Business

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UK - It has been confirmed recently that HZ-International is now officially in liquidation. However Rackz Limited will take on some of the lines formerly manufactured by HZ, mainly comprising the static 19" Flat-Pack Racking and Pro Audio a division of Rackz Ltd.

Rackz will now be offering a full back up and repair service for the above products. Mike Butt former senior electronic engineer from Hz and Dave Roberts former technical designer will be dealing with the loudspeaker problems. However the company is unable to perform any free guarantee work on behalf of the former HZ International Ltd. All work will be charged out at £22 per hour or part thereof plus parts and carry a three-month guarantee.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

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Germany - Martin Architectural's presence at Light + Building 2004 - from 18-22 April at Messe Frankfurt - will be one of high visibility. The Martin Architectural stand will be a working showcase for dynamic light intended to make instinctively clear the benefits of this versatile medium.

Martin Architectural say that this year's stand will be unconventional and experiential, a statement of the company's passion for dynamic light. With customized themes, seasonal colour changes, interactive zones, music and graphics - Martin will draw upon its knowledge of theatre and performance. Martin believe that in creating a space that generates curiosity through a degree of interactivity, it is recognizing an educational element to their mission. The stand will be comfortable and inviting, with the intention of illustrating dynamic light's ability to change architecture by developing bet

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UK - Lighting and sound sales and installation specialists Lighting Logic has designed, specified, supplied and installed a complete lighting system for the television studio at The Brit School in Croydon, Surrey.

Lighting Logic's Mick Cocker worked closely with Brit School technical manager Andrew Smith to design and specify exactly the right equipment for the studio. The space is used constantly by students from the School's Media Department for project creation, and also by students and staff from other courses. Cocker has worked on two previous Brit School installation projects.

A major feature of the installation is a flexible Manfrotto IFF Top Rail advanced studio suspension grid system. This tracking mechanism is movable, allowing all overhead lighting fixtures to be moved around the studio quickly and easily without using cumbersome and complex access gear. Effectively

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USA - VLPS Lighting Services recently provided a full lighting package for the nationally televised awards gala honouring those who help and improve children's lives. Hosted by Children's Miracle Network's co-founders Marie Osmond and John Schneider, the annual awards ceremony was held over two evenings in the ballroom of Walt Disney World's Coronado Springs Resort. Utah-based Cornerstone Technologies provided technical services for the event.

"In previous years, the show depended heavily on a conventional rig with 3K and 5K Fresnels," said lighting designer Matt Endicott of Cornerstone. "For the first time, I requested a full line of Vari-Lite products, complete with VL 3000 Spot luminaires, VL 2000 Spot luminaires, VL 1000 TS, VL5 Wash luminaires, and VL6 Spot luminaires, because we were really blown away by the performance and flexibility of these lights. The s

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UK - Firework display specialist Rocket Pyrotechnics has announced the acquisition of fireworks display company SWPF. Paul Franklin, MD of Rocket Pyrotechnics said: "Due to Rocket's rapid growth and success, we have been looking for other fireworks companies to acquire as part of our expansion plans. We were particularly interested in SWPF as its infrastructure could easily be integrated into Rocket's and we felt that John Kennet, (MD of SWPF), would be a great attribute to our team."

Rocket's forte is fireworks displays choreographed to live music, where as SWPF's forte is fireworks displays choreographed to pre-recorded music, using the Fire One firing systems. This combination makes Rocket a powerful player in the pyro-musical field. Kennet and his team will also strengthen Rocket's indoor and special effects department, which provides indoor pyrotechnics, confetti

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UK - SSE hire has just taken delivery of two Midas Heritage 4000 monitor consoles to add to its already considerable Midas inventory. Already the biggest Midas owner in the UK, the addition of a further two Heritage 4000s serves underline SSE's continuing commitment not just to Midas but to large format analogue console technology. In addition to the Heritage 4000s, SSE has also ordered three Midas Verona's.

SSE's John Penn comments: "We have a hugely busy summer season in front of us, and we needed more consoles. We were going to invest in more Heritage 3000s, but when the Heritage 4000 came out, it made more sense for us to invest in a desk that has even more facilities and the extra capacity to handle heavy-duty monitor applications, but can still go out in the place of a Heritage 3000 if necessary. And of course, it's a Midas, and Midas has proved since time immemorial

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Iraq - Capital Productions' contract with Combined Services Entertainment (CSE) - which provides entertainment to HM Forces serving worldwide - last year extended to Iraq.

