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UK - Crestron has appointed Michael Backler to the newly created position of corporate EMEA training and CAIP manager. Working out of Creston UK's office in Cobham, Backler's new role will see him liaising closely with Crestron's American contingent to establish brand standards in training across the international regions and relay them to the EMEA.

"My aim in the new role is to combine the many talents and strengths of my colleagues across the EMEA region to develop solid, unified training courses that are in line with the US programmes. This will include taking into consideration the nuances of our specific region and the types of products and projects that are undertaken here," says Backler. "Essentially, I am going to act as a conduit for ideas from our EMEA tra

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UK - Manchester-based A to V recently supplied six Christie M Series projectors, stacked three wide and two high, to create the 31.5m x 14m visual element of a 4D projection onto the Wheelwright Building, Kirklees College, marking the rebranding of the Batley School of Art.

A to V's Mark Whitehead advised on process, content ratios and resolution, whilst all content - celebrating the history of the School of Art, which dates back to 1853 - was supplied by final year photography student, David Black.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - Canford announced at PLASA Focus that it has added Roland to its expanding range of pro audio brands. Canford will be able to source any professional Roland product and will hold key items in stock.

They took the opportunity at the Leeds, UK based show which ran over 17-18 April to present a selection of Roland products including the VC-30HD multi-input video converter and encoder, the VR-3, and A4 sized compact 'all in one' audio mixer and video switcher and two USB audio interfaces. The UA-55, which provides four inputs and four outputs and the UA-1010, provides 10 inputs and ten outputs.

(Jim Evans)

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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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UK - While becoming the first UK rental company to purchase Martin Audio's MLA (Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array), RG Jones Sound Engineering this month also found themselves being the first to debut the scaled down version of this technology in the shape of the new MLA Compact.

"I couldn't wait to get my hands on the new system," says Simon Honywill, who took the opportunity to mix Chris Rea's sound through the MLA Compact on the closing dates of the recent European and UK tour.

Honywill, who had largely been responsible for driving RG Jones' investment in the MLA platform, instigated a seamless PA switch, ably assisted by system engineer Mark Edwards in time for the last two tour dates - at the Pavilions in his home town of Plymouth, and HMV Apollo Hammersmith, where the system had been formally launched last month.

Whilst the system performed admirably in Plymou

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Russia - DiGiCo has staged its first seminar in Russia, held in February at the recording and performance studios of artist Igor Sandler by its Russian distributor, Aris Pro.

DiGiCo's vice president of sales Ian Staddon was joined by engineer Dave Bracey, known for his work as Front of House engineer for artists such as Robbie Williams, Massive Attack and Bjork, with whom he is currently touring.

The pair presented a mixture of technical theory and hands on practice, with the seminars covering DiGiCo's entire range of products, from the flagship SD7 to UB MADI, the latest offering from the company's Solutions division. The sessions were rounded off with a Mixing Master Class from Bracey, where he demonstrated why the SD7 is his console of choice and emphasising the use and value of features such as snapshots when using digital consoles.

As a finale to the event, all the atte

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USA - New York City's famed Metropolitan Opera has purchased a complement of Clay Paky Alpha Profile 700 automated spotlights for its lighting inventory. A.C.T Lighting provided the fixtures to the specifications of Patrick Eagleton of Contemporary Lights.

The Metropolitan Opera has a reputation for carefully selecting gear to add to its equipment roster. Only the highest quality, most reliable products will meet its strict requirements.

"The Met liked a number of features of the Alpha Profile 700," reports Brian Dowd, vice president of sales at A.C.T Lighting. "Among the attributes that most appealed to them were the fixture's compact size, even optical field, quiet and precise shutters, smooth dimming curve and silent movement."

(Jim Evans)

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UAE - PALME's fourth Middle East Lighting Solutions Conference 2012 has been timed to coincide with the opening day of this year's three-day PALME Middle East expo (1-3 May).

Held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, the full-day event opens at 11am with an address by George Katodrytis, RIBA, Associate Professor of Architecture, College of Architecture, Art and Design, American University of Sharjah.

It will then go on to discuss a series of topics including: New Technologies and Products in Lighting Design (with Ivar Krasinski, design director, STR-EDGE), followed by The Development of Standardisations for Lighting: Abu Dhabi's Sustainable Lighting Policy (with Martin Valentine, Municipality of Abu Dhabi City). This will lead into a debate session a debate session which asks: Are LEDs for Everybody in the Lighting Profession? (moderated by George Katodrytis a

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Russia - Battle of the chariots, battles with predators and other scenes from the many myths of ancient Greece are performed by the Circus Zapashny brothers, a world-famous family of artists that successfully managed to integrate the Russian circus tradition with top level lighting, optical effects, laser and video equipment.

