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UK - Avolites has launched its D4 Desktop system, a fully functional Virtual Diamond 4 Console. D4 Desktop consists of several components running Avolites D4 software - the OS for Avo's top of the range, Diamond 4 Elite & Diamond 4 Vision consoles.

The flexible "D4 Desktop" offers several advantages as a reasonably priced backup for a full console. It provides a fully featured playback system for situations when a full console is not required and it is also ideal for offline programming, editing or adaptation of shows. The system can be composed from individual hardware components, to match the customer's exact requirements.

Avolites sales director Steve Warren commented: "Our virtual D4 Console, the D4 Desktop has been designed to address two clear needs - the first being a fully functional and stand alone back-up system for large Diamond 4 shows and also for s

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UK - Entertainment lighting supplier White Light is providing technical training for current and future theatre technicians through its Training Initiative training and education scheme. As part of this commitment White Light, in conjunction with Strand Lighting, has recently donated a Strand 550 lighting console to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

"We have worked with the Bristol Old Vic School on a number of projects, and have been continually impressed by the standard of their students and the quality of their work," commented Jason Larcombe, White Light's training coordinator. "When we were approached by Paul Towson, the School's Lighting Tutor, regarding potential sponsorship of a lighting console, we were more than happy to help."

To help the Theatre School, White Light teamed up with console manufacturer Strand Lighting supplying what is arguably

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The Netherlands - Mission Pro has appointed of Electric Sound B.V. as their professional distributor for The Netherlands. Based in Almere, Electric Sound is an established leader in the pro audio market in Holland, distributing many eminent brands including Beyerdynamic, Dynacord, König & Meyer, Rane, Alesis, Galaxy Audio, Pro Co, BTK and ML Audio.

John Haug, pro audio manager for Electric Sound commented: "We are very pleased with this appointment which complements our established brands well. The superb ability of the Mission products to provide high intelligibility and even coverage within either good or difficult acoustic environments means we are able to provide better solutions for our customers. Aesthetically the product will also meet the approval of the most demanding architects and venues."

Mission Pro's director of sales and marketing, Steve Jordan adds:

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USA - Rap artist Jay-Z's performance at Madison Square Gardens on 25 November marked the end of the rapper's victory lap promoting his final full-length solo album, The Black Album. With more number one hits to his name than any other US rap artist, it was natural that Jay-Z wanted this show, at one of the world's most famous arenas, to offer something visually spectacular, which is why lighting designer Gary Westcott decided to use the G-LEC LED Curtain.

Two separate G-LEC Curtains were used, up and downstage of the band. Each Curtain consisted of 3 x 8 frames mounted together and flown in and out. The show used a combination of the G-LEC Curtain and projection screens, the latter positioned above the stage and lit up with faces of deceased rap artists Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G.

Facilitated by Fourth Phase, London (G-LEC's exclusive representative in the UK), the two G

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Thailand - Thailand's leading jazz guitarist, Prode Tanapat, has recently chosen Audient to help bring his live music to audiences across the world. His self-titled album, which was released this month on the Warner Music (Thailand) label, includes two live tracks, 'Daddy's Tune' and 'Back Home', both of which were recorded and mixed using Audient consoles; namely the Audient ASP8024 and live mixing console, Aztec.

"We chose Aztec for the live recording because it always maintains the integrity of the signal path during production, the preamps are very clean and access to the record outputs via D-Sub is very convenient," explains Jack Pattanatabut, owner of rental company Jack Sound. He continues: "We mixed the two live tracks in the studio on the Audient ASP8024 so that Aztec's audio quality was not compromised. The mix on the ASP8024 was quick and easy and the i

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Australia - PLASA Media has recently received a warning that an unofficial directory falsely purporting to represent exhibitors is being circulated to potential exhibitors at this year's Entech show in Australia. Juliusmedia Pty Ltd, the official publisher and organizer for the show, say that those taking part in the event should be aware that they may receive a listing form from a firm called Data Verlag AG (Austria) with 'Entech Australia', and their own exhibitor name prominently displayed upon it. The form proposes to continue a supposedly free listing in a directory which has no official connection with Entech. Buried in the fine print is the promise to invoice the company signing the form the amount of US$981. The advice to all Entech exhibitors is to discard any such offer, and to contact Juliesmedia Ltd through the website address below, should they receive any similar pro

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Belgium / USA - Belgium-based Barco recently announced the acquisition of Folsom Research Inc, based in Sacramento, California. Folsom, which employs 75 associates, is a profitable company with product lines covering solutions for image processing, image communication and image functionality and interactivity. In these dedicated markets Folsom has a 30% share in the USA and 17% worldwide. As Barco has only had 4% market share in these segments until now, it is clear that this acquisition means a fast leap forward for Barco in providing total solutions beyond displays-only functionalities.