With a high number of British troops stationed in Basra, the shows tend to be more complex. Here Capital created the staging, barriers and ground support system, supplied the backline kit and sub-contracted the lighting from Brian Leitch's company, Siyan.

Capital's Paul Timmins told us: "I'm always striving to improve on the equipment and I desperately wanted to use the Martin line array system. It's the first time these premium speakers have been in the sand."

An array of eight W8L enclosures and six ground-stacked WSX subs were positioned either side of the stage, supported by a further six Martin Audio W2s for barrier fills. With air support provided by the Royal Air Force, some 24 tons of e

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USA - Well-known for his past work with Primus, as well as the current line-up of Guns n' Roses, drummer Brain (Bryan Mantia) has been pursuing a parallel career in computer music and beat programming for the past few years. Using two portable Metric Halo setups, Brain is able to bring his programming talents to bear on multiple projects simultaneously.

"I do a lot of programming for albums," Brain acknowledges. "I just did a load of stuff for the new Vanessa Carlton album. I also just did an album with Buckethead, the guitarist from Guns n' Roses. His new album has a lot of programming."

Brain now uses a pair of G4 Titanium laptops. Looking for a high quality digital audio interface, he reports that friends in the industry, such as producers Michael Beinhorn and Roy Thomas Baker, recommended that he check out Metric Halo. "Everybody told me about the

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UK - The new Sonic Arts Research Centre (SARC) at Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a unique interdisciplinary project that has brought together experts in the areas of musical composition, signal processing, internet technology and digital hardware. This new centre, established in a purpose-built facility located alongside the engineering departments of Queen's University, will certainly create interest amongst the engineering community in Northern Ireland and particularly those interested in new genre electronic music production using innovative digital signal processing techniques and hardware implementations.

The centrepiece of SARC, the Sonic Laboratory, is a facility for cutting-edge initiatives in the creation and delivery of music and audio. According to QUB, the Sonic Laboratory offers a high degree of flexibility for experiments in 3D sound diffusion and

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UK - The Haunch of Venison is one of Salisbury's oldest pubs and features small intimate dining areas amongst oak beams and winding stairwells. Owner Rupert Willcocks wanted to enhance the ambiance within the building's unique structure, adding to the overall dining experience for his guests.

As part of the electrical refurbishment led by electrical consultant Kevin Flynn, Zero 88 supplied a ChilliNet control system to the historic tavern. Six Chilli 410's and three 5 Button Brass control panels were used throughout the three levels of public space including the bar, separate drinking areas and the dining rooms. The system allows for the levels of each space to be individually controlled, with preset scenes easily accessed by staff using the push button control panels.

Willcocks explained: "In a restaurant environment it is essential to maintain an appropriate ambience

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China - Turbosound reports that over 50 of its products - including some 32 QLight systems - have been installed in the People's Great Hall at Wenzhou in eastern China. Handled by Turbosound's exclusive distributor for the Chinese territories, Hong Kong-based Phoenix Audio and Lighting Technology, the project was designed by Mac Lo, the company's technical director.

Housing five separate conference spaces, the Wenzhou People's Great Hall is a new purpose-built and highly prestigious venue, and the first of several government projects planned for the region. Bordering the East China Sea, the city of Wenzhou represents the economic, cultural and political centre in the southern part of Zhejiang Province. Principally used for high-profile government-level conferences, requiring clear, intelligible speech reinforcement, the Great Hall is also utilized for live music events, particul

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USA - Color Kinetics Incorporated (CKI) and HoMedics has announced a strategic patent licensing agreement through which HoMedics will develop and market a new line of intelligent LED-based color light products designed for sensory therapy. The innovative Color Cube product line was recently unveiled at the International Home & Housewares Show in Chicago, Ill., and will be sold via HoMedics' major consumer distribution channels.

