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UK - Rigging Services has announced its latest growth plans; these include a new location in west London and a re-location of its Birmingham branch to a new site "four times its previous size".

The latest and fourth location of Rigging Services is based at Pinewood Studios. Although supplying its services across the entire event industry, not only within TV & Film, there is a good synergy with Rigging Services and other complimentary services also operating from Pinewood.

"We are really pleased to be a part of the Pinewood community and look forward to working amongst like minded individuals," states Bob Dean - national sales manager.

From this new location Rigging Services can offer a quicker, cost effective and more local service to its clients on the wes

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UK / USA - If you haven't signed up yet for By Design Day, the annual fundraising day for Light Relief in the UK and Behind the Scenes in the US and Canada, don't worry - you still have time!

Taking place this year on Tuesday 24 April on both sides of the Atlantic, By Design Day focuses attention on the various ways that individuals can support the two organisations that are dedicated solely to helping entertainment technology professionals in need.

Whether you prefer to make a personal donation, hold a collection at your place of work or, if you are a designer, simply support the day by voluntarily giving a day's royalties to one or both of these charities, it's the action (not the thought) that counts.

Light Relief is there for those involved in the UK lighting industry while Behind the Scenes aids professionals based in the US and Canada working in any area of the enterta

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Germany - For two weekends running recently, Garmisch-Partenkirchen was home to the elite of the alpine skiing world: on 28-29 January for the men's downhill and super G, and 4-5 February for the women's speed disciplines. Once again, the small resort in Upper Bavaria found itself cast in the role of capital of the skiing world, and as in previous years, TV and radio stations the world over were providing coverage of the competitions unfolding on the dreaded Kandahar run.

Another constant was the participation of Weilheim-based production company TC Showtechnik. This was the eighth time the company led by CEOs Martin Schulze and Stefan Rehthaler had been charged with responsibility for the sound reinforcement, both piste-side and in front of the show stage in the Kurpark.

"This year, the variations of the weather were almost beyond belief," reports Schulze. "Whe

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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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USA - The Groove Cruise, the world's largest fully charted dance music cruise experience, is geared toward those who love dance music. Involving 2,200 people, 40-plus artists, two islands, plus a massive cruise ship - with everything taking place over a period of 72 hours, the Groove Cruise is one of numerous vacation packages offered by Miami Beach, FL-based Whet Travel.

With crowds like these, the sound reinforcement systems need to pack plenty of punch. That's why on a recent trip between Miami and the Bahamas, several systems drawn from the catalogue of D.A.S. Audio were out in full force.

Miami-based Master Sound Productions, a full service production company providing stage, sound, and lighting plus turnkey logistic management services, handles the technical aspects for Whet Travel's Groove Cruise. Frank Gonzalez, Master Sound's sales and production manager, discussed hi

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UK - Just Sound in the UK has supplied a PA rig based around an iLive digital mixing system to the Royal Military School of Music, which will operate and loan the equipment to the British Army's bands performing around the globe. The system was designed to be compact for air portability on a variety of military aircraft, with minimum set-up time.

The rig will be used in dangerous hot spots, such as Helmand province in Afghanistan where Army bands will play to military audiences in operating bases all over the area. The system can provide sound reinforcement for up to 600 spectators and is capable of supporting a full popular music band, including drums, bass, two guitars, keys, a horn section, vocals and backing vocals.

"iLive was chosen because it has a high channel count and large amounts of processing in an extremely compact footprint, which is lightweight and easy to

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Finland - In Turku, Finland, the flexible Logomo Hall assumes whatever size or shape is suited for the event of the evening. On one night it can provide a compact 1,100-seat space with a nearly square audience area, ideal for a chamber orchestra or jazz ensemble. Within a few hours, it can be transformed into an elongated rectangle accommodating 3,500 for a rock concert.

And with the push of a button, its permanently installed Meyer Sound Constellation acoustic system instantly optimizes acoustical response for both the current room configuration and the event at hand, whether a concert, conference, play, or opera.

"Constellation's effect is extremely realistic," observes Janne Auvinen, events and venue director for Logomo. "People don't actually notice the system because it is just so natural."

Logomo Hall is the centerpiece of a refurbished industrial c

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USA - Philips Vari-Lite has introduced the new VL3015, VL3015LT, and VL3515 Spot luminaires to provide lighting professionals worldwide with the increased output of a 1500W lamp in the successful line of Vari*Lite spot luminaires.

"With the release of our 1500W VL3500 Wash luminaire, we began to hear from designers and dealers requesting a similar 1500W platform in our range of spot luminaires," said Bob Schacherl, Philips Vari-Lite vice president of sales and marketing. "So building upon the product features that have made the VL3000 Spot and VL3500 Spot two of the most in-demand luminaires in the history of automated lighting, we are very excited about the introduction of the new VL3015, VL3015LT and VL3515 Spot luminaires."

