Business

Details
UK - Tryka L.E.D. Ltd is the lighting sponsor of the Design Talks at this year's bar show. The seminar area hosts a series of talks from high-profile figures taking place under the watchful gaze of Tryka luminaires, which provide the sole illumination in a stunning wash of colours to bring the forums to life and provide eye-catching, colour-changing surroundings for speakers and attendees alike.

The new MR16 Module 3 and Module 6, as well as the latest Module 12 - all featuring the unique Easy-Link System for simple installation and control - are applied to great visual impact. All units feature 25° optics and RGB LEDs, with optics being interchangeable in the MR16 fixtures for adaptability to different application needs.

Several Strip Modules - fitted with oval optics for wall-wash effect - illuminate the interior walls with a glow of ever changing hues to complete the st

Details
USA - Leading Internet Equipment broker, GearSource, has created a new Online project that promises similar rapid growth and success. LED Source (www.LEDsource.com) promises to deliver a quality range of LED products from leading manufacturers through their innovative and simple to navigate e-commerce Internet site. In fact, LED Source are 100% exclusively dedicated to the LED market and will always try to offer a unique product mix.

Founder and president Marcel Fairbairn says: "LEDs have obviously become a leading component of today's lighting market. Although we've never really been driven to establish a site for sales of 'new' gear, the market for LED sales is so fragmented and confused right now. We saw an opportunity to step up and establish a sales entity online where we would could provide quality LED products to both dealers and end-users."

LED Source has cre

Details
UK - The historic Coronet Cinema in South London's Elephant & Castle has undergone a multi-million pound refurbishment to create a stunning new live music and club venue. The 2,200 capacity Art Deco building, which began its life as a theatre in the early 19th Century before becoming a cinema in 1910, now houses regular live music gigs and club nights, with a newly-installed EV XLC line-array sound reinforcement system.

The team behind the Coronet re-launch includes Simon Parkes, the man who rescued the derelict Brixton Academy in the 1980s. Unsurprisingly, he has put live music at the core of the Coronet's new business plan, and wants to put the venue firmly on the touring circuit. So far, the club has hosted Franz Ferdinand, The Orb and Macy Gray, and is nurturing a commitment to showcasing new bands and avant-garde events.

Bernard Mani of Systems Etc has had a long relation

Details
USA - Color Kinetics Incorporated and iLight Technologies Inc have announced an agreement through which iLight will license Color Kinetics' patent portfolio to add colour-changing offerings to its LED-based product lines. This includes the Plexineon RGB Series, introduced this week at Lightfair International, as well as future products.

"We are very pleased to offer dynamic colour control together with our award-winning Plexineon profile," said Mark Cleaver, chairman of iLight Technologies. "Our agreement with Color Kinetics makes this exciting opportunity possible, and reflects our commitment to the growing market for intelligently controlled LED lighting."

"We believe that LEDs offer the best method for lighting with colour today, and we're pleased to help companies like iLight take advantage of this accelerating market shift," said Bill Sims, P

Details
UK - South London based PA company Systems Etc is the first in the UK to embrace Electro-Voice's new X-Line XLE compact line array system, supplied by Shuttlesound. Company owner Bernard Mani has customised the XLE system with EV's new 2x 15" subs, nominally part of the XLC range, and a perfect match for Systems Etc's dance music clients.

Last year, Systems Etc invested in an EV XLC system, which has been used for mainstream events for up to 30,000 people. Mani has bumped up his XLC inventory as well this month, encouraged by the mix-and-match quality of the two systems. "The XLE is really tiny, compact and user-friendly, and apart from the obvious advantages of its size, the other thing that impresses is its clarity. We're tailoring the system to our own needs, using the new XLC 215 subs which are a perfect fit. And we're just waiting for the new grid adaptors, which

Details
UK - A talented design student from Napier University is celebrating winning two prestigious awards after coming up with a way to make museums and art galleries more accessible to those with hearing impairments. Kim Robertson, a 21-year-old fourth-year student on the University's BDes (Hons) Interior Architecture course, designed a system to make exhibitions more inclusive.

Now her hard work has paid off and received recognition from key industry figures - she has scooped a British Museum Award worth £1,500 and an Adapt Trust Award worth £2,500 from the RSA (Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce).Kim, from Catrine in South East Ayrshire, said: "The term 'inclusive design' is about ensuring environments, products and services are accessible to people of all ages and abilities. However, I became aware that inclusive design does not

Details
UK - Eclipse Lighting and Sound have designed and installed an integrated sound, lighting and vision package for Live Leisure's new £3m Opus complex in Manchester. Situated in the high-profile Printworks, it has presented them with one of their most prestigious contracts yet.

