Business

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Telford-base sound equipment hire company Soundsense has embarked on a major investment programme and has doubled its hire stocks in the past two months, and plans to double stocks again the next two months.

At the same time, the company has moved to improve the service it offers customers by extending the hire department's opening hours to 24 hours a day. Soundsense's Derek Tallent said: "After a sluggish start to the year, the past few months have seen our hire business grow at a rapid speed, and our advance bookings for August and September are the strongest we have ever seen. As fast as we can get equipment from suppliers, it's been out on hire to customers - we'll be glad to get some of the equipment back so that we can get it flightcased."

Recent purchases have included APT, CDQ Prima and Telos ISDN codecs, 360 Systems Short Cut Editors and Sadie digital audio worksta

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The A.C. Lighting North Tradeshow 2002, held at the Royal Armouries museum in Leeds on 23-24 July, was deemed a great success by both sponsors and visitors alike, with more than 400 people attending over the two days of the show.

Being the first opportunity for the A.C Audio division and its suppliers to meet the industry face to face, the tradeshow was also something of a milestone in the history of the company. As most UK entertainment technology shows are held in London or the south of England, the A.C Lighting tradeshow provided a rare opportunity for professionals in the North of England to see the latest technology from specialist lighting and audio manufacturers represented by A.C Lighting. Specialists from each participating manufacturer were on hand to give technical advice on products and applications, and a large number of the visitors took advantage of the hands-on demonstr

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Earl’s Court Ltd was yesterday fined £70,000 for health and safety failings discovered after the death of a lighting technician at Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre in December 1999 (see L&SI January 2000).

The company appeared before a Judge at Blackfriars Crown Court yesterday morning to plead guilty to two offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. In addition to the record breaking fine, Earl’s Court Ltd was also ordered to pay £70,000 to the Royal Borough in respect of its legal costs.

26-year-old Kevin O’Bryan fell 60 feet from the roof of the Exhibition Centre as he attempted to de-rig lighting equipment following a pop concert at the Centre. O’Bryan, who was employed as a lighting technician, had gained access without authorization to the highly dangerous roof void area that was under the control of Earl’s Court Ltd staff. He was

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From the 9th to the 12th July, Vsevoloszhask, a suburb of St Petersburg, was the focal point of the political economy of Russia, this being the scene of the opening by US automobile giant Ford of its first production facility on Russian soil - a historic event of global political significance - celebrated with a three-day gala including live music and other performance events.

The three-day gala attracted a multitude of major figures from the worlds of business and politics including the US ambassador, Alexander Vershbow, the Minister for Trade and Economic Affairs, Herman Gref, the Governor of the Region of Leningrad, Valery Serduvkov, and a delegation from Ford led by the President of Ford Russia, Henrick Nensen.

The magnitude of interest in this economic milestone is also indicated by the fact that, in addition to the 1,500 invited guests, it attracted 150 media representatives to

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The World of ResidenSea, the first resort community at sea continuously circumnavigating the globe, set sail on its maiden voyage from Oslo in March - equipped with a huge inventory of TOA PA/VA components, supplied by Norwegian-based distributors, Scandec Systemer AS. The luxury 43,500-ton craft comprises 88 guest suites available for the high-end vacation market and 110 luxury apartments (costing $2 million each), many of which are available for rental. It even includes a sea-faring golf course.

FMV sub-contracted the electrical installation work to the Norwegian firm Elpro, who in turn contacted Scandec Systemer to help with the onboard PA/VA, video and show lighting systems. Working side-by-side with the Elpro consultant responsible for the job, Jan Arve Monsen, was Scandec project manager Håkon Bjartveit.

For the public address/voice alarm requirements, the designers dipped dee

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Skan PA Hire, the Reading based rental company, has provided a system for one of the summer's most prestigious charity events, the Cantor Fitzgerald Silverstone Ball 2002. Held at the palatial Stowe School and headlined by the Stereophonics, the Silverstone Ball kicked off the 2002 British Grand Prix weekend, with all proceeds from a charity auction going to CLIC (Cancer and Leukaemia in Childhood) and the Princess Royal Trust for Carers.

The sit-down dinner was attended by 1,500 guests who were entertained by a host of performers on the main stage as well as the London Community Gospel Choir which played on a separate stage. Skan provided two Midas Heritage desks for the main stage to facilitate changeover between bands, and sound reinforcement was delivered by a Turbosound Floodlight system. Other main stage performers, including racing driver Eddie Jordan's band V10 who entertained

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From its humble beginnings in 1947, Crown International has grown to become one of the world’s largest and most respected manufacturers of power amplifiers, systems control products and microphones for professional audio markets.

