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UK - It was "lights, camera, action!" at the University of Glamorgan last week for the launch of two brand new undergraduate degree courses from the School of Electronics.

The new courses, Live Event Technology and Lighting Technology look set to train some of the UK's top dramatic lighting professionals of the future. During the launch, which took place on Tuesday 6 September, one of the campus' largest buildings was illuminated by state-of-the-art lighting technology provided by Stage Electrics.

For the two weeks of the launch Stage Electrics is highlighting the campus building with the use of 4 Studio Due Citycolors 2.5k and two Martin MAC 2000 Performances assisted by an array of generic lanterns from ETC, Strand and Selecon. The use of three custom glass gobos together with the static lighting produces an array of different effects on the building which can be s

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UK - Wilkes Iris Ltd, world leaders in precision irises for scientific and lighting applications and close tolerance sheet metal cutting, recently announced the acquisition of Temple Shearing and Engineering Ltd, a general-purpose sheet metal shearing, bending and forming company in Burgess Hill, West Sussex.

It is now announced that their work in sheet metal will be carried out under the new name of Pearlfisher Engineering Ltd, absorbing Temple Shearing & Engineering Ltd, and working from Burgess Hill. In addition to the complementary manufacturing processes, Keith Woods, managing director of Wilkes Iris, has plans for improvements and expansion for the mutual benefit of the businesses and customers, particularly in architectural, gallery illumination and concert and disco lighting.

Wilkes Iris, a forth generation family business, was founded in 1884, and with well over a cen

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UK - There have been significant changes to the technical infrastructure at the Ministry of Sound, where the famous London club has recently replaced its sound set up with a premium Martin Audio system. The criteria for an undertaking of such magnitude had to be based on preserving the Ministry's reputation as the number one club in the world, and head of production, Dave Bradshaw knew from the beginning that his criteria needed to be based on sound quality, reliability and back-up service.

Dave has used Martin Audio for DJ monitoring in the Ministry of Sound's main room (The Box) for some years, and had received many plaudits from top DJs, who had remarked on how clean and powerful the system was. The club's resident DJs, Marc Hughes and Nick Bridges, used the same system in Singapore recently and said: "The Martin Audio sound gives us just what we want, really phat and pu

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UK - Robe ColorSpot 1200ATs have been specified by lighting designer Greg McLennahan for an installation to illuminate the largest mirror ball in the world - on Blackpool Promenade.

This is one of the new lighting features for the world famous Blackpool Illuminations and its newly launched Festival of Light concept, which was switched on for the 2005 season at the weekend by Chris Evans.

The 20ft diameter rotating mirror ball, is named They Shoot Horses Don't They and has been in residence since 2002. It was created by artist Michael Trainor and is synonymous with the culture of ballroom dancing, for which the town is also historically renowned.

McLennahan was commissioned to transform the glitter ball into a "new icon for the illuminations". Apart from that brief, received from Illuminations' Festival director Philip Oakley, he was given a free hand

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UK - Cadac Electronics plc introduced the latest addition to its range of 19" rack-mounted portfolio at the recent PLASA Show, in the shape of the F16 DC Master Interface Unit. The F16 joins the existing line-up of high quality Cadac rack-mounted products, including the M16 remote controlled microphone amplifier and the D16 digital mix matrix. Designed for direct interfacing with the D16 digital mix matrix, the F16 enables the DC Master fader control of internal virtual faders from a single or multiple D16 devices, controlled from any current Cadac Live Production Console.

Cadac has focused on providing the maximum control flexibility with the F16, enabling every fader within the D16 to be assigned to any of the DC Masters available on the console. This allows any number of D16 input or output fader levels to be controlled. In addition to its ability to interface directly w

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USA - The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences recently recognized the lighting design team from the 2004 Olympic Opening Ceremonies with its top Emmy Award for Outstanding Lighting Direction. PRG was the main lighting contractor providing equipment, programmers and technicians for the Athens 2004 Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies. The lighting system included over 2000 automated luminaires controlled by Virtuoso consoles and a Virtuoso fiber optic control network.

The 57th Annual Emmy Awards recognizes outstanding programming and individual achievements in primetime television. The Awards was given for Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic, Multi-Camera) for VMC Programming. The lighting team were lighting designers Bob Dickinson and Eleftheria Deko, and lighting directors Ted Wells, Andy O'Reilly and Theodore Tsevas.

