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Confronted with the need to increase their large-format fresnels, the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden have recently added ARRI high-grade theatre luminaires to their rig in two separate batches. These were supplied and installed by White Light.

The new lights comprise two fully automated 4K Compact ARRI HMI fresnels and a further three automated 5K tungsten ARRI Junior fresnels to add to the nine units supplied by White Light last year. The Junior 5Ks, in this case incorporating dichroic reflectors, are built into a moving yoke with scroller, while the ARRI Compact 4K HMIs have dimmer shutter and scroller incorporated into the moving yoke. The Royal Opera House are a long-standing client of White Light, who also service and maintain their moving lights, dimmers and control system. Account manager David Howe said: "The Royal Opera House rig has come on a lot since their initial

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Bob Geldof’s current UK tour landed at the Guildford Civic Hall last month, with XTA’s SiDD (Seriously Intelligent Digital Dynamics) ensuring that Bob’s distinctive, gravelly voice was done full justice.

Sean Busby-Little has used SiDDs as in-ear monitor control processors in the past, but working as FOH engineer on the Geldof tour needed a different approach completely. He explains: "I use each channel of the SiDD on Bob’s voice and guitar. Not only is his voice unusual, but he also plays a right-handed guitar upside down, so when he hits the top string first you can get too much top end. The SiDD gives the dynamics to get rid of the bits that I don’t like. Also, on the vocal, the compression gives warmth and depth and the limiter is great for when he plays the harmonica. I’m using everything that SiDD’s got on Bob’s voice - he has

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In a deal widely expected within the lighting community, Lighting Technology has announced that it is to promote Vari*Lite luminaires throughout the UK and France. Garry Nelsson, LTG sales director commented: "Over the past few months many of our customers have been asking if we can supply this equipment and we are delighted to have reached a formal agreement to distribute the Vari-Lite range. With sales and service facilities in London, Paris, Manchester and Newcastle we are ideally positioned to handle the distribution of these stunning products."

Vari-Lite’s European sales manager, Simon Roose, told us: "With excellent relationships, throughout the UK and beyond, the Lighting Technology Group are natural business partners."

(Lee Baldock)

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Airport House in Croydon was the host venue on Sunday 28 April when direct marketing company, Smart Sound Direct, held its SmartDay Out open day. Glasses at the bar rattled as associate director Paul Murray guided visitors through an afternoon of demonstrations. The full complement of MSA (Matched System Approach) PA systems were auditioned, accompanied by detailed information to help customers choose a set-up for their specific needs - from the versatile and compact 1,500W RMS (3,000W program) DJ Friendly Package to the 3,500W RMS (7,000W program) Portable Club rig. Live entertainment was provided by the talented Replay, allowing visitors to witness the power handling of instruments through the MSA range, while DJ magazine iDJ, recreated the club scene with a mixing session.

Three new products were launched at the show. The first of these, aimed at the DJ sector, is the affordable Ff

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Bandit Lites is supplying Barry Manilow’s sold-out Manilow Live! 2002 US and UK tour, which finishes - after 10 months - back in the US in September. Lighting designer Seth Jackson has worked with Manilow - one of the world’s most successful singer/songwriters - since 1998. The lighting for each tour starts conceptually, when Manilow gives Jackson the demos for the upcoming album. They reconvene a couple of months later and evolve a scenic concept. Manilow is big on collaboration, with clear ideas of the visual elements he likes to see incorporated and choreographed into his stage show.

The ‘Here at The Mayflower’ album is about an apartment block, and contains strong narrative tales about the different people inhabiting each space. For the tour, he wanted a city feel, without it being too literal, and so Jackson came up with the metallic scaffolding structure a

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Today, the Scottish Parliament will move to Aberdeen for a week. This will be the first time ever that the Parliament has met in Aberdeen, Scotland’s third largest city and the oil capital of Europe. While in its temporary home, the Parliament will score another first, using virtual studio technology, installed and operated by Metro Ecosse.

