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The Netherlands - Switch Concepts, a subsidiary company of the Ampco Flashlight Group in Holland, has purchased an ASL Digital system to address the ever-increasing demand for Intercom communication systems during major events. Switch Concepts' business is the design and execution of entertainment events including sound, light and video.

"We were looking at many different intercom systems, but there are several reasons we decided to go for ASL digital intercom," says Frank Verbeek from Switch Concepts.

"We were very impressed with the sound quality of the system and that it can actually produce the required listen levels in environments with high SPL background noise. Many other intercom systems are not able to do that.

"Then we also noticed how easily you

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Australia - Achieving the very first projection onto both sides of the epic proportions of Australia's iconic Sydney Opera House as well as onto the pylons of Sydney Harbour Bridge was by no means a small challenge for any technology company.

Australia was celebrating the first entry of the national Australian fleet into Sydney Harbour one hundred years ago and re-telling the story for The Royal Australian Navy's International Fleet Review. Imagination Australia was the Creative team and Producer of the event, who engaged Technical Direction Company (TDC) as their video technology partner.

An evening spectacular involved video projection that was combined with stunning fireworks launched from seven warships. There was lighting from 28 land and ship locations plus live action on board ships culminating in an aerial fly past from the Royal Australian Air Force that was enjoyed b

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Australia - In the continuing expansion of its international distributor network, CADAC has appointed newly formed Australian distributor, Entertainment Technology Australia (ETA), for the region.

Founded in July this year by David Croxton, ETA has offices and warehousing in Sydney and Melbourne. ETA adds the legendary console brand to a specialist portfolio that notably includes KV2 Audio, a brand with which Croxton has a long association: "I have been working globally for KV2 Audio since 2011 and prior to that, held the line in my previous distribution company Australian Audio Supplies which I sold in 2006. Having secured a group of willing brand partners early in 2013, ETA was born and officially launched at this year's Entech trade show in Sydney.

"ETA is only focusing on high quality innovative brands and currently our portfolio consists of SGM Lighting, KV2 Aud

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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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Australia - A 48-channel ASP8024 console has been installed in each of the Brisbane and Melbourne SAE Institutes, and after a very straight-forward and painless set-up, they were set to work playing a central role in the audio engineering teaching programmes.

Each of the two Antipodean educational facilities had a definite idea of what they wanted. Senior studio technician in Brisbane, Louisa Lachi says, "When we were looking for a replacement, we needed a console that was future-proof, sturdy, looked sexy and sounded great."

Brad Toan, studio technician in Melbourne was of the same mind. "We needed a console that will be able to withstand almost constant use all year round, along with being stable and built with quality components that will last. As audio engineers we also want something that sounds fantastic and was easy for students to use and get their heads

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Finland - Airing on MTV3, Idols is a Finnish reality-television singing competition that debuted in the summer of 2003 and went on to become one of the most popular shows on Finnish television. Part of the Idol franchise, it originated from the reality programme Pop Idol created by British entertainment executive Simon Fuller, which was first aired in 2001 in the UK.

Lighting, set and video designer Mikki Kunttu once again created a stunning design for the TV show that seeks to discover the best unsigned singer in Finland. To achieve this task, Kunttu relied on one grandMA2 light and one MA onPC command wing as backup for lighting control and stated, "grandMA2 is the only choice for me. As we are working on one of the most popular TV formats we had to use the best equipment on the market. The grandMA2 has never let me down."

Kunttu continued, "This

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UK - PRG has added the following products to their offering.

The GLP Impression X4 fixtures bring power, flexibility and practicality in a new breakthrough design. Behind the front lens, the X4 offers 19 RGBW LED's, each rated at 15W providing a homogenized beam with high output and individually controllable "allowing you to programme unique looks and animations".

SGM's P-5 Wash Light, IP65, low-profile fixed, rectangular, full-colour LED wash light and just 408W power consumption. Wide angle lens fitted as standard.

Philips Colorblaze TRX, versatile, feature-packed linear RGBAW LED fixture with industry-leading light output, native 10° beam angle.

MA Lighting's most powerful console, Grand MA2. Offering the control of conventional light, moving lights, LED fixtures and media from one platform.

Look Solutions Viper S, a low power and fluid consumption, but

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USA - ETC has announced the students who have been selected to attend the LDI 2013 tradeshow as part of ETC's LDI Student Sponsorship programme.

Now in its 14th year, the programme awards exceptional lighting design and stage technology students an all expenses paid trip to the LDI tradeshow in Las Vegas, 22-24 November, to get a behind the scenes look at new technology and to network with industry professionals. The sponsorship recipients are also matched with industry luminaries, who offer individual support, advice and encouragement to the students as they launch their careers. The 2013 recipients of the LDI Student Sponsorship are:

Brandon J. Clark holds a bachelor of arts in theatre through the design/technical track from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Under the mentorship of Professor Victor En Yu Tan, he designed the lighting for a number of theatre, ope

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USA - Harman Professional has announced the appointment of Jonas Stenvinkel as head, Martin Professional Asia Pacific with permanent base in Singapore. Stenvinkel, who previously served as sales director of EMEA North, will lead Martin Professional's sales and service staff in the Singapore and Asia region. He will report directly to Thomas Marcher, director of sales at the Harman Professional Regional sales office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

"Jonas has demonstrated a strong commitment to comprehensive customer service and support over his 10 year career with Martin Professional. Jonas is a strong addition to the Asia team and I'm confident his strong leadership and experience will be an asset for our customers in the Asia region," says Marcher.