By far the largest part of Folsom's sales are realized in the Events (Rental and Staging) market, which makes it an ideal match for Barco, as today Barco already dominates two segments of this market with its LED displays and its large venue projectors. The acquisition of Folsom offers Barco t

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USA - Loud Technologies Inc has appointed Audio Geer as its sales representative in Southern California and Southern Nevada. Founded in 1994, Audio Geer is headquartered in Los Angeles with regional offices in San Diego and Las Vegas. "Audio Geer will represent our entire portfolio of brands including Mackie, Tapco, EAW and the new EAW Commercial line," says Larry Bennett, sales manager, national accounts for Loud Technologies. "They've got a strong reputation for developing innovative customer and dealer training programs and we're confident that they have the expertise to ensure ongoing growth, and superior service throughout the region."

Alan Geer, president of Audio Geer, commented: "Loud Technologies has an exceptionally strong portfolio of brands as well as one of the most innovative product development teams in professional audio. We are very exci

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Germany - Chainmaster, manufacturer of high-quality chain hoists and chain hoist controllers, is helping to maintain the balance of power between West and East. The Eilenburg-based company recently delivered eight BGV-C1 computer-controlled chain hoists in the 500kg weight class to its North American distributor, Show Distribution of Canada, that were destined for the Pentagon Museum. The requirement was for a chain hoist system that conformed to the high safety standards of the museum. The system was installed by one of Show Distribution's regional partners.

Only a few weeks earlier, the Kremlin in Moscow took delivery of 35 chain hoists from Chainmaster, also in the 500kg weight division and conforming to the same BGV-C1 standard. The hoists were equipped with electronic position encoders and the Chainmaster control system, consisted of a network of three slave and two master

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UK - A giant portrait LED screen supplied by CT Screenco enabled audiences on Eddie Izzard's Sexie tour to see a macro image of the performer as a giant stage backdrop. CT Screenco have worked with Izzard on a couple of one-off performances, including the comedy event We Know Where You Live - Live, which Eddie conceived and directed for Amnesty International.

The huge portrait screen proved so successful that the Amnesty live show producer and Eddie's tour manager and promoter, Mick Perrin, wanted to repeat the concept on the artist's Sexie world tour - and CT Screenco was tasked with creating a touring version of the one-off display that had been seen at Wembley.

This time, the 25mm LED display was designed to be scalable from 72sq.m down to 42sq.m at the smallest venues, and form the centrepiece of a five-screen display. The large portrait display was fl

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Spain / UK - Spanish pro audio manufacturer AD Systems has appointed Sabre as its sole distributor in the UK and Eire for its complete range of audio products. AD Systems has 25 years' experience in the pro audio market, manufacturing loudspeakers, power amplifiers and sound processors.

Pictured is the AD Systems NEOcraft touring system, which achieves a very low weight for a touring cabinet, at just 30kg for the C30 mid/high unit and 34kg for the Neocraft B30 bass cabinet.

(Lee Baldock)

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UK - By now most PLASA members will be aware of the imminent introduction of the Working at Heights Regulations (WAHR), currently in what is expected to be the final consultation draft. The Regulations are set to become law in July this year, and any activity in which an injury could occur as the result of a fall from any height, will need to comply with this new set of Regulations.

PLASA has arranged a one-day seminar to examine the new legislation in detail and discuss the compliance issues that may cause the Industry concern in the future. PLASA intends to collate any views and comments from the seminar and respond on behalf of the PLASA membership to Government.

The seminar will be held at the NEC in Birmingham on the 10 of February 2004 starting at 10am. Ron Bonner, PLASA's technical standards manager, will present the Regulations in their entirety and invite discussion,

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UK - Canegreen provided the PA system for The Tweenies Live!, entertaining families across the UK. The BBC's popular children's characters performed 27 shows at four arenas, Braehead Ice Arena, Glasgow, Birmingham's NIA, Sheffield Arena and Wembley Arena, with several shows at each venue through December and January.

