USA - For the 15th year in a row, Audio-Technica microphones appeared on the Grammy Awards Show. This year, the 54th Annual Grammyss, held 12 February at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, featured a wide selection of artists from various genres of music. For the live show and broadcast, Audio-Technica supplied over 250 of its microphones, including an impressive array of hard-wired mics and Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless Systems.

The Grammy Awards ceremony itself has garnered widespread notice throughout the years as it continually raises the standard for broadcast entertainment.

The sound system was provided by ATK AudioTek with FOH (front-of-house) Engineers Ron Reaves and Mikael Stewart, with the house audio supervised by Leslie Ann Jones, a prominent member of the Pr

UAE - The Official Ceremony for the UAE 40th National Day saw Zayed Sports Stadium in Abu Dhabi full to capacity as thousands turned out to celebrate the achievements of the nation, and Audinate's Dante was there to make sure all the networked audio delivery functioned without a hitch.

The 360 degree stadium production placed complex demands upon audio contractors Britannia Row Productions. The stadium was covered by eight hangs containing L'acoustics Kudo, SB218, VDOSC, D-VDosc, 108XTs, Kiva, Kilo and other various distributed speakers, all controlled by 17 Lake LM26 Processors, three Yamaha DME Processors, six XTA Breakout Boxes and connected by a Dual Redundant Fibre-optic IP network.

The Lake LM26 processors, which were distributed throughout the system, provided crossovers, EQ and time alignment were all connected by Audinate's Dante networking technology. This proved ess

UK - Since its launch at PLASA in September 2011, GDS LiteWare Satellite has been embraced by the entertainment, events and television markets and has been used on numerous prime-time TV sets as both lighting for the cast and as a prominent feature in the set lighting.

Television appearances, in conjunction with Richard Martin Lighting include, The Blue Peter Halloween Special, The National Lottery Awards, An evening with Justin Bieber, The Jonathan Ross Show and The Top of the Pops Christmas Day Special.

Richard Martin Lighting recently committed to a substantial stock holding of LiteWare Satellite and has been instrumental in its TV success. The Blue Peter special saw Satellite used outside the studio as both key lights and fill-light and also as a decorative part of the lighting. The Wanted played live at The National Lottery Awards

featured content

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

USA - Prompted by the growth of its digital product line, Meyer Sound has announced promotions for two key design services team members. Todd Meier, formerly director of design services, has been promoted to the newly created position of digital products manager. Meanwhile, Michael Creason, who had served as a design services associate since 2008, is taking over duties for Meier as design services manager.

"Our engineers have pushed the boundaries of digital audio since as early as 1984 when the first SIM audio analyzer and CP-10 equalizer set a new standard for acoustical measurement and correction," says Helen Meyer, executive vice president of Meyer Sound. "As we look ahead, it's important to expand our resources so we can continue the mushrooming growth of our digital efforts in a structured manner, while making sure we are meeting our customers' project suppo

UK - As part of their 2012 sponsorship package, Coca Cola Enterprises (CCE) were given permission to stage an event for 3,000 of their employees at the newly constructed Velodrome, one of the first Olympic venues to be completed. Designed by FPP and produced by Rocket Science, the event was based on the theme of 'Creating the Extraordinary', and took place on 5 January 2012. Paul Hutton, managing director at Blitz, worked closely with the event team as technical consultant for the project.

Staged in the in-field area (inside the track), Blitz provided the video, audio and lighting equipment for the production. Fulfilling the video requirements, the presentations and entertainment were relayed to an audience of 3,000 via two 20m2 9mm LED screens, sourced from a digital video playback system, and a combination of fixed and radio HD cameras, all controlled by a Barco Encore switchi

Saudi Arabia - Sennheiser's ADN conference system is proving a major success in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia now boasting the highest number of installed systems in the world. Sennheiser Middle East recently supplied two further examples to prestigious Saudi venues, via Jeddah-based Abu Moammar Est (AME).

The first system was installed at the Royal Exclusive Management Meeting Hall (Prince Mohammad Bin Nasir Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud,Ministry of Interior Government of Jazan). AME was invited to tender for a conference system and, having every confidence in the Sennheiser ADN system, the company's general manager Moammar AL Harbi requested that they be allowed to arrange a demonstration.

"We were given the chance to demonstrate the equipment and the client was so impressed that, after the demo, the ADN system was the only one he wanted," says Mr AL Harbi. "It

Norway - Rental company Pro Systemer AS has become a new Rental Network Agent with the purchase of an L-Acoustics Kara WST line source system and 115XT HiQ monitor system from local distributor, Scandec Systemer.

The company has added 12 Kara cabinets with eight SB18 subs and four LA8 amplified controllers, plus 12 115XT HiQ active coaxial speakers with two 8XT compact coaxials and four LA8s, to its inventory.

"As a rental company in an increasingly competitive industry, when purchasing a new sound system we understand the great benefit of choosing L-Acoustics," says project manager Marius Lindaas."Adding industry-leading products to our inventory gives us a great advantage over our competition. The Kara/SB18 system is the perfect choice for fulfilling most of our projects throughout the year. Based on the same user interface and amplified controller platform, e

UK - Artistic Licence Integration will be exhibiting at ARC 2012 in London on Stand M34. The show, to be held at the Business Design Centre, runs from 29 February - 1 March.