Opus will accommodate up to 1,200 people across four floors, which contain four rooms, with two restaurants and five bars. But it was the multipurpose Live Room that provided Eclipse director John Fearon with his biggest challenge. "We had to build a versatile lighting rig that would accommodate comedy acts, live bands, corporate nights and a full-on nightclub - as well as general ambience," he said.

While this would require some generic stage lighting he knew he could depend on the recommendation of DiFuzion's Graham Barron for all his automated requirements.

"I have known Graham f

Details
Greece - "Eurovision is a fabulous European institution and we were proud to be part of it, especially in its 50th year," said Stage One's technical director, Jim Tinsley. He added, "The organisers were aiming for the most impressive show that Eurovision had ever seen and I think you'll agree that they, and us, certainly delivered."

Working for Greek television company ERT, Stage One was asked to build the entire set for Eurovision 2006, which was held at the Olympic indoor arena, Athens. Designed by Ilias Ledakis, the set combined high technology with elements of Greek Theatre and comprised the main stage, the surrounding moveable stepped elements, along with aerial engineering.

The circular stage was 13m diameter, with a black laminated facia and a seamless plexiglass floor, beneath which were thousands of Bahco LED panels which could be lit in a myriad o

Details
Germany - ChainMaster recently delivered a mobile chain-hoist system to Norddeutscher Rundfunk. The chain hoists, which comply with the BGV-D8 code of practice, will be used (among other things) for outside broadcasts wherever the need arises to position heavy stage elements. The ChainMaster system comprises 20 hoists, for loads ranging between 250kg and 1,000kg, and a 20-channel manual controller.

(Lee Baldock)

Details
Hungary - ACF Budapest - the first Audio Visual creative fair in the Central Europe region - will open its doors in a few months' time (21-23 November 2006) in Budapest. So far, over 30 exhibitors have reserved their spaces at the exhibition, including American DJ/American Audio, ADB TTV, Chromatica, Sonoss, Verbiest, Show Solutions, Meyer Sound, Laser System Europe, ADC, Barco, ZAJ/Discotechnika, Balogh Studiolighting, Mikropo Systemhouse LTD, Panasonic Madyarorszag, Rexfilm, R-Digital, Whirlwind Digital Europe, Ampco - Flashlight, Luminis, Highlite International, Doremi and Audmax.

The fully renovated Hunguest Europa Congress Centre site will host exhibitors and visitors on several floors and in different halls. The Congress centre is less than half an hour from Budapest international airport and offers all the facilities needed for this type of event. A shuttle service will l

Details
UK - Three leading UK rental operations have invested in Robe moving lights in the last two months - London-based Colour Sound Experiment and Halo, and GLS from Southampton.

Colour Sound Experiment has purchased 17 ColorSpot and 17 ColorWash 575 ATs - its first Robe fixtures. CSE's Haydn Cruickshank says they made the purchase because "people want to use them", adding that they also have a place in CSE's hire stock as a "well specified, good value, mid-range" moving light. Their first show was the legendary Southport All Weekender, where they received a good caning! They will also be out on the Ascot Charity Ball, Hi Fi North and South festivals and the Metal Hammer Awards plus numerous dry hires to other companies.

16 ColorSpot 1200 ATs are the first Robe's bought by GLS, although they already have another order placed with Robe UK. The purchase followed b

Details
UK - London-based live brand experiential innovators exposure - collaborating with their LA office - designed and creatively directed Sony Computer Europe Entertainment's (SCEE) presentation event at E3 held at the LA Convention Centre. SCEE took the opportunity of unveiling 27 new titles for the forthcoming year on PSP (PlayStation Portable) and PlayStation 2 at the show. They also engaged the public in the first previews of the much-anticipated PlayStation 3, scheduled for release in November, along with nine new gaming titles for this console.

The London based team were led by Production Director Alison Berkani and included designer Matt Gates. exposure Live regularly produces events for SCEE. The brief involved the creation of a complete lively interactive environment specially geared to showcasing the new software titles and games to European Trade and Press. exposure Live'

Details
Middel East - Klotz Digital AG, the inventor of audio and control networking solutions for the audio and media industry, announced today that it has joined forces with CG Group Dubai, a well-known distributor of integrated high-tech solutions in the Middle East.

