UK - The first order for Martin Audio's new W8LM Line Array was confirmed during this month's PLASA Show - and a major order it was too. Martin Audio confirmed that they had sold a 64-enclosure Synco W8LM system to Synco Europe, for distribution among the Synco Network partners in Europe. Ampco Pro Rent in Holland will be one of the first network partners to use the new system on its theatre projects. Synco Europe also purchased all necessary flying hardware, along with 16 Synco MA2.8S amplifiers.

Fred Heuves, MD of Synco Europe, commented: "The Synco Network of PA companies will now have all three of Martin Audio's proprietary Line Array systems in their inventories - the Synco W8L, Synco W8LC and now the Synco W8LM. They not only match perfectly together, but will serve independently in their own market segments as well. With these three Synco Line Array systems, combined

UK - After three years and £540m, Birmingham's new Bullring retail development has opened. Boasting 150 shops - principally department stores and high street names, plus smaller specialist boutiques and restaurants, the development adds weight to Birmingham's claim that it is fast becoming Europe's new shopping capital. At the centre of the development is the new Selfridges store, designed by architects Future Systems, who reportedly based their designs on a chainmail dress by Paco Rabanne. The curvy new store is covered with over 15,000 spun aluminium discs. With each interior level designed by individual interior designers, the store is as striking inside as it is from the exterior.

Following on from the success of The Gate in Newcastle (see L&SI June 2003), the same creative team came together to deliver the high-tech elements: Immedia Systems looked after the installation a

UK - Lighting and AV and installation company Metropolis AV & FX is the first UK specifier and installer of the new wireless sound systems from Cardio Theatre. The first EU-approved systems have been supplied to several venues, including LA Fitness venues in Leeds, Tunbridge Wells and Purley. The Meadowside Leisure Centre in Whitley - a high profile independent facility - has also benefited from the new wireless system.

The advantages of wireless cardio vascular sound equipment are numerous. Practical considerations such as trailing wires and messy cables are eliminated, and the clarity and quality of the audio is greatly enhanced. Added to which, the systems are highly reliable and low maintenance - all key considerations for an operator.

The wireless system is also easy to install. Metropolis's sales & marketing manager Neil Solanki explains that clients wanting to upgrade t

USA - Shure Incorporated and Middle Atlantic Products have become the latest manufacturers to endorse Stardraw Weblink, the new service from Stardraw unveiled at InfoComm this year that allows linkage of Stardraw product symbols to any online data. The two companies join other industry leaders including Audio-Technica US, BSS and TOA as early adopters of this program, which enables manufacturers to exploit the power of the internet to better serve their customers.

Manufacturers enrolling in the Weblink program can embed custom data within the symbols that represent their products across the range of Stardraw design and documentation applications, including Stardraw.net, the world's first online CAD application. The custom links can point to simple web pages, or retrieve sophisticated parameter-driven information. Using Weblink, manufacturers can deliver any kind of resource to c

UK - With the summer festivals fixed in their schedule, Coldplay did not want to take any risks with the equipment they might encounter, so - they decided to take their own! XTA signal processing was in command of the extensive front of house control system, supplied by Tourtech, that accompanied Coldplay's UK and European tour, and the round of summer festivals that followed it - culminating in their double-headlining appearances at the V Festivals 2003 at Chelmsford and Weston Park, Stafford.

For the tour, four XTA GEQ600 equalizers provided system EQ for the complex main, bleacher and underhung arrays of V-Dosc and DV-Dosc PA. Six XTA DP226 units handled the PA processing for the left/right system and ground stacks, with another time-aligning the subs.

Continuing their role from the tour to the festivals, four XTA SiDDs at front of house provided dynamics processing for the

UK - London's Covent Garden was the place to be in September, when the West Piazza was taken over by everyone from buskers to Fame Academy stars. Stage Electrics was asked to provide the staging, sound, lighting and power generation for the series of events running from the 7-13 September.

Stage Electrics' production manager John Radford used the company's Arc Roof system to provide all the key elements required for an event of this type - wide viewing angles and good platform height. Since the events ran during the daytime, the lighting element was minimal, with just eight Sunfloods used to lift the general light and brighten the stage with open white. For the PA system, Radford worked with Stage Electrics' sound designer Glen Beckley to specify a multi-event system with the required wide degree of dispersion. Based around EAW KF850 cabinets, with SB1000 subs, the system was dr

USA - VTG Audio has unveiled its new application, NetCAD. Based on the Stardraw.net engine, NetCAD is a web service that allows users to design, configure and order custom connection and control panels. The application will be delivered through the websites of VTG's daughter companies Horizon Music and Rapco, two of the largest suppliers of cables, connectors, custom panels and metalwork in the US, with outlets in the UK and Europe.