The new Color Cube products feature illumination panels, which display colour and light and react to sound, producing varying light patterns for mood-enhancing benefits. "This is an exciting agreement for Color Kinetics that extends our reach in the market for LED-based consumer products," said Bill Sims, president and chief operating officer of Color Kinetics. "We're pleased to work with HoMedics, whose expertize in sensory therapy product

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Germany - Frankfurt's ProLight&Sound exhibition closed its doors on 3 April after registering a 30 % increase in visitor numbers, say the organizers. This is the largest number of visitors ever recorded in the 10 years since it was launched. Over the four days of the fair, 26,735 trade visitors - including more than 9,000 industry professionals from outside Germany.

"The fair was very well attended, business people have been able to make the contacts they want and, with the innovative segments of media technology and systems integration, a new, future-oriented growth market is opening up for the sector," said Florian von Hofen, chief executive of Germany's Association for Professional Light, Sound and Event Technology (VPLT), summing up the fair.

The mood of the exhibition appeared to be indicative of a new upswing in the sector: according to the organizers' research

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UK / USA - According to acoustic specialist Arup, it is now possible for the first time to 'hear' a building even before the foundations have been laid. The company's Arup SoundLab is an immersive listening environment used as a new acoustic design tool to allow the auralization of any building, whether existing or virtual. With listening rooms in London and New York and shortly in Melbourne, it has already had an impact, say Arup, on the design of concert venues, opera houses, studios, airports, railway stations, offices, museums and galleries.

Created by measuring more than 70 prestigious concert halls and opera houses and using over 15 years' research to calibrate 3D models and validate the accuracy of a predicted sound environment, the SoundLab enables the listener to experience the sound of a space or potential space as never before. Listeners can compare the same orchestr

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UK - The Museum and Heritage Show (12-13 May) is set for its biggest and best show yet. Taking place from at its new home at Earls Court, London, the event brings together the world's leading suppliers and contractors to museums, galleries and heritage visitor attractions, along with the latest services.

Supporting Museums & Galleries Month's objectives of attracting new visitors to the UK's wealth of museums, galleries, and visitor attractions, this year's show will see and extensive programme of seminars, showcases and technical presentations all designed to provide industry professionals with the information and inspiration needed to enhance their visitors' experience.

Andrew McIntyre, chair of the Visitor Studies Group, will offer an insight into the reasons visitors visit and, perhaps more importantly, why non-visitors stay away, whilst the Museum Trading Association will

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Germany / International - The current Metallica world tour kicked off at the Fillmore in San Francisco on 18 May, 2003, and the celebrated heavy metal band has been touring the globe - from America to Europe, Japan and Australia - with only a few short breaks and occasional days off ever since. The final curtain will fall on the 10 October, 2004, in the HSBC Center in Buffalo, New York.

The lifting gear used for this epic has been provided by ChainMaster of Eilenburg, Germany, and plays a pivotal role at the end of the show, when the precise lifting and lowering of trusses, accompanied by dramatic sound and pyrotechnic effects, is used to simulate the collapse of the entire grid. The Metallica production involves the use of 30 VarioLifts (22 x 500 kg, 8 x 250kg) among other hoists, and two computer systems supplied by Show Distribution, the North American ChainMaster distributor

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UK / Germany - At the recent Frankfurt MusikMesse, UK pro audio and MI distributor, John Hornby Skewes & Co Ltd received HK Audio's award for 'Best Distributor Concert Sound' for 2003.

Exclusive UK and Eire HK Audio distributor JHS says that HK Audio's innovative range of pro audio systems managed to achieve a hugely impressive 40% sales increase overall last year. This result, the company says, was spearheaded by the profile achieved following the introduction of the compact and innovative HK Audio Cohedra compact line array concert system. Dennis Drumm, JHS MD commented: "The UK and Eire pro audio market has demonstrated great interest in the potential offered by the Cohedra system. Sales of this system are accelerating, in addition to ongoing sales figures achieved by HK Audio's existing, established high-performance concert systems, the R-Series, T-Series and M-Series o

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The Netherlands - Dutch hire company A.J. Kooijmans Audio is the first European company to place an order for 16 Linex systems, Sound Projects' new line-array. The company already had long experience with the Sound Projects 4 (SP-4) hybrid line array system, and after a comprehensive market analysis and several live gigs with different FOH technicians, Kooijmans was ready to opt for the Linex. A first order was placed for a medium-sized rig of 16 Linex systems. Kooijmans already owns over 120 self-powered Sound Projects systems including a major SP-4 rig and is one of the fastest growing rental companies in the Netherlands.

