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Color Kinetics has announced a new fee-based service program for its customers - Applications Engineering Services. While lighting industry professionals recognize the variety of benefits and design capabilities possible with LED illumination, they may not be familiar with all of the specific installation requirements of this new technology. Color Kinetics’ Applications Engineering Services program gives them the option of having a Color Kinetics expert on site to supervise and assist with proper installation and programming of a Color Kinetics LED illumination system, ensuring a successful start-up of their project. Customers may choose from a variety of options within the Color Kinetics Applications Engineering Services program. The Initial project consultation and on-site survey provides a Color Kinetics Applications Engineer who will consult with project participants (client, a

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Stardraw and ProSoundWeb have announced the launch of 'Stardraw.net from ProSoundWeb'. Stardraw.net is a suite of technologies that allows one to design and document integrated systems through a browser using an on-line library of thousands of industry-specific symbols, and is believed to be the world's first web-based CAD system.

'Stardraw.net from ProSoundWeb' represents the introduction of a web-based application that incorporates tools and data tailored to the professional audio market. Stardraw MD David Snipp explains "Our conventional applications have established the sorts of tools that integrators find easy to use and valuable for system design and documentation. This web-based application has been customized for ProSoundWeb to provide their Stardraw.net subscribers with similar functionality within a ProSoundWeb web page."

Stardraw.net from ProSoundWeb is a web-bas

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The recently-launched Artist Elite series of microphones has quickly established itself as the first choice for some of the biggest names in the music industry. Artist Elite users include Rush, Jewel, Vanessa Carlton, Puddle of Mudd, Third Eye Blind, Def Leppard, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, and Cinderella.

Currently on tour with Rush, front-of-house (FOH) engineer Brad Madix, a long-time Audio-Technica user who has worked with Marilyn Manson, Def Leppard, Queensryche, and Bruce Hornsby, commented on Rush’s choice of Artist Elite: "We’re using AE5400s for lead singer Geddy Lee’s vocals and two AE3000s on Neil Peart’s rack and floor toms," stated Madix. "Our monitor engineer and I did a blind listening test and put the AE5400 against all the usual suspects. We turned our backs while one of the sound guys went from one mic to the other, and we both

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Audemat, Aztec Radiomedia and Digigram have announced the merger of Audemat with Aztec Radiomedia, a subsidiary of Digigram, with effect from 31 December, 2002. The merger will result in the formation of a new company within the Digigram group: Audemat-Aztec Solutions.

"This is a logical move in Digigram’s development strategy for the broadcast and public address markets," said Philippe Delacroix, Digigram managing director. "This merger will accelerate growth, especially in the broadcast sector. Audemat-Aztec Solutions will reap benefits from the commercial, technological, and financial assets of all three companies involved."

"We find ourselves today at a turning point in broadcast. With the arrival of digital technology and the development of Intranet/Internet networks, companies need to be reactive. Both Audemat and Aztec Radiomedia rose to this cha

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Introduced by Wybron in 1980, the scrolling colour changer changed the face of the entertainment lighting industry. Wybron's CXI Color Fusion uses just two colour scrolls with graduated frames of cyan, yellow, and magenta to create a colour palette more diverse than any other colour changer.

This summer, Birmingham Royal Ballet added 10 large format Wybron CXIs to its house lighting stock through Wybron's London-based dealer White Light, which had already supplied some 50 standard CXIs. Whilst the ballet company is based predominantly at Birmingham's Hippodrome, it also tours with productions to venues throughout the UK such as the Theatre Royal, Plymouth, the Sunderland Empire and The Lowry, Salford.

With unique, durable and compact packaging, the Wybron CXI starts with single-channel control to mix the most frequently used gel colours, plus built right into the system are 100 pre-s

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Star Rigging has been on an adventure to the Isle of Rhum, providing rigging and safety consultancy for ‘Escape from Experiment Island’, a new reality TV show made by the BBC for the Discovery Channel. The show featured selected contestants, in two teams, whose challenge was to traverse across a gorge. The competitor’s had to construct a waterwheel, to drive an alternator, which powered a battery, used to drive their mode of transport across the chasm from ‘assorted components’.

