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Latvia / Russia - During the Music Moscow 2012 exhibition, Company NA - the fast-growing, Latvia-based manufacture of luminaires, dimmers and signal processing equipment - appointed a new executive distributor to cover the Russian territory.

Sofit Light, one of the leading installation companies in the Russian market, will now be responsible for distribution of Company NA products in the area.

Sofit Light general manager Arcady Shakhidzhanov (pictured, left) and Company NA sales director (right) shook on the deal at the Music Moscow event.

(Claire Beeson)

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Canada - CAST Group of Toronto has just released the latest version of its industry standard and pre-visualisation suite, wysiwyg R29. R29 is available to download from the Members ONLY section of the CAST website.

wysiwyg is the award-winning tool for professionals in the production industry that enables lighting designers to create previsualisations and renders of a planned event, without having to spend time and money making it happen at the venue in advance. The software is so named because what you see is exactly what you get. What's more, it encourages creativity because previsualisation means it is quick and easy to try out concepts and tweak ideas.

Version R29 builds on the considerable advancements in R28 launched by CAST earlier this year. Feedback from beta testing on R29 has been unanimously positive, says the company, with experienced users commending the multitud

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Australia - To mark her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, the English National Ballet recently completed a series of 14 sell-out performances at the new 500-seat Theatre at The Concourse Performing Arts Centre in Sydney, Australia.

To achieve a natural effect where the music did not sound over amplified, the venue's sound designer and production engineer, Owen Ironside, chose a selection of DPA microphones to capture the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra's performance.

"The Theatre is a very intimate space and my goal was to make the mix as transparent as possible and merely bring the orchestra image out of the pit, sonically speaking, without it sounding like the PA was even on," Ironside explains. "In total there were 29 musicians situated in the open pit, beneath the stage. To achieve the results I wanted I opted to mic each section with DPA microphon

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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 - On 6 and 7 September, Hippotizer distributors came together from different countries to preview the latest software and catch up with the latest developments of Green Hippo over the past year.

Previewing the newest features, product manager Lee House gave an introduction into 3.2 and gave the Hippotizer distributors a chance to get involved with a Hippotizer monopoly, an interactive session looking at how Hippotizer customers approach decision making.

"Even in the frantic run up to PLASA it is always a pleasure to host the distributor days," says product manager Lee House. "With a very motivated and very successful team of distributors we are pushed in every direction to make the product easier and more powerful. This year was no exception and we're already been working hard on the great ideas that came from those two days."

(Jim Evans)

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UK - Event Projection specialises in one-of-a-kind productions - from product launches and museum exhibits to music videos and corporate events, the AV and lighting hire company has a history of unique and distinctly varied projects. So when they were looking to expand their lighting hire stock, they turned to entertainment lighting specialist White Light to find just the right equipment to suit their varied needs. The company chose the latest technology from Coemar - the LEDko P 3200K, available in the UK exclusively through White Light.

Event Projection is the first company of its kind in the UK to purchase the LEDko units, which use an innovative 120W 'Multi-LEDs' source to produce an even, uniform beam, creating huge energy savings over traditional 575W tungsten profiles. Now, several other companies have followed suit, purchasing the LEDko LED light engines for entertainmen

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UK / USA - The focus of Le Maitre Pyrotechnics and Special Effects on its US operation and its commitment to the North American market has now been further underlined by the recent appointment of a new global CEO - Rob Brenner - who will oversee both the UK and US companies. Brenner is based in the US and will also be President of Le Maitre USA LLC.

Brenner's background has been as a touring industry executive with over 25 years experience and has included producing tours for such stellar names as Jonas Brothers, Justin Timberlake, Backstreet Boys & Britney Spears. His responsibilities in this role covered all things creative, organizational, logistical and financial, all terrific skill-sets that he now brings to Le Maitre.

Says Brenner: "I'm really looking forward to working with such a well established company. Maintaining excellent customer satisfaction will be a top p

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UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) were officially announced as the exclusive UK distributor for Italian manufacturer Griven's LED lighting solutions at PLASA 2012.

AC-ET brings to the table its extensive specialist LED lighting knowledge, experience and customer base in the key entertainment, architectural and architainment sectors serviced by GRIVEN.

Their innovative product range further complements AC-ET's extensive portfolio of premium LED brands, enabling the company to offer an even wider choice of solutions to suit different applications.

In addition, sister company A.C. Special Projects (ACSP) provides bespoke solutions and installations for a whole variety of architectural projects ideally suited to the Griven product range.

Showcased on ACSP's stand was the new Powershine Ultra Spot RGBW, which features an ultra-narrow (4 degree), sharp projection of l

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USA - A Jands Vista L5 media and lighting control console, running the latest Vista v2 software, was used by designer Geoffrey Platt to help deliver US telecoms company 5LINX Enterprises' corporate vision to over 8,000 sales delegates.

