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PLASA 2011 will see Capture Sweden launch the latest version - 2.6 - of its lighting visualisation software, Capture Polar.

The company says that Capture Polar version 2.6 features significant improvements in the aesthetic qualities of the visualisation, with "new and stunning" smoke and intensity effects. Further steps have been taken, it adds, to ensure that Capture utilizes the power of the designer's computer better, creating "the smoothest design experience ever".

Capture will also be demonstrating the powerful video and material mapping features of Capture Polar version 2.5, which made it possible to integrate the visualisation of virtually any video surfaces or projections with a lighting design.

PLASA 2011 2-R5

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USA - Blue Microphones has announced the appointment of Michael 'Hucky' Huckler as the vice president of worldwide sales - pro division. Huckler, an industry veteran with expertise in both international sales and global distribution strategies, will be responsible for continuing domestic growth, along with expanding Blue's global market share and distribution in international pro audio sales channels. In addition to supporting sales of Blue's line-up of professional mics, Huckler will be responsible for driving sales of the several new additions to Blue's line.

"Hucky's accomplished history and comprehensive understanding of the marketplace will allow him to have an immediate impact on the expansion of Blue's pro audio product lines into the global market," said John Maier, CEO of Blue Microphones. "As Blue expands our product offering and market share, Hucky will

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UK - Prolyte Group brand manager Eric Laanstra frequently received enquiries for a smaller truss with a higher loading capacity and has masterminded the solution. With his team of engineers ,he has designed the H40R truss, a rectangular standard H40 truss with a programme of specifications based on the H30V, H40V and S36R truss.

The H40R has three-sided webbing. The thicker braces on the bottom side allow easy mounting of automated luminaires/moving heads and central loading, reducing the torsion effect resulting from one-sided loading in standard trusses.

The spigot orientation follows that of the S series truss, allowing easy assembly while the truss is still on the floor. The H40R measures 339mm high by 239mm wide. The diagonals are placed to allow room for a 30D truss to rest on the bottom chords.

The loading rate is comparable to the H40V, taking into account that, due

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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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Europe - Tait made important contributions to the record breaking Take That Progress European tour this summer. Production manager Chris Vaughan reports, "This is a very complex production, I gave some specific scenic elements to Tait and having never worked with them before, it's been a good experience and we've both learned from each other."

Tait Towers project manager James Erwin started concept development with Chris Vaughan, Es Devlin, Malcolm Birkett, and Phil Broad four months ahead of the tour, working on three key custom show elements.

The custom B-stage was 40' 6" wide and37' 6" deep, based on Tait's proprietary Mag Deck. Incorporating eight 30"x80" lift decks and one 12'4"x7'11" centre- lift, the stage was designed with maximum use of limited space in mind to store theatrical props used during the show. To maintain clea

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UAE - Dubai based rental, company Spectrum Entertainment Services, has invested in a new in-ear monitor system - Sennheiser's ew 300 IEM G3. Supplied by Sennheiser's UAE distributer Venuetech, the eight channel system includes transmitters, receivers, antenna combiners and omni-directional antennae.

"We were looking for a high quality wireless in-ear monitoring system that can work as eight channels or can be split into two four channel systems," says Julien Beyrouthy, Spectrum Entertainment Services general manager. "We recently used the Sennheiser system on concerts by Shaggy and DOV Amiel and were really pleased with its performance."

The system includes a 42mHz switching bandwidth, five band EQ and data ports for use with Sennheiser's Wireless Systems Manager software.

"Sennheiser IEM systems are now the norm on most stages across the world,"

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UK - Proms in the Park made a welcome return to Bedford Park this year and local sound specialists JAP Sound chose a Roland Systems Group M-480 cascade and REAC solution to take care of the production. The Proms, which took place for one night only in Bedford, saw stars such as Aled Jones and Natasha Marsh performing live alongside the London Gala Orchestra. This year's eventwhich was organized by The Full Effect and attracted a record number of people.

"We chose Roland because it is a scalable package and we have the options of using one or two desks or cascading two desks together - we also have all the Digital Snake stage boxes to choose from- there are so many options that all fit together easily. Once you've set up the desk you just plug in the stage boxes and they find each other - there is no complicated programming required as the desk recognizes each one as you con

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Germany - A Jands Vista I3 console, running the next generation Vista v2 software, was specified by installation artist and lighting designer Fred Pommerehn to control the lighting for a specially commissioned work on display as part of the World Wildlife Fund's Deutschland wird Wald Meister 2011 (Year of the Forest) campaign in Berlin, Germany.

The Year of the Forest initiative is supported by prominent German celebrities, and the launch featured a media conference the day after the installation went live. The lit work became a local and international talking point, as well as a popular attraction enjoyed by press, public and passers by.

The temporary installation - which was in place on the steps of the Konzerthaus in Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt square - featured 26 tree sculptures measuring up to six metres in height, each carefully crafted by Pommerehn usi

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UK - J&C Joel have completed a major installation of stage machinery, rigging systems, acoustic solutions and theatrical textiles in Wales' conservatoire of music and the arts - the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.

