Business

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UK - London-based wireless specialist Hand Held Audio has expanded its hire stock with the purchase of 16 channels of Sennheiser 1046 system. The system, favoured by broadcasters and West End theatre, is part of Hand Held's planned expansion for their rental operation, say the company. The chosen format was two of the 1046 receiver racks with eight modules in each, 16 of the SK3063 belt pack transmitters and 20 MKE2 Gold lavalier microphones. Hand Held's existing stock of SKM5000N hand-held transmitters with the Neumann K105 capsule and their SK5012 miniature belt pack transmitters will be integrated into the system to provide broadcast clients with a comprehensive choice of favoured kit.

First job for the new equipment was at the Royal Variety Performance at the Coliseum Theatre, broadcast on Wednesday 15 December. As part of a huge radio microphone system put together by the

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UK - The growing influence of musician, writer and producer Tony Moore in breaking new talent at The Bedford in Balham - where the Shakespearean Globe Theatre is now packed four nights a week - has led to a radical overhaul of the performance infrastructure, including the live sound mix. "We've always tried to work with the best gear that's available at the time," says Moore, "but the shows at The Globe can be quite complex in their line-ups." However, the new Soundcraft GB Series, he says, is sufficiently flexible to mix any line-up - from a solo acoustic singer-songwriter to a full band ensemble.

"We have 32 channels of line or mic input plus four stereo channels, so instead of using channel returns for FX we can dedicate four stereo channel returns for four stereo FX returns without losing any of the 32 channel inputs. Having that number of channels

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USA - Considered to be the world's largest "reggaeton" event, the Megatón 2004 concert brought together some of the biggest names of this musical genre, which originated in Puerto Rico. The four-hour concert was held in October in New York's Madison Square Garden; D.A.S. Aero line array systems provided the sound reinforcement for reggaeton's leading artists such as Tego Calderon, Daddy Yankee and Don Omar, to name but a few.

The New York-based sound reinforcement specialist Abe, V Systems Inc headed by Abraham Viera, used 24 Aero 48 large format line arrays, flown 12 per side from a height of 65 ft. Flown beneath each of the main arrays by means of the AX-Combo rigging adapter, were four Aero CA-28A powered compact line array systems, used as down-fills to cover the rows closest to the stage.

Reggaeton's characteristic predominance of heavy bass, made the low fr

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UK - The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has published a consultation document in order to elicit views about the fee levels to be established under the Licensing Act 2003. The consultation period ends this Thursday, 23 December. The fees relate in part to applications for authorisations to provide regulated entertainment, and also include fees for notices for temporary events. Before finalizing the fee levels, the DCMS aims to consult as widely as possible on the appropriate level for these fees. The consultation document can be viewed here.

Local Authorities are lobbying the secretary of state claiming that the proposed fees s

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Sweden - Leading Swedish PA supplier Music & Lights A/B has added a new Nexo GEO T tangent array system to its inventory: the company now carries the entire range of Nexo sound reinforcement products. Music & Lights has invested in 24 T4805 full-range and four T2815 down-fill cabinets, with four CD18 subbass systems. This order can, if required, be mixed and matched with their existing GEO S array system, providing exceptional flexibility and versatility.

Peter Kallio of Music & Lights explains: "We wanted to wait until we had the right clients, even though we took the decision to buy GEO T in spring 2003, the day we attended the launch of the system in Frankfurt."

Based in Västeras, about 100km from Stockholm, Music & Lights has grown steadily since it invested in its first major league sound reinforcement system, buying Nexo Alpha in 2001. Most recently, it has

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Finland - Robe ColorWash 1200 fixtures demonstrated their cool at a recent gig in Lapland which saw them exposed to temperatures as low as -31°C - excluding wind chill. The fixtures were run for three-and-a-half days, and worked continuously, say the company.

