MADRIX. The new version 2.10 will be officially presented at LDI 2010 in Las Vegas. Again, this is a free update for every user of MADRIX. Among many improvements, there are several new central features including:

With MADRIX 2.10 users are now able to assign controls freely and individually for any MIDI console. The MIDI Remote Editor provides the tools to create simple as well as complex configurations to control the MADRIX software remotely. At the same time, several new MIDI maps have been added to the selection of pre-defined MIDI maps.

MADRIX KEY dvi start has been added to the MADRIX range of products. The market of DVI-based LED fixtures is rapidly growing. And with this new product 512 DVI pixels are provided for small installations. Moreover, MADRIX KEY dvi suppor

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Norway - Since founding in the mid '90s, pro audio specialist Presentation Data has established itself as one of the largest AV enterprises in Norway. Based in Oslo, where it has its head office, and Bergen, the service provider undertakes all types of installations - from clubs and bars to conference centres, churches, and hotels.

To drive its installed speaker systems, Presentation Data relies heavily upon Dynacord amplifiers. "They are so versatile, and with it extremely versatile," says Johan Hovde, sound sales manager. "That's why we use them for a very wide variety of installations. So far, we have had only positive experiences with them. The customer feedback, too, is highly positive."

Today, Dynacord amplifiers are providing the power required for announcements and musical playback in a large number of Norwegian fitness clubs.These include SATS and

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Eurovision 2011 - Dusseldorf will host next year's Eurovision Song Contest following Germany's victory in Oslo this year with Satellite by Lena Meyer-Landrut. It beat competition from Berlin, Hamburg and Hanover which all bid to host the event. The contest's three live events - semi-finals on 10 and 12 May and the final on 14 May - will take place at the Esprit Arena. "Dusseldorf 12 points," said Lutz Marmor, of German host broadcaster NDR. "I congratulate Dusseldorf cordially and, just as cordially, I thank the other three cities for going into the race enthusiastically with attractive concepts."

Together Again? - Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason has said the rock band may get back together to play concerts for charity. The group, who have sold 200 million albums, last performed at the Live 8 concert in London in 2005. "I think all of us woul

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Russia - Living up to its name, Paradize is the most opulent of venues; a banqueting complex with three separate dining areas all targeted directly at big, event based dining; an increasingly popular pastime for the bright young things of Moscow, and indeed for their friends and families. "This is not a restaurant for a quiet night out with your girlfriend," said Alexander Kalish of Svetogor, the company charged with enhancing the atmosphere of the venue. "A party of 20 or 30 people is normal."

Paradize provides a decidedly deluxe setting for its clientele. "We are a specialist in lighting and environment," explained Kalish. "The director of Paradize, Mr Nikolay Bredov, wanted something of the old style regal glamour of the 19th Century, mixed with modern high quality technology. But on no account was the technology to be intrusive, it had to f

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USA - Jam band favourites Widespread Panic took a big step toward going green in 2010. Designer Paul Hoffman, tour manager Steve Lopez and production manager Chris Rabold all worked seamlessly with Bandit San Francisco GM Dizzy Gosnell throughout the year to continually develop and evolve new lighting system, each being a bit more LED than the one before.

Hoffman's equipment over the year has included 600 watt ACL's, Thomas 8 Lights, ETC Source 4's, VL 3500 Washes, VL 3000 Spots, Coemar Infinity Washes, Alpha Bean 300's, MAC 2000 Washes with Beam Kit, GRNLite PAR 3-36, GRNLite Batten 3-54, GLP Impressions and Grand MA consoles. Hoffman changed the design each leg of the tour, as he has in the past.

The green aspect of Widespread has slowly grown with the introduction of several different products. The lowered power consumption coupled with the lack of heat from the LED fixture

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USA - PR Lighting has formed a new tactical alliance with North American dealer, Mega Systems Inc. As a result, the Texas-based company will take on national distribution of the manufacturer's high-end professional products - ranging from the XL-575 up to the powerful XL-1500 intelligent heads, and including the XL Beam 300 and XLED 590 high-output LED moving head washlight.

"We are very excited to offer a quality product line with all the features required by our industry," said Guillermo Cabada, president of Mega Systems. "The products will be sold at an affordable price and receive all the service and support needed to position PR Lighting as a standard in the USA."

