UK - Riverside Studios, on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, were looking for a suitable alternative to PARcans and scrollers, "something equating to an expensive show run hire," according to Ruari Cormack, technical director of the Riverside Studios Trust. They turned to Martin Professional's MAC 101 LED moving head luminaire.

"As a venue, we are aware of the need to cut costs and using LED technology lets us replace banks of lights to give a variety of colour palettes whilst using a fraction of the energy," states Cormack, whose role it is to liaise and co-ordinate all technical theatre matters for the venue's two theatre spaces, as well as any events in the cinema, gallery and café bar areas. "With our high turnover of product

Czech Republic - The Czech Republic joined forces with its close neighbour the Slovak Republic to pool resources and potential star material in their roll out of the Got Talent TV show, which was staged in Exhibition Hall Z of the Brno Exhibition Centre, CZ, and lit by Slovakian lighting designer, Martin Kubanka.

Robe fixtures were again at the core of Kubanka's lighting rig and they were supplied by Slovakian rental company, Q-99.

The Robe elements of the rig were 34 x ColorSpot 1200E ATs, 26 x ColorWash 1200E ATs, 20 x ColorSpot 250 ATs, 12 x ColorBeam 2500E ATs, 12 x REDWash 3-192s, 18 x ColorMix 575 ATs, 10 x LEDBlinder 196 LT and for the first time, 14 x Robin 600E Beams and 12 ColorBeam 2500E ATs.

These were positioned around the upstage LED wall and scenic LED elements at the rear and to the side of the stage, overhead on the trusses and on podiums underneath t

The Netherlands - Keeping the audio flag flying high during ISE's educational programme at the Amsterdam RAI will be QSC Audio Products.

An extensive programme of back-to-back presentations over the three days will feature QSC's Q-Sys Integrated System Platform for digital audio control, processing and networking.

QSC's senior systems personnel will take "a scientific approach to room reinforcement, demonstrating how by combining QSC's patented and matched component technologies (such as Intrinsic Correction, Frequency Shading Topology and DMT) an advanced imaging solution can be created".

Led by product application specialist, Martin Barbour, and senior product manager Dale Sandberg, supported by Shure GmbH Q-Sys specialists, Clemens Sturm and Torsten Haack, the 50-minute sessions will cover the company's major core innovations through amplifiers, loudspeakers and

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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

China - Located in the new city of Pearl River, the Guangzhou Opera House has become one of China's three biggest theatres. Constructed from 12,000 tons of steel on a 70,000sq.m site, the Opera House includes an 1,800-seat and a 400-seat theatre, both of which have been installed with Midas digital systems and analogue consoles, and Klark Teknik signal processing.

The Guangzhou Opera House was designed by London-based architect Zaha Hadid to represent two boulder-like structures of different sizes, with a theatre located in each. The Grand Theatre in the main structure has been installed with an XL8 live performance system in the control room, together with a Heritage 2000. A second XL8 has been added to the networked system for stage monitoring, and can be moved depending on the application.

A PRO6 live audio system and a Verona have been installed into the control room of th

UK - Edinburgh may dominate UK media coverage of the annual New Year's Eve celebrations, but Hogmanay is celebrated throughout the rest of Scotland just as enthusiastically. A prime example is Stirling, where the countdown to midnight takes place against the spectacular backdrop of the city's castle, a variety of live performances entertaining thousands of people. Helping to bring the chimes and skirl o' the pipes to the 2010/11 revellers were a pair of Yamaha mixing consoles.

The event was managed by Zisys Events, which also provided the technical production. The multi-artist line-up was mixed on Yamaha M7CL-48ES consoles at front of house and monitors, linked to three SB168-ES stage boxes via an Ethersound network.

The evening featuring a range of acts, including the Heart of Scotland Choir, tribute act Madnish, 2010 X Factor contestant Wagner, fellow former reality TV (and

Qatar - Stage One were brought on board recently for the inauguration of the first three phases of Qatar's new Nakilat Shipyard, located in the port of Ras Laffan. Invited on board by Tim Eilliot of WRG Qatar, Stage One were asked to provide a package of scenic items for the event, which was attended by The Emir of the State of Qatar along with 650 guests and held within the new facilities.

The Martin Sutherland designed set made the most of the event venues vast interior, with a performance area extending 75m away from the guests. Stage One were asked to provide the 45m x 13m seating block, a 50m x 10m stage, a mother grid and truss; tracking dollies, four performer flying points complete with Qmotion control, several large-scale props, and the interface with a temporary De Boers structure (used as an exhibition and dining area).

The props included a trucking 11m high Dutch-s

France - ADB France has completed a major upgrade of the stage lighting dimmers at the Opéra Bastille in Paris, replacing the dimmers originally installed for the theatre's opening in 1989. The new installation features ADB's Eurodim Twin Tech hybrid dimming technology.

It joins other ADB installations at Paris locations including the Opéra Garnier and the television broadcast studios of the TF1 and M6 channels.

The Opéra Bastille is the product of a competition sponsored by President Françoise Mitterrand to create a new, modern, world class opera house for the city, to mark the 200th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. Designed by Carlos Ott, it seats 2,723 and opened on July 13 1989.