UK-based lighting rental company Siyan was asked to design a lighting scheme for Lynx Base 24-7, "the ultimate dating challenge", a surprise 24-hour party staged at Kiruna in the Arctic Circle, Northern Sweden for 300 lucky Lynx competition winners. Bryan Leitch devised the lighting scheme and Siyan supplied equipment and crew to production company Cake and also worked closely with TV Production Company Done & Dusted, who recorded it for a Channel 4 broadcast. Live performances included Faithless, The Thrills and Shaznay Lewis, plus an assortment of DJs, and Leitch was lighting it for the live event as well as f

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UK - The world-famous Sadlers Wells Theatre, London's premier ballet and dance venue, has installed a new 40-channel Midas Legend audio mixing console, supplied by Marquee Audio. The desk will not have a fixed location, being installed in the upper-level sound control room or at the back of the stalls, depending on the requirements of the production. Sound engineer Tom Hares is part of the technical services team that selected the Midas console. "We looked at three or four different makes of desk, either analogue or analogue with snapshot automation. It is important that the technology should be accessible: we have a lot of visiting engineers coming into Sadlers Wells, so they need to see an operating system that they can pick up in just a few minutes. Midas is a name we felt we could trust, and we had the budget to choose the Legend, which ensures that we'll have the operati

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Liechtenstein - Neutrik AG, the leading manufacturer of connectors and instruments for the audio and music industries, in conjunction with its subsidiary Neutrik UK Ltd, have announced the appointment of Paxt Ltd as its main distributor for both Equatorial and North Africa. "Paxt are just the type of distributor and management partner we seek as a partner for this area of developing markets' said Heinrich Zant, director international sales. Jeff Fishel, sales and marketing at Neutrik UK, added: "Paxt have built a reputation over the past 15 years as a solid company who understand the many diverse markets in this geographic region. As our penetration of the global market continues, we at Neutrik look to companies such as Paxt to assist us in our marketing efforts. The fact that we already sell to companies known to both of us makes the relationship stronger and therefore

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USA - Super Vision International recently announced that it has signed license agreements with Illumination Management Solutions (IMS) and LED Power, both of Irvine, California, for its Variable Colour Lighting System patent # 4,962,687 and its recently acquired Laidman Technology. Illumination Management Solutions is known for it advanced applications of LED technology for the production of LED light engines for industrial and commercial applications. LED Power produces LED lighting systems for commercial applications including aerospace, automotive, commercial signage, marine, traffic control and utility control systems.

Greg Rhoads, IMS's chief technology officer, said: "It is clear to us that the Super Vision "687" Patent provides the earliest and broadest coverage in the industry for networking multiple colour changing lighting fixtures using addressable and

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UK - If Santa brings you a new mobile phone for Christmas, don't forget you can put your old one to good use - you can recycle it for charity.

Some of the UK's leading charities have teamed up with specialist recycling company The Recycling Appeal to run eco-friendly fundraising appeals, meaning every mobile you donate can generate vital funds for your chosen cause. The phones are refurbished and resold, with a substantial portion of the proceeds going to charitable organizations. All you have to do is choose which charity you want to donate to - Marie Curie Cancer Care, the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, the Royal National Institute of the Blind, the Children's Hospice Association Scotland or Northern Ireland Hospice Care.

Jamie Rae, chief executive of Eurosource, said: "When people receive fancy new mobiles for Christmas, their old phones are often forgotten about.

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UK - AC Lighting recently supplied leading event lighting design company, DBN Lighitng, with a Jands Vista lighting console and 80 Chroma-Q Color Block LED fixtures for use on in-house production rentals. In addition to servicing conferences, exhibitions and corporate parties, DBN is also involved in live music events and large scale public arts projects, and in the last 12 months has undertaken projects on four continents.

AC says that DBN was not actively looking to purchase a new lighting desk, but upon reading about the Jands Vista thought it was the first really interesting desk in a long time and therefore warranted a demo to their team of lighting designers. According to DBN, the whole team was excited by the Vista, feeling that the ground breaking desk offered a new type of user interface which would allow them to either make significant savings in show programming time

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UK - Bandit Lites UK is supplying lighting equipment to Production North for the current Busted arena tour. No rock 'n' roll testaments are left unturned in this show, which is big, bold and Loud in every visual and sonic parameter! The Busted contract is being handled by Lester Cobrin from the UK office. "It was fantastic to be awarded the contract for this tour especially amidst stiff competition" states Cobrin. Cobrin has previously serviced Busted and Production North on the band's 2003 theatre tour and their spring arena tour. Bandit also worked with the same team on the recent McFly theatre tour.