(Lee Baldock)

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France / Italy - InnovaSON digital mixing consoles have been at the heart of many jazz events, including two prestigious European Jazz festivals - Jazz à Vienne in France, and Umbria Jazz in Italy. A total of seven InnovaSON consoles - four Sy80s, two Sy48s and a Grand Live - were put to use at both FOH and monitor positions at the two festivals.

In Vienne in the Rhone Valley, the principal concert venue was the stunning Théâtre Antique, the largest Roman amphitheatre in Europe. Over the festival's 25-year history, the venue has played host to jazz legends such as Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, George Benson, Stan Getz, Stonny Rollins, Al Jarreau, Lionel Hampton, James Brown, Michel Petrucciani, Claude Nougaro and others. This year audiences were delighted to welcome the likes of Pat Metheny, BB King, George Clinton and Oscar Peterson. Handling it all in smooth and capab

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UK - Star Events Group was once again back in Belfast for the Last Night Of The Proms. For the fourth year, crew boss Tom Taylor and project manager Phil Addyman were to be found on the lawns of Belfast's stunning City Hall. They provided a VT2015 stage for the event, complete with a video goalpost, which took eight crew three days to build. This was then handed over to the BBC for three days of set dressing, to achieve the final, stunning look. The two-day derig was made more interesting given the ever-present threat of disruption from the more militant members of the city's populace. The last truck was loaded and the majority of the crew sent to the airport just before gridlock ensued. "

(Lee Baldock)

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UK - Glasgow City Council today unveiled the programme for a new festival, which will allow Glaswegians to see their city in a spectacular new light. The streets of the Merchant City will be transformed by celebrated lighting designers and visual artists from around the globe, alongside local emerging artists, as part of Radiance, Glasgow Festival Of Light.

Taking place from 25-27 November, 2005, Radiance will ensure that a walk through the Merchant City will become a dazzling journey of discovery for a wide range of audiences of all ages, from art lovers to people working or shopping in the city, as the often hidden, but beautiful buildings are illuminated by stunning light installations and captivating visual artworks in unusual and unexpected places. Developed and funded by Glasgow City Council, as part of their £5.2 million investment into the city's lighting strategy,

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France - Music Plus, based South East of France, has purchased a 12 box Kudo system for this summer to provide more than 20 shows supporting 50 artists and bands with L-Acoustics latest technology. Paul De Luca, ,managing director, explained: "We were looking for a system capable of addressing the needs of a wide variety of applications in a broad range of venue gauges. Actually, we have been seduced by Kudo's versatility, ease of use and sound quality. Our first date with the Kudo system took place for a local festival and both the public and the sound engineers were enthused!"

De Luca continued: "Our team has already provided Kudo to many different types of shows and venues, from firework to dance shows, from concerts to one man shows, and I must confess that all artists and technicians have appreciated the sound quality and power of Kudo. This confirms that we'

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UK - When Glasgow Royal Concert Hall was looking to replace some luminaires at the end of last year, they chose six ETC Source Four Revolutions. They were so happy with the new moving lights that when they then decided to refurbish most of the rest of their equipment, they looked again to ETC. Chief stage and lighting engineer Graeme Ironside tested three lighting control consoles. "ETC's Congo won on simplicity and power," he said. "We have had two desks since the hall opened in 1990 and wanted a replacement which we were sure would last at least that long again."

In addition to the Congo (the first installed in the UK) Ironside also chose a SmartFade from ETC as a compact backup console, a further eight Source Four Revolutions, 20 Source Four Junior zooms, eight Source Four 10º profile spotlights and 80 Source Four PARs, all supplied by A.C. Lighting.

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UK - Since demerging from the Evenser Group in February 2004, the Blitz Charter Group has gone from strength to strength, the company reports. The group, which has just announced a first period operating profit of £1.8 million in the 10 months to 31 December 2004, has made significant investments in new equipment, built on its key strengths and continued to attract the best people in the industry, it says.

Continuing its recruitment drive, the Group has confirmed that Ed Everest, founder and current managing director of Outside Broadcast specialists, O21, has been appointed as the new managing director of Charter Broadcast beginning in October 2005. Everest comments: "I'm delighted to be able to join the Blitz Charter Group; I have worked with Charter many times through the years, and their skill and enthusiasm for what they do has always been impressive. I have been

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UK - The 2005 Scottish Lighting Show is nearly upon us and this year hosts black light are showing the way in a very appropriate manner - by holding the show in a lighthouse. But this is no ordinary lighthouse. It's as easy to get to as black light's Edinburgh premises - indeed it's right next door! Built as a training tower for the Northern Lighthouse Board, the lighthouse is a perfect venue for the leading visual technology show in Scotland and the north of England.