Tthe new service is delivered by a web server and works from within a browser so there is nothing to download or install in the conventional sense. It comprises a drag-and-drop interface linked to a complete library of all of Rapco's and Horizon Music's panel products so the user simply selects the panel he or she wants, drags on the connectors that are needed, and sets engraving, finishes, artwork and so on. The resultant design is linked in real ti

Algeria - Dynacord's Cobra - one of the world's first compact line-array system is making its mark on the pro audio world, according to the manufacturer. Already the winner of numerous awards, the Dynacord Cobra has impressed engineers in Europe, Australia, America and Asia with its combination of unproblematic, time-saving handling and high quality sound, and this year's Raï Festival in Tabarka gave technicians in Africa, too, a chance to hear the system in action.

Perhaps the most important festival of African pop music, the Raï Festival celebrates the music of the plains and mountains of Algeria. With names like Cheb Sahraoui, Hakim Salhi, Cheb Fati and Cheb Tarik, this year's line-up featured many of the leading exponents of the genre, and the six thousand enthusiasts who made the trip from all over North Africa cannot have been disappointed either with the music or with t

UK - London-based installation specialist, Sound Division, has enjoyed a fruitful year so far with a number of prestigious installations to its name. Recent projects include Dunes nightclub in Kensington on the site of the old Po Na Na venue, which has been taken over by an independent operator and completely refurbished. Sound Division specified and installed a Crown-powered JBL sound system, a sophisticated DJ set-up and a lighting rig based on a selected range of Abstract VRX scanners, positioned over the dancefloor.

Sound Division has also put JBL sound systems into some of the capital's hottest celebrity hang-outs, in particular the Philippe Starck-designed Light Bar in St Martin's Lane hotel. A total of 16 JBL Control 25AV monitor speakers have been installed in a distributed system throughout the space. Sound Division's Elliot Patterson commented: "The client needed

Ireland - The Irish town of Naas, located just 15 miles outside of Dublin, has recently become the setting for a modern dance hall revolution with the opening of Time, a night-club with a difference. Times' commercial director and architect, Sean Condon says: "Time is as an attempt to bridge generations, a modern theatre offering high energy entertainment from ballet to high-wire dare devil performances, music from across the world, DJs, live bands and dancers!"

With such a wide a scope, Time called for a rather more complex sound system, one that could function in a variety of situations and that could be controlled at a touch of a button. For this the installation team, AVL, and Time production manager, Mike Warner, chose a complete EAW sound system.

"Sound systems for clubs are usually very easy to absorb because you're dealing with main dance floor sound so

UK - Earlier this year, lighting designer Mark Ridler suffered a devastating road accident that left him paralysed from the waist down. Light Relief, the charity set up to help lighting industry people in emergency situations, recognised Mark's situation and in addition to providing immediate assistance, set up a dedicated bank account so people could be sure that their donations would go straight to Mark and his immediate family. Although he spent over three months in hospital, Mark, who is now in a wheelchair, was determined not to miss PLASA where, on the White Light stand, lighting designer Andrew Bridge presented him with cheques for £3,000 from the charity, and £700 raised specifically for him. White Light had been one of the prime movers in Mark's cause, asking participants of its Open Day in May to contribute to the special fund.

Mark will be putting the bulk of the mo

UK - Allen & Heath has forged ahead with its customer service initiatives with the launch of a new website, which not only boasts a slick, new layout but provides even more concise information, features, news and downloads within a sophisticated graphic architecture and intuitive navigation. "We intend to keep the site as 'live' as possible and therefore, continued maintenance of news and product information, as well as lots of dynamic visual presentations of our products in action, will make the user experience a more valuable one," commented Allen & Heath's new media manager, David Haughton.