Platt, of Atlanta based Production People Inc. (PPi), used the Vista L5 with another of the family, a Vista T2, running in full tracking back-up to deliver a stunning stage production featuring video, lighting and LEDs.

The L5 was controlling over 100 moving lights - a mix of Vari*Lite V*L3000 spots, V*L3500 washes, Martin Professional MAC 250 washes and Clay Paky Sharpys - as well as conventional lightsources and 140 LED fixtures including Chroma-Q Color Block, Philips CK ColorBlast and ColorBlaze, Chauvet Colorado TriPAR and Alkalite Opto Strips. All lighting equipment was supplied by rental company 4Wall's Las Vegas facility.

Two Catalyst m

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USA - Iconic rock bands Mötley Crüe and Kiss teamed for a North American tour and took a grandMA2 full-size along for the ride that is being used to programme and control lighting and video on 44 shows, which are drawing huge crowds coast to coast. Sooner Routhier, Robert Long (SRae Productions) and Patrick Whitley are the lighting and production designers for the tour.

Michael Cooper of Newfangled Lighting, the programmer and operator for Mötley Crüe, has been using the grandMA2 since it debuted. "I pulled grandMA2 serial number 2 off the pallet at Upstaging in 2009 and they have come such a long way with the new software. I love it," says Cooper. "I've used it pretty exclusively for the last few years - it goes around the world with me. Christie provided me with a grandMA2 light last year for the worldwide Motley tour, and now Epic has provided us with these

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UK - SFL Group has just completed a substantial audio visual technical installation as part of a comprehensive renovation project at St James Church in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, using the Roland M-480 Live Digital Console, M-48 Personal Mixers and Digital Snake products to provide a compact digital audio solution at the heart.

The project completed in July this year, contracted house of worship specialists SFL Group as key partners to design, supply and install a full audio, video, and lighting solution; that also included a full audio and video, bi-directional link-up to the Church centre some 300m away.

A multi functional venue with a membership of around 800 adults and young people, St James can hold up to 11 worship events on a Sunday, with upwards of 750 people taking part in the services and activities. Music plays an important role in worshipping life at St James

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UK - The much talked about, 360-degree information screen atop the BT Tower in London, made up of Martin Professional LC Plus Series LED panels, gets a visit from the Martin Service Department each month, and has done so ever since debuting over 1000 days ago.

"Since its installation almost three years ago, Martin Professional have been invaluable in the smooth operation of the BT Tower display," states Jared Ruddy, group marketing & brand manager at BT. "It's the biggest of its kind in Europe and has become a familiar sight for Londoners."

Used to display a variety of visual content, the 59m long by 4.8m high information screen is visible across the city. A key visual landmark in London's busy 2012 summer of sport, the screen has endured harsh weather conditions since its installation in October of 2009.

"We counted down from 1000 days in the lead u

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End of An Era - EU and US regulators have approved the takeover of UK music firm EMI by Universal Music, but it must sell some of the firm's most valuable labels. The European Commission said Universal would have to sell off assets including the Parlophone label, home to artists such as Pink Floyd and Kylie Minogue. The US Federal Trade Commission later approved the deal in its turn without imposing any conditions.

The £1.2bn ($1.9bn) takeover of EMI was announced in November. Although the European Commission said its ruling would allay competition fears, rival music labels have condemned the move. EMI, with a history dating back to 1897, is home to artists including the Beatles and Pink Floyd. Universal is a unit of French media giant Vivendi.

In EMI's 1960s heyday, it was one of four music companies that dominated the British charts. The others were Decca, Philips and

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Russia - Few theatres around the world have such a long, rich and tumultuous history as the State Theatre of Nations in Moscow, Russia. It stands as a testament to the importance of the arts, having survived many challenges. A recent large-scale renovation means the theatre's tough times are a thing of the past, and an equipment upgrade - including a new lighting system starring an ETC Eos lighting control desk and Source Four luminaires - prepares the Theatre of Nations for a promising future.

In 2007, Russia began a campaign to modernize its theatres. The Ministry of Culture awarded the Theatre of Nations a grant to refurbish its Russian Revivalist building. The four year renovation project expanded the building by over 3,900sq.m, with new rehearsal spaces, offices, a restaurant and a blackbox theatre.

Included in the grant was €11m to upgrade the technical equipment, from

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The Netherlands - The latest in a series of Lighthouse LED screens has recently been installed at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. As the main international airport in the Netherlands and the fourth busiest in Europe, Schiphol's new high quality Lighthouse screen displays advertising to many thousands of travellers with pin sharp clarity.

Lighthouse's Impact 16 LED screen was chosen for the project. Designed specifically for the permanent installation market, this is the first SMD LED outdoor screen to feature at Schiphol and is the also the airport's first with full Electro Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) compliance.

