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Sound Dynamics, the specialist sound installation company based in Belper, Derbyshire, is celebrating its 15th anniversary - thanks in part to the UK's obsession with health and fitness. Steve Porter and Gerry Cornell founded the company in 1987, just as the aerobics boom was getting underway. By carefully tailoring equipment packages to the specific needs of gyms, exercise studios and sports centres, Sound Dynamics rapidly gained a national reputation. The company sells stand-alone systems and self-install wall-mounting kits as well as commissioning full installations; Sound Dynamics has also ventured into manufacturing, producing proprietary ‘user-friendly’ amplifers which have the minimum of fascia controls.

Today, the company’s customer database holds more than 10,000 names, and the list of recent projects stretches from the Falkland Islands to the Maldives, with

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Nexo's new GEO Series has made its Swiss debut at the annual Fêtes de Geneve, part of an unusual mixed Alpha/Geo system designed by PA rental company Zapsono. The Fêtes de Geneve festival is staged every August, and culminates in a street parade and firework display beside Lake Geneva. More than 400,000 people came to see the fireworks this year, and sound designer Jean-Michel Ballu and his front-of-house engineer Frédéric Walder had to devise and run a system which delivered coverage across 240° and up to 500m in range.

The occasion proved an ideal test for Nexo's new GEO tangent array system. Two hangs of 10 S805s were erected, together with a stack of eight CD12 HyperCardioid sub-bass, on a pontoon which was floated out into the lake, 100-200m from the audience. Although the CD12 sub-bass units were only used for the first fireworks, the system results were impressive. To achie

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Color Kinetics Inc (CKI) has announced the completion of a $17million round of financing. In addition to a major worldwide consumer products company and a leading advanced semiconductor company, this financing round features participation from both existing and new investors, say CKI, and positions the company for growth, leadership and market competitiveness in the $40+ billion global illumination market.

The company’s flagship line of technologies, which are used today in a variety of commercial and consumer applications, leverage a patented layer of digital intelligence called Chromacore to control LEDs, generating millions of colours and a variety of lighting effects. The company says the new investment will be used to extend the company’s current business lines and leverage its wide-ranging intellectual property to develop solid-state lighting solutions for the general

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North East-based Hi-Lights Theatre Services recently saw its new Prolyte stage in action at the National Trust's Ormesby Hall over the August bank holiday weekend. With a concert featuring Suzie Quattro and headlined by Status Quo, the Prolyte ST complete roof and tower system with additional front cantilever proved a great success, especially with the rigging crew, thanks to its speed and ease of construction. The fully fitted cover also meant that rigging could continue in the heavy rain experienced before the event which thankfully cleared up for the night.

(Lee Baldock)

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Bell & Order, ARX's hardworking Singapore and Malaysian distributor advise that the Kreta Ayer People's Theatre has recently been updated with ARX power amplifiers and signal processing. One of the oldest traditional theatres in Singapore, Kreta Ayer caters for Chinese cultural events such as operas, musicals and other theatrical productions. Included in the update were ARX Sixgates, and over 10 ARX ZR550, ZR850 and ZA600 multi-channel power amplifiers. Bell & Order have also supplied Singapore Zoo with a further quantity of ZA800 8-channel power amplifiers for use with their exhibits to add to their extensive inventory of ARX products used throughout the world famous zoo, home of the legendary Singapore Night Safari.

(Lee Baldock)

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Vestax is hosting a competition to find the best turntablist in the UK. The event will take place at London club Fabric on 11 October 2002 and will feature showcase sets from The Scratch Perverts, The En4cers and The Mixologists.

Open Battle starts at 9pm and all competitors will use PDX-2000 turntables and either the PMC-05/06 or 07Pro mixer. The Open Battle (video tape entries) will feature two one-minute battle routines with the first and second-placed going on to the main competition. The main competition itself (which is invitation only, plus the two successful winners from the open heat) will consist of two rounds of two minutes each. The first will be an elimination knockout, whilst the second will decide the UK Champion and runner-up.

Entries will only be accepted as a two-minute recording on VHS tape: the closing date for these is 30 September 2002. Entries must include na

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WS Steele of Glasgow has completed the installation of a sound reinforcement system in the Chapel of St Salvator at Scotland's oldest university, St Andrews. The Chapel, founded in 1450, is one of the finest examples of Scottish Gothic architecture, and is highly valued by the Church of Scotland.

