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Austria - The Raiffeisen Bank of Austria wanted an eye-catching corporate branded frontage for their newly refurbished building near Vienna in Austria. Vivid Effect were asked to provide the right combination of architectural, signage and LED experience to achieve their objectives. Working with a local architect and installer, they designed a 20m x 8m screen to be fixed to the first floor exterior of the bank's building.

The LED fixtures used are DingDotz - individually addressable, low profile, self contained, colour changing RGB LEDs that are IP66 waterproof containing super-bright Nichia 3-in-1 sealed LED units. With a viewing angle of 120 degrees, the 15mm fixtures radiate light with high quality colour rendition of 16.7 million hues, which is suitable for directly viewed outdoor architectural signage applications. A standard rackmount Windows PC acts as the master controlle

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UK - In a project that began way back in 2004, Warsaw-based Tommex was asked by the architects from the project company Arconel for cooperation with a range of room acoustic solutions and audio system designs for 'Globus', a multipurpose hall with an ice rink and an audience capacity of 5000 people.

The planned facility would have the ability to host hockey, volleyball and basketball - and music events. By the time Tommex joined the project team the main building was almost complete. Tommex started by preparing a mathematical model of the hall using Ease 3.0 software and the virtual acoustic reality of the hall was far from good. In every instance,measurements were made using Gold Line DSP 30 B to check the RT60 parametersand the poor measurements confirmed those gained from Ease. The RT60 at somefrequencies was almost 11 seconds. This presented Tommex with an enormouschallenge

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USA - Theatrical Lighting Systems (TLS) recently held lighting seminars in the Huntsville and Nashville areas. The sessions were divided into 'lighting for churches' and 'lighting for theatre/entertainment', in order to give each group individualised attention.

The seminars included product demonstration from various manufacturer representatives including Rosco, Vari-Lite, High End, Thomas Engineering, ETC, Strong, and DeSisti.TLS offers these seminars on a regular basis as a free service to customers in order to create better relations and keep them informed about the newest innovations.

(Chris Henry)

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Italy - Billy Joel and Bryan Adams were dual headliners at this year's Telecomcerto, the large annual free concert organised by Telecom Progetto Italia in cooperation with the City of Rome. The two-for-one superstar event took place on the July 31 2006, on a stage where many of the world's greatest artists have performed over the last three years, in front of the Coliseum and in the magical setting of the Fori Imperiali (Imperial Forums).

It was a night of great music and high emotion for the estimated 500,000 fans in attendance. The audio and lighting equipment for both concerts was supplied by Italian company MMS srl. of Solaro (Milan); Maddalena Tronchetti Provera and Vittorio Quattrone of the Four One Music company organised the event.

The event was also a great success for Texim, official Italian distributors of the Electro-Voice, Midas and Klark Teknik equipment that com

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UK - Opera North, England's national opera company in the North, based in Leeds, has purchased a CyberHoist motion control system through Vertigo Rigging to greatly expand its flying capabilities.

Opera North's system - comprising four CH500 500kg CyberHoist motors and an Apple laptop-based InMotion 3D programming and control system - was immediately despatched as part of the company's 2006 touring production of the satirical Kurt Weill operetta Arms and the Cow.

The operetta is set on a sleepy Caribbean island that is drawn, through the machinations of an arms dealer, mendacious politicians and US connivance, into an arms race with a neighbouring island. Raunchy humour and Caribbean-feel numbers infuse the work, completed and revised with input from Opera North's own head of music, James Holmes.

The CyberHoist system's capabilities were thoroughly tested by the produ

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Eastern Europe - The very first ISE Roadshow in Eastern Europe is about to be launched. Starting in Poland and the Czech Republic on 30 October and 1 November respectively, the Roadshow moves to Hungary and Turkey the following week. Two new silver sponsors, Stardraw and Extron have just signed up to add their support to the event. The show organisers have reported a high level of interest from emerging companies in the AV and Electronic Systems Integration market and have issued an advice to anyone still interested in attending to visit the website as soon as possible to guarantee a place at this new event: www.iseurope.org.

The workshops will be of interest to custom and professional installers, buyers and resellers of AV Systems, designers, meeting planners, agencies and IT consultants.