CG Group Dubai will with immediate effect offer service and support and sell Klotz Digital's complete product range, including Varizone - the digital Public Address and Voice Evacuation System as well as Klotz Digital's wide range of mixing consoles and audio routers for the Broadcast Industry in GCC countries, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

"This strategic alliance provides tremendous opportunities for both companies. It will facilitate us to expand and ensure our market presence in this region, while CG Group seized the chance to round off its product range for the security market and breaks into the promising

Details
UK - Dartford's Orchard Theatre is a well-established venue in one of the most heavily populated areas of England. From orchestras to tribute bands, comedy to lectures, plays to pantomimes, the Orchard attracts a diverse audience from a wide catchment area throughout south and east London, Kent and Essex.

When the theatre wanted to upgrade the audio system of its Circle Bar, the speakers needed to be able to broadcast a diversity of content with uniform high quality. So specialist AV installers Whitwam turned to Turbosound. "The Circle Bar is designed for use as a stand alone meeting / seminar space and for holding varying workshops and small shows. At those times the speakers need to deliver standalone high quality foreground music and sound reinforcement," says Whitwam's senior engineer, Andy Pymm. "When the bar isn't being used as a separate area, the speakers

Details
UK - XL Video was commissioned by Jeff Allen at Sensible Music to supply video projection to Joan Collins' first UK theatre tour - An Evening with Joan Collins. Video designer Oliver Sones, in collaboration with the show's director Percy Gibson, was asked to produce original content for the 75-minute show, which features video and stills running throughout.

In an intimate monologue performance, Collins recalls autobiographical elements and details of her legendary career, which spans five decades as actress, author, entrepreneur and accomplished producer. XL supplied two Barco SLM G8 projectors, and a 16 x 12ft rear projection screen, hung in portrait 4:3 aspect ratio. The projectors and screen were set up each day by tour manager Claude Taylor who remarks that it was a very quick, easy and reliable system to deal with, and proved perfectly adaptable for even the smaller

Details
UK - Adlib Audio supplied a powerful sound system whilst sister company Adlib Lighting supplied the illumination for cult New York rockers, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, on their recent whirlwind UK tour. The three back-to-back dates - Glasgow Barrowlands plus Manchester and Birmingham Academies - are all gigs that Adlib know really well, explained FOH babysitter and systems tech Steve Pattison. This helped enormously in terms of familiarity with the sonic parameters they knew would work - with no production rehearsals, a good knowledge of the rooms was a Godsend.

Adlib's ability to offer a combined sound and lighting package won them the business, as it meant that the band's production manager, Roger Carne, only had to deal with one company for all technical requirements, while Adlib could offer good value and the same streamlined service for both departments.

They chose a Nexo Alpha

Details
The Netherlands - Three Soundcraft mixing desks have been specified and installed in a new, purpose-built concert venue in Eindhoven. Designed by architects MVRDV and developed by Ove Arup & Partners at a cost of €6.9m, the highly-designed De Effenaar replaces the former single-room venue on the same site that has been demolished to make way.

Trading on two floors, the complex incorporates a café/restaurant, a large concert venue (for 1200 people), a secondary 400-capacity room (with balcony) and a small studio theatre.De Effenaar, which has quickly become one of the most significant 'circuit' venues in the south of Holland, selected 40- and 32-channel Soundcraft MH3 dual-mode consoles for use in the FOH and foldback positions of the smaller venue, and a 48-channel SM20 for monitor duties in the large concert space.

With theatre specialists Prinssen en Bus providing th

Details
Switzerland - Bandit Lites continued its ongoing relationship with Lotus Cars at the Geneva Motor Show, supplying lighting design and production for their stand which included the launch of the new Lotus Europa S. The exhibition was held in the massive Palexpo Centre and it was the first automotive trade show at which Bandit UK has worked with Lotus, following on from a steady run of showroom work around the UK.

Lighting designer Mark Powell was asked to make the stand look dynamic, dramatic and cutting edge with the lighting - reflecting the profile of the show and the launch of the new model. The 'essence' of the lighting also had to highlight Lotus's sleek, high value brand image, and reflect the Lotus S's design philosophy of achieving performance through "added lightness".

The stand clean open lines of the stand were designed by Omni's. It featured the main care

Details
Mexico - MC2 has appointed Hi Tech Audio as its distributor for Mexico. Based in Tlalpan, on the southern edge of Mexico City, the company specialises in a wide range of leading professional audio brands including DiGiCo, Yamaha and HK Audio. The company needed a range of high quality amplifiers to complement its other products and MC2 amplifiers are the ideal choice.