Artistic Licence has been designing and manufacturing lighting and lighting control technology for nearly 25 years. However, with the growth of the architectural lighting market, its technical integration services have been in ever-increasing demand. As a result, in 2010, Artistic Licence Integration was created to focus on the projects side of the business.

At ARC 2012, ALI will be showcasing its expertise in a broad range of technical integration services, while also highlighting low carbon approaches to lighting and building management. These include the use of power and data harvesting techniques to ensure efficient building and lighting operation.

ALI's managing director and technical guru, Wayne Ho

USA - M3 (Music Mix Mobile), a New Jersey/California-based remote facilities company is a collective consisting of industry veterans John Harris, Jay Vicari, Joel Singer, Mitch Maketansky and West Coast-based partners Bob Wartinbee and Mark Linett.

On 12 February, M3 was commissioned to capture and mix the music audio for the 54th annual Grammy Awards, broadcast live in 5.1 on CBS-TV from the Staples Centre in Los Angeles. In the company's dual Eclipse and Horizon trucks, mixers John Harris and Eric Schilling, along with M3 Engineer-in-Charge Joel Singer, were on site to ensure the audio would be of the highest quality, and they chose Genelec 8200 Series Active DSP Monitoring Systems.

Genelec DSP systems consisting of 8250A Bi-Amplified Active DSP Monitors (in an L-C-R array) and 8240A Bi-Amplified Active DSP Monitors (L-R rear), along with 7260A Active DSP Subwoofers, were us

Japan - LumenRadio has been granted Japanese certification for its CRMX products in compliance with the latest version of the ARIB STD-T66 standard. The certification, similar to FCC in the USA and ETSI/CE in the EU, was issued by the Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB) and now allows commercial sale and use of the CRMX radio technology in Japan.

LumenRadio has also announced Mileruntech Ltd as the exclusive CRMX distributor for Japan. The company is one of the largest specialty distributors in Japan and has long and extensive experience with signal distribution, networking, automation and lighting controls, as well as design of complete projection and lighting systems.

"We have been searching for a reliable and full featured wireless DMX/RDM system for some time and found CRMX not only to meet, but also exceed, our expectations. Our customers demand sys

World - Popular German electro house duo, Digitalism, has been touring the globe this year carrying an Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing system to manage FOH and monitors.

"Early on in the tour, the band only carried one iLive system, to keep monitors consistent," explains FOH engineer, Daniel MacBean. "However, we were so impressed with how easy the system is to tour with and set up that we decided to get a second system in for FOH. It literally takes 30 seconds to set up at FOH: plug in Ca t5, turn on power, and I'm good to go."

The band has performed in America, Europe, Asia and the international festival circuit this year using two iDR-48 MixRacks and iLive-T80 Control Surfaces connected using Dante, which provides a digital split between the FOH and monitor systems and provides additional recording facilities.

"After ease of use, the most strik

UK - Specialist live events insurance broker, Doodson, is working with Backstage Academy at the LS-Live rehearsal studios in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, to provide support to students taking the Live Events Production foundation degree course.

Backstage Academy is an industry-led training facility, and is the first institution in the UK to provide the new Live Events Production degree course. The course has been developed to provide real-world training for graduates and professionals looking to work in the live entertainment industry.

In the spirit of providing support and investing in emerging talent in the live events industry, three executives from the Doodson team based in Stockport, have offered their expertise and experience of the industry - specifically in the insurance and risk management aspects of live production.

Industry brokers Ryan Waring, Naz Bazeghi and event

USA - Located in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, the Imperial Palace has been a prominent tourist destination for years - thanks in no small part to the fact that it houses the world's largest classic car showroom, a wealth of entertainment options, as well as the property's prime location for the city's booming convention business and its easy access to the Las Vegas monorail.

The hotel's Human Nature Theatre is particularly popular and features Australia's Human Nature - The Ultimate Celebration of Motown, showcasing the distinctive, dynamic harmonies of members Toby Allen, Phil Burton, Andrew Tierney, and Michael Tierney. The theatre recently received a substantial upgrade of its sound reinforcement system, all of which is derived from the Aero Series 2 catalogue of D.A.S. Audio.

J. Eric D'Richards is technical director at the Imperial Palace and oversees a myriad of resp

World - The all-female musical ensemble Celtic Woman has been nothing short of a musical phenomenon since first forming in 2004. Album sales in the millions, popular television specials and sold out shows around the world attest to that. Their current tour sees the Irish musicians playing an ambitious schedule of dates across the US, Europe and Asia beneath a MAC rig that includes Martin Professional's new MAC Aura LED wash light.

Lighting designer is Tom Kenny who has worked with the group for several years. "They fit perfectly in with all my other clients as they're standard of show is brilliant and the music is very emotional," he says. "Ask any of their millions of fans - the show flows like a well-oiled machine."

Lighting supply for the tour is by Upstaging who have also supplied Martin MAC 700 Profile and MAC 700 Wash fixtures for the show.