The PA for the theatrical and musical spectacular was a complex affair and although this was the third year Canegreen have supplied the system, team leader and front-of-house engineer Mike Downs was kept on his toes at all times. The Tweenies Live! production manager, Nigel Mousley explained: "These are big venues to fill with sound without it being too loud for the children. Mike [Downs] in very conscientious to ensure all of our audience get a good sound, wherever their seat. The Tweenies characters have high-pitched voices that go from monologues to them all

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USA - Sennheiser Electronic Corporation and TL Audio have mutually agreed to terminate their distribution agreement effective 1 January 2004. While the well-respected British manufacturer of tube-based signal processing and mixing equipment enjoys high brand recognition overseas, Sennheiser and TL Audio executives mutually concluded that the task of implementing a full-scale marketing program in the US at this time would require a more robust level of sales and distribution support than had been anticipated. Therefore, the two companies have agreed to part ways.

This decision will enable TL Audio to pursue a distribution partner more in line with their aggressive sales goals while allowing Sennheiser to focus on other ongoing initiatives. The decision was based solely on marketing and distribution issues and was not related in any way to the company's products, cultures or perso

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UK - Meyer Sound's UK distributor Autograph Sales has recently supplied over 50 M1D ultra-compact curvilinear array loudspeakers to a number of venues around the UK and Europe, for theatrical events as well as permanent installations. The most spectacular venue to receive 10 of these compact cabinets, was the new East Winter Garden, a stunning glass building that will be used for public performances and events, located in London's Heron Quays District of Canary Wharf.

This came after the successful use of the M1D on the Berlin production of Les Miserables, which saw Autograph Sales' sister company Autograph Sound Recording purchase 30 boxes, followed by a further order for 28 cabinets, to be used on the upcoming West End show Jailhouse Rock.

The M1D, the smallest self-powered line array enclosure in Meyer Sound's M Series, was also specified for installation at C

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USA - Selecon has moved its Maryland, US warehousing facility to larger premises, a result of continued sales growth increasing stock requirements: "It's another step made necessary by our success in the US market and therefore very welcome," says Jeremy Collins, Selecon's president. "The combination of high build quality, innovative features and leading performance are seeing our Selecon ellipsoidals, fresnels and cyc' fixtures being used in an ever increasing number of colleges, community theatres, schools and churches around the country. We are using this opportunity to integrate our distribution and sales office in Maryland to simplify our dealer and market support."

Selecon entered the US and Canadian markets four years ago with its comprehensive range of theatrical and architectural fixtures. To date its US stocking facility has been provided by the New

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UK - Metropolis AV & FX has designed, manufactured and installed a spectacular new curved LED screen at the Rotunda entertainment and leisure complex in Kingston-on-Thames, Surrey. The 1m high by 12.9m wide 25mm pixel pitch screen is completely bespoke, and is among the first curved LED screens in the UK.

It was commissioned by property developer LMS, operator of the Rotunda, for use as an advertising space for the facilities and businesses operating within the venue - including restaurants, cinema, health and sports clubs - and a message board highlighting promotions and special offers. Metropolis's product manager was Nick Ford who oversaw the entire operation.

The screen is mounted 3.5m above ground on stainless steel cabinets, offering full weatherproofing and robust build quality. The screen is in action from early morning till last thing at night, when the Rotunda close

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USA - A D5 Live FMX (front-of-house and monitor) console supplied by Eighth Day Sound of Cleveland, Ohio, is providing the ideal digital mixing solution for Duran Duran's current world tour.

At the end of 2003, the re-formed 80s rock band sold out in the US, then travelled to New Zealand and Australia, where they played solo and in support of another D5 user, Robbie Williams on his Australian tour. The US leg of the tour played small- to mid-sized theatres and a combination of theatres and stadiums with Williams in New Zealand and Australia.

Front-of-house engineer is Scottie Pakulski with Simon Higgs on monitors, Jim Corbin - crew chief/system tech and Trevor Waite - system tech. "I'm feeding the PA as four stereo zones: V-Dosc, dV-Dosc, in-fills, and subs," comments Pakulski. "We are configured for 96 inputs and I am using just the internal effects and proces

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UAE - This year, Australian pro audio manufacturer ARX kicks off its 21st anniversary year with their first appearance at the PALME exhibition at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre, from 17-19 February 2004. On stand G 06, the company will give the Middle Eastern debut of several new additions to its product line, including new models in the EQ graphic equalizer range, the MSX range of active signal splitters and the SPL integrated loudspeaker range.

