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The Netherlands - Vondelpark, just to the south east of the old city centre, is perhaps the most cherished of parks in Amsterdam.

Originally laid out in 1864 and now stretching over an area of some 45 hectares, the park boasts serene stretches of water landscaped with trees, gardens and meandering pathways which lead the visitor to the Blauwe Theehuis (Blue Tea House), a haven for refreshment and conversation since 1937.

It wasn't until 1974 that the Openlucht Theater (Open Air Theatre) was built nearby to provide a venue for both musical and dramatic entertainment and, every summer since then, free events are staged, attracting large and loyal audiences whatever the weather.

Amsterdammer Rolf Dijkstra, the managing director of Netherlands based sound company Audiopro, was mor

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Czech Republic - Robe lighting supported the 12th Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space (PQ), by supplying moving lights and technical assistance for the 2011 PQ Awards ceremony, staged in the National Theatre's New Stage auditorium.

The Awards celebrated some of the most creative and innovative work and practitioners from the world of theatre, film and live arts. Equal space was given to street art, site specific interventions, socially engaged performance and puppet theatre as well as conventional forms of theatre.

The 10 awards categories ranged from gold medals for visuals, sound, production and stage design and emerging new talents to the Golden Triga for the Best Exposition, all of them recognising invention and imagination worldwide. The 'Best Use of Theatre Technology' Award went to Croatia's Numen/For Use project.

Attended by thousands of interna

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UK - Prism Media Products, whose brands include Prism Sound, SADiE and Imerge, has been presented with its Queen's Award for Enterprise in the category of International Trade. The presentation was made by Hugh Duberly, Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, and took place at the company's headquarters in Stretham. Also present were Jim Paice, MP for South East Cambridgeshire and Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire County Council.

Graham Boswell, sales director of Prism Media Products, expressed his thanks to everyone in the company, saying, "This Award would not have been possible without the hard work and effort put in by our staff and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them. I'm really proud of them all."

Hugh Duberly pointed out that a Queen's Award is equivalent to an individual receiving an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours. "As Her Maje

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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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UK - Entec Sound & Light co-ordinated the full European touring production package and sourced key crew for the recent X Japan tour, and also supplied lighting equipment.

This was the first foray into Europe for the cult Japanese heavy metal superstars founded in 1989, who reformed in 2009 having disbanded in 1997 at the peak of a remarkable career in Japan. They have recorded four studio albums and sold over 30m records and 2m home videos.

Entec was brought in by the band's tour director Richard Ames who due to his own busy schedule touring with Supertramp in Canada, realised that it would be a practical and tactical decision to get an experienced European based rental company onboard to advance and handle all aspects of the tour, including crewing and sorting all the technical production departments.

Says Ames, "I specifically wanted a company that was dynamic and agi

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PLASA 2011 will see a landmark product introduction for Harman's JBL Professional with the début of its Marquis Dance Club Series loudspeakers: eight models designed to bring what the company says is a "new level of sonic excellence" to dance club environments. The JBL Marquis Dance Club Series incorporates new driver configurations and enclosure designs to deliver immersive sound with "exceptional clarity and fidelity, even at higher volume levels".

"JBL began offering loudspeakers for club use back in the 1970s, and JBL products helped define club sound when the industry was just beginning," says Jon Sager, Senior Manager, Installed Sound, JBL Professional. "The JBL Marquis Dance Club Series continues this heritage of innovation with a range of purpose-designed loudspeakers that brings high-impact sound to club goers who want to feel and hear

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UK - The Reflection LEDko, Coemar's LED profiler that had its world preview at ProLight+Sound in Frankfurt, received a special mention during the ABTT 2011 Awards ceremony.

Reflection LEDko (in the Soft Profile and Profile versions) is the first LED profiler able to project a shaped light with diffused edges, also offering the possibility to reproduce any tone and nuance of colour, and any shade of white, says the company.

