Details
Europe - Usher's globe-trotting OMG Tour is underway as the electrifying entertainer delivers more than 50 large arena shows across North America, Europe, and Australia through March. UK audio hire company Major Tom is providing an all-Meyer Sound package built around 72 Milo line array loudspeakers and 40 700-HP subwoofers, with veteran engineer Tim Colvard at the front-of-house position.

"My approach with all mixing projects is to have the vocals on top, clean and clear. Once that's established, proper placement of the instrumentation is my next goal," says Colvard. "I try to take the whole set list into consideration to set up the dynamic structure. When the Milo system is properly set up, it is a very transparent and responsive system."

The system

Details
Belgium - ADB Lighting systems are at the heart of two highly flexible theatres within C-Mine, a e new €300m cultural development on the site of an abandoned coalmine, in Genk, Belgium.

ADB supplied a total of 275 luminaires and 564 ways of Eurorack dimming to the project. A key aspect of the lighting installation design was the near-silent running of the Eurorack 60 dimmer. This feature enabled the design team to wall-mount the dimmers just a few metres from the main lighting bridge, thus significantly reducing the typical cable runs between dimmers and lighting fixtures and, as a result, the cost. The extra budget was then deployed to specify more dimmers, thereby greatly increasing the lighting flexibility of both theatres. "This aspect of the Eurorack dimmers has brought a big benefit to us," commented C-Mine technical director Winand Van Lil.

After the mine clo

Details
Egypt - A short distance west of the great city of Alexandria lies the warm coastal region of El Alamein. Now more famous as the most popular summer vacation destination for the majority of Egyptians, El Alamein is these days host to a significant and celebratory annual event.

"Amr Diab is one of Egypt's most famous singers," said Hussein Raouf of Technology KAR Inc. "A great star here and across the Middle East, he also has a reputation worldwide, winning World Music Awards in 2002 and 2007, he has performed as far away as Las Vegas."

The highly respected Diab makes just one major concert outing each Egyptian summer and his last event at El Alamein drew over 50,000 people, Cairo based Automation Inc. (a client of Technology KAR supplying the audio system.

"The show was promoted by Ayman Mohasseb of DDA," Raouf reports. "He contracted Autom

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
UK - Comedian and musician Tim Minchin has just finished a seven-date tour of UK arenas where he performed with a full orchestra. For this demanding audio production, Dutch rental company Da Capo, chosen specifically for its orchestral experience, deployed a number of DiGiCo SD consoles to cope with the extensive requirements.

"We are very experienced with in-ear monitoring for orchestras and have specific systems that we use," says Da Capo founder and sound designer for the tour, Rob van der Meijs. "Initially, monitor speakers were requested, but the sound level on stage should be as low as possible so we recommended in-ears instead."

Using a system devised by Da Capo, every musician was supplied with his or her own personal amplifier. This enabled them to listen to the mix from the monitor engineer and to mix in the vocal and their own instrument to the t

Details
Australia - LSC Lighting Systems has announced the release of the new Redback Wallmount range previewed at PLASA last year. The new Redback sports a number of features including, optional relay channels, RDM, various output connector configurations, external wallplate control and a 'slim figure'.

A Redback Wallmount may be specified to be a combination of conventional dimmers and/or relay channels to power LEDs and intelligent lighting fixtures. For example, a 24-channel 'combo' unit provides 18 channels of dimming as well as six channels of relay in the same chassis.

In addition, the relay modules can be configured to be switched on or off using DMX512, auto-powered - to improve energy efficiency - or controlled via a number of other methods in the same fashion that the standard dimming channels may be controlled.

The relay outputs provide direct power by utilising physical

Details
UK - Road Ready Cases (UK) has announced the introduction of a new staging system for indoor and outdoor installations - All Terrain by IntelliStage. This product line will complement the current IntelliStage system. The All Terrain system is designed to be installed on any surface, on uneven ground and slopes and can be exposed to the various weather elements. A Single 1m platform can be adjusted from 24 to 48" high and can handle loads of 260 lbs / 1sq.ft. This all aluminium system is light and durable and comes with all the necessary accessories. The system will be launched in the U.K at PLASA Focus 2011.

(Jim Evans)

Details
UK - The first of Artistic Licence's training days, initiated and sponsored by Artistic Licence's Wayne Howell, took place on 9 February 2011. The DALI Training was deemed "a great success and attended by industry leaders, from a wide range of disciplines, working at the forefront of DALI and DMX installations". Artistic Licence Engineering MD, Simon Hobday, led the training and answered questions on this comparatively new, but ever more frequently used, protocol.

In addition to the training, the day provided a good discussion forum and delegates came away feeling they had learnt valuable points. "DALI and DMX are being pushed as major protocols and it is important that we should be up to date on the methods and means of DMX / DALI conversion and also the problems, limitations and compensation methods of doing so," says Paul Simson of Enliten.