Acoustic consultant John McDonald, who drew up the design brief, explained that "the objective was to make the sound as natural as possible. The chapel as a very pleasing acoustic, so we wanted to use natural reverb to enhance the sound. The main problem was the separation of noise source from the choir and organ, so that people sitting below the gallery could hear what was happening above." For this purpose, microphones have been centred in the choir area which are automatically activated when the choir begins to sing, and this sound is relayed to the speakers under the balcony.

S

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Linkin Park has had one of the most intense touring schedules of any band in recent years, playing a record number of 324 shows in 2001. Their debut CD, Hybrid Theory, was nominated for three Grammy Awards in 2002, and the group won the Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy for the single ‘Crawling.’ While out on tour, Linkin Park uses a wide array of Audio-Technica wired and wireless microphones to help capture their unique sound.

Front-of-house engineer Brad Divens and monitor engineer Roger Pigman are two of the key people responsible for engineering Linkin Park's sound and equipment choices while on the road. Divens, who has worked with such diverse acts as Cindy Lauper, Monster Magnet and Machine Head, says he was sold on Audio-Technica mics from his first time using them. "Our monitor engineer Roger Pigman brought out a pair of AT4050s for me to try on guitar and af

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Plimsoll Publishing has launched a new website aimed at owners/managers in the UK sound equipment industry looking to make an acquisition or to sell their own company. This unique service from Plimsoll helps companies gain a better understanding of what their own company is worth and presents company names and analysis of what companies would be their best options for buying or selling.

"The idea for the website and the buying or selling service came from a great deal of interest we were receiving from companies keen to go on the acquisition trail. Yet they did not have a simple, cost effective means of assessing what companies to go after. I knew we could offer a real insight into specific companies in the industry our clients could target. Now, prior to calling in the professionals, owners can take a good look at the possibilities for themselves," says David Pattison, acqui

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The three-year old sound engineering division of Raper & Wayman Pro-Audio under Jon Raper's leadership has now grown to such an extent that it is time to fly solo. With projects under its belt as diverse as the acoustic control system at the Barbican Theatre, a complete sound reinforcement system for Norwich Cathedral, six radio stations in Sierra Leone and many other systems, the operation is to become a separate company to be known as R&W Sound Engineering.

Jon Raper will run the venture with Peter Kenny from R&W. Trading out of new premises in St Albans, they will continue to use their existing team of engineers and installation staff. Of the expansion, Raper says: "In such interesting times we have been very pleased with our success over three short years. Rodney Wayman and I feel the new company will further strengthen our focus on what we have become known for - good, reliab

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The White Light Group - and its ever-popular bar - returns to its usual position on stand F4, just inside the main door to the exhibition.

For many, the main attraction will be the welcome return of the White Light bar featuring White Light’s own beer plus a selection of other drinks and snacks. This year the bar will be theatrically lit using Anycolour colour-mixing fluorescent units from Anytronics. For those looking beyond the bar, examples of the many equipment ranges now distributed in the UK by White Light Sales will be on show. First amongst these will be examples of lanterns and followspots from the Robert Juliat range, which have found many new homes in the UK over the last 12 months. White Light Sales will also be showing smoke machines from Look Solutions and The Smoke Factory, while an on-stand computer will allow visitors to try Lx Store.com, White Light’s new

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Rolling Stones fans will get a taste of High End Systems products on the Stones’ ‘Licks’ World Tour 2002-2003, which kicks off Sept. 3 at the Fleet Center in Boston, Mass. Lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe, video designer Willie Williams and set/stage designer Mark Fisher teamed up to create the look for ‘Licks’, which will be scaled for three different sized venues from stadiums to arenas to theatres/nightclubs - all on one tour.

More than 40 shows in 27 cities are set so far for the U S and Canada, with Europe, Australia, the Far East and perhaps China for the first time in 2003. For this ambitious project, HES fixtures specified include 40 x.Spot HO (High Output) and 24 Studio Beam automated luninaires, run off the Flying Pig Systems Wholehog II console. VLPS is the general lighting contractor, while LSD/Fourth Phase is providing the HES and FPS gear.