This year's Scottish Lighting Show takes place on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th September between 10.30am and 4.30pm. It builds on the success of previous shows, with many exhibitors returning and more exhibiting for the first time, drawn by its well-deserved reputation for high quality visitors and calm atmosphere. Visitors can discuss business in a quiet and informal environment, without being deafened by the PA

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UK - Allen & Heath's Xone DJ mixers dominated at the recent Global Gathering festival, with Xone:92s, Xone:464s and Xone:62s selected for use in seven of the site's arenas. Leading hire company SSE managed sound for the entire event. Corporate sales manager Miles Hillyard, commented: "Allen & Heath DJ mixers were listed on a majority of technical riders for the Global Gathering event and we installed them as the generic mixer where none was specified. The Xone mixers - particularly the fantastic Xone:92 - are SSE's mixers of choice for all the events we manage. In our experience, the Xone mixers are very rider friendly and we find that all the DJ's we cater for can use them comfortably."

On the first day, Xone:92s were installed on the Get Loaded, Radio 1 Beach, and Essential selection stages, with performances from Pete Tong, Mylo, Paul Oakenfold and Sasha. On the Sat

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UK - LGH Rigging Services, has expanded its services by opening a new branch in the Midlands.

"As a part of the company's long term strategy, expansion into the Midlands enables us to serve our nationwide customer base better" explained Paul Fulcher, operations director, LGH Rigging Services.

LGH Rigging Services was established at Three Mills Island Studios in London's Docklands in 1997 as a specialist equipment resource to provide the whole event and entertainment industry with stringently tested, high quality rigging equipment and service via hire or sales solutions, say the company.

Staffed by personnel with strong experience in dry hire, sales, testing and inspection of rigging and associated equipment, the operation has grown rapidly to become one of Europe's leading rigging suppliers, dealing with all the major players in live production services, TV, Film,

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USA - Fall in Manhattan means cooling weather, falling leaves and the Audio Engineering Society convention. The latter is an event always eagerly anticipated at Meyer Sound for the opportunity it presents to show the company's products to, and interact with audio professionals at literally every level of technical knowledge, from cable jockey to chief engineer.

The upcoming 119th convention being held at New York's Jacob Javits Center is of particular interest to the company, with AES's increased focus on live sound. Meyer Sound comes to the show with a full slate of acclaimed products like the 2004 TEC award-winning Milo high-power curvilinear array and 2005 TEC award-nominated Milo 120 high-power expanded coverage loudspeaker, plus the newest talks of the town: the Mica compact high-power curvilinear array loudspeaker, 600-HP high-power subwoofer and Galileo loudspeaker manage

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UK - Following the success in 2004, Stage Electrics is once again utilizing the great space at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (RWCMD) in Cardiff for its 2005 Tradeshow on Wednesday 5 October.

In 2004 the day attracted over 100 visitors from as far afield as Lincolnshire and London, Stage Electrics are looking to build on last years popularity. Once again the RWCMD Bute Theatre will be transformed into a 'mini PLASA' with the help of a team of hardworking students. Their work is assessed and contributes towards one of four production placement grades for the 2 year of their studies.

Stage Electrics' major suppliers will be demonstrating their latest products and services and offering hands on experience and advice. Exhibiting at the show will be: Martin, Rosco / DHA, Zero88, Strand, ETC, Pulsar, Selecon, RCF, Audio Technica, Lee, Mackie, Prolyte, Teclumen and Apollo.<

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UK - Outline COM.P.A.S.S., history's first robotized loudspeaker enclosure, won the Award for Product Innovation at London's PLASA Show.

Outline's COM.P.A.S.S. is the first robotic speaker enclosure. It can be used alone or combined with other elements to form a vertical line array. Thanks to a sophisticated mechanism moved by five motors, the system can adjust vertical and horizontal directivity simultaneously from 60-150 degrees on the horizontal plane and from 0-15 degrees on the vertical plane, which can be operated via remote software. The judges marked it out for its high level of innovation and that fact that it had delivered a solution long overdue."