The Welsh College of Music & Drama (RWCMD) provides its students with specialist education and preparation for a career in music, theatre and performing arts.

In June 2011 RWCMD opened a £22.5m performance and rehearsal complex incorporating the 160-seat Richard Burton Theatre and the Dora Stoutzker Concert Hall. In a major installation J&C Joel designed and installed stage machinery and equipment in both venues to help establish them as facilities in which the college's students can perfect and perform their craft.

The Richard Burton Theatre provides teaching space for some of the UK's most exciting young actors and also hosts many of the RWCMD's annua

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Peru - The famous Incan city of Machu Picchu in Peru is considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. On 7 July this year, it celebrated the 100 year anniversary of its rediscovery by North American adventurer and archaeologist Hiram Bingham. Andrés Cuadros and Guillermo Riera, owners of rental company Red Power, provided a sound and light spectacular for the celebration, with a DiGiCo SD8 digital mixing console being pivotal to the audio design.

With overall direction from Peruvian movie director, Luis Llosa, 200 actors, under the direction of Eduardo San Roman, took part in the show of dance, lights, fireworks and music. A performance from Peruvian singer Tania Libertad was accompanied by the Cusco Symphony Orchestra, directed by Coco Salazar and a rhythm section, made up of drums, keyboards, electric guitar and bass, with Manuel Miranda on wind instruments.

R

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UK - A new trade association for sound designers will be launched at PLASA 2011 next month.

For the last 18 months a group of sound designers have been working to create a new professional association with a series of meetings to discuss what the association should do and how it should work. The meetings were held at the National Theatre, the Royal Court and the Royal Exchange with attendance from over 60 of the country's leading sound designers as well as representatives from hire companies including Autograph, Blitz, Mac Sound and Orbital; manufacturers including d&b audiotechnik and Duran Audio; and educational institutes such as the Central School of Speech and Drama.

Gareth Fry, chair of the newly-elected Board of Trustees of the ASD, said that "the meetings were a great opportunity for a lot of sound designers to meet up, some for the first time, and discuss releva

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Finland - Integrators and designers looking to add a touch of flair to their audio installations will be interested in the latest offering from Genelec - a choice of over 200 RAL classic colour finishes available for their 4000 Series. All models in RAL colours are available to special order and will allow the speakers to contribute to the interior design scheme of any type of fixed installation.

"Many interior designers bemoan the fact that loudspeakers interfere with the clean look of their interiors," says Terho Savolainen, marketing manager, Genelec Oy. "Well, not any more. The new finishes for our 4000 Series can contribute to the design of any club, restaurant, theatre, gallery or residence; so whether you want to blend them in or make them stand out, be bold or discreet, our colours will help you achieve that. The 4000 Series offers unrivalled audio perform

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USA - The collapse in high winds of a temporary concert stage at the Indiana State Fair on Saturday claimed five lives and left almost 50 injured, according to US news reports. An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collapse began on Sunday, and its findings will be watched with great interest by the event production industry.

In addition to issues surrounding the build and stability of the structure itself, the question of why the event was not stopped and the audience evacuated far sooner will surely form a major part of the investigation.

It is reported that organisers had urged audience members to seek shelter just minutes before the sudden winds hit the stage structure - far too late, as it turned out, for an effective evacuation. With news reports claiming that forecasters at the National Weather Service had predicted the strong winds of 60-70mph up to t

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USA - GDS (Global Design Solutions) has announced that, by mutual consent, Scott Vontobel is to step down as director of USA operations.

Vontobel has been with GDS since February 2009 and has been instrumental in setting-up GDS's USA office and sales network. He feels that he is "unable to give all that is required to the position at this time and has decided to move on".

"I have decided that now is the right time for me to spend more time with my young family and I am planning to find my next opportunity closer to home," he says. "I felt it would be best for the company to find someone who can devote more time to developing the USA operations and moving the company forward. Global Design Solutions is a great company with innovative products, I wish Matt and Richard every success for the future, they are a fantastic bunch guys with great products and v

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UK - SES has signed a sole distribution deal with PLS. PLS are one of Europe's leading manufacturer of dimmer packs and associated products and the full range will be shown at this year's Plasa on the SES stand (1J-11).

PLS which manufactures and brands for other leading manufacturers, will have an impressive range of product available which will be complemented by SES 19" rack mount distro.

(Jim Evans)

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Australia - ARX has announced the release of their new TAP-IT transformer isolated audio line tapper.

ARX managing director Colin Park comments, "With the ongoing convergence of audio, AV and IT systems, providing a clean audio feed to wireless and cabled transmission and recording systems has become a priority for systems designers, Integrators and Installers.

"Hums and ground loops, problematic Y leads, the misuse of headphone outputs or jury rigged patch ups need no longer be tolerated because the ARX Design Team has developed the new TAP-IT Transformer Isolated AudioLine Tapper as the solution.