Installed by Hecla Professional Audio & Video Systems BV for leading Dutch outdoor advertising agency Interbest, the 15 x 8 panel (12m (w) x 9m (h)) LED screen is mounted on one side of an existing triangular advertising structure, facing the main A4/E19 motorway bisec

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UK - David Essex is back on the road in the David Essex Rock Tour 2012. Supporting the rigging and production team throughout the 34 venue tour will be Le Mark's MagTape Professional Gaffer Tapes.

"A tape with such diversity allows us to carry one roll for everything rather than a stock pile of hundreds, it's marvellously sticky and the perfect tape to carry when on tour" Says Richard Linford, associate producer & general manager for the tour.

Le Mark's Sharon Marshall adds, "I've grown up hearing David Essex songs, it's so strange to be supplying our products to a childhood icon. If you read this David - I'd love some tickets."

(Jim Evans)

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UK - The 2012 PLASA Show, Earls Court saw the teams from Philips Entertainment brands Vari-Lite, Strand Lighting and Selecon each introduce a number of new products to the industry. In addition Philips Entertainment launched Showline a range of dynamic feature rich, LED luminaires providing professional performance, exceptional feature sets and one common user interface.

"Showline is a range of super-efficient, professional entertainment LED fixtures created specifically for a broad spectrum of events from concert touring to Theatre and TV to corporate shows and cruise ships," explains David March, director of European Sales for Vari-Lite. "We had an excellent response at PLASA to Showline! The products were well received by designers and rental companies alike. Showline is destined to become a leader in entertainment LED Luminaires and will receive the same world

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UK - The walls of one of Scotland's most stunning historic sites, Tantallon Castle, provided the backdrop to a spectacular outdoor light and music show commissioned as part of the recent Lammermuir Festival and watched by an audience of over 1500 people.

Northumberland-based events producer, Culture Creative, who were brought on board to creatively produce the show, commissioned Newcastle-based production company, R&B Group, to provide digital mapping technology to help wow the audience with unforgettable images, lights and animation projected onto the castle walls.

Zoe Bottrell, director of Culture Creative said, "When we were asked by the festival organisers to creatively produce a light show incorporating music and words to tell the tale of the castle's history, we knew immediately that we wanted to do something quite ambitious. We engaged the expertise of R&B Group to

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UK - Following the recent news of XL Video Group's investment in 66 new high brightness projectors from Belgium's Barco, XL Video UK now has the first of these units available for rental.

XL Video UK, with offices near London and Birmingham, is the first UK company to take delivery of the new Barco HDF-W26 and HDQ-2K40 projectors.

The new 26K models will, over time, replace XL's existing fleet of 20K projectors, which have been used on high-profile projects such as the projections on Buckingham Palace for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert.

The Barco projectors are available for rental immediately.

(Jim Evans)

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Germany - dB Technologies Deutschland, the SGM German distributor, has announced the sale of the first 300 SGM P-5 LED washlights to some of the country's leading rental companies.

Said MD, Michael Herweg, "We are delighted with the response, as this is before we take into account the architectural market for which the P-5 was designed."

Drawing just 450 watts, the IP66-rated P-5 uses 44 high power RGBW 10W LED's outputting a total of 23,666 lumens. Michael Herweg confirms that the groundswell of interest had begun in April at the Prolight+Sound Show in Frankfurt, where rental company customers were queuing up to see SGM's new LED technology embodied in a sleek chassis.

"There was also huge interest in the X-5 and XC-5 strobes, so we decided to create a series of starter packs," he said. "Each comprises 24 P-5, eight X-5 and eight XC-5 fixtures."

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USA - Celebrating his fifth year of lighting the MTV Video Music Awards, experienced LD Tom Kenny kept up his pledge of always trying to use new lighting technology in order to animate Florian Wieder's other-worldly landscape set.

This year it was GLP's new impression X4 that was brought into focus at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where acts including Green Day, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Pink, Alicia Keys, Lil Wayne, Frank Ocean and One Direction all graced the futuristic stage, which was lit by a massive lighting rig containing over 5,000 light sources.

"The show itself has become a social network event and a focal point of fashion - and so it was a fabulous place to show off this stylish new light," remarked Kenny. "It's always a policy of mine to try out new technology and styles of lighting on the VMA's and every year we have a standalone product that catc

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Bulgaria - A Martin Audio sound reinforcement system has been fitted in La Playa Bar in the seaside resort of Varna, on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast.

Part of a completely renewed interior, the dynamic new Martin Audio architectural AQ system has been provided by the manufacturer's Bulgarian distributors, Imperia AV.

The renovated venue features eight AQ8 satellite speakers, distributed into three zones - the indoor area, front outdoor area and a delay line which covers the most remote spots on the beach.

Four AQ212 sub-bass speakers have been placed along the boundary between the outdoor and indoor areas, with all loudspeakers powered by Martin Audio MA2.0 and MA3.0 amplifiers (two units of each) managed by a dedicated DX1.5 digital controller. A significant role for achieving studio quality sound is played by the silver-plated Van Damme signal and power cables, according t

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