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UK - Star Events Group announces that its Design and Engineering department has recently taken on three new staff following substantial increases to the company's workload and turnover.

The three new staff are: Tony Benabu (senior design engineer, Aaron Enos (design engineer) and Anthony Reeves (CAD technician).

Steve Horton (Design Division manager) will move to a consulting role at the end of August, focussing primarily on new product development and Mark Constant retains his position as design office manager.

"This enhanced staffing level will enable us to get our engineers on site more frequently thus building closer relationships with the crews that build our structures, leading to a heightened awareness on both sides of the levels of safety and efficiency the compan

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Italy - Specifically developed for the most demanding stage and touring needs, Stage Edition - a completely new product range was unveiled by Griven at ProLight+Sound 2011. This newly conceived product brand includes a number of LED lighting fixtures specifically designed for the entertainment industry, the live event productions and dynamic architectural lighting.

Powershine Stage Edition is a high density LEDs colour changer which features 90 powerful RGBW LEDs that are capable to deliver "a strikingly remarkable performance from a relatively compact unit". A wide variety of photometric distributions, a newly conceived articulated fixing system along with the plug and play configuration of the unit, make it suitable for a wide choice of installations.

The Diamond Stage Edition is designed for a vast array of lighting applications and stage performances, which requi

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Sweden - Microphone manufacturer Milab has announced the latest addition to the VM-44 range - a supercardioid interchangeable capsule. The new capsule has been designed to provide the same natural sound that has made the VM-44 range the best selling Milab ever, and it can be purchased as a separate capsule or bundled with one of the three amplifiers in the VM-44 system - the VM-44 Classic, VM-44 Link or VM-44 Gooseneck. Previously available are the VM-44 Cardioid and VM-44 Omni capsules, says the company.

Mattias Strömberg, marketing manager for Milab says, "We have had many customers asking for a super/hyper capsule for the VM-44 system - especially in the US. So we are really happy to be able to present this new product. Not only is it a great sounding capsule - it makes the VM-44 system even more versatile."

(Jim Evans)

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

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UK - Pulsar, the UK-based developer and manufacturer LED lighting and lighting control solutions for professional entertainment and architecture installations, has launched the Pulsar Wireless DMX Transmitter and Receiver, to provide "an extremely cost-effective and flexible solution for interconnecting industry-standard DMX controllers and fixtures".

Using the latest W-DMX G4 technology, the PWDMX modules can transmit/receive a full 512-channel universe and are compatible with all DMX512 equipment. Effective range is typically 100m, with up-to 250m possible in applications with a clear line of sight. A long-range antenna is also available.

The W-DMX technology employs AFHSS Adaptive Frequency Hopping, Multi-Mode DMX packet error correction, accurate DMX packet timing integrity and simple one-button setup and pairing. Unlimited numbers of receivers can be paired with

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UK - When Marshall Amplifiers needed a high quality PA system for its demo / rehearsal facility, it required something that was capable of reproducing subtle dynamics as well as being turned up to 11. The answer was Yamaha.

The company's Bletchley headquarters includes a dedicated demonstration theatre, which doubles as a rehearsal facility for its endorsees. Wanting to upgrade this to a full pre-production rehearsal space, Marshall needed a high quality PA system to complement the stage's backline.

"We needed a system that would truly complement our amplifiers and speaker cabinets," says Luke Green, Marshall's new product co-ordinator. "Not only in terms of volume, but also in clearly reproducing the subtler dynamics of vocals, drums and so on, as well as handling some serious bass frequencies."

After looking at a range of options, Green chose a Yamaha I

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USA - Midas digital consoles have won starring roles on Broadway, with an XL8 at FOH in the Palace Theatre's new hit, Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert; a permanent PRO3 installation at 42nd Street's New Victory Theatre and a PRO9 at FOH with a PRO9 on monitor duties in the Broadway bound, Whoopee-Goldberg produced musical, White Noise.

"In the theatre world, we're very cue-based," explains Brian Hsieh, associate designer/programmer on White Noise. The production requires more than 100 scenes to be programmed into the PRO9, with every scene carrying MIDI commands to at least seven devices with links and follows. "We're able to take any number of the 24 wireless channels and put them on the VCAs needed for that scene. Every line is a fader move, and every scene changes the layout of the VCAs. So we use a lot of automation, and we're constantly on

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UK - March and April saw boy band The Wanted undertake their first headline tour, with 12 dates in theatres and arenas throughout the UK. Despite the difficulty of getting the quintet's voices heard over the shrieking of thousands of young girls, Sennheiser equipment ensured that they delivered the goods.

The tour played arenas and larger theatre venues and will be followed by a number of summer outdoor shows and festival appearances, all featuring Sennheiser's ew 500-935 G3 wireless microphones and ew 300 G3 GB in-ear monitors.

"I've used Sennheiser kit for the last 12 years and have always been very happy with the products and the company's support," says the band's front of house engineer Andrew Thornton. "With The Wanted, up until this tour we'd been using various radio mics - basically whatever people could provide us with - although always favouring Sennhe

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Austria - London-based motion graphics studio The Darkroom brought Bacardi's new Together worldwide brand campaign to life through light and sound in Vienna.