It guarantees reduced installation costs and maintenance, and cuts energy consumption by at least 70%. What's more, it allows you to print gobos on glossy paper using a normal printer. The costs of lamp replacement, dimmer, scroller and gelatine are eliminated.

Reflection LEDko is available in three models: Reflection LEDko Full Spectrum, Reflection LEDko VariWhite 3000/7000 K, and Reflection LEDko White 3200 K, with Soft Profile and Profile optics.

(Jim

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Sommer Cable is set to introduce a range of cable and connectors at PLASA 2011. Heading the list is the Semicolon 4 AES/EBU and DMX patch / microphone cable, a studio-oriented 4-wire miniature microphone cable with a diameter of just 5.8 mm which, says Sommer Cable, "can do almost everything the big ones can". It has dual shielding and may be cross wired for audio purposes, and the company says its performance makes it an ideal AES/EBU or DMX cable. Its small diameter allows it to fit miniature connectors such as 3.5mm mini jacks, mini XLR or phono/RCA plugs.

The Tricone XXL cable and connector is a rugged, flexible guitar, instrument and patch cable with capacitance optimised for loss-free treble reproduction over long distances. The matching Tricone XXL jack plug allows solder / gas free connection for low and constant transfer resistance values, while the dual hexagonal cr

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Introduced earlier this year, LD-Systems claims record sales for the MEI-1000, its new generation of in-ear monitoring. The MEI-1000, like its predecessor, the MEI-100, features 160 Channels in the UHF Band and can be purchased in different frequency groups within the range of 790-814MHz. In stereo mode, the two input signals can be heard both left and right through the receiver, allowing the balance between them to be adjusted.

In double mono mode, both input signals are mixed, heard centrally and balanced through the receiver, allowing musicians to alter the mixing level between instruments using an additional aux send.

Stated features include selectable focus, stereo mode or mono mode; improved crosstalk; clear, dynamic sound, long battery runtime, equaliser and limiter function; 160 UHF channels; ergonomic earphones including gig bag, multifunction receiver display; menu lock fun

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Adam Hall is to launch a new model within the Audac SP Series, the SP20HA, a version specifically designed for hanging. The SP Series are high efficiency sound projectors designed to provide good speech intelligibility and background music in a wide variety of applications. Weatherproof to IP56 for indoor and outdoor use, they are, the company says, perfectly suited for use in large 100 V broadcast systems such as train stations or airports. The enclosure is made of white weatherproof ABS with a white weatherproof coated aluminium front grill.

The SP20 is a humidity-proof 20W sound projector designed to ensure clear, powerful sound reproduction, making it suitable for speech and music. It is fitted with a 4" broadband loudspeaker, and power is adjustable via the integrated 100 V line transformer with four power taps for 20W, 10W, 5W and 2.5W.

Maximum power is 40W (20W RMS), with

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The Lectern Company, which designs and manufactures professional lecterns for live events, conferences, seminars and award ceremonies, will show its latest range of lecterns at PLASA 2011.

The lecterns feature inbuilt technology to enhance the presenter's performance, and are designed not only for the presenter, but for the stage designer, event producer and professional AV technician. The lectern can be uplit in a corporate colour via a DMX-controllable LED panel.

An integral 7" screen displays PowerPoint, messages to the presenter or video feeds, while a stopwatch or clock can also be displayed from a separate PC. The screen has speakers for audio foldback.

A drawer in the rear of the lectern accommodates a laptop PC, with a VGA cable running through the lectern to stage level. Also integrated as standard are audio cables, including four microphone inputs, one auxiliary cabl

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Lighting Innovation Hermann Sorger GmbH will launch its INNO Four 25°-50° zoom HMI effects projector, which the company describes as an "unprecedentedly powerful effect projector for its compact dimensions".

All effect parameters are DMX-controllable and the unit is based, the company says, on the brilliant optics of the ETC Source Four Zoom. The design combines the high intensity of the INNO Four 575 HMI lamp house with the GAM SX4 effect universal motor drive and electronic zoom and INNO Dim to create a high-intensity projection effect.