The first competitive tests between four leading dimmer brands were carried out in November 2009, and in February 2010 the opera's technical team made the decisi

Italy - Two more low-environmental impact events have featured Axiom - the concerts organised for Festambiente in Rispescia, Grosseto, and the FIOM rally in Rome's San Giovanni Square.

Ecoluce, the technical service provider, chose alternative energy production sources to power Proel's Audio equipment. Ecoluce's system is composed of two photovoltaic panels that turn solar energy into electric power. During the events the system is located directly on stage where it constantly charges the accumulation batteries. With its 'eco-monitors' Ecoluce continuously updates the data pertaining to consumption and saved CO2 to raise the audience's awareness on energy produced with renewable sources and good energy-saving practices.

For over two weeks, the XXII edition of Festambiente (Environment Festival) featured shows and concerts by artists such as Pino Daniele, Max Gazzè, Peppe Volt

UK - IT & AV rental company, DB Systems, will showcase its Event Networks & Telecoms division, which specialises in providing venues and events with a modern internet and telecommunications system, at next week's Event Production Show (2-3 February).

DB formed the division in 2010 as part of a restructure. It then successfully installed the full internet and telecommunications service for the Farnborough International Airshow.

Oliver Richardson, DB's sales and marketing director, said, "The Event Networks & Telecoms division is the solution to an increasing problem facing venues - whether they should invest in installing permanent connectivity. Some events require no internet and telecommunications service whatsoever, while others demand large resources to cater for any and all exhibitor needs.

"This division has the experience and hardware to provide almost unlimi

USA - Audinate has announced today that Rome-based ZP Engineering has become the first Audinate authorized distributor and engineering partner in EMEA.

"We're very excited that ZP Engineering has stepped up to become our first authorized distributor and engineering partner. ZP and Audinate have a long standing relationship. Audinate's respect and confidence in ZP's capabilities are second to none," stated John McMahon, VP of worldwide sales and support. "Having ZP Engineering providing Dante products with their design and integration support will allow small to medium OEMs quicker access to our complete line of products and services."

"The strengthened relationship with Audinate allows us to better leverage our integration capabilities with the industry-proven Dante networking solution" stated Umberto Zanghieri, co-founder of ZP Engineering. "

Italy - Aethra.net and AMSI (a combination of three different companies: BCS Srl, Essedi Srl and For Sistemi Srl), have signed a commercial agreement for selling Ceelab's professional videoconferencing products, built on Sony technology, and the Visual Nexus Infrastructure, whose Aethra.net holds the exclusivity for the entire Italian Market.

"In line with our strategy of growing in the Italian Market through the distribution of Ceelab's products and the Visual Nexus infrastructure," says Chris Romei, product business unit sales director. "We are pleased to announce this important agreement with AMSI, since they are a great partner and very competent both in the videoconferencing and distance collaboration environment, essential to cover those strategical growing segments present in the market"."

"The three companies merged in Amsi have started th

South Africa - Over 40,000 cricket fans packed the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, South Africa, to see India clinch victory over the Proteas (South Africa) in Sunday's Standard Bank International Pro20 international cricket tournament, in the process, making history as the biggest crowd ever to watch a cricket match on the African continent.

A knife edge finish fuelled the vibe, but theoretically it would have been a win-win scenario whichever team had triumphed for SA's substantial Indian community in Durban, who needed no extra reasons to party as they also experienced history with the New Age Friendship Celebration Concert.

This visual extravaganza of spectacular proportions was the first ever such post cricket match entertainment event, with the additional resonance of celebrating the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indians in Africa.

The concert was conceived and

USA - Analog Way has announced the promotion of Alexander Schöpff to the position of VP of American Operations.

As of 1 March 2011, Alexander Schöpff will head up Analog Way Inc. and will oversee operations and sales activities for the US, Canadian, and South American markets. He will be based in New York City, where Analog Way Inc. has been established since 1998 with a full team dedicated to administration, sales and customer service.

Alexander Schöpff joined Analog Way in 2003 as a sales manager for Germany and Eastern Europe. He was promoted as EMEA sales manager in 2006 and established a successful sales strategy in Europe over the last four years.

Prior to that, Alexander Schöpff spent 10 years in business to business sales in IT and the Audiovisual Industry.

"Alexander's personal and professional skills were conducive to Analog Way's expansion in Europe,&qu

UK - Continuing Audio Light Systems involvement in the education sector, the company completed the installation of a drama theatre and recording studios at the new build school, Suffolk One, for 16 to 19 year olds. Audio Light Systems installed the lighting grid and dimmers, facility panels, sound systems, projectors and screen as well as the control system.

There are two sound systems in the drama theatre. One system covers the audience space using four Turbosound TCX-15 speakers powered from QSC PLX amplifiers. Audio routing is done via an Allen and Heath iDR8 digital signal processor. The second sound system covers the stage area which can be split into two areas. These rooms have a portable flight cased trolley each, used to put audio into either one or both rooms via Australian Monitor XRS12 speakers.

The lighting system is made up of eight internally wired lighting bars,

UK - Audio Light Systems Ltd, Edinburgh, has appointed Dennis Martin to head up its new office in Ireland.

