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Kuwait - Kuwait's 50th Constitution Day celebration featured over 235 Watts of laser power, plus lighting, audio, effects, and a record-breaking 77,282 firework in a single hour! Two weeks of setup, plus three tons of gear, culminated in the breathtaking gala witnessed by over a million people.

ER Productions of London, the event's laser and effects specialists, used the landmark Kuwait towers as the show's centrepiece. The towers featured elegant laser mapping which could be seen five miles away. Twenty large mirrors were positioned atop the largest tower, sending laser break-up effects to a three-mile stretch of the city's beach.

To control the massive array of lasers and effects, ER Productions used both wireless and fibre optic data control. Key to the system were multiple l

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UK - XL Events, working with WRG, supplied a wide range of video equipment and services for EE Live at Birmingham's NEC. The five-day launch event saw Everything Everywhere Limited present their new brand EE, which incorporates superfast 4G mobile and fibre home broadband to multiple audiences including sales staff, retail partners and customer care teams.

XL Events were brought on board by WRG as the technical supplier for video services and attended early design discussions for the event. Utilising the expertise of Project Manager, Guy Vellacott and Technical Director, David Mulcahy, XL was able to recommend and specify a number of cutting edge technologies which helped shape the overall event.

"Our early involvement in the project meant we were able to talk to WRG about new technologies and demo the applications of these as relevant to their event," explains Guy V

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UK - The Stage Technologies UK rentals team was contracted by production Manager Matt Towell to provide a 50-axis automation and control system for the new West End musical The BodyGuard. The system comprised equipment for performer flying and movement of scenic pieces including a rotating cabin and a huge mansion wall, and hydraulic scissor lifts by sister company Delstar Engineering.

Based on Lawrence Kasdan's 1992 film and directed by Thea Sharrock, the show opened in London's Adelphi Theatre on 5 December 2012. In addition to the thriller storyline taken from the film, the show features dazzling musical scenes featuring songs from the Whitney Houston catalogue. Designer Tim Hatley references the show's cinematic roots with a "filmic" set in which scenes glide from one to the next through the use of a huge camera-like shutter.

Automation is present in every

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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 - The demands on modern conference and training rooms have changed completely over the past few years. Even in small rooms we expect a perfectly working media integration these days. For instance, the room should automatically go to standby on time with the beginning of the seminar or the meeting, turn on the beamer lamp, depending on the resource booking, wake up the amplifier, the mixing desk and other devices from standby mode and adjust the illumination.

In the best case the same steps should be carried out again in the reverse order at the end of the event. Especially in view of today's energy debates, saving energy by automated standby activation is becoming more and more important.

So far, all this could only be realised by means of very expensive and extremely complex media control systems. With the Cardinal DVM 194 series Sommer Cable will present a new, very

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UK - A substantial cast of Clay Paky Alpha 1500 HPE Spots and Profiles have been dazzling young audiences on the Ice Age Live! ice show extravaganza.

Respected lighting designer Luc Peumans of Painting with Light specified a large number of Alpha Profile 1500 to provide special effects along with even more Alpha Spot HPE 1500, many of which incorporate bespoke made gobos for both projection and masking to prevent spill when projecting onto the set.

Peumans choice was based on the extensive tests he had done last year, while designing the popular Holiday on Ice show: Speed, which will be touring the UK this year. He decided then that Clay Paky fixtures were "the best fixture for the challenging and fast paced environment that is a stage made of ice! They give a lot of output for the wattage; they have excellent projection quality, great frost functions

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Germany - The Menschen in Europa ('People in Europe') events series has been held in Passau every year now since 1996. With its motto 'Art has no mother tongue', the event provides members of the public with an opportunity to become better acquainted with leading artists and performers. Since 1999, Menschen in Europa has been accompanied by a series of roundtable discussions in Passau's Medienhaus featuring personalities from the worlds of politics, business, culture and religion.