"Main inputs and outputs are hardwired, so your signal integrity isn't compromised, and the TAP-IT's passive design eliminates the requirement for problematic external power supplies and 'wallwarts'."

(Jim Evans)

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UK - Building on its hugely successful summer of providing technical production packages in temporary power, lighting and audio, Pearce Hire will be sponsoring the PLASA Production Bar, located in Earls Court 2, at the London Show from 11th-14th September.

Pearce Hire invites clients and PLASA visitors to join them at the Production Bar for a drink, and to learn more about their latest investments. This year alone, Pearce Hire has expanded its inventory by investing over £500,000 in new hire equipment.

It will be the first time Pearce Hire has had a PLASA presence, and the Production Bar is seen as a great networking opportunity, right in the heart of the exhibition. The bar is jointly sponsored with other world-renowned companies.

With such a full order book at the start of the season, Pearce Hire has invested heavily to cope with the demand of many new and existing e

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Finland - Philips Entertainment Lighting has delivered a symphony of lighting solutions to concert lighting in the €180m Helsinki Music Centre.

Supplied and installed by Philips Entertainment's Finnish Distributor Hedcom, the key challenge in this modern concert hall was to ensure that all lighting fixtures operated silently and efficiently with minimum heat output so as not to interfere with the listening experience of the audience.

Pekka Rytilahti, product manager for Hedcom reports: "We installed over 150 Philips Entertainment luminaires into the 1700-seat main auditorium and five additional, smaller spaces. The specification included Philips Selecon SPX, Arena, Rama and Pacific fixtures alongside a number of Vari-Lite VL1100AS.

Rytilahti worked closely with the client project manager Antti Rehtijärvi from ISS Proko, theatre consultant Tapio Ilomäki from Akukon Co

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UK - Artist, architect and designer Ron Arad has invited his favourite artists, musicians and friends to create works for a 360 degree video projection installation at the Roundhouse, London. Bloomberg are the primary sponsor.

Blitz Communications has been commissioned to provide the technology to bring the design concept to fruition. The installation takes the form of a curtain made from 5,600 silicon rods, 8.1m high, creating an 18m diameter 360 degree canvas for film, live performance and audience interaction.

Blitz installed 12 Barco RLM W8 projectors which are mounted on the truss ring above the silicon rod curtain. Each of these projects a portrait image 8.1m high by 5m wide, overlapped to produce a seamless 360 degree display at 13,520 by 1,920 pixels.

Media delivery and control is implemented using 12 Dataton Watchout display PCs networked to a Watchout control serve

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UK - As a sponsor of PLASA 2011, Martin Professional looks forward to welcoming one and all to Martin stand 1-F44 for a chat, a drink and an up-close look at Martin's range of professional luminaries, creative LED panels, atmospheric effects and sophisticated control systems. Martin will also be participating in the STLD LED Shoot Out throughout the show, highlighting its LED range in a number of working areas.

The EC-10 is a high performance, true 10 mm pixel pitch LED display panel that teams with Martin's EC-20 to form a fully compatible EC family of LED displays that can be mixed and matched for ultimate design creativity.

Featuring the same award-winning, lightweight and cable-free design for rapid deployment, the EC-10 is 100% compatible with the EC-20 in terms of colour, setup, curving, and control and processing, even accessories, allowing for seamless, mixed resolutio

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UK - POLARaudio is exhibiting a number of new products at this year's PLASA show. Specialists in sound systems and audio networking, POLARaudio will be showcasing its range of advanced networking technologies. The distributor will be offering AVB, Dante, CobraNet, Ethersound and A-Net products from brands including Biamp, Aviom, XTA, MC2, Atterotech and Australian Monitor.

POLARaudio's stand will feature networking solutions including Biamp's Tesira, the first scalable network using audio video bridging (AVB) and Aviom Digital Snakes.

Also at the show will be, Atterotech's Gearbox 18 and from beyerdynamic the new TG (Touring Gear) series of live microphones, with microphone solutions for every budget. The TG series comprises of TG 30 entry level series, TG 50 standard Touring Gear series with premium performance, TG 70 series with advanced technical characteristics and higher

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UK - Robe launches two important and unique new LED products at PLASA 2011 - the ROBIN 1200 LEDWash, and the ROBIN DLX Spot, and previews the upcoming ROBIN 'Sniper' - a mega-bright fixture with a super-tight parallel 230mm fat beam.

All are in keeping with the company's ongoing "Think of the Future - Consider Nature" commitment to producing genuinely more sustainable technology.

The mega-bright ROBIN 1200 LEDWash utilises the same multichip LEDs as the Award-winning ROBIN 600 LEDWash and smaller ROBIN 300 LEDWash, in an intensely bright package featuring 61 x LEDs in total, in four concentric rings. It has all advantages of fabulously smooth mixing, the true whites and the homogenised light engines of the LEDWash 300 and 600, along with light weight, full functionality and low power consumption.

The ROBIN DLX Spot is the world's first LED based spot moving head wi

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