Using For-A’s state-of-the-art digiWarp-EX technology, Metro Ecosse has created a virtual parliamentary newsroom from which material will be webcast on the Parliament’s website. The virtual studio will provide a modern news setting for a variety of interviews and features, and will incorporate a video screen depicting a virtual image of the Parliament’s new Holyrood site, currently under construction. There will also be a computer-generated image of the interior of the new building, from which the presenter can continue studi

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Unitek’s new Activ Banner system delivered an impressive performance at its inaugural race meeting at Chester. Installed and operated by event display specialists ADI Group, two Activ banner systems were used to display announcements, race results and sponsors’ messages at the May Vase Day event, televised by Channel 4 Racing.

This is the first time Unitek’s Activ Banner system has been used at a UK horse racing event: based around Unitek’s industry standard LED display cabinets, the low-profile, banner format displays can be installed quickly and easily, virtually anywhere. The Activ system allows real-time textual information, announcements, graphics and animations to be displayed with pin-sharp clarity and in vivid true colour, even in strong direct sunlight.

The fully weatherproof displays are controlled by a dedicated processor and Unitek’s Activ-8

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The management of Telex EVI Audio is planning to market Dynacord’s pro audio products in the US. The person charged with responsibility for introducing the brand to the US market is Ernie Lansford, vice president and general manager of Dynacord Pro Audio, USA. Lansford will begin with a campaign to launch the new Dynacord COBRA line array system in the US, has been enjoying enormous success throughout Europe since its launch in the spring of 2002.

(Ruth Rossington)

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The Greek pro audio industry has received a major boost thanks to a joint venture between the London-based FX Group and Athens-based db Mediahire that will enable the Greek audio industry to tap into the FX Group’s extensive equipment hire stocks.

Db Mediahire was established earlier this year by sound engineer Christos Tsakiridis after he noticed a gap in his local market for a professional pro audio equipment rental company. He explains: "Although there are a large number of companies hiring PA equipment in Greece, there was definitely a need for a company that could supply pro audio equipment to the local audio industry. Almost every day I was receiving requests for this type of equipment, so I set up db Mediahire as a direct response to this demand."

Tsakiridis first came into contact with the FX Group while he was studying and working as a sound engineer in the U

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Unusual Services Ltd are main contractors for the massive Golden Jubilee weekend celebrations that are happening in The Mall, Green Park, St. James’s Park, Trafalgar Square, Hyde Park and at the Queen Victoria Memorial.

The company is supplying all technical infrastructure, co-ordination, site and production management for this mind-boggling task, working closely with show producer Major Sir Michael Parker and the Golden Jubilee Weekend Trust. Unusual has employed over 250 sub-contractors and mounted a major logistical exercise to ensure the event - being broadcast live worldwide - is a well-oiled operation. To this end, the company has been interfacing with various authorities including Westminster City Council Special Events, the Metropolitan Police, Royal Parks, the GLA, the WRVS, London Underground, London Ambulance, St. John Ambulance and the British Red Cross.

The event i

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The Public Address, Voice Alarm and Public Safety Conference and Exhibition 2002, organized by the Institute of Sound and Communications Engineers, will be held on 9-10 July 2002 in Regent's Park, London. The conference will feature a series of presentations that will take a wide range of construction, insurance and regulatory professionals through the issues surrounding the use of voice alarm systems in emergency evacuation from buildings and stadia. Current, changing and new Standards that impact upon safety compliance issues will be treated in depth.

Detailed consideration will be given to BS EN 61508 for which a new sector specific version applicable to voice alarm systems is now under consideration. This could revolutionise the way insurance companies and underwriters deal with compliance requirements when insuring buildings. The 'Total Systems (Risk-Based) Approach' to safety is

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PSL has announced that it has been awarded a certificate of approval by the BVQI. The award states that the Quality Management Systems in place have been assessed and found to be in accordance with the requirements of Quality Standards, as set out under BS EN ISO 9001:2000. This is the latest internationally recognised standard of Quality Management Systems, established in December 2000 and supersedes previous standards issued in 1994.

PSL is the first (and currently the only) rental and staging company to be awarded this accreditation. The process involves an ongoing quality audit by an independent professional body and covers all operating divisions within PSL, who have qualified independently in their own areas of expertise. Gary Davis, managing director of PSL stated: "This accreditation illustrates our ongoing commitment to providing the highest levels of service to our custo

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Cadac Electronics Plc reports that it is supplying four J-Type Live production consoles in a prestigious contract with Singapore's brand new Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, which opens on 12th October this year, following a 10-year multi-million dollar building project.

