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Sweden - The recent LLB fair in Stockholm, the Nordic region's largest trade fair for sound, light and multimedia technology, was a triumph for German optical fibre specialists Optocore.

Swedish distributors Arva Trading AB welcomed many visitors to their stand at the Stockholm Exhibition and Congress Centre and Optocore was well represented right across its product range.

"Optocore is well known in Sweden among pro audio users and has an extremely good reputation," stated Peter Beckman, the company's PA/Live and installation specialist. "We have been representing the brand for a year and this was our first opportunity to really test the market at a trade fair."

Arva Trading received an unexpected boost when theatrical sound engineer, Aaron Beck, assistant

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Spain - On the outskirts of Vigo, a new 1.5m Euro studio complex, VigoSónico has recently opened giving local young musicians, producers and sound engineers the opportunity to explore their creativity in a world class studio environment.

The recording studio itself centres around a 24-channel Audient ASP8024-CS console, complete with Digidesign Command 8 and Protools 9 HD. Designed and installed by Audient's local distributor, Reflexion Arts the high-end equipment list also includes a comprehensive selection of quality microphones and outboard gear.

Sergio Castro, of Reflexion Arts comments, "The Audient desk fits into this set-up perfectly. We have every confidence that its solid, professional appearance along with Audient's well-known sonic clarity will serve VigoSónico very well for many years."

Already attracting the attention of local young artists, the Vigo

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Attendance Figures - Star performers, including Keira Knightley, helped ensure that the proportion of West End theatregoers watching plays in 2010 rose again. The share of attendances for plays last year was 26.2% - up 0.7% from 2009, the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) said. It was already up 4.3% from 2008. The share for musicals was 59.5% - down 1.2% from 2009. It fell 4.4% from 2008 to 2009. Total attendances topped 14m. Figures refuted "claims that musicals are taking over", the SOLT said. Plays also achieved a record attendance total of 3,702,031, while the musicals attendance total was down 3% to 8,423,430.

In its box office data report, the SOLT states that "the big driver" behind business in 2010 was major name actors in plays. They included Knightley and Damian Lewis in The Misanthrope, as well as Sex and the City actress Kim Cattrall and Matthew M

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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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USA - R&B artist R. Kelly recently wrapped up a European leg of his Love Letter world tour that sees him playing shows across the US this summer. Lighting director for the tour is Alex Skowron who programmed and operates the show on a Martin Professional M1 lighting console.

"I've been programming on a Maxxyz since 2006 and made the transition over to the M1 on this tour. The M1 is noticeably faster than its predecessor," says Skowron.

"The bulk of my work is overseas, so I'm constantly repatching and cloning shows to accommodate local gear, so for the console to execute these tasks in a timely fashion means hours saved reproducing the show.

"One of its greatest benefits is its size. To have all the capability of a full size console in such a small footprint, and to be able to check it as luggage and travel with it around the world is priceless. I

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UK - Unusual Rigging has completed the project management of a major installation - a temporary 600-seat pavilion housing the month-long run of performances by Garsington Opera.

Garsington Opera has moved to the estate of Wormsley in the Chiltern Hills, home of the Getty family, after 22 years at Garsington Manor. Wormsley is located on the Oxfordshire - Buckinghamshire border in a parkland setting of approximately 2,500 acres.

Garsington Opera instructed architect Robin Snell and, following a competitive tendering process, appointed Unusual Rigging, as main contractor, to manage this design and build project, including fabrication and construction of the pavilion. At the end of the opera season, the pavilion will be dismantled and loaded by crane onto some 40 trucks to be taken away for storage, ready for return next year.

Lifted above the ground to give an appearance of 'f

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USA - During the weekend of 15-17 April 2011 Atlanta staged two large festivals at the same time and this year it was RCF TT+ systems that supplied the sound to a big audience at the SweetWater 420 Fest and the Atlanta Dogwood Festival.

The Atlanta Dogwood Festival is an arts and crafts festival held each spring at Piedmont Park in Atlanta. Originally held for nine days across two weekends, it is now held only one weekend during early April, when the native dogwoods are in bloom.

The Dogwood Festival 2011 was celebrating its 75th years anniversary in the beautiful surroundings of Piedmont Park. With several stages with continuously performances the festival gives many upcoming artists and talents the opportunity to play their music to a wider audience.

On the festival there were performances by Charlie Wayne Watson, Arena Sound, Off the Grid, Frets on Fire, OGYA World Music

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UAE - Melody House, distributor of HK Audio speaker systems has recently supplied Dubai-based rental firm Abacus Rentals with a ConTour Array system from HK Audio. The rental firm decided on the purchase after a comprehensive demonstration that highlighted the power, flexibility and clarity of the system from the German company.

"Abacus Rentals are a growing rental firm and this latest purchase will take them to new heights," commented Dino Drimakis, business development manager at Melody House. "With this second ConTour Array system in the UAE, HK Audio is gradually building a strong reputation in the live sound market."

(Jim Evans)

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UK - MHA Lighting has been recognised for its outstanding performance by being shortlisted in the Energy Innovation Awards 2011.