Outline was the only manufacturers exhibiting Sound Reinforcement systems that received an award this year and is also the only Italian audio company that has received the PLASA Award so far (no less than twice - for

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UK/Ireland - The UK and Republic of Ireland V-Dosc Network Partners have all been involved in another highly successful season in 2005, say L-Acoustics. The eight official UK V-Dosc Partners Autograph Sound Recording, Britannia Row Productions, Celtic Sound, Delta Sound, Efx Audio, Skan Pa Hire, Tourtech, and Wigwam Hire have undertaken a varied mix of touring, festival, corporate, and theatre work including: Coldplay, Glastonbury Festival, Microsoft Tech-Ed, Pavarotti, REM, Mamma Mia! World Tour, Duran Duran, The Isle Of Wight Festival, Liverpool Pops, T In The Park, Jamiroquai, Doves, among the most significant.

The V-Dosc system is still referred to as the standard audio reference tool. Many of the most respected engineers and production managers continue to use V-Dosc due to benefits such as: WST technology, comprehensive technical support and the V-Dosc Network. The seamles

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Canada - The Global Meetings and Incentive Exhibition (EIBTM) announced on 16 September that Vivien, Cast Software's Event Design application, is the winner of the EIBTM 2005 WorldWide Technology Watch award.

Vivien was judged by the following criteria: Innovation/Uniqueness, Impact on the Meetings Industry, and Completeness of Concept. This prestigious award includes a booth at the EIBTM 2005 show in Barcelona, Spain, where Cast Software can be found on stand D258 from 29 November - 1 December.

"We are honored that our software contribution to the event and meetings industry has been recognized by EIBTM. This award also suggests that our peers have great confidence in the direction we are heading and in our ability to provide extraordinary design solutions that meet the needs of event planners and designers," says Gilray Densham, president & CEO of Cast Software.

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UK - Allen & Heath chose PLASA 2005 to announce its Distributor of the Year 2004/5, awarding the company's Chinese distribution partner, Eastern Acoustics Development (EAD). The award was presented to EAD's director, Y K Cheung, by Allen & Heath's sales director, Bob Goleniowski, and managing director, Glenn Rogers, at a champagne reception held on the company's stand during the show.

The award recognizes the best overall performance by an international distributor during Allen & Heath's 2005 fiscal year. Allen & Heath's sales director, Bob Goleniowski, commented: "It gives us great pleasure to make this award to the EAD team, which has displayed great enthusiasm and dedication to the A&H brand. PLASA 2005 has been the launch pad for several new innovations into the digital market, and we know that with distributors such as EAD behind us, Allen & Heath will continue to grow

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USA - Rock Star: INXS - this summer's hottest new reality series - teamed Australian rockers INXS with reality TV guru Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Apprentice), and followed the band's search for a new lead singer. The show combined unscripted drama, performance-driven competition and used weekly contestant elimination to decide a winner who would join INXS for their next studio endeavour and world tour.

As part of the show, the competition gave finalists an opportunity to record a single with the band in Los Angeles-based Westlake Studios. For these recording sessions, INXS's technical director Steve Jones needed a monitoring system that would be both compact and provide plenty of output - allowing the band to work up new songs live and loud with the Rock Star contestants.

After careful research, Jones decided that the ideal stage monitoring solution would be a Mackie system b

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UK - PLASA has announced the launch of a new National Rigging Award, designed to give riggers across all sectors of the industry a recognized framework by which their knowledge and expertise can be measured.

Initiated by the rigging sector, who looked to PLASA to further develop the template for a National Rigging Certificate, the Award has become vital in a climate where there is a growing focus on health and safety, and an increasing expectation from the insurance sector.

For the last 10 months, PLASA has been working with government bodies and members of the rigging community on the development of the Certificate, a consultation process which has been underpinned by the formation of the PLASA Rigging Advisory Group.

The Group is now working on the fine details of the criteria and assessment process, but once finalized, the scheme will include a tiered progression structur

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UK - Cwmbran based Zero 88 Lighting Ltd, one of the Europe's leading lighting control companies, has sponsored Creative Lighting Design (UK) with one of its new Jester lighting consoles.

Creative Lighting Design is currently undergoing a UK wide tour, carrying out Lighting workshops for students as well as INSET training courses for teachers in schools and colleges. These workshops compliment the students in their GCSE and A'level studies by giving them hands on experience and understanding of the working of stage and theatre lighting.

The high spec Jester was handed over to Jon Watson during the workshop recently held at Croesyceiliog School, Cwmbran. Mr Watson says: "The console will make a huge difference to both students and teachers at the workshops. The Jester is probably the best piece of equipment on the market for the price. It offers schools, colleges and smalle

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