Star Rigging has worked with the BBC on a number of recent programmes when people were working (or acting) at height and safety was as ever, of paramount importance for the BBC for this programme. Star Rigging was contracted to carry out a full risk assessment and oversee safety procedures of the site, sending the experienced Oz Marsh on location throughout the filming, to ensure t

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DPL Production Lighting, Essex-based lighting design and rental house are in fashion this season, having just completed a succession of three different fashion shows for brand event specialists Hotcakes.

The first was in Manchester for Marks & Spencer. The 4-day in-store show took place at the flagship outlet in Manchester's Arndale Centre. Darren Parker designed, supplied and operated the lights which included Martin Mac 250 moving lights and an Avolites Pearl console. The fixtures were located on the floor and used to light the catwalk, the ceiling above it and the set behind.

For Wallis & Evans at The Business Design Centre in Islington, the design featured a larger lighting rig, supplied by DPL and designed by Seb Williams. Lighting fixtures included eight MAC 250s, four MAC 500s, 8 High End Studio Beam PCs, a bunch of generics and a radio DMX control system to circumvent some di

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Ford kicked off the launch of their new StreetKa at the Paris Motor Show with a spectacular pre-press event at Studio 217, Le Forum de La Plaine. The venue is a shed-style TV studio in the suburb of Aubervilliers.

Rigging specialists Summit Steel, working for production managers John Marriott and Bernie Kearns at production company PCI:Live, helped transform the venue into a magical environment for the press party, held for an invited audience of 400 notoriously hard-to-impress individuals! The set of the ‘Blu Oval Club’ was designed by Martin Grant, and included a central reveal of the new vehicle. Summit’s first job, a week ahead of the event, was to install 530 meters of trussing infrastructure into Studio 217’s roof to support other elements of the technical production - sound (from Delta, SD Paul Keating), lighting (by Essential, LD Gary Collins), soft good

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Following a highly successful launch at the recent PLASA show, Hand Held Audio has become the first company in the UK to invest in the new APM Series (Advanced Personal Monitoring) hardwired distributed personal monitoring system from Garwood.

The APM Series is designed to provide a simple and cost-effective solution to a familiar problem for sound engineers and production managers: how to provide distributed monitoring for a large orchestra/band setup (such as with a West End musical or a studio recording session) without the hassle and expense of either a wireless system, battery- or mains-powered headphone monitoring, or open loudspeakers. It also provides a perfect solution to providing large numbers of audio feeds at events such as press conferences.

According to Hand Held's Nick Bruce Smith, the APM Series addresses a very real issue to which they had yet to find a completely s

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With more than 50 stops scheduled in the US, followed by a European leg, Bruce Springsteen recently made his third stop at New York’s Madison Square Garden in support of his new album ‘The Rising’, the first recorded with the E Street Band since 1984. Colorado-based sound reinforcement supplier Audio Analysts has been providing concert sound support on mega tours for over three decades, and made all decisions as to what system would be used for their client of 10 years. "We have a longstanding relationship with our clients and if we say ‘this will work’ they trust us," explains Albert Leccese, VP of engineering and tour sound. "The criteria for any piece of equipment we use - be it amps, speakers, effects or consoles - is reliability, audio quality, and ease of use."

The Rising tour PA consists of three Yamaha PM1D digital mixing syste

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Flying Pig Systems' Wholehog III lighting control system got one of its debut gigs this summer in Liverpool for the Summer Pops series of concerts. BB King, Van Morrison and Jools Holland were among the many artists featured nightly for shows during the month of July. Rob Fowler, providing technical support for Flying Pig Systems, commented: "Though most of the shows were run from Hog II, significant beta testing was carried out with programmer Dave Hill (Rolling Stones, Millennium Dome) during rehearsals and the console was used on one of the shows toward the end of the run - the Last Night of the Pops."

(Lee Baldock)

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Live events have become more and more important as marketing ‘tools’ in recent years and The Showman’s Show 2002, with its unique outdoor setting, will showcase the best new entertainment and production companies for event professionals organizing these events.

For any marketing manager wishing to include events in their plans, the Showman’s Show is a good place to source specialist event suppliers, whether for a product launch, road show or music event.