"We are very excited to have been appointed the MC2 distributor for Mexico," says Hi Tech Audio's Antonio Martínez Benita. "Our company specialises in high quality brands and MC2 is the perfect addition to our portfolio."

MC2's Ian McCarthy adds: "The pro audio market in Mexico is expanding rapidly, as witnessed by the number of leading brands that are regularly seen on the country's productions. We are very pleased that our products will now be helping to provide the high quality audio

Details
Australia - Situated on Sydney's Darling Harbour, Australia's leading superclub, Home, plays host to some of the world's most respected DJs and has recently branched into live music. A key component of this move was a technical refit, which included the installation of a state of the art audio system comprising exclusively Allen & Heath mixers, and a 16-cabinet JBL line-array.

"I have a passion for both live and club music and I am very excited by the emerging genre that combines elements of both," comments Simon Page, owner of Home. "We had very clear demands from both local and international artists to choose Allen & Heath DJ consoles, so it was an easy step for us to go with Allen & Heath for the live requirements as well."

The club is on three levels, with a maximum capacity close to 2500. There are four function rooms, outdoor balconies, numerous bars,

Details
UK - 2006 saw the launch of a brand new large scale music festival in South Wales: held over two days in Ynys Angharad Park in Pontypridd, The Full Ponty featured live performances from top bands such as Feeder, Funeral for a Friend and Goldy Lookin Chain. Freelance lighting designer Tim Routledge was approached by Pop Factory Events to design a contemporary, rich look for this event that was to be not only suitable for a live but also a TV audience as the event was being recorded for broadcast on BBC2 Wales. The stage was also to be turned around for a more theatrical event to celebrate 150 years of the Welsh National anthem for BBC 1 Wales.

"Emyr Afan, the director, and myself really didn't want to wash the stage out and lose the effect of the rock looks onstage especially as we had a great blackout in the huge kayam structure," said Routledge. "In order to achi

Details
UK - "This is a first for the band," said John Tinline of Encore. "For the first time ever this is not going to be a synth' show - Erasure will all use real musical instruments." Encore has been providing sound services to Erasure for the last few years so Tinline should know. "Funny thing is, as the band go analog we've gone completely digital. Once the signal goes into the stage box it stays digital right through the desk and out into the d&b audiotechnik D12 amplifiers."

The musical switch has brought some controversial changes "The band are playing a Country & Western style show; they've re-written, and re-arranged every song," said Tinline. Erasure's front-of-house engineer was a little more circumspect: "All the songs are recognisable but completely different as you would imagine, being acoustic now," said Matt West. "

Details
UK - Lighting designer Esteban Caracciolo specified an Avolites Diamond 4 for his latest UK and European tour with the punky energetic US rockers, Fall Out Boy. Caracciolo has always used Avo consoles, and during FOB's latest US shed and arena leg of the tour - just previous to them hitting Europe this time around - he was using two D4 Elites - supplied by Upstaging.

FOB's set can be as random as it is powerful, there is rarely a set list, and much of the show has to be improvisational, 'live' and hands on - making Avolites the ideal choice of console for the environment. "I have everything right there on the faders, ready to grab whenever I need it," he says.

He adds that in the US, the doors are often open at 5.30pm, curtailing the working day and reducing afternoon programming time, so here again, the D4's quick, simple patching and programming functionality is a

Details
UK - Lighting Partners, the company behind the hugely successful usedlighting.co.uk website will be exhibiting for the first time at this years ABTT Theatre Show in London. The stand, which will be located in the Lindley Hall (Stand 22) will feature a wide selection of the equipment featured on usedlighting.co.uk plus some exciting new budget lines from its sister site stagelighting.co.uk.

Throughout the show the company will be making special offers, including the chance for visitors to buy a wingnut spanner to take away. "The backdrop to our stand, designed for Lighting Partners by South London artist and designer Fuel, features an intergalactic battle you'd never see in Star Wars!" say the company.

(Lee Baldock)

  1. New venue for inaugural PALA India
  2. RML supplies lighting for Paul O'Grady
  3. Jands Vista supplied to ESP Lighting
  4. Clay Paky lights up Emirates Palace Hotel
  5. HSL on The Beautiful South
  6. Red Hot Chili Peppers with Tomcat
Page 800 of 1813

Latest Issue. . .