Before joining Martin Professional, Stenvinkel owned and operated a sound and lighting rental house. Commenting on his appoin

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Oman - Sir Tom Jones recently performed live at Shangri-La's Barr al Jissah Resort & Spa, Muscat, as part of his world tour.

The concert was held at the resort's amphitheatre, with an audience of more than 3,000 people. Having last performed there three years ago, Tom requested a return. Aged 73, the performer sang his classics including It's Not Unusual, Delilah, and What's New Pussycat, all aiming to rock the local and international expatriate audience.

Production was provided by the Muscat-based Talentz Centre LLC, the largest production operation in Oman and whose expertise in large-scale events takes them all over the region, including the UAE. The company has invested significantly in Outline Butterfly systems with the MD, Baltazar Fernandes, quoting the products' consistency, quality and flexibility as key factors in his company's ability to handle

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Belgium - The Belgian organisation CAP48 aims to change society's view about the question of handicap (be it physical, mental or social) with enhanced integration. It strives to raise funds for the disabled in Belgium via activities such as an annual TV show, produced in cooperation with Belgian TV channel RTBF.

The charity appeal - in the shape of a special show featuring top national and international artists - is broadcast live, and as such the TV set calls for an exceptional stage design.

Belgian lighting designer, Jean-Jacques Marotte, was tasked with delivering this, and his vision for achieving it hinged around the SGM LT-200 LED tubes.

"We wanted the audience to be very close to the stage, with an illuminated centrepiece creating an intimate effect during the dialogue, but also deliver a bright set, as you would expect on prime time TV," explains Marotte. &

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France - A pyrotechnic blast during a rehearsal for French Revolution musical 1789, the Lovers of the Bastille at the Palais des Sports auditorium in southwest Paris has killed one and left around 15 people injured - five of them seriously.

According to reports, the accidental blast occurred on Friday 8 November shortly after 6pm when pyrotechnics under the musical's stage exploded, possibly due to a faulty power tool.

"An initial investigation determined that the explosion had been caused by the disc of a circular saw breaking away and igniting fireworks to be used in the show," reports the BBC.

A second explosion then caused a wall of the Palais des Sports arena to collapse. Technical director Marcus Toledano, one of many who rushed to the scene of the incident, is believed to have suffered a heart attack as a result of the explosions. When rescue workers

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Italy - Luciano Ligabue held six concerts in the evocative setting of the Verona Arena in the second half of September. They were a great audience success. Fans rushed from all over Italy in order not to miss the chance to attend the only live events planned by the Correggio-born singer in 2013. The six evenings sold out in advance in one morning, during which all 72,000 tickets were bought. Besides the usual band, a real seventy-piece classical orchestra enhanced the concerts. Its contribution made the type of music the singer-songwriter performed highly unusual.

The show was split into three distinct parts. During the first part, Ligabue was accompanied by the orchestra. He performed some of his most famous pieces rearranged for the occasion by Maestro Marco Sabiu. Next came a part extended to electric musical instruments, followed by a section with a decidedly more rock feel,

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Ireland - Chroma-Q Color Force 72™ LED battens have delivered premium lighting performance for productions during this year's renowned Wexford Festival Opera in South-Eastern Ireland.

The event is one of the most innovative and fastest growing of the world's major arts festivals. A diverse line-up includes full-scale opera productions plus daytime performances of shorter works of music theatre, concerts, recitals, talks and stand-up comedy from new creative talent.

The Festival's chief electrician, Didier Barreau and lighting designer, Paul Keogan specified the Color Force fixtures for use in the Festival's main stage operas.

"I'd used the Chroma-Q Color Force 48 fixtures at another opera festival earlier this year and was really impressed by the quality of their output and colour mixing," says Keogan.

"The Color Force units are the only sources we use

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South Africa - The Artscape Theatre Centre in Cape Town's foreshore area is in the process of upgrading the lighting facilities of its three theatre spaces. The centre was originally established in 1971 as the Nico Malan and was renamed Artscape in 2001 under the aegis of the provincial administration.

With its close proximity to Cape Town's central business district, the new International Convention Centre and the V & A Waterfront, Artscape is ideally situated to serve the Cape's performing arts, film, tourism, entertainment, conference and exhibition industries.

Covering an area of some 14,000 square meters, the Artscape complex consists of a fully equipped Opera House seating 1,487, a theatre auditorium seating 540, the smaller Arena theatre seating 140, a piazza, gardens, rehearsal rooms and ample parking.