Meanwhile, PR Lighting's present distributor, OmniSistem, will continue exclusive distribution of PR Lighting's mid-market intelligent heads, such as the Solo 250, Solo 575 and Pilot 575, whi

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Australia - Jands has completed the first installation of a CableNet system in Australia. The State Theatre Centre of Western Australia has been fitted with two CableNet Tension Wire Grids, which provide a safe high level access platform for theatre technicians to carry out settings and adjustments to lighting and sound equipment.

Located in Northbridge, WA, the State Theatre Centre (STC) is approaching the end of its construction, which is expected to be completed in late 2010. The STC will feature a 575 seat Heath Ledger Theatre and a 234 seat flexible Studio Underground, with both theatres equipped with the latest stage technology and comfortable seating. Also included in the Centre is The Courtyard, a multi-purpose outdoor events space, two rehearsal rooms and two flexible-use private suites.

CableNet grids are suspended from existing steelwork by weld

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UK - Sting's front of house engineer Howard Page is using a large quantity of DPA 4099 clip mics across the string section for Sting's Symphonicity word tour. Accompanied by a full symphonic orchestra, Symphonicity sees Sting performing new arrangements of his greatest hits as well as more unknown work.

Page, senior director of engineering at Clair Brothers, was approached to handle FOH for the tour due to his extensive orchestral experience. Familiar with DPA microphones from Sting's cathedral concerts last winter, Page was delighted with the 4099s purchased by Clair Brothers for the tour. The entire string section - nine first violins, seven second violins, seven violas, five celli and three basses - is miked with 4099s, with several more on radio packs for clarinet and trumpet soloists.

Page has veered away from the traditional area miking method of amplifying

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Czech Republic - The city of Zlin is famous as the birthplace of Thomas Bata, founder of the colossal Bata Shoe empire, which flourished there during the first half of the 20th century. The city is well-known for its governmental, social and cultural connections, and for its prestigious City Theatre, which has just installed a new Nexo Geo S front-of-house PA system with Auvitran network devices to maximise EtherSound network functionality.

Considered to be one of the best regional theatres in the Czech Republic, the 800-seat City Theatre Zlin offers its own repertoire as well as numerous performances by visiting theatrical groups. Installation company Musicdata was asked to take on the renovation project, starting with the specification of a system that would work for all the theatre's productions, from amplified drama to opera and musicals to live bands.

There were considera

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UK - Hoist UK has announced the formal international launch of the Concerto series of Variable Speed Concert Hoists from Niscon Inc. The Concerto has been designed and engineered using a Stagemaker hoist body and with the support and assistance of R&M Materials Handling of Springfield, Ohio, and Verlinde SA, France.

Niscon Inc.'s president, Joseph Jeremy says, "This hoist is simply the best I have seen on the market. In comparison to other chain products, the Stagemaker body was the only choice that could deliver the performance we were looking for along with consistency and accuracy throughout the manufacturing process.

"Our goal was to develop a variable speed chain hoist that was safe, practical and would complement the Raynok line of motion control solutions. In order to achieve this we added additional features to enhance safety and performance of the overall pr

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USA - UK-based specialist LED lighting manufacturer i-Pix will show six new products in its BB (Building Block) range at the 2010 LDI exhibition in Las Vegas on the stand of its Canadian distributor, Theatrixx.

Says i-Pix founder Chris Ewington, "We're following on from the massive success we had with launch of these at PLASA. Our R'n'D team has focussed the last 12 months on developing these dynamic new energy-saving fixtures, and we're confident that now is the right time to bring them to the market, with increasing awareness of 'green' issues and pending related legislation".

Ewington adds that all industry sectors are now looking at the long term cost saving benefits that LED lighting can bring.

BB1 Narrow Beam single pixel fixture is designed for outdoor and submersible use, and is an RDM device that can be fitted to a range of i-Pix Power Boxes and Power Bars

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USA - CAST Software will be bringing the Innovation Award winning BlackTrax to Las Vegas for LDI at the Las Vegas Convention Centre.

BlackTrax -- First Phase is a realtime tracking system for monitoring people and objects. BlackTrax precisely monitors dynamic and spatial positioning using a proprietary sensor device placed on the moving object / person and tracked by a camera for one or many people/objects, each moving object or person is an individual measurable set of data. First Phase is tracked in 3 Degrees of Freedom - X, Y, and Z coordinates (adding six -- roll, pitch, and yaw angles in the future).

BlackTrax combines multiple existing technologies into one intelligent active tracking beacon. In other words, BlackTrax delivers at super-fast speed and with pinpoint accuracy realtime, live with 6 Degrees of Freedom information using one LED source vs. what motion capture,

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USA - Visitors to the J. R. Clancybooth at LDi this week will see a special guest: a motion control system offered by Niscon.