For their Legend, their latest spectacular production, Circus Zapashny - in cooperation with Imlight - they decided to add the XR3000 Spot CMY and XR3000 Beam moving heads as a major upgrade of their light rig.

Legend is staged in the Luzhniki sports arena, Moscow. In 2002, the arena experienced a major reconstruction andtoday it can seat 11,500 people.

(Jim Evans)

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West End News - The site of a former pickle factory is set to become the location of a new theatre in London's West End. The venue will be the first in the area for 30 years, after Westminster City Council approved the plans. The development above Tottenham Court Road station on Oxford Street will also include offices and shops. The venue is expected to open in 2020. The site was formerly used by Crosse & Blackwell to make Branston Pickle until they moved out in 1927.

The theatre will be operated by Nimax which already runs five others in London, including the Apollo and Lyric. Nimax chief executive Nica Burns said, "Our new theatre won't compete with those already in London. It will be a different - very intimate - space, in a great location, where cutting edge shows can be performed." The London Astoria most recently occupied the site before it closed in 2009 when it

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UK - PLASA will host its 2012 European AGM and Members' Lunch on Tuesday 29 May at BAFTA in Central London. Over 200 members and guests are expected to take part in the event, which includes the opportunity to feedback on the work that PLASA is doing, contribute to the future direction of the Association, and enjoy networking with fellow members.

Over the past year PLASA has embraced a completely different governance structure, expanded its portfolio of events in North America, and introduced a range of new services and benefits. Members at the AGM will also learn more about PLASA's proposed global strategy and the crucial role played by the respective Regional Boards and Governing Body in the planning process.

The PLASA Members' Lunch will be followed by a very special guest speaker in the form of Iron Maiden front man, Bruce Dickinson. Well known as the lead singer of one of

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UK Black Light's annual Open Day (30-31 March) event attracted hundreds of visitors from a wide range of different backgrounds, including professional theatre, the education sector and amateur dramatics. Over 30 leading light, sound, AV and stage technology companies exhibited and hundreds of items of cutting-edge equipment were on display.

"Our exhibitors really appreciated the opportunity to meet customers, talk to them in a relaxed environment and find out exactly what their needs were," said Phil Haldane, Black Light's head of company development. "All of the show visitors I spoke to said that they were impressed by the range of products on demonstration. They also really liked the chance to get information at first hand. In general, what was so great about the Open Day was that everyone could meet their friends and colleagues, make new contacts and share advi

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Argentina - Robe has announced a new exclusive Argentinian distributor - Buenos Aires based The TSD Group. The company is run by Daniel Lema, and it has been a major player in the professional entertainment technology industry since 1994 as a leading supplier to all sectors including television, theatres and concert touring.

"We are delighted to have TSD onboard as part of the Robe family," says Robe's regional sales manager for Latin America, Guillermo Traverso. "We took our time to find the right company and people," he adds, "and the TSD Group's expertise and commitment to the brand, plus their renowned after-sales service and support are all qualities that fit perfectly with us. We expect that they will be great success."

TSD sales manager Sandra Gallasso comments, "We have wanted to work with Robe for some time, and now all the circumsta

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USA - CAST Group of Toronto, Canada Wednesday was awarded an inaugural IABM Game-Changer Award for BlackTrax by the International Association of Broadcasting Manufacturers (IABM). The Awards were held during NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) in Las Vegas. The new Awards recognise products deemed to have the greatest potential to revolutionise the industry. A panel of impartial experts from across the globe reviewed products and solutions during the first two days of the show and selected this year's five award-winners, which included such esteemed companies such as Sony and Dolby.

BlackTrax is a live solution that uses an IR LED beacon to track objects or people in a defined 3D space.Using leading-edge proprietary IR, BlackTrax 3D can track all the parameters of each uniquely tagged object in the defined 3D space (the normal installation easily handles up to 130ft cubed

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UK - Located on London's prestigious Park Lane and originally built in the 1920s, Grosvenor House Apartments by Jumeirah Living recently underwent a complete renovation and rebuild, creating a property which builds on the heritage of the building combined with a slick contemporary interior.

The property boasts a spectacular first-floor atrium area with a seven-storey high ceiling from which an illuminated pendant structure is suspended above diners. Prolyte Group's special projects division, Litestructures, was approached by building contractor John Sisk & Sons to manufacture, build and commission this feature as part of the overall project.

The striking luminous pendant, based on a design developed by GIA Lighting, comprises a series of aluminium frames, linked together by braces at the upper frame, assembled in a concentric orientation. Braces link the outer and inner sectio

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UK - Meyer Sound and Pro Audio Systems recently joined forces at the Alhambra theatre in Bradford.

Presented by Miguel Lourtie of Meyer Sound with technical support from Pro Audio Systems, the event was attended by around 40 delegates from many backgrounds, all of whom took part in the very interactive event. Designed to highlight the key fundamentals of modern sound system deployment, the event focused on practical solutions for optimising audio as well as providing a refresher course in some key principles of acoustics and applicable physics.