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L&SI was out and about in July and called in at the newly established UK offices of Coemar, based in Ashford, Kent. The new 6,000sq.ft office, warehouse and demonstration facility will incorporate a full inventory of stock and spares - as well as featuring the new product range from Coemar, which has been launched over the last 10 months. Pictured above is Coemar UK MD Ian Kirby (second left) with (from left to right) operations manager Julie Kirby, technical manager Chris Hale and Stacey Smith, office sales. Since our visit, it has been announced that Coemar UK will handle distribution of the Antari range of products in the UK (see separate news piece on page 14). Coemar UK can be contacted at Unit 4, KPC Business Centre, Canterbury Road, Ashford, Kent, TN24 0BP, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1233 636688.

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As part of its re-branding exercise, today UK distributor HW International, launched it's revamped website www.hwinternational.co.uk. The website boasts many new features including, the new online 2002/03 HW Product Catalogue, with the facility to browse through extensive product ranges from Shure, QSC Audio, Phonic and PreSonus. Another development is a Press Room, where you can keep up to date with any news relating to HW and the products it represents. Plus from the new Image Library, high-resolution images can be downloaded.

Regular competitions will also be a feature of the site; the first is to win a new Phonic MX202 DJ mixer. Another refreshed facility is the searchable Stockist List, where visitors can locate stockists in the UK and Ireland. HW has also updated its range of merchandising which now represents each distributed brand. All merchandising can be ordered securely onli

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As Vari-Lite Inc continues to expand its network of sales distributors worldwide, the automated lighting pioneer has entered into a partnership with TSP, granting the Moscow-based dealer exclusive rights to the sale of Vari*Lite products in Russia. Through the distribution agreement, Russian customers will, for the first time, have direct local access to first-class sales, service and support of Vari*Lite products, including the Series 2000M product line and the new VL1000 ellipsoidal reflector spotlight.

"The Russian market is very important. It is a sophisticated market and we are excited about it's potential," said Vari-Lite vice-president of sales and marketing, Bob Schacherl. "It is vital that we have well-known and financially sound partners to work with, which is where TSP comes in. TSP is deeply involved with both the theatre and rental markets, so they are an ex

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PLASA 2002 will be a much more comfortable show this year, thanks to a new R'n'R area in the Gallery, where visitors can have a 10 minutes massage to relieve those aching shoulders and tired feet!

The initiative is part of a fund-raising exercise by Light Relief: thanks to sponsor companies DHA Lighting, ETC, Forester Health, Harmer PR, Martin Professional, PLASA, Stage Electrics, Strand Light, Vari-Lite Europe and WWG, four trained masseurs will literally be dispensing light relief throughout the show. Each massage will cost £5 - but additional donations will be more than welcome! All the money raised goes straight to Light Relief, the industry charity that supports lighting designers with personal difficulties.

The Light Relief area can be found near the New Technology Gallery on the Top Deck.

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FX Rentals recently supplied a selection of recording equipment to sound recordist, Angus McPake, for use on a short graduation film that has already won an audience award and has been entered for a new talent BAFTA. Entitled Dead, the film was produced by Jamie Goldblatt and directed by Mark Henrichsen, both graduates from the Edinburgh College of Art. It tells the story of a mild-mannered businessman who returns home from work one evening to discover that he has been murdered. He soon realises that being dead is no laughing matter, especially as his family seem more inconvenienced than upset by his untimely demise."Graduation films have a reputation for being extremely original in their creative approach, thus gaining much recognition at home and abroad," Goldblatt says. "Our aim was to make a film that was both creatively and technically excellent, which is why w

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BSR E1.4, Entertainment Technology - Manual Rigging Systems, is available for public review through the end of the business day on 19 November 2002. This draft American National Standard describes the design and construction of manually powered rigging systems to enhance the safety of these system. These systems are used in theatres to raise and lower scenery, properties, lighting equipment, and similar loads over the stage. The standard does not apply to raising and lowering people, or to motorized systems.

Copies of the document may be obtained from the ESTA website at www.esta.org/tsp/ or by requesting a copy from ESTA's technical standards manager by writing via mail, fax, or e-mail. Comments on the document should be received at the ESTA office before 17:00 Eastern Time on November 19. Comments submitted after the deadline may not b

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So here’s the thing. I’m no expert in this theatre lark - is anyone? - but it seems to me that if your message is that the music business has gone bad, producing fake stars who do dull dance routines synchronized to synthesized backgrounds just to extract the maximum amount of cash from the fans . . . then the best medium for presenting that message is perhaps not a musical which heads dangerously close to that style, and for which you charge in the order of £40 per ticket.