"ARX's presence in the Middle East has been developing well in the past few years, especially in the Broadcast and Installation sectors," says managing director Colin Park. "We feel exhibiting at the PALME exhibition and exposing our new products to attendees from all over the region is an important part of our marketing mix and strategy."

(Lee Baldock)

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UK - Idea Audio was recently commissioned to design and build seven sets depicting the story of Joss Merlin, the landlord of Jamaica Inn, on Bodmin Moor. Six of the sets were in close proximity to each other and as a result, the audio had to be clear and accurate, with controlled dispersion to avoid spillage into the adjacent booths (Idea Audio had experienced a similar scenario when installing the Tales from the City exhibition at the Plymouth Museum).

The booths at Jamaica Inn were themed with life-sized models and artefacts, and as such, concealing the audio and lighting equipment became a real challenge. Idea found the solution in a design for the booth ceilings that incorporated a full width cupboard above each, in order to house the control systems.

In most instances, there was a step in the ceiling sufficiently large to discreetly fit a pair of Work Studio 3 loudspeaker

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USA - Cadac Electronics Plc reports on a number of new US shows and tours, featuring R-Type and J-Type Live Production Consoles, shipped by rental companies Masque Sound & Recording, ProMix Electrotec, and Sound Associates.

Masque Sound's new touring division - Masque Live - is headed up by long-time sound designer and touring audio engineer, Lucas "Rico" Corrubia Jr. First out for Masque Live was a tour with R&B supremo Brian McKnight, using R-Type consoles for FOH and monitors, plus L-Acoustics V-Dosc loudspeakers powered by Camco amplifiers and proprietary Valvotronics tube preamps, limiters and parametric equalizers. Sound engineer Glen Odagawa said: "It is the closest thing to mixing in a studio I have ever experienced. After mixing on Masque's system, I have been so spoiled, I can never go back."

Two new shows are set to open around the US this month,

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USA / Finland - Renkus-Heinz Inc has announced the signing of a distribution agreement for Finland with Starlike OY (Ltd), based in Vantaa. The company, founded in 1986, is an audio and lighting distribution company and system integrator, distributing more than 40 exclusively distributed pro lighting and sound product lines include ADB, MA Lighting, Rainbow, DedoLight, Australian Monitor, Biamp Systems and L-Acoustics.

The firm employs 16 people, including in-house system design, installation and service engineers, complimenting the sales and marketing operation. Its key market segments include theatres, concert halls, sports arenas, auditoriums, schools and houses of worship. Marketing manager Jari Ukkonen comments: "Renkus-Heinz blends in perfectly with Starlike's professional audio product line. With its long history and innovative R&D, Renkus-Heinz already has a very st

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International - One of the features of David Bowie's vocal performance during his present A Reality Tour has been the way in which FOH engineer Pete Keppler has been able to iron out any inconsistencies. He was able to move the vocal treatment onto a BSS Audio DPR-901 Mk2 after speaking to Bryan Olson at Firehouse Productions in New York - who supplied some of the equipment for the tour. Keppler, who doubles as Bowie's studio and live engineer, realized he would need a de-esser for the artist's live work to negate any sibilance. "When Bryan suggested the DPR-901 I remembered I had used one a long time ago - but the first model didn't have the side-chain monitoring function."

But the Mk2 contains four non-interactive bands of frequency-selective compression or expansion. And Keppler says that when he upgraded to this during production rehearsals he fell in love w

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UK - VME Ltd. supplied an Allen & Heath ML4000 as part of the PA system for the ITV programme, That's Entertainment, which aired in Northern regions in early December. The programme, hosted by former comedy favourites Cannon and Ball and featuring Duncan Norvelle and Duggie Brown, is a variety show that resurrects the traditional performances of the Seventies recently stylized in the hugely popular comedy series, Phoenix Nights.

"We toured three Northern venues," says VME's Dion Davie, "the Batley Frontier Club, The Willows in Salford and The Gosforth and District Club, Newcastle. The technical requirements were varied, as there was an array of acts from stand-up comedians and magicians to live bands. We used a PA System which consisted of a Kling & Freitag loudspeaker system, Line 212 Amps from Lab Gruppen, Apex processors, mixed through a 32-channe

  1. KV2 at Asian Music Awards
  2. TryAudio takes Japan's first D5 Live
  3. Look4ideas.com offers LED solutions
  4. Without a Trace of grandMA
  5. A new website for Stage Electrics
  6. Alton Towers splashes out on iDR
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