UK - HHB Communications has redesigned its website with expanded features and a new look: http://www.hhb.co.uk.

The site now provides a comprehensive information source for wide range of products and is much quicker to navigate. All the features from the previous site are available, in addition to enhancements such as downloadable technical reports, video tutorials, connection to HHB's Twitter page and expanded shopping facilities.

A larger catalogue of products is also available alongside data sheets, manuals and product videos to accurately provide for the needs of audio professionals the world over. News, case studies and product announcements will be updated weekly to offer the latest industry information from manufacturers and us

Denmark - Martin Professional Scandinavia has announced that Mikkel Toksværd has joined the company as project sales manager Nordic, overseeing project activities throughout Scandinavia for Martin's Danish-based EMEA sales organisation.

Toksværd will cover the entire Scandinavian region with particular focus on the Swedish and Norwegian markets. He originally graduated from the Danish National Theatre School as Lighting Designer and later achieved a certificate in Project Management from Copenhagen Business School.

Over the past 10 years, he has owned his own business, marketing the French/US show control company Medialon in Scandinavia, activities he will continue to manage.

Leif Orkelbog-Andresen, business area manager for Martin EMEA Projects, stated: "With his proven track record in the Scandinavian countries, Mikkel will bring valuable insight and guidance to our

The Netherlands - Ampco Flashlight Rental has announced the appointment of Otte-Pieter Banga as operations director. Banga will take up the position on 7 September and will assume responsibility for the day-to-day management of the company.

Dick van Berkum, CEO of Ampco Flashlight Rental, welcomed the appointment of Otte-Pieter: "He's a dynamic manager and feels perfectly at home in our often complex commercial, governmental and technological world."

Banga has extensive experience within the entertainment industry. He has previously held positions within large organisations, and is also an old acquaintance of Ampco Flashlight, having served as interim director of Flashlight BV between 1999 and 2000.

He says of his new challenge: "I am very happy with this new role. Given my background and knowledge of the entertainment industry, I am confident that I will cont

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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

UK - RCF has carefully selected its product range to fit the profile of xSolutions 2011 (19-20 October, ExCeL London UK), giving priority to providing creative solutions for specialist AV and M&E consultants serving the different channels.

Pride of place will go to their new Media Series, which presents a 360º approach to sound system design and completes a product portfolio which will now allow systems engineers to treat RCF as a single source for all their loudspeaker requirements.

The Media Series features five models, from the smallest 5" to the larger 2 x 6" - all purpose designed for small- to medium-sized projects requiring distributed systems. The Series is designed to offer RCF's signature sound quality, with the customary controlled bass response, incredible vocal clarity and high frequency definition.

The design and look of the Media Series is consisten

UK - JoeCo is now shipping the BBR-Dante version of the Blackbox Recorder. This latest addition to the multi-channel live audio recorder family is the result of a collaboration, announced during 2010, between JoeCo and Audinate.

The BBR-Dante is designed to record/replay up to 32 channels of audio data from a Dante network. Developed to solve the inherent problems of working with computer-based systems in a live performance environment, it provides engineers with a computer-free, high-quality solution for multi-channel live audio capture. Able to record up to 32 channels of audio at 44.1kHz and 48kHz directly to Broadcast WAV files on an external USB2 (FAT32 formatted) drive, the BBR-DANTE also accommodates higher sample rate recording (88.2kHZ and 96kHz) at a reduced track count.

The recorder connects to any Dante-enabled network device from a range of console and converter m

UK - Nicolaudie's Sunlite Suite 2 software was launched at the PLASA show last year, and one year on, the software has had a wide range of bug fixes and new features added.

Palettes are very powerful when programming lighting, particularly if you need to quickly update a set of scenes at once.

The EasyTime timeline editor allows the user to simply programme their show by dragging and dropping various effects (constant levels, Curve, Gradiend, X/Y, video etc) onto a timeline. A Cycle is a cue list of scenes and switches - useful if you have a set of scenes and switches and wish to trigger these sequentially. Cycles are very easy to record and modify thanks to the new timeline editor, say Sunlite developer Nicolaudie.

At PLASA 2011, Nicolaudie will run a competition at the PLASA show this year. Each customer coming over to the stand for a basic demo of our products will go int

Kuwait - Nicolas Kyvernitis Electronics Enterprises, Roland Professional distributor in the region, has recently hosted the third Roland Roadshow in Kuwait. The event, which attracted professionals from the AV industry included individuals from installation companies, live sound rental firms and broadcast integrators.

"Kuwait is a completely new territory for NMK, so the Roland Roadshow was a great way to enter the market," commented Moswain Antao, Roland product specialist. "Attendees to the event were very happy with the knowledge shared during the day and the opportunity to work with the latest equipment from Roland."

(Jim Evans)

USA - PLASA has announced the finalists for the fourth annual Rock Our World Awards, to be presented at the PLASA Cocktail & Awards Reception at LDI 2011. The PLASA Rock Our World Awards were created to honour groundbreaking achievement by its members and to acknowledge the genius of both the creator of the technology and the designer or integrator who applies it in a real world environment.