"It was

Details
USA - ESB Group of Springville, Alabama relies primarily on systems built around Electro-Voice loudspeakers and amplifiers. "We're mainly an EV house," says ESB Group sales engineer Andy McMillan, "because when you really compare apples to apples, it's a better product that gives us better quality for the dollar."

A case in point was a recent install for the Mountaintop Community Church in Birmingham, Alabama, part of the Willow Creek Association. "Their type of worship is very contemporary, a high-volume, very high-energy style of service," McMillan says. "You need a certain level of quality to pull that off, so their existing point and shoot system needed to be replaced."

The challenge, McMillan says, was that the budget was "relatively small to support that style of service in a room that seats 1700 people." The solution was

Details
USA - The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday 13 February showcased a broad spread of musical performances and tributes and utilised the latest in technology to provide television viewers worldwide with a high-definition/5.1 surround sound event.

The Grammy Awards' technical staff consists of audio pioneers who continually strive to employ the latest in HDTV and 5.1 technology to enhance the show. The Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing members Phil Ramone and Hank Neuberger again supervised the broadcast audio, while fellow P&E Wing member Leslie Ann Jones supervised the house audio.

(Jim Evans)

Details
UK - Entertainment lighting specialists White Light collaborated with students from the Central School of Speech and Drama for the second successive year to create a showcase of the latest in lighting technology for an audience of lighting designers, technicians, consultants and others.

Held in late January, the event once again presented the equipment in a real theatrical setting, Central's Embassy Theatre. There, the equipment was set up and programmed by students from Central's lighting courses to create introductory shows that showed off the potential of the equipment. The students were then on-hand to respond to requests from visitors to demonstrate particular products or features.

The day featured early appearances for Robert Juliat's new Aledin LED Fresnel, the PixelRange PixelSmart LED washlight, Pulsar's new UV LED Chromaflood, the Galaxia LED washlight newly distribu

Details
UK - RG Jones Sound Engineering has equipped the historic chapel at Cambridge's Trinity College, with its first sound reinforcement system, using 127 of JBL's miniature Control 52 satellite speakers, accessed via a BSS Soundweb DSP design to optimise the sound broadcast from seven fixed mic positions at the lecterns. The equipment was supplied by Sound Technology, Harman Pro's UK and ROI distributors.

They responded successfully to a system design created by acoustic consultants, Peter Mapp & Associates, who drew up the tender document on behalf of property management consultants (and overall project managers) Bidwells.

Trinity College was originally founded by Henry VIII in 1546 as part of the University of Cambridge. The chapel, with its notable clock tower, sits at the far end of the Great Court and was begun by Mary I in 1554 in memory of her father, Henry VIII.

RG Jones

Details
Kazakhstan - The Asian Winter Games were recently held in Astana and Almaty, Kazakhstan, and hosted more than 1,500 athletes representing 45 National Olympic Committees of Asia. Athletes from 27 Asian countries competed for a record 69 sets of medals.

Moscow-based contractor ARG was awarded the contract for the Opening Ceremony on 30 January 2011, and they in turn called in The Prolyte Group to supply a number of elements to help realise their vision.

The ceremony, at the newly built 30,000-seat Astana Arena, began with much fanfare and jubilant activity. The entertainment comprised a cultural extravaganza depicting the history of Kazakhstan, aided by a virtual "eagle's eye view" of the country's vast plains. The ceremony included dance, song, distinctive musical instruments and props that came to life.

The centrepiece of the impressive production was a waterfall t

Details
Uganda / UK - When Peter Fairhurst of Visual Engineering approached Fuzion on behalf of a client in Uganda, neither party knew what to expect. The initial enquiry was intriguing to say the least, with a request to provide "a small portable PA system that they could load in a single truck, turn up at say, a football stadium and address up to 20,000 people. The system would then need to be broken down and moved on to the next venue".

Following introductory concept discussions with Peter Fairhurst, it emerged that the system was to be used by the current President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni for the current national election campaign.

Fuzion's Jimmy Potter and Edmund Draycott combined their expertise to create a powerful, easy-to-rig PA system that could be assembled and dismantled in less than an hour.

They decided that Nexo Geo S was answer. The rig comprised nine Geo

Details
USA - In 1882 Russell Conwell, a pastor and lawyer from Boston, arrived in Philadelphia to lead Grace Baptist Church. Conwell agreed to tutor a young man unable to afford a formal education. Soon thereafter others showed up for Conwell's evening classes at the Baptist Temple, and the number of students quickly grew into the hundreds. In 1888, a charter for Temple College was issued, and in 1907 the school became Temple University.

Temple played host to some prominent speakers during the mid-20th century, notably Martin Luther King, Jr., President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Margaret Mead. Alistair Cooke and Edward R. Morrow delivered commencement addresses. But despite the building's storied past, the Baptist Temple went unoccupied for 30 years and fell into disrepair.