Dennis has worked in performance technology since the early 1980s. He trained in electronics and communications and cut his teeth in theatre at the Grand Opera House, Belfast. Since then he has engineered and managed many projects including The Sage Centre, Gateshead; Queens Hall, Trinidad; The International School, Manila and the Baby Grand, Grand Opera House, Belfast.

Prior to joining Audio Light Systems Ltd Dennis was a Project Engineer at Northern Light and before that was chief engineer at Stage Services North, Belfast.

Eddy O'Hare, a director of Audio Light Systems says: "I actually met Dennis, a long time ago at the Grand Opera House while installing a Stage Management system. I recognised his talents then." Dennis Martin adds: "I am really excited

Belgium - Barco reports that its CLM and FLM rental projectors are supporting renowned visual artists during the Ghent Light Festival. From 27 - 29 January, 20 international artists and light designers take visitors on a tour as they bring the historic city centre to life with light and projection. No less than 21 projectors have been installed by long-standing Barco partners XL Video and Spectaculaires.

For the first-ever Ghent Light Festival, a large number of national and international light artists and AV companies have joined forces to create a spectacle. XL Video and Spectaculaires opted for Barco's event projectors to support four different artists and artist collectives, who want to spotlight some of the city's magic. In total, eight CLM and 13 FLM projectors support creations from noted artists like Pablo Valbuena.

"In recent years, Ghent has invested heavily in

UAE - The Arena Group International Division received a boost when the organisers of the 2011 Abu Dhabi Golf Championships praised their event overlay capabilities and awarded the event structures supplier a new three year contract.

The Arena Group's Dubai based Harlequin Arena company was entrusted to provide the golf tournament's double hospitality structure, public village and temporary exhibition hall. All temporary structures were designed to reflect the branding aspirations of the Championships' new headline sponsor, HSBC.

Sponsors and VIP guests top golf, watching from Harlequin Arena's double decker structure overlooking the 18th green, which incorporated the latest air-conditioning technology introduced by Arena.

Each guest area was individually designed and the new temperature control system proved very responsive to each chalets individual requirements. The new in

USA - NAMM's Wanna Play? Stage has become a yearly tradition that's as much about fun and good music as it is about the show itself. Located outside the Anaheim Convention Centre at the John Lennon Plaza, the Wanna Play? Stage features performances from well-known and up-and-coming artists, and draws crowds of NAMM attendees throughout the Convention's four day run. The stage is named for NAMM's Wanna Play? campaign, a public awareness initiative designed to encourage more people to play musical instruments.

Community Professional Loudspeakers provided sound reinforcement for the Wanna Play? Stage, which included Community's Solutions SLS960 loudspeakers, along with the M-12 stage monitors, as well as the premiere of the VLF-Series subwoofers.

The Community loudspeakers were put through a rigorous four days of shows, ranging from the big sounds of Upland High School's Jazz Ban

USA / UK - Loud Technologies Inc. ("LOUD") today appointed Jeff Rocha, vice-president and general manager of EAW and Anthony Taylor, vice-president and managing director of Martin Audio. In these newly expanded roles, says Loud, Rocha and Taylor will assume P&L responsibility for their respective brand, as well as manage all engineering, product development, marketing, manufacturing and sales efforts. In addition, Rocha will lead the EAW design and manufacturing facility in Whitinsville, USA, while Taylor will lead the Martin Audio design and manufacturing facility in High Wycombe, UK.

"EAW and Martin Audio are strong brands with their own unique personalities and reputations for service and innovation," said Mark Graham, Loud CEO. "Both Jeff and Anthony are veterans of their brands and have already improved the speed and accuracy of brand-level decision

USA - Hamish Dumbreck from JESE recently attended the fifth Control Protocols Plug Fest held in Westlake, Texas. The event was well attended with more than 36 devices from 16 manufacturers being put through their paces.

Simon Newton of the open source project (OLA) attracted a lot of interest in the development of an RDM responder test suite, running tests on equipment at the event as well as drawing on the experience of those present to enhance the tests. Ryan Fletcher of ARRI joined the world of RDM, bringing a studio luminaire, demonstrating the wider industry interest in and application of RDM.

Matthias Hinrichs of Martin Professional and Peter Kirkup of Zero 88 used the opportunity to start work on a website to promote and provide information to users of RDM enabled equipment. The website will provide general information about the functionality of RDM along with a categor

Albania - A version of The Million Pound Drop TV show is being produced for the first time in Albania with Martin MAC 101 LED luminaires providing lighting.

Leading Albanian television station Top Channel began airing 100 Million in January to top ratings. Martin Professional distributor Prosound Audio & Light of Albania provided the MAC 101 LED moving head wash lights for the opening show and the station was so impressed they decided to purchase the units.

"They chose the MAC 101 for the beam effect, nice colour reproduction, flicker free on camera looks and not least its low price. Also, for the low power consumption vs output," states Prosound sales manager Kliton Gjika. "Beside them are 300 watt fixtures and it is easy to see that the MAC 101 outperforms them.

"The MAC 101 has performed very well and I think everyone in the industry now

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