The Atherton-based lighting specialist was today announced as a finalist in the Existing Performance Improvement category. The winner will be announced at a gala dinner at The Hilton, Manchester, on 23 June 2011.

The awards, now in their second year, are the brainchild of the world-class Energy Innovation Centre, and celebrate the outstanding achievements of individuals and organisations flying the flag for energy innovation and sustainability.

Entries were received from across the UK and as far afield as Eastern Europe, from a wide range of organisations including start-ups, research centres and multinational organisations.

MHA Lighting managing director Tom Harrison said, "Innovation is paramount to tackling national and global energy dema

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Kuwait - Hala Febrayer is Kuwait's leading music and poetry festival and one of the cultural highlights of the Gulf, attracting some of the most creative and talented musicians, singers, writers and intellectuals from across the Arab world.

Currently in its twelfth year, the series of concerts was televised by Kuwaiti TV Network Al-Watan over the course of several nights, starting 3 February 2011.

Once again, ACT Lighting Design of Brussels, Belgium were invited to design the production and given responsibility for the set design, lighting design, and video content. The challenge was how to raise the bar set high from the previous year. ACT principal Koert Vermeulen took on the role of lighting and production designer working alongside ACT set designer Marcos Vinals.

The team proposed a striking design dominated by concentric rings of video arranged in stacks across the stag

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UK - DAC Pro-Media has been appointed sole UK and Eire distributor of the EFX DJ and Civilian lines for American based Mono Cases.

Part of the Mono brand set up in 1996 by Daniel Kushner, these ranges were secured by DAC's Damon Crisp, who jumped at the chance to acquire the EFX series, including a "really funky and superbly made DJ Controller bag range allowing the user to carry his laptop and DJ Controller in style to his gigs."

In addition to the 365 DJ Pack, the series also includes The Flyby, The Kondensor, The Producer and the Fader.

Damon Crisp comments, "These products use rugged industrial materials with smart details. From musicians and DJ's on tour to business professionals, these products have been clearly thought out, with smart storage areas.

"The 365 DJ backpack in particular, is built for DJ's who are constantly in transition. MONO ha

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Sweden - Seeking to satisfy his curiosity, or perhaps confirm industry buzz, Stephan Aue, lighting and scenic designer for Swedish electronica band Covenant, decided to see how bright the compact Martin MAC 101 really was.

"When I started using them I was blown away by the light output they had and amazed by their physical size and weight," Aue comments. "The low power consumption and the easy cabling due to PowerCon outlets were the final argument to bring them on a small club tour with a low budget and limited transport capabilities."

Aue, who also serves as lighting op for part of the band's Modern Ruin tour that has the band touring Europe throughout the year, is using 24 of the compact wash lights, which he transports in a single Sprinter van. Lighting supply is by Ambion GmbH.

"This is by far the smallest lamp I had on the tour when it c

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Switzerland - Barix AG reports that it surpassed the 100,000 device threshold for sales as part of a highly successful 2010 that also saw major project wins and double-digit growth.

"2010 was a huge success for Barix," said Johannes G. Rietschel, CEO and founder of Barix AG. "We passed a major sales milestone and experienced a substantial revenue increase. Barix contributed more than 1,200 devices to the largest Audio over IP project for live sound ever at a sports event in India, while securing key customer wins in security, transportation, healthcare and other markets."

Barix supplied the 1,200-plus Audio over IP devices for the Commonwealth Games in India last summer, handling IP contribution from all the venues to the control room; and distribution to a large number of broadcast studios. The company also continued to develop technology and business part

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Canada - US microphone manufacturer Blue Microphones has appointed HHB as exclusive distributor of its products in Canada, effective 1 June.

Blue Microphones has grown to become a major international force in microphone manufacturing, with a product range that now encompasses studio, live, USB and iPod mics.

"In HHB, we've found a partner that shares our vision of providing the highest quality microphones to those with a passion for uncompromised sound," comments Blue VP of sales Dino Virella. "Blue Microphones is excited to expand our availability through the efforts of HHB Canada President Dave Dysart and his team who have a solid track record in supporting audio professionals and recording musicians in Canada."

Located in Toronto, Ontario, HHB Canada was formed in 1997 and is exclusive Canadian distributor for a range of audio technology innovators inc

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UK - At ABTT 2011, A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) will highlight a selection of new theatrical solutions from the many brands it distributes - including Jands, Chroma-Q, GLP, Spotlight, Shure, Sennheiser, Prolyte, Litec, Columbus McKinnon, Green Hippo and many more.

Staff from AC-ET's specialist sales divisions will be on hand to discuss the company's one-stop service, which includes a stockholding of new and used equipment encompassing over 200 brands, one of the industry's largest custom colour filter and cable manufacturing facilities, product servicing and repairs, and a round the clock emergency delivery service during evenings and weekends.

As the exclusive UK supplier for Chroma-Q, AC-ET's Lighting division officially launches the new Studio Force V (Variable white 2,900K - 6,000K CCT) and Studio Force D (Daylight white 6,000K CCT) white LED fixtures.

