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UK - Founded by some of the UK's leading sound designers, the ASD was officially launched at PLASA2011 to provide sound designers a professional representative body.

Issues such as training and new technology are at the forefront of the Association's aims and so it has actively sought support from rental companies, educational institutions and equipment manufacturers. As one of the professional audio industry's major examples of the latter, Yamaha Commercial Audio is very supportive of the new venture.

"Providing support for end users is very important to Yamaha and so we fully endorse the launch of the ASD," says Karl Christmas, senior manager at Yamaha Commercial Audio (UK). "As a corporate sponsor, we look forward to working with the ASD's Board to develop oppo

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France - Moored at the Quai de l'Oise in the 19th arrondissement, L'Improviste is a traditional 'peniche' or longboat that has been completely restored and converted into Paris's latest jazz club/wine bar. The lower deck, which houses the jazz club, has been equipped with a new APG sound system, specified and installed by systems contractor and events specialist, Octalino.

Given the rather 'bijou' dimensions of both the room and the stage, the venue required a physically unobtrusive system that would nevertheless deliver professional results. As a spokesman for l'Improviste pointed out, "If we want to attract professional musicians and discerning audiences, we have to be prepared to invest in professional equipment that delivers a quality result. This is why we turned to a company like Octalino who specialize in providing AV systems for the events market as well as handling

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UK - Worcester-based LED lighting manufacturer, PixelRange part-hosted the STLD's tour of the recently transformed Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford upon Avon, enabling the busy television lighting designers to view the latest innovations in Smart LED lighting whilst taking in the theatre tour.

STLD and ALD members had travelled from London and around the country to the Royal Shakespeare Company's theatre where, as well as a tour of the historic playhouse, the designers took in a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

PixelRange technical director, John Hickinbotham and sales manager, Andy Walters, were on hand to guide the attendees through the new range of products which included PixelRange's PixelSmart, the SmartLine 4, as well as the recently debuted QLite luminaire and PixelLine 1 battens.

Andy Walters explained, "As a UK lighting manufacturer, PixelRa

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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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Germany / USA - In order to generate high-octane promotion of their new album I'm With You, Red Hot Chili Peppers recently simulcast a live concert from Cologne to cinemas throughout the States.

With their long-serving FOH engineer, Dave Rat, piloting the house mix, the band performed all songs off the album plus many other selected hits - largely through an EAW sound system.

The European promo run immediately preceded the South American leg of the band's stadium-sized world tour, and according to Rat, the concert at Cologne's 2,200-capacity E-WERK was a huge success - largely due to the presence of the compact EAW KF730 house system and combination of MicroSubs and MicroWedge floor monitors.

This venue was chosen since Germany is the band's largest European market, and Cologne the city where their European arena tour commenced in early October.

The bulk of the soun

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Germany - High End Systems, a Barco company, reports that ARCUS Lighting, the exclusive distributor of High End Systems and Flying Pig Systems in Germany, is now a certified Wholehog training centre. Starting in October 2011, ARCUS will hold monthly two-day training courses free-of-charge at their Paderborn, Germany offices.

ARCUS Lighting staff members have been certified by High End Systems to teach programming and operation of Wholehog consoles including the Wholehog 3, Road Hog Full Boar, Road Hog and Hog 3PC software. Utilising the latest software, students will learn in-depth procedures for setting up and operating shows on Wholehog consoles. Each class utilizes Road Hog Full Boar consoles connected to WYSIWYG for hands-on learning. Students work 2 per console as they partake in lessons designed to replicate real world situations.

"We are pleased that our distribute

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World - Production and lighting designer Roy Bennett is using 112 Martin MAC 101 wash lights for R&B singer Rihanna's current Loud world tour and praises the ultra-small fixture's combination of small size and brightness as important elements in his lighting design.

"They have been great," Bennett says, adding that the compact fixture has also been an excellent lighting fixture on Paul McCartney's latest tour, also a Roy Bennett designed show. "I love the 101s because of the size, weight and speed, as well as the light output."

One of the hottest selling artists of all time, Rihanna embarked on the Loud world tour in June to promote her latest album of the same name. The tour kicked off in North America with lighting supplied by Upstaging before legs in South America and Europe. The European leg began on 29 September and extends until the end

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South Africa - Durban based rental company Clifi Sound (formerly Sound Design), who specialise in corporate and live event production, recently invested in a HK Audio ConTour Array 2 system from Pro Audio, the authorised distributor for HK Audio loudspeaker systems in South Africa.

"The flexibility of the CTA as well as its warm tone has made an impression on those looking for quality professional audio products," says Andrew Sorrill, audio specialist at Pro Audio. "The ConTour Array is extremely expandable in setup from a compact system to a line array for larger events - and it can be groundstacked or flown, which enables companies like Clifi Sound to use it in a range of different ways for various events."