The picture shows a lighting installation entitled 'Chromotopia St. Stephan' at Vienna?s trademark St. Stephan?s Cathedral by Viennese light artist Victoria Coeln.

PLASA 2011 1-C4

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Retop will show the latest in its range of cutting-edge LED displays in the shape of its new 12.5mm mesh product. Specially developed for the indoor and outdoor rental and staging markets, the IP65-rated product measures 400mm X 400mm and weighs in at just 3.5kg.

The company says it has invested in a fully automated encapsulation robot to manufacture the mesh, which is designed to be transparent, light in weight, and easy to build up and break down.

Off-axis viewing is cited as 140? (horizontal and vertical). The company adds: "With its hanging brackets and plug and play connectors for data and power, a display size of 100m2 can be built up in less than two hours by just two people, with no steel frame being required."

PLASA 2011 1-J40

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Granite Sound will unveil two new series of intercom products at PLASA 2011 - the GS-SLVB and GS-SLVC beltpack product sleeves, and GS-STB1 range of in-line strobe lights for intercom systems.

The GS-SLVB (black) and GS-SLVC (clear) sleeves are designed to enhance all Granite Sound beltpack-style products. A simple-to-fit silicone sleeve with rubber corner points protects against accidental and transit damage, providing extended product longevity to the complete Granite Sound beltpack range.

Suitable for the GS-CBP1 and GS-SC2 single channel beltpacks, the GS-DC2 dual channel beltpack, the GS-SB3 and GS-SB4 splitter boxes and the new GS-STB1 in-line strobe light, the sleeve design ensures that any of these products manufactured within the last 25 years by Metroaudio, Stonewood Audio or Granite Sound can be protected by this style of sleeve.

The GS-STB1 series of in-line strobe ligh

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USA - Thanks to the residency of the Royal Shakespeare Company in New York's Park Avenue Armory this summer, you can meet the man behind the RSC Lightlock and see how he uses this innovation to light Shakespeare's works.

Vince Herbert, head of the Lighting Department for the RSC, will be on hand to demonstrate the RSC Lightlock's technology, discuss its evolution, and explain its use in the lighting system installed for the company's residency in New York. The event will be held on Tuesday, 2 August in the Wade Thompson Drill Hall of the Park Avenue Armory beginning at 2pm. The event is free and open to the first 50 registrants.

In addition to his responsibilities as the head of the RSC's Lighting Department, and his work in developing the award-winning technology of the Lightlock, Herbert has also overseen the reconstruction of the company's main theatre and home at Stratford

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USA - On his recent tour, ex-Led Zeppelin front man Robert Plant joined forces with guitarist and Nashville producer Buddy Miller. Teaming up in the Band of Joy, the two concocted a mélange of sounds - from classic rock to folk and gospel-that demand utmost clarity and versatility from a live reinforcement system. That task fell to a Meyer Sound Mica line array loudspeaker system provided by Livonia, Mich.-based Thunder Audio.

Roy Williams, the veteran FOH engineer at the helm of Plant's live mix, reports, "There are some softer numbers - particularly duets with Patty Griffin - with a breathy quality that demands absolute transparency. But on others, we push it up to send a message to the Zep fraternity that, when we want to, we can still do it. The Mica system handles the dynamics with no problems at all."

The tour's complete Meyer Sound complement comprised

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Germany - Rental company and rental network agent Sirius Showequipment reports a busy summer for its L-Acoustics K1 WST line source system.

Among the summer events for which Sirius is deploying its system are the Bayern 1 Open Air concert at the Munich Konigsplatz, with Status Quo and the Spider Murphy Gang, and Stuttgart Jazz Open, with BB King, Chicago, Blood, Sweat and Tears and Paolo Conte.

Additionally, Sirius' K1 system embarked on a string of Supertramp shows across France at the beginning of July.