Crown’s history traces back to an Elkhart, Indiana minister named Clarence C. Moore (1904-1979). A longtime radio enthusiast, he founded International Radio and Electronics Corporation (IREC) in 1947 and converted a former chicken coop into the budding manufacturer’s first production facility. The company’s early reputation was built on a family of open-reel tape recorders designed to operate reliably when used by missionaries in remote, often-primitive regions of the world. After modifying and distributing several existing models (Magnecord, Recordio, Pentron and Crestwood) for the first couple of years, Moore obtained a patent in 194

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Sense-Sonic Limited, the Cheshire-based dveeloper of a unique assisted listening device (ALD) called the Conversor, which dramatically improves and focuses sound, has acquired Leaf Technologies Limited, a leading UK electronics manufacturing services company, from its administrators for £1.09 million in cash.

Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, Leaf Technologies produces a wide range of products for the telecommunications, business equipment, health care, security, consumer electronics and audio sectors. During the last year, Leaf has endured the general market downturn, especially in the telecoms sector and as a result of these difficult market conditions, the company went into administration in June 2002.

Leaf Technologies manufactures Sense-Sonic’s core product, the Conversor, which is a unique assisted listening device (ALD) sold throughout

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Back for the fourth year running - Music Live returns to the NEC Birmingham (8-10 November 2002 - Hall 12). Music Live 2002 has expanded and encompasses many new features this year to bring you a brand new show and the largest music-making event in the UK. All major brands will be represented together with some fine vintage and hand-built instruments, with many of the exhibitors displaying product to be seen for the first time at the UK. The show will also include three days of workshops, pro clinics and specialist seminars.

If your’e looking to buy something new, Music Live 2002 has all the latest equipment at special show prices with retail support from Academy of Sound and Sound Control. Many of the exhibiting companies have donated generously, offering thousands of pounds worth of prizes in various competitions leading up to the Music Live show. Keep a keen eye on the Music L

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When testing a newly-installed sound system, most people’s first choice of bands probably wouldn’t be ear-splitting heavy metal act Slayer. But this was the case recently for a new Mach SlingShot system at one of southern California’s premiere live venues, The Grove of Anaheim, a 2,000+ capacity multi-use venue which hosts some 100 acts a year, including some of the industry’s top bands such as INXS, Simple Minds, The Doobie Brothers and more.

Slayer played two sold-out shows on 1-2 May and easy sounding they are not. As Slayer proclaimed that God Hates Us All in support of their latest CD, all ears were tuned to the Mach SlingShot system.

The system is comprised of eight Mach MS1262 SlingShot top-boxes and four MS15X2 SlingShot fly-bass units with additional power coming from 12 Ballister subwoofers. Six Mach M12T full-range speakers are used for front

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The Serpentine Gallery’s Summer Party in London on 9 July 2002 is one of the most popular and chic celebrity parties of the season and Fisher Productions is supporting the highly-acclaimed event which helps raise the £1.7million needed each year to run the Gallery.

Tim Jefferies (chair), Patrick Cox, Tracey Emin, Zaha Hadid, Liz Hurley, Jade Jagger, Sir Elton John, Elle Macpherson, Chris Ofili, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ian Schrager, Mario Testino and Philip Treacy are just some members of the Summer Party Committee which has been working so hard to ensure the event will be a resounding success. With such a high-profile team in charge, many more glamorous celebrities will be in attendance, keen to lend their support to such a worthwhile cause.

The party will take place in the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2002, lit by Fisher Productions Ltd. This amazing structure has been specially comm

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As a Technical Partner for the 36th Montreux Jazz Festival, D.A.S. Audio provided a variety of sound reinforcement systems for the event held in Montreux, Switzerland from 5-20 July. One of Europe’s most consolidated festivals, MJF presented an impressive line-up of international artists including Chris Rea, Jamiroquai, UB40, David Bowie and Joe Cocker.

In conjunction with D.A.S.’s Swiss distributor Animatec, a large selection of powered sound reinforcement products were supplied, including the new Compact 2 System which debuted at the 2002 ProLight+Sound exhibition in Frankfurt. The Compact 2 Systems were used by Swiss radio ‘Colour 3’ which hosted DJs performing live and converting the area adjacent to the Miles Davis Hall into a virtual dance club.