All using the double-ended 1500W lamp that has been so effective and reliable in their large format wash luminaires, the VL3015 and

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Germany - Innovason has reported a highly successful PL+S show 2012. The focus this year was the revelation of the latest box of tricks that has been integrated into Innovason's flagship Eclipse GT digital console: named for the 'all-gifted' figure of Greek mythology, Pandora is a new way of panning that provides audibly better results across the listening field than traditional stereo panning, says the company.

Tonmeister and renowned classical sound engineer, Carsten Kummel, explains, "The problem with traditional panning is the loss of signal on one side when you pan to the other. To resolve this, some people choose to mix in mono, but this isn't really a viable solution, especially for complex shows where you are dealing with anything from 80 to 100 channels. So, I started playing around with delay and seeing if I could achieve better results that way.

"I went aw

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UK - Following the growing demands in the UK, Riedel Communications, has announced that Nick Williams has joined the Riedel UK office as UK sales manager.

Nick Williams joins Riedel Communications Ltd to spearhead its UK sales efforts in the live and install markets for the entire Riedel range including intercom, fibre, audio and rental solutions.

"I'm looking forward to developing new markets and business opportunities for Riedel here in the UK. Riedel is one of the most forward thinking manufacturers in the broadcast and event production market. I'm excited to be on-board", says Williams.

Williams has 28 years sales experience in the pro audio industry. He owned his own pro audio dealership and has spent the last 11 years as international sales director at Tascam, Harman Pro and more recently at Aviom.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - Incus AV, providers of Audio Visual consultancy, design, manufacture, installation, commissioning and support has announced the expansion of its UK operations with the opening of a new office in Canary Wharf, London.

With a growing number of support and maintenance contracts in the city and the surrounding areas, the new office located in Skylines Village will provide "a central hub from which we can respond rapidly to all clients".

Joining the Incus AV family, and based at the new office, is Mark Butler who will be responsible for support and maintenance contracts across the country. Butler brings with him over 20 years of audio visual experience, ranging from bench repairs to account management.

"I feel extremely proud and excited to be part of Incus AV as they have achieved so much in their first year," says Butler. "With the opening of our L

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The fifth annual Knight of Illumination Awards will be taking place in London this September, following the opening day of PLASA 2012. Recognising and celebrating the achievements in Lighting Design by UK based Lighting Designers; internationally respected lighting designer Richard Pilbrow has called the annual Knight of Illumination Awards, "the most valuable gift to the entire lighting profession".

British-born Pilbrow, who now lives in America, is joint founder of the Association of British Theatre Technicians, Society of Theatre Consultants, The Society of British Theatre Designers, and the Association of Lighting Designers. He has won countless awards, including the Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award in Lighting Design from the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, Association of British Theatre Technicians Technician of the Year (2000), Lighting Designer

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UK - The Schools' Theatre Support Group (STSG) held their third, and largest to date, conference last month, sponsored by White Light and Charcoalblue. The successful event was attended by technicians and managers from several schools around the country.

Starting with a backstage visit to the new Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, the conference, held at Rugby School in Warwickshire, included workshops by White Light, Stage Electrics and Charcoalblue Theatre Consultants. Other exhibitors included AC Entertainment Technologies, Theatre-in-a-Box, and Tophex TheatreCom.

The STSG is a small, but established network of professional theatre technicians and managers working in UK school theatres. The biennial conference (with plans to become an annual event from next year) is the main focus of the Group, bringing together its members with suppliers and leading industry practitio

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UK - Since 2010, when Unusual Rigging covered the front of Earl's Court in 'grass' for that year's Ideal Home Show, a façade has become a trade mark for this long established exhibition. For the 2012 show, Unusual transformed Earl's Court - externally at least - into a grand country house.

The graphics, designed by Justin Southgate of Southgate Design for Media 10, feature both horizontal and vertical 2D architectural detail, so the Unusual Rigging team recommended keeping the printed mesh fabric panels as large as possible.

The central panel is the largest, measuring 30m x 20m and weighing a total of 335kg including accessories, while the side sections are made up of three panels. The outer panels are wrapped tightly round the sides of the building, and sheeted as close to it as possible, with tight guy lines to prevent air pressure getting underneath the facade and stressin

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UK - XL Video supplied a projection system, Catalyst media servers and control, cameras and crew to the latest Florence + The Machine UK tour, once again working with visuals designer and video director, Richard Stembridge.

Stembridge was asked to present ideas for the influential and critically acclaimed band's live show video early this year after they were impressed with his work on Arcade Fire. He collaborated very closely with Florence's set and lighting designer Chris Bushell, and together they evolved a fresh, interesting live visuality for the show combining both mediums to great effect.

Stembridge comments, "I've always used XL as their level of support is unsurpassable! Their approach to, and their ability to provide for the most unconventional of touring situations puts them way ahead in my opinion."