The J-Types will be used in two spaces - in the main 2000-seat theatre and in the 1600-seat concert hall - with each space having a console located in its own dedicated control room, plus another console for the FOH mix position. This is complemented by two floating 24-input extension frames that can be deployed whenever needed. The desks arrive on-site in early June, with Cadac working closely with Esplanade's sound team to provide on-site training sessions to ensure a smooth, fast commissioning process.

Production Manager Kenny Wong explains: "Our mission is to make Esplanade totally accessible. It may sound

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Hand Held Audio, specialists in wireless and in-ear technology, supplied a substantial radio system for The Planets performance at the Classical BRIT Awards, which took place at London's Royal Albert Hall on 23rd May. The young eight-piece band is currently taking the classical world by storm with their fusion of classical and pop music and has recently spent an impressive 12 weeks at the top of the classical charts with their first album, Classical Graffiti.

The gala evening proved to be a spectacular occasion with performances from the world's best-selling classical artist, Andrea Bocelli who was honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award, as well as from Britain's Russell Watson, recently knocked from the number one spot by The Planets. Other performers included the OperaBabes, first discovered busking in Covent Garden a year ago, who will be singing for the World Cup

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Sound Art Canada has established a new division for servicing national and international touring artists. Named ‘Sound Art Touring’, the new division builds on the cross-Canada resources of its parent company to provide custom-configured sound systems for major recording artists in North America and abroad.

Based in Toronto, the Touring Division is managed by concert sound veterans Jon Erickson and Jeff Berryman, formerly of Jason Sound. Erickson, a seasoned touring professional, brings hands-on experience in operations and skills in account and project management. Berryman, an audio and loudspeaker systems architect and computer expert, brings strategic design and planning skills. The parent company, Sound Art Canada of Winnipeg, Manitoba, is a 21 year old sound reinforcement organization with a strong track record in special events, regional touring, corporate audio, and

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Lightfactor Sales has supplied the majority of the lighting fixtures for two completely new floors and a refitted entrance area at the famous Madame Tussauds Waxworks exhibition in Amsterdam. The supply includes a wide variety of instruments - nearly 500 James Thomas MR16 ‘Birdies’ with integral dimmer - chosen for their neat, unobtrusive appearance; MAD ITM moving lights; LDR Tempo fresnels with long-life bulbs; Optikinetics GoboPro fixtures, and customised Thomas PAR 36 and 46 cans, utilizing 12.8 Volt halogen sealed beam units - to produce a tight, crisp beam. These lights are mounted on custom Internally wired bars also manufactured by James Thomas.

Lightfactor also supplied AVR colour-changing down-lighters and special connection cables, surface-mounted UV fittings, chandelier bulbs and several hundred metres of three-circuit tracking. LightProcessor Power Station II d

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During a total refurbishment of The Watermans Arts Centre in Brentford, technical director Andy Mahaffey selected the Special Projects division of A.C. Lighting Ltd, to install the architectural lighting and audio solutions.

The first stage of the project involved architectural lighting, comprising clusters of three 500W fresnels, each fitted with an amber filter; these were used to give a soft glow of light to the stage and bar area. The second stage covered the event and effects lighting system; this employs custom internally wired bars, all with switched and dimmed outlets, as well as DMX connections. A Jands Event 24/120 console was also supplied, which provides control over all functions of the system. The audio requirements were the final stage of the installation and AC were handed the brief of providing infra-red hard of hearing systems in both the theatre and cinema complexes

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Pulsar has added TMB to its existing US dealer network. With offices in Los Angeles and New York, TMB is an established supplier of lighting products to professionals in all areas of the entertainment industry. The appointment will strengthen Pulsar’s existing US distribution network, currently represented by New York based Group One.

TMB’s CEO Colin Waters comments: "LED lighting is an exciting technology with untold potential. Pulsar, with its ChromaRange, has introduced the first viable LED technology for performance lighting and made architectural LED lighting affordable. TMB is excited to join forces with Pulsar in growing this new market, bringing the artistic and economic possibilities of LED lighting to TMB’s customers."