Niscon's Raynok MK2 Motion Control System can be configured to control a virtually unlimited number of axes from a variety of manufacturers' equipment, including J. R. Clancy's PowerLift and custom hoists. Raynok simplifies the collaborative efforts of the creative and technical teams to create fluid scenic imagery - from the simplest chain hoist system to the most complex turning, pushing or pulling application. Dual processors with live backup, a solid state hard drive, and redundant power supplies provide added reliability and safety.

In addition to Raynok, J. R. Clancy will showcase its own Altus theatrical rigging controller, designed for mid-level backstage rigging systems with up to 48 hoists. Altus provides touch-screen programmable capabilities

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Australia / UK - Audinate has formed a European operation, Audinate Limited, based in the UK. A significant portion of Audinate's OEM partners and customers are based in Europe and this expansion reflects the widespread industry adoption of Audinate's Dante media networking technology. As a result of this new expansion, Audinate has offices in Europe, the USA, and in Australia.

David Myers, Audinate's COO remarks, "Audinate has built a reputation as the best digital media networking solution and we are recognized by our customers and partners for our responsive support. As a result of this expansion, Audinate can provide around the globe support for our OEM Partners."

As part of Audinate's direct presence in Europe, Kieran Walsh has joined Audinate as senior technical solutions manager. Walsh was formerly with Britannia Row Productions where he was responsible for th

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UK - ETC has released dates of training sessions for the Congo, Eos, Ion and Element control desks at its innovative training theatre - The Playhouse at Gypsy Corner in west London. Only six or eight places are available for each course, with a maximum of two people per desk, so each student will get plenty of hands on use. All the courses are free and include lunch.

For full details of the courses, contact Kumiko Swash at uk@etcconnect.com or phone 020 8896 1000, or www.etcconnect.com/support.education.aspx.

Outside the UK, ETC's dealers and distributors all offer free training for users, with trained staff offering hands-on training at all levels. At the offices of Lights International in Greece, groups of four to five people were invited to a number of Eos training sessions and presentations over the course of three days. Sales and marketing manager Stefanos Kotatis says, &

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Mexico - Clay Paky's Alpha Beam 1500 was specifically requested for the recent Eros Ramazotti concert at the Teatro Telmex in Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico. Supporting his new album, Ali e Radici (Wings and Roots), Ramazotti performed to a sold out crowd of over 11,000. Italian singer-songwriter Eros Ramazotti is an international superstar, with huge fan bases in Europe and most of the Spanish-speaking world, as he releases his albums in both Italian and Spanish.

Mexican rental company Luzmila supplied 30 Clay Paky Alpha Beam 1500 fixtures for the show - the first time they were used in Mexico and South America. Luzmila Lighting Technician Federico Figueroa explained, "When the lighting design team from Eros Ramazotti heard that Luzmila had the first Alpha Beam 1500s in Mexico, they called us right away. The fixtures did a phenomenal job. The beams are intensely bright

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UK - When the New Testament Church of God in Handsworth, Birmingham, recently opened its new £5.2m building, the church took care to ensure that the most modern facilities were installed throughout. One example is a Yamaha M7CL digital mixing console.

Located at the spot where Aston Villa FC was founded in 1874, the new church building features the latest energy saving features and lighting and sound systems in the airy, spacious auditorium. Audio engineer Rowen Spence is a member of the congregation and so was well placed to advise church leaders on the sound specification.

Installed by the Birmingham-based Cloud One Group, the audio system comprises a Yamaha M7CL-48, a Nexo GeoS PA system (comprising S8 and S12 cabinets) with Martin Audio wedge monitors. System control is by a Symnet system, with a touch control panel at the side of the M7CL.

"The church needed

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The Netherlands - Ahead of the LDI 2010 show in Las Vegas, XLNT Advanced Technologies has announced the appointment of Hans van der Moolen as motion products consultant.

Van der Moolen was closely involved in the Research & Development process leading to the launch of XLNT's CyberHoist range and has extensive experience in the rigging market with Stagemaker. He comments, "When I was invited to join XLNT I had already taken the decision to move away from frontline sales and move more into product and brand development consultancy. As I had been familiar with CyberHoist and the whole XLNT team for many years, and they were looking for someone with experience of product development and setting up distribution networks for their motion control business, it was a perfect match.

"I see a great future at XLNT with a talented and energetic team developing a number of tremend

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