Stembridge had only a week to create the video element

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Germany - Midas picked up the MIPA (Musikmesse International Press Award) for Live Mixing Desk for the new PRO2/C live audio system at Prolight + Sound 2012. MIPAs are presented to the best products released during the previous year as voted for by more than 100 international audio and music magazines. The award was accepted by Midas brand development manager Richard Ferriday.

"We're delighted that the PR02 has received this recognition from the press," says MIDAS brand development manager, Richard Ferriday. Not only has the PR02's success redefined the compact digital console market, it has also changed the structure and shape of our business on a very fundamental level."

(Jim Evans)

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Germany - No less than eight Audinate OEM partners announced a total of 13 Dante-enabled products at this year's Prolight+Sound.

"What is truly amazing is the wide range of different Dante products that were launched at the show", says Lee Ellison, Audinate CEO. "It seems that no matter what you are looking for, there is now a Dante enabled product on the market. The market is dictating what it wants, and Dante seems to be the answer,"

Yamaha Commercial Audio-Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems, Inc. has announced the launch of the new CL Series of digital consoles. The Yamaha CL Series is a Dante network-based console featuring remote I/O for a faster, more responsive Yamaha system solution.

Symetrix announced the SymNet Edge, a significant update to its long line of DSP solutions packed with incredible new features. Symetrix designed Edge to meet the I/O ca

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Germany - Interal T.C., the Dutch manufacturer of trusses for sale and dry hire, said the launch of its new heavy duty P100 Protruss at ProLight+Sound in Frankfurt has been a "great success".

Managing Director Jan Verheijen said the exhibition had been "our busiest ever, with a lot of enquiries about the P100 Protruss, as well as the rest of our product portfolio. We'll definitely be back next year and expect to be busier than ever."

Fellow director Frank Claessens noted that "visitor footfall was well up from last year and we spent a lot of time talking about our automated manufacturing, which basically benefits customers through extremely short lead times, even for complex custom-designed trussing projects."

P100 Protruss is a heavy duty truss for the most demanding applications. The P100 has undergone a battery of tests and stress analysis, i

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UAE - The technical and administrative members of staff of Unusual Rigging & Engineering have moved to new offices in the European Business Centre at Dubai Investments Park.

Prior to the move, all staff were located at the company's warehouse facility, but with a 100% increase in staff over the past 12 months, the move ensures not just capacity for existing office staff, but also provides room for further growth.

The subsequent increase in warehouse space allows for increased stock holding of Prolyte truss and Liftket chain hoists, as well as easier test builds of rigs and equipment testing.

The postal address of Unusual Rigging and Engineering LLC remains PO Box 283586, Dubai, UAE; telephone remains +971 (0)4 885 9009, fax changes to +971 (0)4 813 5145.

(Jim Evans)

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South Africa - With a carnival atmosphere and some 1 000 guests, the annual Tarsus Dealer Bash 2012 would not disappoint. This lavish party, with full technical supplied by MJ Event Gear, was held at Helderfontein, The Africa Room, on 8 March 2012. The gig used Robe fixtures and Sharpies.

Kevin Perkins portrayed his comedy act of Michael Naicker and Just Ginger added entertainment to the evening.

MJ Event Gear were commissioned by Idealist Event to cater for the technical aspect of the show. For the fourth consecutive year, Johnny Scholtz did the full design. "I used four fingers of truss extending over the stage," explained Scholtz. An additional circle truss was rigged in the centre of the room, utilised to hang draping to further add to the carnival festive atmosphere and there were also two satellite stages.

"Four Sharpies were flown and an additional two

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UAE - The 10th Skywards Dubai International Jazz Festival moved to a spacious new site this year. From February 16-24, 2012 at Dubai Festival City, a robust Meyer Sound Milo-based line array loudspeaker system covered the site with exemplary sound - even after being pummeled by a ferocious sandstorm. Total attendance topped 46,000 for the nine evenings of performances.

"On the second day of the festival we had one of the worst sandstorms in recent years," recalls Karl Da Costa, technical manager of Dubai-based Artes Middle East LLC, which has equipped the festival with Meyer Sound systems for the past five years. "A couple of video screens came down, and dust was getting into everything. Yet we managed to get through the afternoon sound check. Fortunately, the winds died down by evening, and all the loudspeakers performed flawlessly for the show."

The main

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Ukraine - Launched in 1997, STB is one of Ukraine's most popular television stations. Broadcasting a mixture of original content and Ukrainian versions of popular Western programmes, the station continues to expand. Recently it invested in a DiGiCo SD9.

Currently ranked first in the country by audience share, STB needed a digital console that would withstand the rigours of moving around the country to regional heats of the Ukrainian version of Masterchef.

"The console had to be a reliable workhorse, able to work while constantly travelling - sometimes in hostile environments. As far as we were concerned, DiGiCo has the best protection against dust and shock resistance. There was also an urgent need for a MADI interface and we wanted the possibility of using fibre optic," says STB sound engineer for projects such as The X Factor and Ukraine's Got Tale

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