A Meyer Sound Mina system with 500-HP subwoofers plus MAPP Online and various other Meyer Sound, Midas and Sennheiser products from Pro Audio System's inventory were used for the event.

Miguel Lourtie said, "It was a pleasure and delight to find such a professional setup and a huge crowd. I'm looking forward to doing another semi

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USA - Pro sports leagues and their fans demand spectacular halftime shows these days, and the 2012 NBA All-Star Game Halftime Show was no exception. Lighting designer Otis Howard got some assistance from 30 Clay Paky Sharpy fixtures, which lent their look to high-octane performances by Pitbull, Chris Brown, Ne-Yo and Nicki Minaj.

"When you go into a show like this you need to appeal to the NBA, the client and the artists," says Howard of Otis Howard Design in St. Petersberg, Florida. "They wanted a dynamic halftime show - something on a par with the NFL. There's always the challenge of making a show like this look big, and the 2012 show was the biggest they'd ever done. We had to come up with a lot of bells and whistles."

Howard had seen Sharpys in action and was looking for an opportunity to use them. "They seemed like the right tool for the applicati

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UK - There has been a St Andrew's Church serving the Anglican community of Furnace Green in the West Sussex borough of Crawley (around 30 miles south of London) since 1969, but deterioration in the fabric of the original building and growing congregations called for its demolition and the construction of an entirely new church in its place seven years ago. The new building with its attractive modern architecture was recently consecrated and provides a venue now not only for christenings, weddings, and other church services but also concerts and theatrical productions.

The diversity of the events planned for the new church called for a versatile sound reinforcement system. The task of specifying and installing the system was therefore entrusted to Creative Audio Visual Solutions, a company with considerable experience and expertise in the provision of solutions specifically for c

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UK - SXS Events employed their new Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing systems on a nationwide tour with Islamic Relief.

Taking place in early April, the Evening of Inspiration tour showcased some of the world's leading performers of Islamic cultural entertainment with famous names including Outlandish, Zain Bhikha, Junaid Jamshed, Native Deen and comedian Preacher Moss.

"Having purchased both an iLive-T80 and a T112 system last year, we felt that they were perfect for the tour," says project manager Johnny Palmer. "The show was in a variety format, which meant considerable desk architecture changes were needed between each performance and iLive was the perfect choice for this. Also, the RJ45-based control meant that at some venues we were able to patch into existing network infrastructure, which worked great."

All proceeds were donated to Islamic R

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Germany - Fohhn Audio has announced the upcoming release of its new multi-channel D-4.1200 digital amplifier, the latest in a series of powerful, 19-inch, DSP-controlled amplifiers that have been specially developed for demanding fixed installations and mobile applications.

Weighing just 11kg, the compact 4-channel D-4.1200 is nevertheless built to deliver robust and reliable performance capability. Featuring Class D amplifier technology and Fohhn DSPs, the D-4.1200 generates 4 x 1200W of power at 4 Ohms. An integral 4-in-6 matrix enables each input channel to be independently routed to the four powered and two auxiliary outputs. (The auxiliary outputs can also be used for controlling an additional standard amplifier.)

The D-4.1200 is equipped with extremely quiet fans and is designed to generate a minimal amount of heat when operational. Fohhn Mains Control constantly monitor

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USA - Iluminarc has announced the indoor/outdoor lighting solution Ilumiline Inground 12 IP WW, designed for wall grazing and suited for installation in commercial spaces, homes, lobbies, hospitals or in exterior settings such as building façades and entranceways.

This multipurpose LED linear wash light has 12 warm white 1-watt LEDs that project elegant and simple warm lighting. With an ingress protection of 67, Ilumiline Inground 12 IP WW features 316 marine-grade stainless steel hardware and a 316 steel trim ring to protect against corrosive environments..

Ilumiline Inground 12 IP WW is configured using the Ilumicode Addresser and can be controlled via one channel of DMX. An integral driver with an auto-switching power supply automatically detects the input voltage, ranging from 100 to 240V.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - POLARaudio has announced the appointment of Thomas Walsh in the roll of business development manager for the consumer division.

In the latest phase of its development plans, audio distributor POLARaudio has turned its attention to its rapidly growing consumer division. Since the demise of its distributor Path Distribution in 2011, POLARaudio has been committed to re-establishing its consumer brands in the marketplace. Walsh has been brought into the business to assist with POLAR's growth plans and strengthen its swiftly growing national sales team.

POLARaudio's managing director John Midgley commented, "Thomas has extensive sales experience and comes to POLARaudio from the electronic components industry. With many years as an effective sales manager Thomas brings with him enthusiasm and drive. We are preparing for growth in all areas of our business and I am sure Tho

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