The Roadshow will visit four key cities over an eight-day period and will include four i

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UK - London-based PA and promotions company, Up All Night Music, employedAllen & Heath GL2400 and GL2800 multi-purpose live sound mixers to manage audio during its busy festival schedule, which included 'Til The Cows Come Home, Bloodstock, Lovebox, and Secret Garden.

The season started with 'Til The Cows Come Home festival, which took place in Bedfordshire at the beginning of July. The independent festival - with an elite 500 capacity - featured an eclectic mix of bands on one stage. Acts included the 9-piece band, P-Hex; The Retro Spankees; Whisky Cats; Delphian Complex, who have supported New Order and Primal Scream; mod-ska British band, Bowfinger; and the Lazarus Plot, who have supported the likes of Supergrass and Shed 7.

"A small portable board was needed for a quick and easy set up, so I selected a 24-channel GL2400," explains Up All Night sound engineer, Ed S

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UK - Stage One have beaten off the competition and been crowned 'Supplier of the Year' at the prestigious 2006 Event Awards, which were announced on Friday 29 September at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London. "It means a lot to us to win this prominent industry accolade as it's recognition for all the energy, skill and dedication we bring to bear on every project we're involved with," says the company.

The projects we submitted for consideration were; the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, MTV Europe Music Awards and Aspire opening ceremony in Doha, and information about all of these, along with other recent projects can be found on the Stage One website: www.stageone.co.uk.

(Chris Henry)

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UK - Blitz, the UK's leading technical staging specialist, will join Phantom of the Opera in celebrating its landmark 20 year anniversary this October. Blitz has worked on the award-winning show, since it opened at Her Majesty's Theatre on 9 October 1986.

Blitz provides a complete sound solution for the stage show. Phantom of the Opera is notable for its pioneering use of Sennheiser radio mics, now a West End standard, as well as sound designer Martin Levan's first use of open Tannoy loudspeaker drivers. Today, as 130 cast, crew and orchestra members are involved with each performance, the show demands a large volume of high technology to work in concert.

Having worked with Phantom of the Opera since its inception, Blitz has adapted with the musical over time, supplying new equipment for two major refurbishments in 1994 and 2004 to keep up with the changin

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Uk - The classical Sondheim musical Follies has returned to the London stage with Robert McWhir's critically acclaimed production at the Landor Theatre in North Clapham. The show was designed for a large Broadway theatre but the Landor is a small fringe venue on the first floor of a South London pub. With a small acting area, a seating capacity of 50 and no financial backing or budget. McWhir's vision was to seat the audience on chairs and tables to be part of the party. The cast of 21 are joined on stage by projected images of their younger days - the synchronisation of all this is done by grandMA.

Andrew Tottle, the production manager explained: "We started looking for solutions ten months ago. The total power capacity for the lighting system is 63A single-phase so we needed very precise solutions designed to work! There would be no spare budget to buy our way out

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UK - For the third year, the Stage Electrics Welsh Trade Show is being held at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff on Wednesday 11 October 2006. Doors open at 11am and the show closes at 5pm.

Leading industry suppliers Apollo, Audio Technica, ETC, Lee, Le Maitre, Mackie, MA Lighting, Martin, Prolyte, Pulsar, RCF, Rosco, Selecon, Sennheiser, Strand, Teclumen and Zero88 will be exhibiting their latest products, offering demos and providing expert advice.

Elaine Peake from Le Maitre will be demonstrating a selection of pyrotechnics at 12 noon and 2pm (weather permitting).

The Stage Electrics Welsh Trade Show is a free event, open to everyone and no tickets are required. The company is recommending you come early to take advantage of the free sandwiches available at lunchtime. Visitors can also take the opportunity to pre-register via the Stage Electrics website

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Europe - Hard rocking punk metallers Atreyu completed a short European and UK tour with LD Ian Bintliff producing a lightshow to match. The California based 4-piece stormed the UK replete with the screeching guitars, howling vocals and the visceral causticity that initially made them such an underground sensation on the West Coast. When it came to the UK section of the tour, Bintliff asked Blackburn-based HSL to supply crew and kit.

It was a short tour playing a selection of completely different venues - from Brixton Academy to Nottingham Rock City, so Bintliff's design had to be versatile.