The Montreux Jazz ‘Off’, at the Parque de la Rouvenaz outdoor stage, featured four ST-1800 Sound T

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L&SI is launching the first in what it intends to be a series of networking events for the industry. Since its opening in the West End earlier this year, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has been widely praised by critics and audiences alike. Directed by Adrian Noble, with lighting by Mark Henderson, sound by Andrew Bruce and sets by Anthony Ward, much of the credit for its success lies in the work of the technical and creative teams who have used state-of-the-art techniques to bring this amazing stage production to life.

L&SI has arranged an exclusive backstage tour of the Palladium Theatre where you can meet with those who worked on the production and see first-hand how some of the more complex effects in the Show have been achieved. Following the tour, you'll have a chance to network with industry colleagues at an L&SI-hosted reception where you can talk further with members of the creative

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JR Clancy Inc has become the only US designer, manufacturer and installer of theatrical rigging equipment to have its quality management system certified to the rigorous ISO 9001:2000 standards. ISO 9001 is an internationally-recognized set of quality management requirements with an emphasis on customer satisfaction, and the certification is a result of an 18-month effort across the company in which every JR Clancy employee participated in the review and upgrade of existing processes.

ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, has established demanding quality assurance models against which businesses can be audited. These standards are widely respected as a goal for companies with a desire for continual improvement - not just in products, but in all aspects of operation. Each department at Clancy - accounting, sales, project management, engineering, shipping, receiving,

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Union Connector, the connector and power distro equipment manufacturer, has moved to a new facility in Suffolk County, NY, approximately 15 miles from its prior location in Roosevelt, NY. Union had been located in Roosevelt for the past 40 years. The move is part of Union's long-range strategic plan to increase its ability to perform contract manufacturing for some of the industry's largest manufacturers, touring and rental companies.

The building is in an industrial park located within the Route 110 industrial corridor and near a general aviation business airport. The new, larger facility provides Union with room for expansion of its manufacturing capabilities. "The increased size of the facility has allowed us to install a new powder coating operation, along with expanding our existing CNC sheet metal and machining operations", said Ray Wolpert, VP of operations. "We'l

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Manchester-based Cornish four-piece Haven have been out playing live consistently over the last several months with a complete line up of Sennheiser evolution microphones and wireless in-ear-monitor systems. Sennheiser UK evolution endorsees, the band have been on the road following the release of their debut album Between the Senses, featuring tracks produced by the legendary Johnny Marr. As well as headlining club dates and appearing at festivals the band has appeared on a number of high profile support slots, including New Order, Badly Drawn Boy and Johnny Marr’s new line up, The Healers.

The evolution kit was spec’d for the band’s live set by front of house engineer, Ian ‘Hippo’ Williams. The opportunity offered by the endorsement agreement has provided a high level of support for both band and engineer on the road. Williams has used evolution o

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Following a series of visits to China by managing director David Hopkins OBE, PLASA Member ADSworldwide recently hosted a delegation of top executives from Beijing's major department stores. The Chinese not only got a chance to see the latest loudspeakers designed and manufactured by ADSworldwide, but also found time to spend several days in Stockport and Manchester, looking at the shops and visiting both Manchester United and the Lowry Centre.

Currently a joint venture agreement between ADSworldwide and FBBC of China has seen the Stockport company's name feature prominently in more than 200 shopping outlets throughout China - this will increase to 500 over the next three years. The company’s second visit to China in June 2002 saw them addressing an invited audience of sound consultants and academics from throughout China. The press conference that preceded the main event saw 80

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Wybron and Fourth Phase teamed up with the Spoleto Production Department to provide lighting for the Morris Island Lighthouse during Spoleto Festival USA, an international arts festival held annually in Charleston, South Carolina. The lighting of the abandoned lighthouse was the brainchild of artist Kim Sooja for her installation entitled ‘A Lighthouse Woman’ and was brought to life by a production team led by Kevin Fisher and lighting designer Steve Shelley.