Clifton Westraad, owner of Clifi Sound has been so impressed with the product, that he placed another order for a ConTour Array 2 System as well as HK

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Canada - Lighthouse and TS Sports have completed the installation of four huge LED video screens at BC Place in Vancouver, home of MLS' Vancouver Whitecaps and the CFL's BC Lions, to create the world's second largest centre-hung LED video system, a visually-arresting four-sided system that also serves as the origin for BC Place's new suspension bridge-style retractable fabric roof.

With design by Anthony James Partners, the centre-hung LED video system features Lighthouse's new Impact 16 LED video product. With over 6,500sq.ft of LED video, the centre-hung screens fill the stadium with colourful animations, sponsor messages, Lions' replays, Whitecaps' player introductions, custom video, and live concert and special event coverage.

"Lighthouse is proud to be a part of the new BC Place," says Ed Whitaker, Lighthouse N.A.S.A. director of sales. "Lighthouse develope

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UK - The d&b audiotechnik benchmark E-Series comprises some of the smallest loudspeakers within the Black range of products. In order to expand the offering within this series, d&b is launching the new E4and E5 loudspeakers that size wise fit below the recently launched E6,the successor for the venerable little E3. The E4 will be available from November 2011, while the release of the E5 is scheduled for January 2012.

The E4 and E5, the latter being a new design for the popular E0, are lightweight two-way passive loudspeakers that employ a 4" and 5" LF driver respectively and a coaxially mounted wide dispersion dome tweeter. Both are mounted in highly compact enclosures and offer wide symmetrical dispersion patterns in the horizontal and vertical plane, while the cabinets may be mounted in either attitude.

They have built-in passive crossover networks with a frequency

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Europe - Theatrical performer and musician Emilie Autumn, backed by her all-female band the Bloody Crumpets, doesn't stint on the entertainment. Apart from singing, violin-playing and vaudevillian chit-chat between performers, Autumn's act includes aerial flying, burlesque fan dancing, stilt-walking, fire eating and multiple costume changes. She finds the only headworn mic to keep pace with her flamboyant performances is the DPA 4088 cardioid headset.

"I've been using the DPA 4088F in all of my shows, which are a blend of rock and theatre, making them a severe challenge to mic properly," explain Autumn. "The theatre side demands that we use headsets and that the mics are as invisible as possible, but the rock side demands that we are all able to sing, scream, and generally go nuts every night, with over two hours of intense vocals. I'm also playing wireless electr

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Bahrain - Nicolas Kyvernitis Electronics Enterprises, Roland Professional distributors in the region, have recently completed the Roland Roadshow series with the last and final event hosted in Bahrain. The event, which attracted professionals from the AV industry included individuals from installation companies, live sound rental firms and broadcast integrators.

"Although Bahrain has gone through some difficulties this year, we experienced an upbeat and very interested attendance that were full for two of three sessions we hosted," commented Moswain Antao, Roland product specialist. "We received a lot of interest for our digital audio snakes, vision mixers and the other products from Roland. The equipment will now be sent back to Dubai for the InfoComm exhibition in October."

(Jim Evans)

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Lithuania - Yamaha audio equipment is making high profile inroads into the audio systems of the world's major sporting venues. DME series digital mixing engines and SB168-ESstage boxes are a feature of the new audio system at Paris's Stade de France and now Europe's newest major sporting venue, Lithuania's Žalgiris Arena, features no less than 31 Yamaha power amplifiers.

Located in Kaunas, the €50m Žalgiris Arena covers 39,684m² and is the largest in the Baltic states. Designed as a multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue, its primary functions are hosting basketball matches and live concerts, seating15,442 spectators for the former and up to 17,500 for the latter.

The arena features a number of technical innovations like automated, power-operated windows. Designed by project engineer Orunas Urbonas and installed by Kaunas-based Audiotonas, the Arena's audio specifica

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UK - Paradigm Audio Visual has fulfilled its biggest single order for large-format front-projection displays - from the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.

As a result, well over 200 dnp Supernova Core 16:10 optical screens will be deployed for general purpose use within primary and secondary schools in the borough over the next few months. This includes 105 low-gain (08:85) screens - to be divided across five primary schools - after the council had earlier endorsed the Supernova platform for use in two new-build secondary schools due for completion in early 2012.

The decision was made following a presentation made by Paradigm to main contractors, Laing O'Rourke, along with the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham's ICT Strategy team.

Three Supernova Cores were then successfully trialled, before the initial secondary school order was placed. This comprises 62 x Superno

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USA - Martin Audio and Delicate Productions of Camarillo and San Francisco, California have announced Delicate's purchase of an MLA Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array system.

Joining North Carolina-based Special Event Services (SES) and Las Vegas-based On Stage Audio (OSA) as key North American companies in the growing worldwide MLA Network, Delicate has taken delivery of an extensive MLA System comprised of MLA enclosures, MLD down-fill enclosures and MLX subwoofers.

Delicate first employed MLA on a successful Selena Gomez tour of North America in August and September and will be deploying an expanded version of the system on Gomez' Canadian tour starting October 13th in Victoria, BC.