He is one of those LD's who has the "ability and talent to make even the smallest rigs look really substantial" says HSL's MD Simon Stuart. Bintliff's style is from the more traditional school of stage lighting design that very much believes in starting with basic PAR washes and b

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USA - Color Kinetics Incorporated and Osram Sylvania today announced an agreement whereby Osram Sylvania will license Color Kinetics' patents for a product to be marketed by Gotham Architectural Downlighting, an Acuity Brands company.

Under the license, Osram Sylvania will create an intelligent, multi-color light-emitting diode (LED) system for Gotham. The global license will apply to sales of this product in all markets covered by Color Kinetics' patent portfolio.

"This is a significant agreement for Color Kinetics," said Bill Sims, President and CEO, Color Kinetics. "Earning the Osram Sylvania stamp of validation sends a strong message to the industry, and reaffirms the value of the innovations protected by our broad patent portfolio."

"The lighting industry is undergoing dramatic change as LED sources influence the design of completely new produc

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New Zealand - One of the leading sound rental companies in New Zealand has snapped up its first Soundcraft Vi6 digital audio console. Concluding his three-year search for the right digital console format, Chris Tate at College Hill Productions considers the Vi6 to be "light years ahead of its competitors at this level in the market".

Based in Auckland, NZ, College Hill has enjoyed a steep trajectory of success since it was founded by Chris Tate in 1996. With a strong presence on the national and international touring scene, working recently with The Rolling Stones and Cher, College Hill also provides high-end systems for corporate events and theatre productions, as well as working with radio and TV broadcasters in NZ.

One of his country's most respected sound engineers, Chris Tate has been evaluating digital consoles for several years, with no single product satisfyi

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UK - PRG Europe has supplied lighting, truss and mains for the BBC Proms in the Park in Glasgow. Equipment provided for the event celebrating the last night of the Proms included over 55 Vari*Lite luminaires and 50 conventionals, including ETC Source Four Pars and Source Four Zooms, controlled from a Wholehog II plus a Catalyst media server. Lighting director for BBC Scotland was Jim McNamee, while PRG Europe's project manager was John McEvoy.

(Chris Henry)

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UK - A major government lobbying campaign is about to be initiated to address Ofcom's proposals, as part of the planned TV switchover from analogue to digital, to sell-off the radio frequencies currently used by the UK entertainment industry.

BEIRG - the British Entertainment Industry Radio Group - is fighting to maintain access to a sufficient quantity and quality of radio frequencies to ensure that the UK live events sector can continue to deliver the world-class theatre productions, concerts, festivals and events that it has become known for worldwide.

If BEIRG is not successful in persuading Ofcom to review the situation, the entire RF Spectrum from 470-862MHz will be auctioned to the highest bidder, most likely operators of mobile telecommunications networks, leaving the UK entertainment industry without a licence.

Thanks to a strategy suggested by PLASA and its politic

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USA - Lighting designer Matt Mills recently specified over 50 Chroma-Q Color Block LED fixtures as part of his set lighting for the Three Doors Down US summer co-headline tour with Lynrd Skynyrd.

The 45-date tour for two of the country's biggest southern rock bands was in support of Three Doors Down's smash hit album Seventeen Days - one of the top five selling US rock albums of 2005 - and Lynrd Skynyrd's recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Lynrd Skynyrd was already on the road when Three Doors Down joined the tour, so Mills and Lynrd Skynyrd LD Steve Owens co-designed a new rig, doubling the size of it and incorporating the drum riser and backline elements from previous Three Doors Down tours.

As it was a scaled down version of the band's rig and they were reluctant to purchase another backdrop. Mills thought it would be a good opportunity to explore new c

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UK - With only one week to go before the first of this series of Hawthorn@Home events, a 'Pyro Day' on October 13 featuring a demonstration of pyrotechnics by Le Maitre, registrations for the event are doing well, the company reports. "The numbers and quality of the registrations we have already received is encouraging," says Alan Jackson of Hawthorn, "however, we still have capacity at the event to accommodate even more delegates."

Hawthorn regularly organise a series of events, which take place at its base at Old Dalby in Leicestershire. The events run under the heading Hawthorn@Home which give lighting, sound, AV and scenic materials users the opportunity to get hands on with the latest equipment and technology. It is intended the workshops will allow manufacturers, suppliers and users to discuss the products and to gain an insight not normally available o

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UK - Lighting Technology Projects (LTP) has completed the specification, supply and installation of a very elegant white lighting scheme for the Grade 1 listed All Soul's Church on Regent Street, in central London's famous Marylebone district.