But hey, a couple of thousand screaming Queen fans a night (after a slow start, ticket sales picked up following the cast’s promotional efforts at the real Queen’s Jubilee celebrations) suggest that the producers of We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre (the Queen back catalogue in the style of Stars in their Eyes, with Nigel Planer reviving his own old Young Ones role as an ageing hippy)

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Optocore, the digital optical multicore system, was recently used by TMC for a Royal Appointment at Harewood House in West Yorkshire, when Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh visited the Stately Home during the recent Golden Jubilee tour around the UK. The Optocore LX4 system which consists of a stage box with 48 inputs and two active splits one for monitor purposes and one for broadcast feeds, together with two AES /EBU inputs, RS232, 422, 485 and DMX plus one video was the only solution to TMC needs for this important job.

TMC's Roland Higham says: "We had a major problem with transfer of audio from the performing areas to the FOH control area, the main one being that we could not lay cable across the main road in front of Harewood, due to the amount of traffic involved in this event, plus the distances involved would have put 'copper' alternatives

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Martin Professional A/S has consolidated its Scandinavian distributors to form a new joint venture, Martin Scandinavia, with responsibility for the Danish, Norwegian and Swedish markets. The new company will maintain offices in Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm with the express goal of strengthening its position in the market for entertainment lighting.

Martin Scandinavia is an expansion of Martin’s home country subsidiary, Martin Danmark, and is expected to be fully operational from January 1, 2003. Brian Friborg, long-time managing director of Martin Danmark, will head the new venture, which will handle all three Martin brands: Martin, Mach and Jem.

Management, sales and administration will operate from a headquarters located in Copenhagen with warehousing, distribution and service functions based in Lystrup, Denmark. Martin’s Norwegian distributor, EHS, holds a small shar

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One of the most talked-about live music mixing consoles of recent months - the DiGiCo D5 Live - was launched at PLASA yesterday, with and Dave Webster and Bob Doyle making a special presentation to members of the press over an enjoyable Sunday roast. On stand D28, the D5 Live system is on demonstration in a fully working set-up with a digital multitrack concert recording sync’d to video.

Designed from the ground up to deliver high sonic purity and powerful, instantly accessible controllability, the D5 Live comprises the D5 Live console itself, a front-of-house Digirack containing A/D converters and I/Os, a matching stage Digirack and 100m of fibre optic cable. This is a complete, self contained system that does away with the need for a multicore, splitters, line drivers, dynamics processors and - optionally - an entire effects rack too. The D5 Live can even record live to multitr

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The 2002 PLASA Show got off to a positive start yesterday as the industry congregated in Earls Court, London. With another bumper crop of new product innovations on show the PLASA Show is providing an unmissable opportunity to see and discuss the state of the art in entertainment, communications and presentation technology. Comment from exhibitors was upbeat - one first-time exhibitor told PLASA Media he had been overwhelmed by the attention his company had received on stand, and wished he had more staff to deal with enquiries.

O Sunday night, PLASA’s 25th anniversary party took place to round off a highly successful day on the show floor. The event - staged at The Bridge - was attended by over 500 exhibitors and visitors who participated in numerous side shows at the Party including a bucking bronco, sumo wrestling, boules and the highlight, a full-on seventies disco.

On the

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Mobil Tech UK is to take on the manufacture and distribution of selected items from the Mobil Tech France range, which will include the ALP, Standtech and Alutech lines, and will also see the reinstatement of some of the company’s most popular stands from previous years. The move comes after Mobil Tech France had experienced some problems with its manufacturing capability. It is also envisaged that Mobil Tech UK will change its name to Mobil Tech International to reflect this change in emphasis.

Mobil Tech can be seen on stand D28.

  1. Martin Audio & Synco Network announce W8L deal
  2. Chameleon-Expotus alliance nets three Asian distributors
  3. DJ Sunday unearths new talent at PLASA 2002
  4. New Trade Association Launched for Australia
  5. Stagetec at BBC Northern Ireland
  6. InnovaSon unveils new console with SSE at PLASA
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