This year's Menschen in Europa (MiE) opening event culminated in the presentation of the MiE Award to operatic star Anna Netrebko, but prior to that the artist engaged in a roundtable discussion with the director of the Bavarian State Opera, Nikolaus Bachler, and the former director of the Vienna State Opera, Ioan Holender, moderated by the TV presenter Thomas Gottshalk, entitled Die Wa(h)re Kunst (The

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Australia - Since acquiring their Shure PSM 1000 Personal Monitor Systems earlier in the year, JPJ Audio has sent them on a variety of tours with great success. Artists such as Pitbull, Macy Gray, Lady Antebellum, and most recently Delta Goodrem have all benefited from Shure's personal monitoring at its most advanced level yet.

The full-rack, dual-channel, networkable transmitter is suited for the demands of professional touring and installation applications, and the diversity bodypack receiver delivers pristine RF signal and audio quality.

Cam Elias, Delta Goodrem's monitor engineer, is delighted with the performance of the Shure PSM 1000 systems on her recent Australian shows.

"The Delta Goodrem live shows require high end production with quality results," he remarked. "In regards to the sound, it is essential that the nine-piece band is on in-ears, and the

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Norway - The Stavanger Symphony Orchestra has spent the past 14 years wishing for a new home that it could truly call its own. In September it finally became a reality with the opening of the NOK1.225bn (€165.2m), Stavanger Concert Hall. This world class venue actually features two halls, with DiGiCo mixing consoles chosen for mixing the amplified sound in both.

Designed by Oslo architects Ratio Arkitekter, the 13,800m2 venue has been designed to host all types of cultural events. Each of the two halls - one for orchestral music, the other multi-purpose - has its own independent soundproofing and load bearing systems. The soundproofing is so efficient that a rock concert can take place in one at the same time as a classical event in the other, with no disturbance to the classical audience or musicians. The halls share a foyer and restaurant, complemented by 180 other rooms whic

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UAE - UK loudspeaker manufacturer Tannoy has thrown its weight behind the Joining Jack charity campaign by sponsoring the charity's team taking part in Emirates Dubai Rugby Seven Championship in late November 2012.

The charity, which funds research into muscle wasting disease Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), was set up by ex-Wigan Rugby player Andy Johnson and his wife Alex after their four-year-old son Jack was diagnosed with the rare disease. With no current cure or treatment available, Joining Jack's mission is to raise money to fund trials and research to find an effective set of treatments or cure for DMD.

So far, the campaign has attracted a large number of high profile supporters, including Tour de France and Olympic Gold medal winner Bradley Wiggins, as well as the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Ant & Dec, Andi Peters, the cast of Emmerdale, Niall from One Direction and Rol

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China - Parent company Music Group has announced the appointment of Guangzhou Ruifeng Audio Technology Corporation Ltd. as its fulfillment partner for Behringer products in China.

Effective 1 January 2013, Ruifeng Audio will assume responsibility for the wholesale distribution of Behringer products across all areas of the People's Republic of China through a network of authorized dealers. Ruifeng will also assume responsibility for customer service and support through their sophisticated technical sales and support infrastructure.

Ruifeng Audio was founded in 1993 and is headed by CEO Andy Wang, who has presided over the company's meteoric rise. With 600 employees and six wholly-owned subsidiaries spanning research, production, distribution, technical and design support, the company has become one of China's leading professional audio enterprises. Distribution is managed throu

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USA - Music Group has announced that effective immediately Starin Distribution has been appointed to distribute Turbosound products in the United States.

Headquartered in Chesterton, Indiana, Starin services the needs of professional audio resellers and systems integrators in North America from its 10 staffed offices and through associated rep firm alliances across the country.

Jay Easley, AVP customer support for Music Group's Professional Division states, "We are very excited to have Starin handle Turbosound products in our market. Starin's thoroughly professional organization and ability to meet customer demands quickly and efficiently will be a huge boost to Turbosound's market presence."