Busted's LD Graham Feast has been with the band since they started. The overall visual equation was a tripartite collaboration between Feast, Peter Barnes, who created the video playback visuals, and production manager Iain Whitehead, who developed the set concept.

The

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UK - Quest - The Legend of the Green Knight is a totally new family spectacular performed in a fully heated Big Top on Clapham Common, running from 16 December 2004 to 3 January 2005. Sunbaba Screens has provided specialist printed backdrops for the festive theatre production.

A huge 135 sqm full colour backdrop being used for the event was digitally printed by Sunbaba Screens on the company's "Ultra-Mesh" fabric, while a number of smaller screens were designed and printed to hang over the doors of the temporary structure which houses the production.

Trevor Booth, technical director of Sunbaba Screens explained: "We worked closely with Quest to produce a backdrop which would suit their precise requirements and set the scene for the production. We have worked with David and his team before and it was great to be involved with a theatrical production of thi

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USA - Moon Lighting & Sound of Reno, Nevada, has joined the L-Acoustics Network Owner roster with its purchase of new dV-Dosc and V-Dosc rigs complemented by SB218 sub enclosures. Company owner Ken Van Gelder, who has been providing production services to the Reno and Lake Tahoe communities for over 19 years, says: "Having the distinction of being a V-Dosc provider puts a regional company like ours in a different class. Excellent sound quality, accurate predictability, and ease of rigging make these systems some of the first choices on national tour riders, and the amazing hi-fi quality and huge stereo image of this product is simply unparalleled."

Since acquiring the new loudspeakers, Van Gelder has noticed a dramatic difference when advancing shows with production managers and engineers. "Rather than trying to talk them out of the first choices on their riders,

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UK / Brazil - Audio design specialist Audient has appointed Libor Comercio & Importação Ltda as its exclusive distributor in Brazil. Libor owners Henry and Ivone Spong say they have long been fans of the products produced by David Dearden and Gareth Davies. "Many of the DDA consoles sold in the 15 years that Libor has been in business are still in active service, and are prized by their owners as great sounding, reliable consoles. It's an enormous pleasure, therefore, to sign on with Audient and be certain that we could sell their products, safe in the knowledge that we would be continuing a tradition of offering the best products on the market at an affordable price," says Henry Spong.

Ross McFarlane, product specialist for Audient has just returned from a trip to São Paulo, during which he presented Audient and LA Audio products to around 50 of Libor's key custom

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UK - When rock and roll landed at London's Earls Court for sell out shows by Morrissey and Muse (two nights) this month, Star Events Group supplied its rolling riser stage system. The 60ft x 40ft system was built in a mere five hours, saving critical time on a tight time schedule.

Project manager, Phil Addyman said: "This used to be a quiet time of year for us, but we are amidst a very busy December season of outdoor shows, supplying Vertech ice-rink platforms and these rolling riser stage shows emphasize how the company has moved forward to be busy at all times of the year."

Star Events Group will finish the year with New Years shows as far a-field as Edinburgh Hogmanay and Milan (the latter managed by the new international arm of the company; Star Orbit Italia).

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

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UK - Polaron plc, (POL.L) ("Polaron", the "Company" or the "Group"), the AIM listed broad-based technology group, announced recently the acquisition of 100% of the share capital of Rossula Ltd, the holding company for Lightfactor Sales Ltd and LightProcessor Ltd - two leading UK entertainment products companies. Lightfactor distributes a range of lighting and audio products and LightProcessor manufactures entertainment lighting control equipment. The total consideration of £350,000 is to be satisfied by £250,000 of cash and the balance by the issue of new Polaron shares.

Mick Hannaford, the majority owner of Rossula, will continue to operate as a managing director for entertainment lighting within Polaron's controls division. Revenues for the year ended March 2004 were approximately £2 million. Polaron also announced that trading continues in lin

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UK - XL Video is supplying Blink TV with all video production, equipment and crew for the current Will Young arena tour. The tour features a combination of IMAG video from XL's 4 camera PPU and pre-recorded footage specially created for the tour by show producer Michael Gracey. The live images are mixed by video director Phil Woodhead, and the video production package is co-ordinated by XL Video's Des Fallon and Blink TV's Tom Llewellyn. XL's chief engineer Stuart Heaney looks after their crew of seven and the tour's production manager for 19 Management is Kenny Underwood.