Over the coming weeks, Allen & Heath will introduce new features to the website including; 360 degree product views, video features of products in action and user areas such as Active FAQs and Product Feedback.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

UK - Macclesfield-based manufacturer Millbank Electronics (owned by Ampekko Ltd) recently supplied its distributor in Kuwait - Specialised Security Systems Co (SSSC) - with a sophisticated public address and voice alarm system, which has been installed into Kuwait's Interior Ministries Complex. As a challenging installation comprising 18 interconnected buildings and over 81 evacuation zones, SSSC, headed by managing partner Jacob Philip, was awarded the prestigious contract against much local competition.

The VA system designed and specified by SSSC centres on the new Millbank DSPac high efficiency amplifier mainframe. Pivotal to the installation's success, the DSPac enables enormous space saving potential as well as 84% Class 'D' amplifier efficiency. Offering extremely high power-density VA compliant solutions, the DSPac is a flexible 3U modular amplifier mainframe that will a

UK - Marry Me A Little is musical comprising of cuts from what have often been referred to as Stephen Sondheim's golden period. Craig Lucas and Norman Rene originally penned the show in the 1980s as a review. In August, the Gas Monkey Theatre Company brought the show to the Landor Theatre in North Clapham for a three week run. As a small theatre group, the cast and crew were preparing to perform using the theatre's existing lighting rig, but ETC's Richard Lambert stepped in to help make the show look as good as it sounds.

Lambert was originally asked to design the lighting by Ben Yates, who stars in the show. As part of ETC's outreach programme, Lambert offered a selection of ETC equipment for use on the show. The outreach programme provides equipment, technical skills and design services to performers who would not otherwise have the opportunity to enhance their work wit

UK - Light Relief, the charity established to support lighting industry people who find themselves in emergency situations, will benefit from the 'open house' that was White Light's 2003 PLASA Show stand. Without a stand of his own this year, Howard Eaton spent most of the show holding court on the White Light stand with its popular bar. Howard did manage to combine work with socialising, since the LED colour changing starcloths which formed the backdrop to the White Light stand were built by Howard Eaton Lighting Limited for drapes specialist Blackout. However, as a thank you for providing him with a base during the show, he has offered a donation to Light Relief.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

USA - This year's AES show in New York (10-13 October) will mark the 25th anniversary of EAW in the professional audio industry. Since its founding in 1978, when EAW first appeared at the 61st AES Convention, the company has introduced hundreds of successful loudspeaker products and has grown to become one of the most influential and respected manufacturers of professional audio products in the world.

For the forthcoming AES show, EAW will celebrate its silver anniversary in style both on and off the booth. The celebration begins with a special EAW trivia contest to be held on the EAW booth (#412) at 5:00pm every day of the show (10-13 October) as well as at midday on 11, 12 and 13 October. Up for grabs are seven limited-edition 25th anniversary black leather jackets.

Also on show will be live product demos of EAW's innovative new Digitally Steered Array (DSA) series and DSAPi

UK - XL Video supplied full live video production for the 'Fame City' Woolworth's Kids First Ball, staged in the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Hotel in London's Park Lane. Presented by Ruby Wax, the event featured live performances by Gareth Gates and Girls Aloud. XL was working for Productionism, headed by Attila Keskin, who created a Fame City TV environment as part of the themeing.

Equipment supplied included four NEC XT5000 projectors, beaming onto two 16ft x 9ft screens either side of the stage. Integrated into the set (designed by Attila Keskin) were 12 portrait orientation 50" plasma screens. The live four-camera system - including Super Giant Jimmy Jib - was directed by Chris Keating and recorded both TX and ISO.

Pre-recorded playback footage was stored on three Doremi hard drives, and a computer generated voting and bidding system was also integrated into the even

Singapore / Thailand - Coemar has confirmed a new strategic alliance in the Far East, which will see Showtec Communications Pte Ltd handling its distribution in Singapore and Thailand.

The platform for a large opening order was provided by the recent Singapore National Day Parade, as Showtec director of sales, Lionel Lee, explained. "We were looking for a new light to replace the Netscan 4k which Steve Neild, lighting designer of NDP 2003 (Singapore's National Day Parade 2003), had specified in his equipment list." Attracted by the combination of brightness and flexibility, the company enquired about Coemar's new Flex range, with the result that Steve Campbell, Coemar sales manager, Far East, issued an invitation to Showtec MD Henry Ang to view the lights at their source - in Italy. Instead, Steve Neild attended - and promptly gave them the green light. "He came b

UK - Wharfedale Programme 30D loudspeakers can be found at the heart of the Bostin' Local programme of pub refurbishments and developments by the award-winning Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries.

tsg, the Sheffield-based media programming and systems company has been appointed by W&DB to implement standardized audio and video systems in the majority of the pubs in the programme. Some 60 venues have been converted to the Bostin' Local format to date, with about 40 more earmarked in this W&DB financial year. The roll-out is expected to include about 200 pubs by the end of 2004 - an investment of over £20m.