Star’s of the recent Zurich Financial's TV commercial - the flying pigs - will be putting in a ‘celebrity appearance’ at the show, courtesy of Judy Hancox at the Butts Farm, in Cirencester, highlighting the creative possibilities marketers can achieve through understanding the potential of the events world. Other ‘entertaining’ companies exhibiting at the show include fairground r

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Messe Frankfurt and Intex Shanghai have announced their collaboration of a new international exhibition in China for the professional audio and entertainment lighting industry. ProLight+Sound Shanghai will make its debut at the Intex exhibition centre and the Shanghaimart in 15-18 October, 2003. The show will be positioned as a professional marketing platform for manufacturers of audio, lighting, staging, laser and effects technology, and will feature live performances and special events, including a DJ competition.

Messe Frankfurt adds ProLight+Sound Shanghai to a portfolio of two existing trade fairs for the pro-audio and lighting sector, including ProLight+Sound in Frankfurt, Germany, and Musikmesse/ProLight+Sound in St Petersburg, Russia. ProLight+Sound Shanghai will be held in conjunction with Music China, a new international exhibition for musical instruments, which debuts this

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The Institute of Sound & Communications Engineers is running a special seminar on ‘The Ins & Outs of Audio’ this coming Friday (October 11) at the Watford Moat House Hotel. The session will be led by Terry Billau FInstSCE, who will discuss how to connect equipment together so that it doesn't hum, buzz, squeal or receive Radio 1. Within this, he will cover balanced and unbalanced inputs and outputs; Impedance ‘matching’; ground (earth) loops; the ‘Pin 1’ problem; transformers; phantom power and cables and connectors.

The session will be of interest to anyone involved in sound system design and installation. The cost is £20 + VAT for Members of the ISCE and £30 + VAT for non-Members and registration will take place at 1.30pm. The Seminar is part of Institute Day 2002, which includes the AGM and Annual Dinner.

For further information call Cathy Mack

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Screenco provided three big screen displays for last month’s tense Ryder Cup competition at the Belfry in Warwickshire, continuing a long tradition with both the major sporting event and the production company, Viewpress. Such was the cheering from the huge partisan crowd out on the course that Screenco often had to use their 50sq.m screen on the 18th fairway to switch away from the live action to the Ryder Cup logo - in order to ensure minimal distraction for the players on the 1st and 10th tees.

The contest has come along way since 1985 - one of the first Ryder Cups that Screenco supported, which was also held at The Belfry. This year Screenco supplied three 25mm displays - the 50sq.m screen and two 32sq.m rigs - all configured in 4:3 aspect ratio. The two smaller displays were sited on the practice green and in the tented village, forming part of the corporate hospitality area

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A Compulite SparkTop lighting desk was stolen from the Guild Hall in London on Monday 16 September. The desk was in a burgundy carry-case and carries the serial no: 029575. If anyone has been offered this desk for sale or knows of its whereabouts, please contact Paul on 020 8236 1303.

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Vari-Lite Inc has entered into a partnership with LDDE Vertriebs GmbH, granting the Vienna-based dealer rights to the sale of Vari*Lite products in Austria. Through the distribution agreement, Austrian customers will have direct local access to first-class sales, service and support of Vari*Lite products, including the recently-introduced Series 3000 product line, which includes the 1200W VL3000 Spot and VL3000 Wash luminaires. Through LDDE, customers can also purchase the highly popular Series 2000 products and the award-winning VL1000 ellipsoidal reflector spotlight.

"The Austrian market is established and holds good potential for Vari-Lite," said Vari-Lite vice-president of sales and marketing, Bob Schacherl: "We are excited about the opportunities that the partnership with LDDE presents. LDDE is well-respected within the Austrian lighting industry for its quality and

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Following Unusual’s significant infrastructure programme in Central London for The Golden Jubilee celebrations in June, they were contacted by The Countryside Alliance, who had specific infrastructure requirements for what was initially described as a ‘large march’. In the end, over four hundred thousand protestors took part in the Liberty and Livelihood march.

The main requirement of Unusual was to provide a focal point to the march in the absence of a rally at the end. Due to the number of people involved, it was essential that the focal point addressed the need for efficient dispersal at the end of the march. Unusual designed a 28m wide double arch structure to span the width of Whitehall. Two of these units were positioned directly north and south of The Cenotaph. Between the two structures, the marchers were counted and a digital messaging board on the southern a

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This week sees the launch of AVR-USA, a joint venture between Marcel Fairbairn’s recently established Gear Source (see earlier news) and AVR Colourmaster UK - the company launched by Steve Watts. The venture will be marketed as AVR-USA and the company will promote the AVR Colourmaster brand throughout North and South America. AVR-USA will be displaying their product line at LDI 2002 in Las Vegas at the end of next week, as well as other lighting, retail and architectural shows in the coming months.