"It

The Netherlands - A beautifully renovated museum boasting Europe's largest collection of street organs has had its central space turned into a live performance area, attracting top Dutch artists, with its acoustics tamed by a Renkus-Heinz IC Live system installed by TM Audio.

Dedicated to Europe's largest display of street organs, Museum Speelklok was founded in 1956 in Utrecht, the Netherlands. In 1984 the museum acquired a large church, whose restored interior now houses the collection.

Visitors are given a guided tour with explanations of each organ's backstory. Some of the pieces - which range from hand-cranked barrel organs to vast, mechanically driven multi-instrument extravaganzas, rate among the world's first and finest digital instruments, programmed by the equivalent of computer punch tape, a long strip of tough paper dotted with differently shaped holes that the org

UK - Emergency lighting is an obvious requirement during an evacuation situation, but what if the cabling from the power source to the point of use is damaged? A centralised system leaves critical emergency lighting at very real risk. Why leave huge lengths of site-wide cable vulnerable to theft, fire damage or a system circuit failure when 'point of use' power system installation can provide the guarantee you need in an emergency?

Power Systems International provides the Emergency Lighting Power System (ELPS). Protected with features to enable operation during an emergency, the ELPS will allow for safe and controlled building evacuation, by providing power to emergency lighting at the point where it is actually needed. With one, two or three feeds the system can stand in operational modes Active Online, Automatic Standby or Manual Standby - by means of authorised key switch use

UK - Stage Electrics' lighting teams are working on an exceptionally hectic season of theatre musicals, with four major touring and West End productions either on stage or in pre-production, as well as a slew of pantomimes and other shows already in theatres across the UK.

Oliver!, Phantom of the Opera, Chicago and Singin' In the Rainhead the stellar cast that sees a broad swathe of lighting technologies from conventionals to the latest-generation digital control.

Lighting for both Oliver!, a Cameron Mackintosh/Stage Entertainment UK production, and Cameron Mackintosh's Phantom of the Opera is the work of multi-award-winning lighting designer Paule Constable.

Oliver!, which tours the UK for a year, also features a large quantity of generics and Martin Professional EvenLED panels for cyc lighting, the latter controlled via an E

UAE - L-Acoustics recently hosted a two-day Certified Provider System Integrator Training programme in Dubai, UAE. The seminar, attended by seven providers from four countries, was hosted by L-Acoustics sales manager Peter Owen and tech support engineer Germain Simon and covered the LA Network Manager, Soundvision, Wavefront Sculpture Technology and other installation related issues and features that the manufacturer offers.

As the course concentrated on installation, the control and monitoring modules (Crestron, AMX) which allow control of L-ACOUSTICS amplified controllers were also covered.

"I was delighted that all the recently appointed certified providers were able to attend," says Owen. "We plan to host another course later in 2012 as we identify more system integrators who share our approach to installation in the Gulf area. We aim to create a standard wh

UK / China - Theatre sound automation specialists Out Board have appointed Sound Works Supplies Ltd as their new Hong Kong & PRC distributor for TiMax2 SoundHub audio showcontrol matrix and TiMax Tracker performer tracking system.

SWS principals Freddie To and Daniel Chan hosted a TiMax workshop in Hong Kong where Out Board director Robin Whittaker presented and demonstrated the principles of TiMax delay based Source-Oriented Reinforcement to around 40 guests. Delegates learnt how continuously varying audio localisation could be applied to wireless vocal mics using the TiMax2 SoundHUb dynamic delay matrix, and how this could be automated via continuous control by Out Board's market-leading TiMax Tracker performer tracking system.

TiMax2 SoundHub's sound effects and playback server capabilities were also demonstrated using multiple atmos and spot effects played off the units in

UK - Retford-based rigging accessory supplier Rope and Rigging Ltd is the latest addition to the Dirty Rigger retail team in the UK. Currently stocking the full Leather Grip range they have plans to offer the entire range on their new website and in store later in the year.

Dirty Rigger's head of UK sales Leanne Baker says, "It's great to get Rope and Rigging on board with the Dirty Rigger range, they're a great team to work with. Their years of hands-on rigging experience and direct knowledge of the market will be of huge benefit for the development of new and existing Dirty Rigger products."

Rope and Rigging MD Jacqui Hilton adds, "The Dirty Rigger gloves are already so well known for being a great quality glove, it comes to no surprise we've already had excellent feedback from our customers."

(Jim Evans)

Denmark - Martin Professional product developer Simon Allan has put together an updated library of Vectorworks lighting instrument symbols and has made them freely available for users to download.

This new range includes symbols for all fixtures in Martin Professional's moving head range, as well as some from Martin's LED video range.

The symbols are available for Vectorworks Spotlight 2008-2012 and can be downloaded from the Martin Professional website. The Vectorworks files can also be imported for use with Martin's popular visualization software package, the Martin ShowDesigner (MSD 5).

Allan plans to add to the library, making more and more symbols available in the future. He comments, "They are all in one document (2008-2012) to keep things simple. Every product that has a corresponding Vectorworks symbol will have a link to the file under the service and support a

Latest Issue. . .