Video plays a central role in Young's stage show, with visuals running for over half of the set. Sydney-based video artist Michael Gracey initially met Will Young when his company Babyfoot Productions shot the "Your Game" promo on location in Australia - and they immediately hit it off. Young has tak

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Our daily news service is taking a short break over the Christmas period and will resume on 4 January 2005.

We would like to wish all our readers a very happy Christmas holiday and a successful 2005. Thanks to all of you for your continued support for L&SI Online and Lighting&Sound International magazine.

Best regards,

The PLASA Media Team.

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USA - The Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA) announces the launch of its new and improved website. The ESTA website has been completely redesigned providing easier navigation, faster access to important information, and search functions throughout. The Member Directory, one of the most used references in the industry, is now searchable on a variety of fields allowing you instant access to contact information. The site contains detailed information on the Technical Standards Program, including published documents, standards in public review, working group information, and meeting schedules. Information about ETCP, the Entertainment Technician Certification Program, is available at www.etcp.esta.org or by linking from the main site.

The website also includes the popular Job Board and information on ESTA's indu

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USA - The Queen Mary 2, the largest and most expensive cruise ship ever built, set sail from her homeport of Southampton, England on her maiden voyage - a Trans-Atlantic trek to Fort Lauderdale, Florida - with a full complement of Technomad WeatherTech Loudspeakers distributed throughout her exterior entertainment decks. Harbour Marine Systems (HMS), a Miami-based systems integration specialist serving the nautical industry, was contracted by the Queen Mary 2's owner, Cunard Line, to outfit the new luxury liner's pool and entertainment decks with the state-of-the-art, high-fidelity Technomad WeatherTech loudspeakers.

The QM2 measures 1,132ft from stern to bow, some 113 feet longer than the original Queen Mary, and holds 2,620 passengers and 1,253 crew members when fully loaded. The distributed, exterior sound system called for high-fidelity audio to match the ship's lofty stand

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UK - Blitz, one of the UK's leading providers of audiovisual equipment and services, showcased some of its most innovative sound solutions at the 250th anniversary celebration for the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). The event, which was held at the Royal Albert Hall was attended by over 2,500 delegates.

Richard Rogers, Blitz's sound designer, commented: "Owing to the very tight schedule, we pre-programmed the show in advance on our latest Yamaha PM5D digital mixing desks. We used 28 Sennheiser radio mics on the circular stage with a radio earpiece for the host, Michael Buerk. Our system also took into account that the event was being recorded to CD for subsequent web casting. We also delivered zoned onstage foldback to five separate zones via Mission NXT FS2 loudspeakers - sneakily hidden in coffee tables!"

In addition, B

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UK - The increasingly popular d&b audiotechnik 'Sound system design' seminars will be brought within reach of audiences in Leicester, Glasgow and London early in 2005. Addressing the acoustic signal path between the loudspeaker and the listener's ears the seminars focus on sound system design; there's no fluff, no puff; just comprehensive electroacoustics with all the physics you'll need thrown in. The style is friendly and the demonstrations memorable say the company!

January also sees the launch of a new module exploring the theory behind Line arrays in a dedicated workshop at De Montfort Hall Leicester on 12th January 2005. For full details and registration for any of the events please check either the calendar or training sections of d&b audiotechnik's website via the link below.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

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Australia - Juliusmedia college is offering one full time fully funded scholarship and two part funded scholarships available for the Advanced Diploma of Technical Production, a one year course starting 21 February in Sydney.

This is a new qualification which is nationally endorsed. It comprises entertainment technology management units including advanced OH&S and team leadership, along with electives in audio, lighting, vision and staging. It is conducted at Rydalmere college, with practicals at various venues across Sydney. The course includes internships and work placements during 2005.

The Advanced Diploma is a full time course, with an accelerated program delivery. The pre-requisite is normally completion of the leaving exam in Year 12, however there are entry exemptions for exceptionally motivated students.

The fully funded scholarship pays course fees and any college

  1. Brit Row adds MH3s to hire stock
  2. E//T//C and Summit celebrate New Year in London
  3. ISEurope 05
  4. Marquee supplies Blitz with second PM5D
  5. K.M.E. ready for ISE, Amsterdam
  6. BBC chooses Sennheiser for Royal Variety
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