"Our aim is for customers in the US to perceive Turbosound not as an import but as virtually a home-grown brand," comments Turbosound's marketing director Martin Rei

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USA - Respected rock lighting designer Tom Kenny is harnessing the versatile power of Philips Vari-Lite VL3500 Spot luminaires to create a dramatic and evocative, 'Quadrophenic' experience for fans attending The Who's mammoth US tour this winter.

Kenny, sometimes referred to as "lighting designer to the stars", brings a theatrical and beautifully crafted design to the 37-date tour, which visits almost every major city in North America.

"I used the VL3500 Spot luminaires on this tour primarily for their reliability and excellent output. Also it's a no smoke or haze tour, so I needed a source that can effectively cut through our clever and powerful video system. I've designed the show, like all my shows with high video content, to ensure lighting and video is conveyed as a cohesive visual event."

This current realization of the album Quadrophenia is

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South Africa - Traction Sound has announced iLED as its new distributor for South Africa. iLED first met Traction Sound during September's PLASA trade show in London, where Traction was co-presenting one of the show's seminars. After initial meetings, the team from iLED took the train to Traction Sound's seaside home in Brighton to have a listen to the products.

"It didn't take iLED's Justin Mamulis long to understand the benefits of Traction Sound's SDS Horn," says the company. "When listening to the loudspeakers he was soon searching through his music collection to see how good his favourite tracks could sound.

This is a similar reaction Traction received when initially demoing at the English branch of the prestigious Roedean School. The school theatre now has a full installation of Traction Sound loudspeakers."

Traction Sound's Billy Wood explains: &qu

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UK - FBT Audio UK Ltd, the UK distribution subsidiary of the Italian pro audio manufacturer, is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew Podmore as area sales consultant for the North of England and Scotland. In his new role, Podmore is responsible for all sales activities to MI, DJ and pro audio installation dealers and contractors within the area.

Commenting on Podmore's appointment, Mark Parkhouse, MD of FBT Audio UK Ltd, said: "Having set up the company a little under a year ago, we have been delighted with how quickly the UK dealers have taken to the brand and its products. As we move into the second stage of our plan, we knew we would need to expand and I am delighted to have someone of Andrew Podmore's experience join the team and very much look forward to our continued growth."

Podmore joins FBT Audio UK Ltd with over 20 years' experience of working with

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Croatia - Croatian pop star Nina Badric kicked off her latest tour with a gig at the Drazen Petrovic Hall in Zagreb in front of 5000 enthusiastic fans.

The lighting rig was designed by Dalibor Radic and included 24 Robe MMX Spots were central to the look and feel of the show. They were supplied, along with the rest of the technical production package, by leading creation rental company Eldra, based in Bregana.

Over 200m of trussing was installed for the show to provide positions for lighting, PA and LED screens.

It was Dalibor's first work for the artist and her 11 piece band, and his brief was to make the stage as dynamic as possible with lots of colour and movement to cover the lively largely up-tempo performance.

He specified the ROBIN MMX's because off their massive light output, the fabulous dual graphics / animation wheel and other effects, the low weight and speed..

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World - Lighting designer Paul Normandale has field tested Martin Professional's new 1500-watt MAC III AirFX moving head on Jason Mraz's current Tour Is A Four Letter Word world tour and found the luminaire to be a highly versatile lighting fixture.

"It's worked really, really well on Jason Mraz," he says. "It's bright and has a good range of gobos for a wash light.

"The MAC III AirFX gives you all the advantages of a highly capable hybrid fixture which means you can place one light where you used to have two."

"The MAC III AirFX is a great aerial light that can really add some dimension to a lighting rig. Their brightness allows them to cut through nicely while in a gobo and helps texture an otherwise static look," commented tour lighting director Joel Reiff, a talented operator who often busks parts of the show.