AVR has enjoyed much success across Europe and the Asian Pacific region since its launch three years ago. The products have been embraced by architects, interior and lighting designers alike. Based on the philosophy of making architectural colour changing an economically viable option, AVR has used its 10 years’ experience manufacturing in the UK to create a complete range of col

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Key members of the former management team of the Lighting Technology Group have taken the Northern division of the company forward to launch a new, specialized national entertainment lighting company - Flashlight. Flashlight is the re-birth of the Northern team of the Lighting Technology Group, the leading lighting supplier, which went into administration earlier this year following a well documented difficult financial year.

Rob Williamson, Andy Dodd and Fred King from the original Lighting Technology Group Northern team have 70 years’ combined expertise in the entertainment lighting industry. Together, they have been servicing the BBC and other major independent TV companies, as well as rental houses for a number of years. They also have vast experience in the theatre and specialist lamp industries. Specializing in the film, TV and theatre lighting industries, Flashlight will o

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Audio Export GmbH in Heilbronn has reached a mutual agreement with the representatives of SCV International to acquire 100% of the shares of EML. The Belgian distribution company belonged to the French SCV International. Group.

Audio Export, with its subsidiary Audio Pro, is one of the largest pro audio distributors in Germany, handling leading brands such as JBL, Crown, Soundcraft, Lexicon, BSS Audio and Genelec. Willy Günther, president of Audio Export, states: "Acquiring EML is of major strategic importance for our Group, there is great synergy to be found in the product portfolios and the expansion is in line with our plans for the Benelux market. The goal is to combine Audio Export’s strong financial, logistics and marketing backbone with EML’s leading market position, which is based on excellent customer support and a powerful sales front end."

Richard Ga

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Avesco plc has announced that Creative Technology, a leading company worldwide providing audio-visual services, is establishing a new operation in Germany. CT is now based in London, NEC Birmingham, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Stuttgart.

Creative Technology Germany, will be located near Stuttgart and plans to be operational from mid-November 2002. The new company will be headed by Georg Roessler who gained his over 12 years of experience in the audio-visual industry at ict AG, latterly as Director of the Board.

CT Germany will specialize in project-oriented solutions for its customers. As a full service provider, CT Germany will be supplying a full range of audio-visual services used in events, trade shows and fixed installations. Georg Roessler and his qualified staff have years of experience in these activities. "I have known Georg for 12 years and, when we heard h

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The ARRI Group have announced their relocation to a new, state-of-the-art waterside HQ, next to the Grand Union Canal in Uxbridge, Middlesex. The Group is made up of ARRI (GB), responsible for the sales and service of cameras and lighting products, while ARRI Media and ARRI Lighting Rental both service productions with the rental of camera, grip and lighting equipment.

The long-awaited relocation and purchase of the property has been necessitated by steady and consistent growth over the last 19 years, and can be seen as an endorsement of the group’s confidence in the UK film and television industry. The philosophy behind the new building’s design is to offer filmmakers and technicians the ultimate facilities for preparing, testing and planning their projects.

The new four-acre Highbridge HQ site will consist of three buildings totalling 75,000sq.ft, containing warehousin

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Hundreds of thousands of Catholic worshipers from over 150 countries gathered in July for the 17th World Youth Day celebrations. Organized by the Catholic Church, World Youth Day began in the mid-1980s when Pope John Paul II invited youth from around the world to gather in prayer for peace and reconciliation.

Christie Lites of Canada supplied an abundance of MACs for the two-week celebration, including a huge Papal Mass held at Downsview Lands on July 28th. The Papal Mass attracted a crowd of some 800,000 and was broadcast live to a worldwide television audience of millions. Over 300 Martin fixtures were used on the main stage where the Papal Mass was held, all supplied through Martin Professional's Canadian distributor Erikson Pro/Martin Canada.

The lighting designer for the event was Kelly Jones, a long-time user of Martin lighting. "The lighting was designed to not overwhelm,

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