The finalists for the fourth annual Rock Our World Awards are:

83rd Annual Academy Awards - Green Hippo, PRG, TMB

ALEXA Digital Camera System - ARRI

coolux Widget Designer 3.0 PRO - Coolux GmbH

DataGate Mk2 - ENTTEC

Disney World of Color - A.C.T Lighting, Fisher Technical Services, MA Lighting, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Creative Entertainment

EverGrip Molded Motor Control Cables - Lex Products Corp

Garsington Opera - Unusual Rigging Ltd (UK)

USA - More than 25 years in the making, Dallas' AT&T Performing Arts Centre is a cultural nexus in the city's revitalised downtown arts district. The area is home to a number of different entertainment venues, from the Dallas Symphony's Meyerson Auditorium and the intimate Wyly Theatre to the Winspear Opera House and the open-air Annette Strauss Square, making it a busy hub of activity on any given evening.

The 2,200-seat Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, created by architect Foster & Partners, with theatre design by Theatre Projects Consultants and acoustician Sound Space Design, is home to the Dallas Opera, and an anchor in the new arts district. The Winspear's sound system, designed by Martin Van Dijk of Toronto-based Engineering Harmonics, is centred around left/right arrays of 12 Renkus-Heinz STLA/9R RHAON empowered loudspeakers that retract into the ceiling when not in

UK - Manchester-based lighting rental company dbn supplied large scale spectacular architectural lighting to Culture Liverpool for a special event celebrating both the 100th anniversary of the iconic Liver Building and the opening of the new Museum of Liverpool - the largest newly-built national museum in Britain for more than a century - both located on the City's famous Pier Head waterfront.

dbn's team was led by Pete Robinson. Their brief included the lighting of a live performance stage on the Pier Head and providing complimentary lighting onto the Liver Building itself, which framed a large format projection show created by Czech AV specialists Macula, using 35000 lumen Christie projectors.

On the Liver Building, dbn had ensured that light filled the space between the outer limits of the centrally positioned projections and the edges of the building, in the process, highl

USA / UK - High End Systems, a Barco company, has announced its partnership with UK based The Lighting Hospital. This cooperative agreement aids High End Systems customers in the UK and Europe by providing a UK service location. The Lighting Hospital is authorized for warranty level fixture and console repairs as well as direct circuit board repairs.

The Lighting Hospital is located in a 750sq.ft office in Bristol UK. They specialise in board level repairs and work with some of the best known lighting rental companies in Europe.

"The Lighting Hospital has been in business for more than two years as an independent service and repair centre to the lighting industry throughout the EMEA region," says Dik Welland, director of The Lighting Hospital. "Our repair team carries years of expertise in the industry and have assisted on many of the world's most significant sh

UK - Following the announcement of the launch of the CDC Eight flagship digital live production console at PLASA 2011, Cadac and CUK Audio announce they have signed an exclusive distribution agreement for the UK and Ireland.

Vincenzo Borrelli, sales development manager of Cadac, commented, "Cadac is embarking on an exciting phase of development, with a wider range of digital and analogue product lines. Maintaining our core values of sound quality and innovation, we will be introducing Cadac advantages at a range of price levels for a greater range of applications. Ensuring our distribution delivers this with the highest level of service and support is a key part of our strategy and, with their technical competence and synergetic brands, CUK Audio is an ideal partner."

Stuart Thomson, MD of CUK Audio added, "It's an exciting time for Cadac, following the introduc

UK - Stageco provided the main stage for both legs of the V Festival, at Hylands Park, Chelmsford, and Weston Park, Staffordshire last month.

The Belgian company provided four-tower festival roof system, offering a performance area of 25m by 20m for headliners including the Arctic Monkeys, Plan B, Kaiser Chiefs, Rihanna and Eminem. A Stageco crew of nine were deployed, constructing the 500m² festival stages in four days, including two video wings supporting giant screens either side.

Project director Dirk De Decker ensured detailed plans were exchanged with the festival production team from Maztec and the incoming bands production, and even following several late modifications, Stageco's on-site project managers accommodated changes to production requirements from rapper Eminem.

Antonio Duarte Da Cruz, project manager at Chelmsford, said: "The stages followed a similar

The Netherlands - Educational facility SAE Institute has recently installed a new 36-channel Audient ASP8024 inline desk in its Rotterdam school. SAE manager Andreas Oszkiel comments: "Students can now enjoy the sonic qualities of this large-format console as they enhance their skills on the Audient desk. It integrates perfectly with our Pro Tools HD rig for flexible recording and mixing.

"This upgrade ensures that we provide our students with up-to-date recording facilities, which not only reflect the industry standard in functionality and size with extremely versatile routing options, but also sound fantastic.

"The first project that will test the abilities of the Audient desk and the students will be the Fermi Paradox, a zero-budget sci-fi film shot and produced in Rotterdam," continues Oszkiel. "Our students will be contributing sound editin

UK - Hall Stage has been appointed authorised dealer of Zetex, Zetexplus and Z-Flex fabrics, and Newtex engineered curtain systems for European theatres and public venues.