Predominately a M

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USA - Along with mistletoe and eggnog, KIIS-FM's pop star-studded Jingle Ball concert, now in its 13th year, has become a December tradition. Known for a line-up of marquee performers that reads like a playlist from the Top 40 radio station, this year's Jingle Ball -- the first two-day version of the event -- featured sets from Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Ne-Yo, One Republic, Jonas Brothers, Ellie Goulding, Flo Rida, Ke$ha and will.i.am, to name a few.

Rocking the massive stage at L.A.'s Nokia Theatre alongside these mega-artists was Elation Professional's Platinum Beam 5R. An extreme ACL moving head beam effect, the Platinum Beam 5R was chosen by Todd Roberts of Visions Lighting (Brea, CA) as a defining light for illuminating Jingle Ball, which by its nature is a very challenging event to rig.

"Each of the performers brought their own lighting designer with them,"

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South Africa - The Johannesburg Theatre took delivery of its 20 new Robe MMX Spot fixtures from Robe's South African distributor DWR just in time for them to go into action on the annual pantomime, which this year is Jack & the Beanstalk, by special arrangement between the Theatre and Qdos, the world's largest panto producer.

The MMXs were specified by the Theatre's technical manager Enos Ramoroko together with production manager Simon James and senior lighting technician Patrick Mbatha, all of whom were "Hugely impressed" by what the lights had to offer.

The Theatre already owned 18 Robe ColorWash 700E ATs which have been a big success with all the various productions. The units have worked reliably and needed very little attention, so it was a logical decision to choose Robe again when it came to adding moving spot fixtures to the lighting inventory.

(Jim

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The Netherlands - After putting DPA Microphone's new hand-held d:facto Vocal Microphone through its paces on her recent tour, Dutch singer and vocal coach Margot Giselle says she is delighted with the natural sound it gave to her voice.

"For the first time ever I was able to hear my voice as it really sounds because the microphone only amplified the sound - it didn't change my voice in any way," Margot Giselle says. "It was bright, clear and warm - and by allowing me to create all the vocal colours I wanted, the DPA d:facto microphone made singing really easy."

During her recent tour of the Netherlands, Margot Giselle worked with sound engineer Roel van Zeelst, from Dutch rental company IDAK, which has a large stock of DPA microphones. In conjunction with DPA's Dutch distributor Amptec, van Zeelst arranged for Giselle to test the new DPA d:facto Vocal Micro

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Taiwan - Originally used as a town hall, Zhongshan Hall in Taipei City, Taiwan has continued to host a series of important functions since it was built in 1928. From serving as a venue to presidents such as Richard Nixon of the United States, and Syngman Rhee of South Korea, to the signing of the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty and other governmental ceremonies, Zhongshan Hall has earned its designation as a Class Two National Historical Site. Today, the hall is used as a traditional art and culture centre.

First renovated in 2001, the main hall, Zhongzheng Auditorium, seats over 1,000 people and these days it serves mostly as a venue for cultural performances. In 2012, the building decided to upgrade its sound system, using d&b audiotechnik loudspeakers. With help from system integrator WeiShin Co., Ltd, co-designers Alex Poon (d&b China) and audio consultant Mr. Liu of Top

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USA - Acoustic Technology Group has announced a strategic alliance with Knitting Factory Entertainment to upgrade all existing sound systems in their venues as well as installation in future Knitting Factory venues worldwide. The alliance was forged after extensive listening tests at a recent ATG demonstration of their LS1000 system in Los Angeles.

The alliance will provide continuity of equipment and sound quality throughout the chain. The first venue to upgrade to an LS1000 system is in Boise, Idaho followed by The Federal in Los Angeles. These venues will be replacing EAW and Meyer systems respectively.

"The alliance with The Knitting Factory venues is much appreciated recognition of the superiority of our LS1000 system and the technology we have developed over that of the competition." said Wilfred Norton from ATG.

(Jim Evans)

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