Seemingly headed toward destruction, the Temple was recently certified a Historical Building by the Philadelph

Details
Slovenia - Converted from a former cinema, Kino Šiška Centre for Urban Culture in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana is a centre for contemporary and urban creativity which embraces live music, theatre, dance, film, visual exhibitions and more experimental forms of entertainment. Also included are rehearsal rooms and a recording studio, so the audio demands of the venue are wide-ranging and diverse. A pair of Yamaha M7CL-48 mixing consoles are installed.

Kino Šiška has an overall area of 2,468 m2 and features two auditoria - the Katedrala hall (capacity: 800 standing or 450 seated) and the Komuna hall (capacity: 120 seated).

A key part of the venue is its technical infrastructure, which is designed to support even the most demanding multimedia acts. Installed by Ljubljana-based Audio Pro, the two M7CLs were specified because of their ability to fulfil the requirements of mode

Details
UK - Allen & Heath has released an iPad application for its iLive digital mixing system. iLive MixPad connects to an iLive MixRack on a wireless network and provides the essential controls for live mixing, including channel faders and mutes, DCA faders and mutes, image controls, aux sends, channel processing, mic-pre control and full metering. Channel processing encompasses high-pass filters, gates, parametric and graphic EQs, compressors, limiters / de-essers and delays.

iLive MixPad also offers several useful tools for system set-up, including channel assignment to mixes, a real time analyser and the facility to name and colour channel strips.

Glenn Rogers, managing director of Allen & Heath, comments, "As soon as we saw the iPad we were excited by the prospect of giving our iLive customers portable, intuitive control for mixing a show. In certain situations this app co

Details
UK - Rigging systems supply specialist Lift-Turn-Move (LTM) joined forces with long term partner J&C Joel Limited to design and install an elegant and practical moving truss grid solution into the magnificent former Victorian Harpurhey Public Baths, now converted into a contemporary performance, exhibition and gallery space at The Manchester College's North Manchester Sixth Form College in Harpurhey.

LTM was consulted about the restoration and rejuvenation project for the Baths, (originally designed by city architect Henry Price and opened in 1906) by Jonathan Hartley who is heavily involved in developing Manchester College's creative apprenticeships, performing arts and community training programmes.

He had been tasked with the challenge of making a flexible workable space into a modern theatre and performance facility, capable of staging a wide range of events including art,

Details
UK / Italy - When controversial artist Damien Hirst revealed his latest creation - For the Love of God (FTLoG) - at the famous White Cube Gallery, London, it was a dead cert that images of it were going to beam worldwide.

And, when the artwork concerned consists of a platinum cast of a human skull encrusted with 8,601 flawless diamonds, including a pear-shaped pink diamond centered in the forehead, it was also going to demand well considered illumination.

Douglas James, from architectural lighting design company Mindseye, was challenged with the task of sourcing a solution to Hirst's brief - to create the impression that the piece was suspended in thin air.

"This meant absolutely no light pollution or spill," James explains: "Sometimes the simplest of briefs can be the most challenging. Of course, we weren't able to use the actual piece to develop the l

Details
China - Due to growing sales of their LED lighting systems, Multiform Lighting has moved into a new 24,000sq.ft manufacturing facility in Guangzhou province, S.E. China. With 70 enthusiastic staff members the company is about to commence manufacture of the new IP65 rated MultiSpot GII luminaires which provide higher light output and more sophisticated DMX control facilities than the current products.

In addition to the assembly line, the factory includes soak testing, quality control, engineering, warehouse and administration departments.

To ensure that Multiform's reputation for build quality and reliability in operation is maintained, after full functional testing, all luminaires are burnt in for 72 hours before being packed for container shipment to their international distributors.

In addition to the Multiform brand, the factory produces a range of budget lighting produc

Details
South Africa - Gearhouse South Africa's AV division has invested in an initial batch of 100 of Christie Digital's multi award winning MicroTiles which have already been utilised for a wide variety of projects.

Gearhouse AV's operations manager Bhans Sheomangal explains how they were looking for a "reliable product that can be easily deployed and used for numerous tasks including the creation of multiple plasma screen effects". The brief was to find something that was: "Good quality with excellent and consistent colour reproduction," he comments, adding MicroTiles are proving to be the "perfect" solution for many applications.

Built on proven DLP technology, MicroTiles are designed for maximum image quality in demanding, high ambient light level environments. "The price is also good, and this combined with the general robustness and great long

Details
UK - Sound Technology Ltd, the Harman Pro distributor in the UK and ROI, are pleased to announce the purchase and deployment of a JBL VRX line array PA system and 60 channel AKG digital wireless system for major conference sound applications by Cambridge-based Professional Audio-Visual (Cambridge) Ltd (Pro-Av)

The company has come a long way since being set up by Paul Kent in 1995, having developed into an operation turning over £1 million per annum in equipment hire and technical services.

Along the way the company moved to new headquarters on a one-acre site near Stansted Airport, from where it services corporate conferences and awards presentations throughout the world, backed up by a cutting-edge inventory of sound systems, stage sets, staging, cameras, lighting and computer based presentations.

The company has now further augmented this with the acquisitions of a

Page 2617 of 3465

Latest Issue. . .