Second in line is rental company Spot & Speaker, located in Utrecht. House supplier of the European Darts Championships and specialising in major events, Spot & Speaker also placed an order for 16 Linex systems. Dennis Bos, managing director, said: "Init

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USA - The Kansas and Missouri departments of transportation began operating the Kansas City Scout traffic congestion management and traveler information system in January this year. Designed to provide freeway travelers with the latest in technology and communication to help make their drive safer, faster and more manageable, the system's elements include traffic sensors, surveillance cameras, electronic message boards, and a highway advisory radio system.

Traffic information from these elements feeds into Scout's Operations Center located in Lee's Summit, MO. Operations staff monitor traffic on 75 miles of Kansas City's most congested freeways; and respond to freeway incidents by notifying the appropriate authorities to clear the roadway and keep traffic flowing as freely as possible.

Scout's traffic operations staff use information from its cameras and sensors to launch a co

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USA - Thommy Hall of Barbizon Phoenix describes the outdoor lighting system at the city's new America West Arena as "the ultimate mega-rig of all time." Integral components of the "mega-rig" are 16 Vari*Lite automated lighting fixtures - eight VL3000 Spot luminaires and eight VL1000Arc units.

The luminaires are located outside the arena in the Paseo, a 400ft x 65ft area where visitors gather before and after events. A perforated steel canopy above the area serves as a projection surface: four 12ft x 9ft glass kiosks suspended 10ft off the ground each house two VL3000 Spot luminaires, two VL1000 fixtures and a video projection system. Each kiosk also has its own enclosed three-ton air conditioning unit. Barbizon provided the Vari*Lite automated fixtures to Genesis Audio Systems for the project.

Jim Jorgensen, owner of Genesis Audio Systems, was originally br

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Australia - The organizers of Entech 2004 (5-7 April 2004), Australia's biennial entertainment technology exhibition, have reported a successful show, which offered visitors access to over 500 of the latest brands in the professional audio, vision, lighting, and staging industries. The new demo rooms were well received and in full flight allowing audio companies to turn on and turn up their products. Visitors truly got a hands-on experience both in the demo rooms and on the show floor.

Says ULA's Con Biviano: "We expected a great response - it's been two years since the last Entech, and there is so much new technology and product to show - but this is fantastic. It's fantastic not only for ULA, but also for the industry to get hands-on with the products. Many people, especially end users don't normally have that opportunity to see it all in one place."

Exhibitors w

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UK - When the acclaimed lighting designer Willie Williams was asked to contribute to a major new series of exhibitions to celebrate 150 years of Christian charity BibleLands' ministry in the Middle East, he turned to Fourth Phase London to supply the lighting rig.

Featuring contemporary interpretations on the theme Presence - Images of Christ for the Third Millennium, events are taking place in six cathedrals throughout Britain, with Williams' piece, Vigil, on display at Canterbury over the Easter period.

At Canterbury the exhibition featured two contrasting pieces of art. Antony Gormley's sculpture Rise, rests in the Trinity Chapel in the place where Thomas Becket's bones lay in a shrine until it was destroyed during the Reformation, while Williams' newly commissioned light installation went on display from dusk on Palm Sunday, 4 April 2004.

Using a selection of equipment

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UK - Projected Image Digital, specialist supplier of digital media server hardware, video and lighting control solutions and digital content for the entertainment industry, was established to develop and bring new products to the market that highlight the increasing convergence between lighting and video mediums.

At the Production Show 04, PID will launch PixelMAD, a revolutionary matrix control system that loads digital images and plays them back as Quicktime movies via DMX-controlled lighting fixtures. PID is the worldwide distributor of this new product, which was first used on Radiohead's 2003 Hail To The Thief world tour 2003, to generate dynamic and organic lighting effects across a wall of James Thomas Pixelline fixtures - saving hours of laborious programming.

PixelMAD utilizes software that runs on a Macintosh in a very similar way to the Catalyst digital media

  1. Entertainment Technology goes global
  2. Ziggy Marley tours with Innovason
  3. CAVS Dublin joins V-Dosc network
  4. PSP invest in new equipment
  5. Villa Audio Party with KV2
  6. Summit Steel rigs Cliff's RAH Run
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