"K1 has certainly become the most wanted sound system in the world for the last two years," says Sirius CEO Wolfgang Neumann. "When we supply a K1 system for a show, the engineers are always very happy with the sound and handling of the system. We've never had a single complaint. K1 is the best sounding line array system available."

(Jim Evans)

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USA / Taiwan - In its first OEM partnership with a Taiwan audio manufacturer, Audinate and UNiKA Professional Audiohave both agreed to work together in developing future high end professional Dante enabled audio products. UNiKA is known for their wide range of products that include digital power amplifiers, line arrays, power amplifiers, mixers, conditioners and crossovers.

K.C. Hwa, UNiKA's CEO remarks, "Our R & D team is continuously developing products that are innovative and of the highest standards. Incorporating Audinate's Dante into future products was a very easy decision for us. They are the future when it comes to digital media networking."

"UNiKA has shown the ability to manufacture high quality audio products for over 20 years," says John McMahon, Audinate's VP of sales and support. "Their integrity for design, technical excellence and the

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Neutrik is to launch two new products at PLASA 2011 - the NP2XL jumboPLUG and NP2RX-Timbre.

The company has extended its jack plug range to include a large 1/4'' Jumbo plug, the NP2XL, which features a turned one-piece tip connection as used in all Neutrik plugs to eliminate any possibility of noise found with riveted connections.

Designed for thick professional instrument cables up to 10mm wide, it features an ergonomic barrel and incorporates the features and benefits of the standard PX range, which include a robust, diecast shell, a proven chuck-type strain relief for reliable cable retention, ergonomic design for handling convenience and precision machined one-piece contacts.

Hailing the concept 'as brilliant as it is simple', Neutrik's new NP2RX-Timbre jack plug allows a guitarist to change the timbre of a guitar sound from neutral, clear sound to warm characteristics in four

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USA / China - Strengthening the representation of its Elan, Niles, Xantech, and Aton brands throughout China and Taiwan, The AVC Group has announced the appointment of CAS Group, formerly Xantech China, to serve as its exclusive distributor in the region. The announcement was made by Mark Terry, president of The AVC Group, who said that CAS Group will now work closely with Claude Sabourin, international sales manager, Asia at The AVC Group.

"Cliff Wong and his team of proven professionals at the CAS Group have what it takes to bring our brands to the next level of success in China and the surrounding regions," Terry said. "They have the experience, relationships, and commitment necessary to strengthen our leadership position in this vitally important and growing market. Their prior success with Xantech speaks well for their future success with our other brands.&qu

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UK - Black Light has announced new dates for its Rigging and Working at Height in the Entertainment Industry training course.

The course is designed to provide the knowledge and practical guidance needed to work safely when rigging equipment high above a stage or auditorium. It is proving extremely popular, so the company has scheduled three new training sessions that will take place later in the year.

Course dates now available for booking are: 21-23 September, 12-14 October and 2-4 November 2w011. The three-day Course is £390 ex VAT and attendance is required on all three days. You can get more information about the course and Black Light's training programme at www.black-light.com

(Jim Evans)

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The first of two companies to announce new LED displays so far, VISS Lighting will show no less than five new products at the show.

Its THIN4/6/8(P4/6/8) LED display and PADORA 10 LED floor are the latest, headed by the THIN4/6/8 super-slim high resolution LED tile display which, says VISS, offers low weight, high clarity and is just 1cm thick. Each tile measures 500 x 500mm, weighs 6kg and features SMD 3-in-1 technology, with a viewing angle of 140° (horizontal) by 110° (vertical).

The Curtain 12 LED strip screen is designed for stage background rental applications using high-density, high brightness SMD 3-in-1 LEDs. Pixel pitch is 12.5mm and each panel measures 1200 x 600 x 48mm and weighs 6.5kg. Transparency is quoted at 44% with 140° (horizontal) by 110° (vertical) viewing angles.

The KingKong 20 LED display is a multi-purpose IP65-rated 20mm pixel pitch LED dis

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