It is a prominent feature of the Cape Town cultural scene with th

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UK - Creative projection guru Ross Ashton from The Projection Studio in London and Sound Artist Karen Monid produced their third son et lumière Triquetra in the historical city of York, UK, for the 2013 Illuminating York Festival of Art.

The acclaimed work - which received massive coverage in the local and national press and an incredible public response - was beamed onto Clifford's Tower. Once the keep at York's famous Castle, the imposing Clifford's Tower sits on top of a tall mound and is one of York's signature pieces of architecture as well as among the most popular attractions in Yorkshire. English Heritage owns the tower, and Ashton was delighted to have the opportunity to apply his spectacular and unique visual magic.

The giant images stretched 75m wide across the base of the mound and were 25m tall, filling the whole space, lifting the landmark out of its surr

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USA - On their largest LDI exhibition stand yet (booth #1925) Le Maitre, will be displaying and demonstrating their complete product line. The line-up will also include a preview of the soon to be launched Salamander Quad Pro flame effect, as well as the launch of the much awaited HazeMaster.

The Salamander Quad Pro is the latest flame unit under development from Le Maitre, and LDI will provide the first opportunity to see the new machine prior to its launch later in Spring 2014.

The original Salamander flame effect, launched earlier this year has been a resounding success units sold across the globe and particularly in the US, where there has been a big uptake for tours and cruise ships. The Salamander Quad Pro follows on from this successful launch, extending Le Maitre's flame family offering.

The Salamander Quad Pro is a larger, more versatile system than the Salamander.

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USA - Meyer Sound has appointed Pablo Espinosa to chief loudspeaker designer, adding to his current role as vice president of rResearch and development. Espinosa will oversee the company's loudspeaker development strategy, from hardware and user experience design to engineering, as well as long-term conceptual planning for the full loudspeaker lineup.

"Pablo has contributed tremendously to our company's growth in recent years," says Helen Meyer, executive vice president at Meyer Sound. "He has been central to so many of our successful products, and helped build a solid engineering foundation for the company. As Meyer Sound continues to grow and our product portfolio expands, we are confident Pablo will help maintain the company's focus on building innovative, high-performance loudspeaker systems."

Promoted to VP of R&D in 2008, Espinosa has driven strategic

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South Africa - Robe moving lights are in action on the 2013 series of Idols South Africa, with lighting again designed by Joshua Cutts from Visual Frontier and supplied by technical production specialists Dream Sets for series producers Sic Entertainment.

The 10 week series, directed by Gavin Wratten and broadcast on MNET and Mzanzi Magic, is being recorded in the 6500 capacity auditorium at Moreleta Church in Pretoria to packed houses each week. The competition is extremely close as South Africa is replete with rich multi-cultural singing talent and heritage.

It's the fourth idols series that Cutts - one of SA's leading LDs, known for his imagination, flair and style - has lit. Dream Sets' project manager for the series is Eben Peltz.

Set designer Dewet Meyer took a brief from Wratten and created a 'forest' of vertical trussing towers which sets the scene as a pseudo

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UK - When Bliss Events was asked to manage a much bigger than previous Switch-On of the Regent Street Christmas lights, they turned to Star Events Group for a special set of equipment.

The brief called for a substantial stage with full PA & lighting rigging facilities, a fully roofed and raised grandstand for 220 VIPs and a screen support. All easy enough except for the need to close Regent Street on a busy Saturday in November. The road closure order gave just six hours to set up and 4.5 hours to remove everything. Star Events Group squeezed in the same mobile stage used for The Olympic Torch Relay, with just inches to spare between blocking the access to French Connection on stage right and the fire lane on stage left.

With Westminster City Council insisting that only mobile structures could be used (due to the need to re-open the road on time) and no mobile grandstand being

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Australia - The recent International Fleet Review, which took place on Sydney Harbour, commemorated the centenary of the first Royal Australian Navy fleet entry into Sydney Harbour. Events culminated with a spectacular pyrotechnics and lightshow consisting of 30 minutes of complex, highly choreographed fireworks, projection, lighting and live action centred around Sydney's Harbour and Opera House.

Fat Sound was contracted to light structures for the event and after scoping the market for suitable outdoor lighting, director Ray Eberle came across the Chauvet Professional COLORado 4 IP. Believing that it ticked all the boxes in terms of suitable colour saturation, build quality, IP rating and most of all output (not to mention pricing), Ray claimed it was no brainer and that the COLORado 4 IP worked perfect on lighting the job at hand, lighting the exterior of the Royal Australian

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UK - If you're building a bespoke sound system from the ground up specifically for the thundering needs of modern electronic music, then you want the very best components in order to make sure you're doing things the right way. That's exactly what Flipside Sound did when they chose Lab.gruppen and Lake for their fierce looking, state of the art sound systems, the first of which has recently been installed in London club, EGG.

The brainchild of lifelong friends and audio veterans James Cooper and Michael Layton, the Flipside story began around two years ago, when James and Mikey combined their expertise - one in pro audio, the other in underground warehouse parties - and decided that the current leaders and pretenders in the field simply weren't giving both the impression and the sound quality that they required. In short, they felt they could do better.

"I remember going

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