(Ruth Rossington)

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Spider Engineering has opened a ‘Flightcase warehouse’ in the UK at its Tamworth site in the Midlands. The new look warehouse, which is open to the trade and public, has over 6,000sq.ft of space, including a new flightcase dept, a used flightcase dept and a used equipment dept. "This is an exciting project which we’ve been working on for three years," comments managing director Steve Austin. "We saw that there was a huge potential market for ‘off the shelve flightcases and have spent the last three years developing our manufacturing process to place us in the best position to supply that market." The company now carries over 700 cases in stock.

(Ruth Rossington)

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Nils Thorjussen, co-founder of Flying Pig Systems and subsequently marketing VP at High End Systems until last year, has returned to the lighting industry with a new company. Along with industry veterans Chris Varrin and Jeremy Hochman, Thorjussen has set up Bright Lighting LLC to market lighting products using Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). LEDs deliver long life, minimal maintenance and high energy efficiency, while providing extremely bright colours.

Color Stream, the first product from Bright Lighting, looks like a fluorescent tube, but changes colour, generates patterns and moves them along the tube. "It’s just like neon with pixels," says Thorjussen. The intriguing effect is created by a linear array of LEDs housed in an IP66 weatherproof tube suitable for interior and exterior applications. When multiple tubes are linked together, pre-programmed or custom effects

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A blustery afternoon set the scene for an industry five-a-side football tournament in late May hosted by Fourth Phase London. Creative Stages, DHA Lighting, Vari-Lite, White Light and the Fourth Phase team were out in full force for the five hour session.

Despite a fiercely fought semi-final between Vari-Lite and White Light, particularly as the scores drew closer, there was an atmosphere of fun and a great day out was had by all. As the final whistle sounded, the scoreboard read Fourth Phase as the winners, with Vari-Lite as runners up, followed by White Light, Creative Stages and DHA. DHA were 'compensated' with wooden spoons that have since taken pride of place on their desks. Louise Tester, UK & Eire sales manager at DHA, also received a plaque for being the only female willing to take part! Sadly, for all his pains, Nigel 'the cat' Sadler only got a pain in his back, having spen

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Rainmaker founders Jim Hepplewhite and Paul O’Brien have moved their base to Wimbledon, and will be focusing on their increasingly prolific lighting design portfolio. Hepplewhite and O’Brien are renowned for their work as creative lighting designers of a myriad of corporate and industrial presentations and events. Equipment supply for all Rainmaker’s forthcoming projects will now come from Colourhouse Technical Presentations.

Jim Hepplewhite states: "We’ve seen our business expand rapidly in recent years, and the time came where we had to decide between being equipment suppliers or a design agency. With our projects getting increasingly diverse and needing such a wide spectrum of gear, we decided to make some changes." Paul O’Brien adds: "We’ve used Colourhouse for several recent projects. As part of the White Light Group, they offer t

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On 10 July, the FX Group will be popping champagne corks in celebration of its 10th anniversary as Europe¹s premier pro audio equipment company. Over the last decade, FX has grown from a pro audio equipment rental company (FX Rentals) into a Group that now includes equipment sales (FX Music Control), equipment servicing and repairs (FX Cimple Solutions); copying across all digital and analogue formats (FX Copyroom), equipment rentals in southern Europe (FX Spain) and, most recently, audio and video installations (FX Technical Services).

"Diversification has been an important factor in our success," says FX Group chairman Roger Evan. "The pro audio industry has undergone significant changes in recent years and, as a company, we have always endeavoured to stay relevant to our customer base so that we continue to provide them with the highest possible levels of service. Th

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As ESS’ London office remains focused on the Golden Jubilee celebrations and the Commonwealth Games, and the UK’s commercial summer outdoor events season, the rest of the world has other fish to fry. In the USA, ESS is servicing events far removed from Her Majesty’s festivities and the spectacle of the Commonwealth Games.

ESS’ US team has just completed a Memorial Day Concert, honouring US soldiers, at Auditorium Shores in Austin, Texas. Grammy Award winners Asleep At The Wheel and Travis Trite headlined the day, performing on an ESS Orbit 15m stage. A second ESS stage hosted five bands billed to provide a backdrop to a traditional Texan barbecue ‘cook-off competition’. In true Texan style, 30 accomplished contestants arrived with their barbecues toed onto the site by trucks and prepared their fayre over 24 hours throughout the course of the event. &

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