Designed by King George IV's favourite architect John Nash, All Souls is a 'Waterloo' church, built in 1823 as part of the nation's thanksgiving for the victory of Wellington over Napoleon. Constructed from Bath stone, the design combines a graceful 160 ft Gothic style spire and a classical rotunda 'body'. It is the last surviving John Nash church.

LTP was contacted by designers LUXX, whose Martin Richman and Dominic Berning have worked with them on numerous other interesting, idiosyncratic and innovative architectural lighting projects. LTP's Terry Reeves says: "It's always a challenge working on Martin's projects - they push the a

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UK - After several years hosting the annual Bay Beats festival, a concentrated exposition of local south-east Asian talent featuring five 'Indie' bands a day for three days, this year a decision was taken by Singapore's Esplanade Theatres on the Bay to purchase a large format line array to cater for the festival's audio needs.

"As the festival's popularity has grown we have experimented with a couple of systems, most recently the Q-Series system from d&b audiotechnik," said Esplanade's head of sound, Robin Shuttleworth. "We use d&b loudspeakers extensively throughout the Esplanade complex, C7 and C4 cabinets as well as the Q, but my decision to purchase a new system for Bay Beats was influenced by several considerations, not just the needs of the festival."

Shuttleworth's responsibilities include the Esplanade Concert Hall, Recital Studios, Theatre, Powerho

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UK - Bandit Lites is supplying full lighting production and crew for LD Dave Lee on the current 7-week Journey South UK theatre tour, produced by Production North.

Bandit's Lester Cobrin was again asked onboard by Production North - the two companies are regular collaborators - after working together on the very successful X-Factor tour earlier in the year, which was also project managed by Cobrin.

Since coming third on the last series of X-Factor, Journey South, brothers Carl and Andy Pemberton from Middlesbrough, have built up a solid UK fan base which has helped spawn their first - and sold out - tour. This is a testament to the wide appeal of their music. The live show is primarily rocky, up-tempo and very dynamic. It kicks off with a scorching rendition of Thin Lizzie's classic The Boys are Back in Town, and also features plenty of their own original material.

Ba

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UK - The ABTT is looking to compile a list of the most useful things the British theatre technician might utilise in their working life, from entries submitted by its members and non-members alike.

Any item is eligible and suggestions so far include: the multi-tool; a 17mm box spanner; the hard hat; knee pads; Pilbrow's Stage Lighting Design; a sound pressure level meter; personalised crew room coffee mug; and, a walkie-talkie that works in the nearest pub.

Submissions should be sent to techequip@catherinecooperevents.co.uk by the end of October and include a contact number. One entry chosen at random after the closing date will receive a year's free ABTT membership subscription.

(Chris Henry)

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UK - In a record-breaking time-frame of just 25 days, Adlib Audio has designed, delivered and installed a full sound reinforcement system at one of Liverpool's cultural landmarks. With the support of Fuzion, the Philharmonic Hall has been equipped with a Nexo Geo D tangent-array system, the first in the world to be specified into an installation.

In actual fact, the Geo D system has been designed by Adlib's Mark Burnley to be moved in and out of the Hall; it can work as a stand-alone system or in conjunction with visiting productions, which may prefer to bring in their own equipment. Kelsey Acoustics has created a bespoke multicore system to facilitate this.

Refurbished in 1995 at a cost of over £10 million, the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall boasts a classic art deco interior. As well as being home to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the world's oldest co

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Canada - 102 year old Butchart Gardens in Victoria is one of Canada's top tourist attractions, covering 55 acres and renowned for its themed gardens, floral displays and spectacular views.

With between one and 1.5 million visitors per year, the gardens also host a range of events, including live music and, for 10 Saturday evenings in summer, a spectacular firework display.Being situated on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, the gardens are not an acoustically friendly environment, both in terms of physical location and climate. For more than six years, Victoria's DL Sound & Lighting had used Turbosound Flashlights at the venue and this year looked at ways to further improve sound coverage and quality for the weekly firework show.

The challenges that a new system had to overcome included high humidity and direct sunlight all day, the effects of a salt atmosphere - both in terms of

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