Bacardi's brief asked for experiences incorporating Cuban heritage and the iconic Bacardi Mojito drink as well as the Social Culture.

The Darkroom creatives Emma Wolf and Bruce Ferguson realised Bacardi's vision through an engaging mapping projection - the first public displays of the technology seen in Vienna, Austria.

Projected onto the Kursalon building in Vienna, the five minute public light show masterfully transformed the heritage building into a colourful, vibrant yet weathered Cuba-style building.

Sound was integrated into the projection to help viewers experience Cuba through swelling Cuban drumming, which then grows into a giant jamming session at a traditional Cuban club. Mint leaves and lime trees t

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UK - Martin Professional has enjoyed a successful relationship with London's Southbank Centre over the years, a relationship that has included Southbank Centre investing in Martin theatrical lighting gear and more recently in Martin architectural lighting luminaires.

Most recently however is the installation of a Martin Professional EC-20 LED display that is being used as part of the Festival of Britain 60th anniversary series of events which take place throughout the summer, celebrating British culture and creativity.

"As part of our continued support for this hugely important London arts venue we have installed a 50sq.m EC-20 LED video screen on the outside wall of the Hayward Gallery opposite the Royal Festival Hall," comments Mike Walker, sales director at Martin Professional UK. "The screen is designed to the highest standards and we are proud that it is be

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UK - To meet market demands and to improve customer service, American DJ Europe has strengthened its sales team in the UK.

Curtis Lewis is now in the American DJ UK team as area sales manager for the Southern region. Curtis brings a solid experience from all DJ environments. Not only that he has worked himself for many years as a DJ, he was a retailer of DJ equipment, and most recently worked as a sales manager in the industry.

"We are pleased to have Curtis in the team now", says Dirk Kast, general manager of ADJ Group Europe. "We need qualified people to serve best the permanent growing market in which we are active. The experience of Curtis is a big help for us to optimize customer relations and to improve our position there."

Curtis Lewis adds, "To be working for American DJ is a great task that is exactly what I expected. It is a fantastic oppor

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Israel - L-Acoustics' Israeli distributor Lightone reports that leading Israeli PA company the Mazuz Group has become a K1/Kudo Rental Network Agent. The purchase is part of an upgrade of the company's inventory to meet the growing needs of international touring riders.

"The addition of Mazuz as K1 agent for Israel is a great reflection not only of the system's performance but also on how L-Acoustics, supported by our distributor Lightone, can offer an unbeatable package in terms of performance, acceptability and return on investment," says L-Acoustics sales manager Tim McCall. "Mazuz has some of the country's most respected engineers and now they have the country's best system - a winning combination."

Following the purchase, L-Acoustics' certified trainer Paul Van Baasbank travelled to Mazuz's premises to carry out some K1 training before the new system w

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France - The magnificent Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral is celebrating its 800th anniversary with Dream of Colours - a spectacular high definition son et lumière show that recreates stages in the building of the cathedral and displays the massive intricate façade in all its original glowing colours. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991, the cathedral will host the show three times a night from May to October each year.

A major shoot-out was held between all the main brands of column loudspeaker considered capable of giving the performance required for audio quality, SPL, coverage and throw, and Community's Entasys was chosen for the job.

The Dream of Colours system consists of 16 Community Entasys three-way, full-range, column line-array loudspeakers, supplemented by six 18-inch subwoofers. Lab.gruppen amplifiers were selected to power the system and

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UK - The Missing Abroad initiative by the Lucie Blackman Trust is one of the first customers in the UK to install Roland's new VR-5 AV mixer/recorder for a new studio suite which will play a central role in the charity's search for missing people, and assistance to families of muder victims overseas.

Between 50-70 UK citizens are murdered abroad each year. At any one time, the Lucie Blackman Trust is trying to find 20-30 missing UK citizens. Since the disappearance of Lucie Blackman in Japan in 2000, the LBT has assisted the families of missing relatives and has established Missing Abroad to provide unique expertise, practical help, advice and support.

Missing Abroad operations manager Matt Searle has commissioned the opening of a dedicated TV suite at the Trust's HQ in the Isle of Wight. "For families whose relatives are missing or murdered overseas, the process of makin

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Switzerland - Taking two years to complete, a major upgrade to Thun's cultural and congress centre has provided the Swiss town with a truly 21st century venue. The project included a complete technical refit, with Yamaha equipment taking a central role.

Costing 24m Swiss francs, the project saw the existing Kultur und Kongresszentrum Thun (or KKThun) building extensively refurbished and extended.

The existing 740-capacity Schadausaal was completely revamped, including the addition of a moveable wall (which can divide it into two separate spaces) and greatly improved acoustics. It has been joined by a second performance hall, the 500-capacity Lachensaal, a 530m2 foyer (including bar and food facilities) and an 80 space basement car park.