Every conversion will feature a new sound system, installed by tsg, and comprising Wharfedale Programme 30D loudspeakers with a promedia hard-disk music playing system, Cloud amplification and mixer facilities, and zone control. "The only factor that alters is the number

UK / Jamaica - The phrase 'coals to Newcastle' springs to mind with the news that Wembley Loudspeaker has sold eight of their B-Line 28-20 sub-bass cabinets to a new reggae club opening in Kingston, Jamaica. The boxes are being shipped this October ready for the club's opening.

The club owners first heard Wembley's B-Line 28-20 cabinets at this year's Notting Hill Carnival in London. They subsequently came to the PLASA exhibition in London in September, where they agreed the order with Wembley Loudspeaker's managing director, Paul MacCallum.

He commented: "We have always been particularly proud of the bass response our speaker enclosures produce, which is why they're so popular as the sound systems for Notting Hill. This year we had over 120 units in different systems across the Carnival, and to get an order from Jamaica - the home of reggae and bass-oriented music - is p

UK - Soundcraft recently supported a unique showcase event at The Bedford in Balham, London, when Scorpions guitar legend Uli Jon Roth performed his new album Metamorphosis of Vivaldi's Four Seasons in the venue's Shakespearean Globe Theatre.

Appearing before an invited audience of 140 - with his 11-piece Sky Orchestra looking like they had migrated from the cast of a BBC costume drama - Roth was filmed for a forthcoming DVD to support the album. It also provided a break from the normal '@coustix' Wednesday night talent sessions run by promoter Tony Moore (of Kashmir Klub fame).

Moore, the former Cutting Crew keyboard player, has a long history with Soundcraft, who provided a 24-channel MH4 to Roth's sound engineer Martin Leissner to mix the show - which also incorporated a new Sky guitar concerto. Leissner has been working with the Scorpions legend since 2000 - but wit

UK - PLASA 2003 closed its doors after four days of lively business, as a year of planning had resulted in one of the best shows in PLASA's history. During the course of the event, numerous exhibitors not only generated leads, but also took large orders - a sure sign that the industry is beginning to turn the corner.

Feedback from exhibitors has been excellent - Steve Warren from Avolites commented: "We have generated stunning amounts of business and a number of new distributors." Chris Rolph from LED specialist Tryka said: "Its my 13th PLASA - its been phenomenal! We ran out of brochures on Monday," while Dennis Harburn from Shure Distribution UK said: "The layout has made the show more accessible, with a revitalised injection of life and new better quality visitors."

This year, the New Technology Gallery introduced the visitor to an impressive d

UK - Following our earlier news pieces on a planned move for the Avesco Group, the company has confirmed that it is relocating its Creative Technology, MCL London and Screenco businesses, together with the Avesco plc head office, to a new building in the London Gatwick area, with effect from 6 October.

The new 54,000sq.ft base will accommodate all the company's workforce and provide high-bay warehouse and two-storey office facilities. Explaining the rationale behind the move, David Nicholson, chief executive of Avesco plc, commented: "Since we merged the sales, project management and operations teams of CT, MCL London and Screenco, we have been looking for one building so that the businesses could be fully integrated. This building is larger than we require immediately but provides for future growth as market conditions start to improve."

Avesco's new address is Unit

UK - Robe UK has completed its first sale of Robe Show Lighting's new ColorSpot 1200 moving light fixture for the UK hire market, with units purchased by Norwich-based Viking Lighting. The deal was completed at PLASA, and followed a highly successful production of Jesus Christ Superstar in Cornwall, for which Viking supplied all production equipment, including a large Robe moving light rig.

The ColorSpot 1200s will go immediately into Viking's hire stock. They are also destined for the Theatre Royal Norwich's pre-panto season, which kicks off in November, for which Viking is supplying a full lighting rig, design and crew. Viking's Ian Leonard explains that the ColorSpot 1200 has been added to Viking's hire stock to complement its existing stock of Robe, and thereby give the company a 'full family' of Robe fixtures.

(Ruth Rossington)

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