Newtex Industries Inc (USA) is a manufacturer of fabrics and fabricated systems for thermal management and fire protection. All products are asbestos-free.

ZetexPlus 1210 is a proprietary asbestos-free fabric designed specifically for stage and theatre applications. A specialty weave of highly texturised premium grade E-glass yarn provides "exceptionally high mechanical strength in the vertical direction and five times the abrasion resistance of existing asbestos curtains". The specialised ZetexPlus blend of vermiculite raises continuous temperature resistance of the base fibreglass fabric to over 1100° C, the company says.

ZetexPlus 1210 is designed as a replacement fabric for existing safet

Australia - Currently playing at Sydney's Lyric Theatre, the musical Hairspray has been delighting audiences for several months with its bright, cheery sets and music. The show's audio was designed by Michael Waters for Jands Production Services who also supplied the audio equipment including 26 Shure UHF-R Micro Bodypack Transmitters (UR1M) and Shure UHF UR4D Dual Receivers.

Looking after the Shure gear is James Kohler, deputy head of sound, who says: "I've been using the Shure Micro Bodypacks for the past 18 months and they have been rock-solid. In fact they've been really good. Packs that I have used in the past have been too sensitive to heat problems and obviously with the packs strapped to the dancer's bodies, heat can become a bit of an issue. I haven't experienced that once with the Shure Micro Bodypacks."

He adds: "They sound really good and ther

UK / France - Robert Juliat will be exhibiting at PLASA 2011 - in the White Light Zone - where the Aledin 630 LED profile and the new Aledin 330 LED wash light will be presented - the latter for the first time at PLASA.

The new, variable beam angle, 85W LED Aledin 330 wash light is a complement to the Aledin 630 LED profile spot, which received the PLASA 2010 Innovation Award.

Robert Juliat sales director, Lionel Garraud, says: "The feedback we are receiving is that customers find the Aledin wash a very powerful LED product which is easy to daisy chain and produces a clean, even beam. The dimming is very smooth with no 'stepping', its strobe feature is useful for concert lighting and the choice of colour temperature lends itself well to exhibition work. The result is a very versatile unit that is proving very popular in multi-function venues and television studios."<

UAE - Star Events Group has announced a new phase in its development plan which gives it a base in the Middle East for the first time. Working with Dubai based Quickfix Scaffolding Solutions (QFS) as the local partner, the new venture will see the Star Seating grandstand system available from this October throughout the Middle East.

Meeting the latest European standards for both space and safety, the air-insulated seats are particularly suited to very hot (and very cold) climates. To provide client flexibility, the same tip up seats can also be installed without any fixings on any flat surface.

The new venture will be headed locally by Quickfix MD Simon Wills who has over 30 years experience in the scaffolding industry throughout the world. Wills comments, "This new alliance will enable us to meet the needs of our existing clients who require a safety conscious company to

UK - The latest in the wave of new products to be launched by Artistic Licence Engineering at PLASA is Multichrome Tube, a linear, double-sided LED fixture based on Artistic Licence's Multichrome Flex technology.

Sixteen individual colour-changing RGB pixels are housed within a 500mm long tube which is IP rated (IP67) for exterior, as well as interior, use.

Multichrome Tube also benefits from long lamp life, low beam temperature and low power consumption, yet with no compromise in quality or performance: no less than 16 million high purity colours can be obtained from Multichrome Tube's colour mixing ability, in addition to excellent white tracking, says the company. Optimised for designer-friendly colours, the choices on offer can satisfy the most demanding of lighting designers across all lighting disciplines.

The compact size and clean lines of its housing makes Multichro

UK - Glee's transition to the stage has proved as huge a major hit. Following a sold-out US tour in 2010, the show crossed the Atlantic for an equally successful tour of the UK, including multiple sold out dates at both London and Dublin's The O2 and Manchester's MEN Arena this summer.

Clair Global provided the show's sound requirements, supplying two SD7s, one for the cast and one for the band, with JH Audio providing its JH 16 IEMs and founder Jerry Harvey performing monitor duties on the cast console.

"On last year's Glee tour I was using an analogue desk," says Harvey. "But this show has so many cues happening at the same time it was almost impossible to pull it off on an analogue desk, so I made the decision to go digital and move to an SD7.

"I have 96 inputs and 14 stereo IEM mixes for the actors and I find the snapshot function is very user friendl

UK - Chroma-Q will feature their range of LED lighting & visual effects products and original lighting accessories, designed for a wide range of entertainment, broadcast and architectural applications, on Stand 1-E12, Hall 1, at PLASA 2011.

The light output, colour blending and dimming qualities of Chroma-Q LED range, which utilises the latest cutting-edge technologies, will be fully showcased in the stand's demo theatre and TV broadcast studio areas.

Products featured include the new Studio Force daylight white (6,100K CCT) and Studio Force variable white (3,000K - 6,100K CCT) LED fixtures, producing an extreme output of up to 28,000 lumens. Both models are available in 300mm, 1.2m and 1.8m lengths.

The Studio Force range complements the popular Color Force RGBA LED line-up, which provides power across the spectrum, from deep cold blues to red hot lava and super soft pastel

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