One of six installations for Spoleto’s The Memory of Water visual arts exhibition, A Lighthouse Woman was realized in cooperation with members of Save The Light, Inc, a non-profit organization whose mission is to save and preserve the Morris Island Lighthouse, built in 1876. Using a mixture of light, colour and ingenuity, the lighthouse was transformed into a memorial commemorating the enduring relationship of li

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The old Thalia Theater in Rotterdam used to be a cinema in a former life but was abandoned some time ago. Now, after several months of renovation, Rotterdam has a brand new dance club - The Thalia Lounge. This is not only a pure dance club but it can also be rented for corporate and live events. For this reason, the sound system needs to be very flexible, as it has to deliver a great performance for disco nights as well as for live events and speech reinforcement. Club owner Bart Den Ouden therefore decided to contact the Dutch HK Audio product manager Johan Meerman of Wils Muziekimport in Roosendaal. Den Ouden says: "I met Johan during an HK Audio demo in another disco here in Holland and from what I heard there I was really convinced about the quality of HK Audio, so I asked him to plan the PA system for the Thalia Lounge. The system itself was installed by Toon Dekkers of HK Audi

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When Legoland Deutschland opened its doors to the public on 17 May this year, it was almost a year ahead of schedule. The park was completed more than nine months early, thanks to the efficiency and professionalism of the people and companies involved in the project! Located near Günzburg in Southern Germany, Legoland Deutschland is made up of seven individually-themed areas, including Miniland, which features miniature replicas of original buildings from all over the world. The park includes more than 40 rides and attractions, including three theatres.

The lighting design of the park was carried out by Gallegos Lighting Design in California, which has previously worked with Legoland, designing the lighting system for its park in Carlsbad, California. Karl Haas, Gallegos Lighting Design's senior associate, created the park's lighting control systems, working with ETC's western regiona

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From 4-9 July 2002, Berlin’s Gendarmenmarkt was the setting for the eleventh Classic Open Air gala. This event in Berlin has established itself as a fixture in the calendars of classical music lovers both inside and outside Germany. For some years now, the sound reinforcement has been provided by the team at TSE AG of Berlin, whose tools this year once again bore the names Electro-Voice, Klark Teknik and Midas (see list below).

Martin Kaiser, the FOH engineer at TSE AG, has his own formula for this exceptionally demanding sound reinforcement application: "despite the size and complexity of the sound system that is in fact being used, the audience should still be left with the impression that the sound is coming not from the loudspeakers but from the orchestra."

TSE AG utilized a total of 12 EV X-Line Xvlt 3-way, eight EV X-Line XsubF sub-bass, four EV Xi 2123/106 F a

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PCM has broken new ground on the training front again, running the world’s first ever Advanced Lodestar Motor School. As with all PCM product-based training, the school was completely free - and the 12 places were fully booked early on. The Advanced Motor School is designed as a Level 2 extension to PCM’s renowned CM Motor School, which has been running for nine years, and has trained over 1,400 people. The Advanced course was designed to cater for those working day-to-day with Lodestar motors. However, about half the attendees had never opened a Lodestar since they attended the standard Motor School.

The first thing the 12 attendees saw when they walked into PCM’s special training room, was Lodestars stripped down on the benches, waiting to be reassembled. The students worked on two-tonne motors for their two-day course. The conversion of these motors into higher spe

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Messe Frankfurt and Intex Shanghai have announced their collaboration on a new international event in China for the professional audio and entertainment lighting industry - ProLight+Sound Shanghai. The show will make its debut at the Intex exhibition centre and the Shanghaimart from 15-18 October 2003 and will be positioned as a professional marketing platform for manufacturers of sound production, broadcasting and recording equipment, lighting, laser technology and special effects for the entertainment industry, stage, studio and event technology, and pro-audio and lighting-related computer hardware and software. As an entertainment venue in itself, the show will be accompanied by live performances and special events, including a DJ competition.

ProLight+Sound Shanghai is supported by several national and local cultural and trade associations as well as government bodies, including th

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Professional audio systems specialist Shermann Pro-Audio has added a new name to its growing list of customers from Welsh theatres. The Newtown-based company, which designs and manufactures audio systems, has clinched a major order from the Taliesin Theatre in Swansea. Replacing the existing sound system in the theatre, Shermann Pro-Audio is to supply 10 Shermann loudspeakers, Chameleon amplifiers, brackets and a BSS digital speaker management system.

The contract follows on from recent sales to Theatr Clwyd in Mold, a longstanding Shermann user. The theatre has increased its stock of Shermann wedge speakers by adding four LM-301 low-profile models whilst four original Cub wedges have been refurbished to match the new units. "Being a Wales-based company, we are delighted to supply our range of products to a large percentage of the country's theatres," said Shermann Pro-Audio

  1. TMB to celebrate 20th with LA open day
  2. Polaron installs TOA’s latest intercom in new Harvey Nichols
  3. CT’s camera solution for James Bond TV trailer
  4. BBC hang with Prolyte
  5. Turbosound appoints Sennheiser for US market
  6. Fourth Phase goes back to school
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