The new

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UAE - Ampco returned to the simmering heat of Abu Dhabi this spring for the third WOMAD (World of Music and Dance) event to be staged in the UAE capital, supplying audio control and crew for the festival's three main stages.

Staged by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) and WOMAD, the multi-cultural festival is unusual among international events in being staged in two separate locations. Three stages grace the Abu Dhabi Corniche beach's white sands, while the historic Al Jahili Fort in the desert town of Al Ain provides a picturesque setting for two further stages. In all the festival attracted some 22,000 people a day, a total of 80,000 over the weekend.

Artists included Paloma Faith (United Kingdom), Baaba Maal (Senegal), Toumani Diabaté (Mali), Tarab Al Emarat (United Arab Emirates), Hindi Zahra (France/Morocco), El Tanbura (Egypt), Jimmy Cliff (

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UK - Each year the UK's Comic Relief appeal seems to go from strength to strength, with some of the biggest names in comedy and entertainment coming together with a simple plan to 'do something funny for money'.

So far this year, £74,360,207 has been raised, proving that even in a recession, people can still find it in themselves to dig deep and do their bit for others.

Richard Martin Lighting (RML) showed its support by supplying lighting equipment for the Red Nose Day event, which was filmed live at BBC Television Centre (TVC). The show was themed with a bright new bubble-themed set, and once again lighting designer Chris Kempton (and his trusted team) were invited back to design the lighting. Bill Peachment assisted as moving light operator.

Consisting of over 200 lights, a substantial lighting rig illuminated the various stages and catwalks used by the show hosts t

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Denmark- For Christian Behrens, owner and engineer of SoundCrew Live Production, Aviom Personal Mixers have been the solution to help minimise volume and ease production setup for countless projects - from concerts and musicals to corporate events.

Founded in 2001, SoundCrew Live Production provides sound equipment and engineering for small concerts, corporate events, amateur musicals and school functions. When it comes to events such as church concerts and school musicals, where minimum volume on stage is crucial, SoundCrew has come to rely on Aviom, as the company's A-16II Personal Mixers help get a clean front of house mix and keep productions running smoothly by providing users with custom monitor mixes.

"We selected the Aviom equipment because of its low- to no-latency and availability in the Danish professional audio rental market, thanks to Moto Audio Sales,"

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Germany - Black Box Music has become one of the first in a growing number of rental companies to invest in a second L-Acoustics K1 WST line source system, giving the German company a total of 96 K1 boxes.

The new K1 system, which raises BBM's inventory of L-Acoustics cabinets to more than 700, will be busy from May until September on major tours with Sade and Rammstein across Europe as well as North and South America, and will remain in the US for further shows. In the meantime, BBM's original K1 system, purchased in 2009 and the first in Germany, will be used for a Herbert Grönemeyer tour as well as the Hurricane/Southside festivals.

"K1 enjoys a high level of demand and market acceptance, and we were receiving more bookings than we could fulfill," says BBM technician and K System Engineer (KSE) Ulf Oeckel. "K1 is the best full range system on the market, inst

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USA - Outline will showcase its iMode intelligent digital loudspeaker control platform at InfoComm 2011. iMode technology embeds a Linux-based CPU - with integrated DSP chip, parameter control software and web server - right into its powered speaker systems, thereby streamlining setup and control by eliminating the outboard gear between the console and power amplifier. Winner of a PLASA Innovation Award in 2010, iMode represents the next step in the marriage of loudspeakers, amplifiers and IT, says the company.

"When looking at what the next logical step should be for advancing digital parameter control for its self-powered loudspeakers, Outline decided to go to an entirely different level than anyone in the market by developing iMode," says Tom Bensen, senior vice-president and managing director of Outline North America.

"Not content with simply adding a DSP ch

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Europe - Effective immediately, Philips Vari-Lite has announced the realignment of its European distribution of products, parts, and support services.Through an agreement reached with Production Resource Group, L.L.C. (PRG), Philips Vari-Lite will assume control of relationships with current and future Vari*Lite dealers and will now provide goods and service direct from the company headquarters in Dallas, Texas.

"This is a very exciting development" said Bob Schacherl, Philips Vari-Lite vice president of sales and marketing. "We are grateful to PRG Europe Distribution (PRGED) for their years of dedicated service as our European master distributor. We look forward to taking full control of these relationships in order to further solidify the strength of the Philips Vari-Lite brand and significantly grow sales within the greater European market."

In order to

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Austria - A debate on Austria's most explosive political issue takes place every Sunday evening as part of the widely viewed "im Zentrum" TV programme. The show is produced and broadcast by ORF and was recently relocated. The outdoor entrance area of their headquarters and central production facility in Vienna now makes up the visual back-drop for the set.

Outdoor RGB LED fixtures were chosen by lighting designer Reinhard Traxler to put a splash of colour on an outdoor reflection pond that is centrally located in, and the visual focus of, the area. ArcSouce RGBW LED fixtures from Robe were used to paint the facade of the building in a warm welcoming tone and to highlight the ORF logo and other decorative elements used in the show.

The lighting fixtures are all located on the outside of the building and the control of the fixtures is located inside the building and co

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