Originally founded in 1980, Delicate provides full service multimedia production for live entertainment and corporate events. Delicate recently won the 10th Annual Total Production International

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UK - Ross Ashton's The Projection Studio was commissioned to design and create a special five-minute son et lumière video artwork for award winning London based Pollard Thomas Edwards architects (PTEa), who specialise in the creation of new neighbourhoods and the revitalisation of old ones.

This was for a special event at their base in Diespeker Wharf, Islington, on the banks of the Regent Canal, a listed building and former Victorian timber mill, which has been innovatively restored and converted into a contemporary workspace and HQ for the practice.

The event - PTEa's first projection project and the latest in a series of transformations staged at Diespeker Wharf - celebrated the building as a local landmark, reflecting its history and location, its many previous uses and occupants and its current owners, PTE architects.

First Ashton storyboarded a script, and once that w

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UK - Last week, Manchester's principal theatre venues all ran simultaneous musical productions supported by London-based Orbital Sound, with the hit musical comedy Sister Actat the Opera House completing the trio at the start of its first-ever UK and Ireland tour.

Sister Act is now running at the Opera House until 15 October. Orbital also provided the sound equipment and support for the UK tour of Grease at the Palace Theatre, and for the new UK touring production of Top Hat at the Lowry.

Orbital Sound's show credits are also extending to continental Europe, with the Dutch production of Miss Saigon in Utrecht, We Will Rock You in Antwerp, the Milan production of Sister Act, and the forthcoming Dutch version of Wicked - both opening in late October.

MD Chris Headlam sees a new market confidence for top-quality musical pro

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Italy - Audio sales and rental service company, Agorà, has carried out an advanced sound and lighting installation at the new Juventus Stadium in Turin. For audio network transport and signal distribution they have developed an Optocore redundant optical fibre ring system to span the new 41,000 capacity arena.

Agorà's relationship with the German fibre network specialists extends back to 2002 when the company's Italian distributors Audiosales srl first introduced them to the system.

After many years of discussions, demos and comparative testing, Agorà rented an Optocore system to top Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk in June this year, to help the club celebrate its 75th birthday. The Optocore solution enabled remote control of all amplifiers used in the club's Donbass Arena over Ethernet.

This fully-redundant, low-latency solution was so successful that a similar

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Benelux - Rentall, one of Holland's leading technology sales and rental companies, has been appointed exclusive Benelux distributors for SGM lighting - under its newly formed division, Sales-All BV.

The appointment was confirmed, with immediate effect at this year's PLASA Show in London, by company director Michel Roelofsen, and SGM's managing director Peter Johansen and export area manager Steen Geertsen.

Along with co-founder Theo van Workum, Roelofsen has built up a formidable sales and rental company over the past 15 years, with bases throughout Holland and Germany. Their channels to market take them into television and architectural applications as well as concert and theatre touring.

"We are extremely impressed with the new range of SGM products - and over the years we have also sold a lot of older SGM fixtures," he stated. "It's important that we can do

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Portugal - Following several years of strong growth as Martin Audio's exclusive Portuguese distributor, Tecnimúsica has now been awarded full brand representation by the British manufacturer for all the PALOP territories (the group of five African countries where Portuguese is the official language).

Tecnimusica's new status was confirmed during last month's PLASA Show in London by Martin Audio director of sales, Simon Bull, and export sales manager, Martin Kelly.

"We have worked with Tecnimúsica's owner Jorge de Oliveira and his team for a number of years and have been impressed by the way they have built the brand - particularly in recent years," stated Kelly.

With more than 25 years' experience behind them, Tecnimúsica's founder said he was delighted by the recognition and the increased responsibility. "It will enable us to strengthen our reputation and

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Germany - The official visit to Germany of Pope Benedict XVI received worldwide press coverage, whilst the national media provided comprehensive information on the event by means of special programmes, talk shows and live reports. The highlight of the tour was a visit to the German capital, Berlin, on 22-23 September, where the Pope celebrated the Mass with 61,000 followers in the Olympic Stadium while millions more followed the event on television.

To ensure that not a word spoken by the Pope, who has a relatively quiet voice, was lost in the giant, 56,000sq.m oval stadium, sound reinforcement equipment from Electro-Voice was used exclusively.

In addition to the 171 Electro-Voice XLC enclosures already installed, a multitude of additional EV array elements were deployed. These included 104 XLD181, 40 X-Line Xvls and Xvlts (main in- and out-hangs), as well as 60 XLE181 enclosu

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Tax Relief - Commercial producers and Arts Council England are lobbying the government to introduce US-style tax relief that would allow theatre investors to write off losses against income tax, reports The Stage. The Treasury has just finished consulting on proposals aimed at extending tax benefits on investment by business angels for small and start-up businesses across all sectors. However, in its response, ACE has called on the government to launch a separate review looking specifically at tax breaks for all the creative industries - including theatre - claiming there is a need for "a detailed review of the evidence base on the different forms, levels and instruments in this sector."

The arts council's director of theatre, Barbara Matthews, told The Stage, "We're sort of saying 'thank you for giving us the opportunity to respond to this, it might

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