The technical upgrade was carried out by Swiss AV specialists Kilchenmann AG and Szeno Engineering and includes a DME64N digital mixing engi

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UK - PixelRange has reported a very successful PLASA Focus trade event. The brand was represented in both halls, on stand with parent company James Thomas Engineering Ltd as well as that of recently-appointed PRG Distribution, who now act as the Master European Distributor for PixelRange.

Products from PixelRange's unique intelligent lighting range stole the show, generating much interest. The recently launched PixelSmart, alongside pre-release models of the PixelRange QPar and SmartLines demonstrated the new direction of media-driven LED lighting to the key industry visitors.

Matt Hallard of PRG Distribution comments: "The addition of PixelRange to our distribution portfolio will provide a massive boost to our EMEA dealers and distribution partners. With the amount of interest we received from showing PixelRange at both ProLight and Sound and the recent PLASA Focus in Le

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UK - Black Light is pleased to announce that Calder Sibbald has joined its Events Team. Calder has many years' experience working for some of Scotland's leading theatres and technical support companies. In his capacity as Events Manager, he will be responsible for developing Black Light's event capabilities, as well as ensuring that all clients get the highest level of service and support.

"I am really looking forward to working at Black Light on a permanent basis," says Calder, who has worked with the company in a freelance capacity in the past. "It's a really friendly and energetic company that is growing strongly and I look forward to boosting the capacity of my department and helping our clients put on really spectacular shows, conferences and other productions."

In the past, Calder has worked as head of lighting at Edinburgh's Gilded Balloon and as Tec

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France / China - Loudspeaker manufacturer APG is preparing for a busy PALM Expo in Beijing in association with their Chinese distributor BVCAM. The exhibition, which takes place from 26-29 May 2011, will be the first showing in Asia of the new DX Series low profile monitor speakers, DX12 and DX15. The new range will be on demo in APG's dedicated demo room at the show, along with the big brother monitor speaker, SMX15. APG will also be showing their powerful modular line array system, Uniline.

"PALM Expo has always been an extremely worthwhile show for APG, and this year is likely to prove the best yet," commented APG's sales and marketing director, Xavier Pion. "Our business in China is growing all the time, thanks to the sterling efforts of our distributor, BVCAM, and with the new products that we have brought to market recently, we're anticipating a lot of inter

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UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies' Rigging Division's first two-day Rigging School of 2011 was completely sold out and a great success.

The Rigging School - a training partnership between A.C. Rigging, Prolyte and the Wakefield based Backstage Academy - was hosted at the LS-LIVE Studio in Wakefield.

Fourteen pupils attended the course, representing a variety of different industry sectors. They included freelancers, rental company staff and venue riggers.

Independent rigging expert Eric Porter led the course, which covered a comprehensive range of topics including regulations and risk assessment, standards and guidance, PPE systems for working at height, ropes and knots, inspection and records, lifting principles, basic science, angled loads, truss assembly and slinging / floating, bridle work (theoretical & practical), bridle analysis (load calculations), chain hoists and

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Russia - Lab.gruppen distributor and major Russian systems contractor, MS-Max based in Moscow, has recently completed two substantial entertainment complex installations using Lab.gruppen amplifiers from a number of different ranges to better suit each specific application - C Series dedicated installation amplifiers and fP Series and FP+ Series high power workhorses.

The first installation is the Gorka Club in the ancient Russian city of Yaroslavl located some 250km north-east of Moscow. The second, called simply Europe is far up in Russia's frozen north in the Siberian city of Yakutsk. Located just 450km south of the Arctic Circle, Yakutsk has the dubious honour of being the coldest city in the world.

Also known as 'The Hill' after the ski hill that adorns part of the roof space of the complex, the Gorka Club in Yaroslavl is a substantial multi-level venue comprising the Hil

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UK / Czech Republic - The Stage Technologies Group has confirmed its silver sponsorship of the British Architecture Exhibit at The Prague Quadrennial 2011 in conjunction with the ABTT.

The event takes place from 16-26 June in Prague and is the premier international showcase for scenic design and theatre architecture, attracting theatre professionals from all around the world.

The British Architecture Exhibit is being co-ordinated and curated by Tim Foster and Iain Mackintosh. It will be a proud celebration of The Guthrie Legacy, tracing the development of the Guthrie thrust stage from that initial appearance at The Edinburgh Assembly Hall in 1948, through to the newly completed Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2011. This development will be explored through five specially commissioned same-scale 3D architectural models of The Edinburgh Assembly Hall, The Fes

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UK - Production Resource Group UK has announced that Matthew Button has joined its in-house lighting design team in the role of account manager / lighting designer.

Button joins PRG with 18 years experience in lighting and AV production across corporate, exhibition, touring music, television and theatre with clients including O2, Deloitte and General Motors, and tours such as Primal Scream, The Chemical Brothers and Jay-Z.

In addition to design, Button is an experienced and accomplished operator of lighting desks and media servers, as well as having extensive knowledge of video & lasers.

Button joins the team under John McEvoy, head of full service for PRG, alongside Neil Harvey who has been with the group since 2008, working on projects including the BAFTAs, G20 Summit and BAE Systems Exhibitions.

Having worked for PRG since 2007, Chris Scott is also joining the team as a

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