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UK - With work on their fourth album currently in progress, in April Welsh metal band Lostprophets took a break from writing and recording to undertake a UK arena tour. The band's Front of House engineer Doof spec'ed 10 XTA processors for the tour.

The dates, at the Glasgow SECC, Manchester MEN Arena, Birmingham NIA and London's Wembley Arena, gave the band a chance to blow away the cobwebs, while giving their UK fan base a preview of one or two new songs.

Supplied by UK rental company SSE Audio, the audio system comprised the latest generation Nexo Geo_T NXStream line array, mixed on a Midas H3000 console. Also specified were six XTA C2 compressors and four G2 noise gates.

The G2s were used across the drums, while the C2s were used on the bass guitar (which was both mic'd and DI'd), clean guitar channels and keyboards.

"I've worked on a lot of things for SSE but I ca

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UK - CGA Integration has completed enhancement of Great Fosters renowned Oak room restaurant with dining audio. Gracing an estate of more than fifty acres in what was once the heart of Royal Windsor Forest in Surrey, Great Fosters hotel is a Grade One listed building, combining 16th century grandeur and luxurious modern facilities.

The Oak room at Great Fosters is a prestige dining venue, which prides itself on personal service, quality of finish, attention to detail and inspired gourmet food, for which background classical and light jazz audio was required. A secondary but important function of the sound track was to achieve audio masking of occasional intrusive noises, preserving the exclusivity of the dining experience.

Coming to the project fresh from the Dorchester Crystal Bar installation and through contacts at Le Manoir, CGA Integration were ideally suited to respond t

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Sweden - China's most popular annual television event, the CCTV 2007 Spring Festival Evening Gala, is one of the highest rated TV shows both in China and worldwide. CCTV recently presented the event to hundreds of millions of viewers around the world on the eve of the Chinese New Year.

CCTV used a W-DMX wireless transmission system by Wireless Solution Sweden, supplied by Guangzhou Leifull Light & Sound Technology. The three transmitters and three receivers were used with eight High End Systems DL2s and two HOG iPC consoles to create visuals for the show.

W-DMX's anti-interference capability and stability was fully realised during the gala. Lighting designer Qu Guojun commented on the system, "It is rather convenient for lighting engineers to do programming in any position. You don't need to run everywhere with the signal cable. It is also very stable."

(Jim

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UK - This year the Davis Cup's Quarter Finals took place between at the National Exhibition Centre NEC in Birmingham. 7700 people attended daily to watch the games and ceremonies. Cloud One Group, based in the city, was contracted to supply total production for the tennis tournament which included opening and closing ceremonies featuring, playback when players accessed court, announcements, match commentary, and broadcast feeds.

The Main PA was designed to cover all seated areas, but not infiltrate the broadcast platform, which was positioned at the back of one row of racked seating. Stand alone PA systems for the VIP area, practice courts, press conference and the fourth, a hardwired wireless show communications system were also provided.

The set up was performed by Cloud One System technicians Jasen Hattams and Miles Barton according to the design executed by Paul Stratford

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Russia - Maly Theatre in Moscow recently celebrated its troupe's 250th anniversary, making it the oldest in Russia. The theatre had even more reason to celebrate this milestone, as it got to show off the first completed phase of its £4.9m (€7.2m) renovation, which includes some of the latest lighting technology from ETC.

In 1756, by decree of Empress Elizabeth, the repertory troupe was formed at Moscow State University and was named 'Moscow Russia Theatre'. In 1780 the troupe moved to the Petrovskii Theatre, next to the Bolshoi, on what is now Theatre Square. In 1824 the theatre became officially known as the Maly, which means 'small' in Russian, because it is smaller than the Bolshoi ('big').

The Maly was given a government grant this year to upgrade its facilities. Plans for the renovation include refurbishing the building's façade, revitalising the artwork in the th

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UK - Singer-songwriter Jodie Jones is endorsing Audio-Technica's new Artist Series microphones. The 21 year old from Devon, who released her debut album, All Dressed Up, in 2005, is the first artist to endorse the Artist Series. Having supported the likes of Van Morrison, Supergrass, Roy Wood and Midge Ure, and appearing on BBC TV in the ensuing months, Jones is now back in the studio with guitarist and percussionist husband Joff Alexander-Frye, she is recording new songs for her follow up release exclusively with Artist Series mics, says the company.

Jodie, who plays acoustic guitar and piano, has chosen the ATM710 condenser for her vocals, both live and in the studio. "We are using the ATM710s for all the vocals, both for me and Joff. I love what the mic does for the sound of my voice, the amazing clarity that it gives me. The leap in sound quality with the Artist

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Germany - Four F3+ SXGA+ DLPTM projectors from Norwegian manufacturer projectiondesign are now at the heart of the conferencing facility at the Marshall Centre for European Security Studies, following an installation by systems integrator Screen New Technologies.

Named after George C Marshall, the US-born architect of the Marshall Plan which helped to rebuild Western Europe's shattered economy after the devastation of World War II, the Marshall Centre opened its doors in 1993 in the German town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Jointly sponsored by the governments of the US and Germany, the Centre was originally tasked with furthering the cause of stability in post-Cold War Europe. Since then, its remit has been broadened to promote the peaceful co-operation of nations throughout North America, Europe and Eurasia.

The Centre's conferencing facility plays a key role in its annual prog

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UK - Martin will be exhibiting at the ABTT show, at London's Royal Horticultural Show, stand No.111. The latest products from Martin Professional will be on display including the brand-new MAC TW1 80volt, the complete MAC 700 range, the new Maxedia Compact and the Glaciator X-Stream.

Running alongside this year's show will be a competition, giving visitors the chance to win either a Mania DC1 or Mania DC2. One Mania will be given away each day of the show at 4pm, the winner's name being announced over the hall's loudspeaker.

The Martin team will all be on hand to demonstrate the latest innovations and talk through the finer details of each product.

(Chris Henry)

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USA - Now in its ninth year, the Ultra Music Festival has grown to become one of the world's premier electronic music events. This year's EDM (electronic dance music) extravaganza, held at downtown Miami's, Bicentennial Park, attracted a record 50,000 fans from around the world, all convening for two, 12-hour days of nonstop music and mayhem. Festival-goers caught performances from The Cure, Carl Cox, Fatboy Slim, Paul Van Dyk, and Tiesto, and more than 150 other high profile DJs, producers, and artists spread between nine outdoor stages.

With sound pressure levels sometimes reaching nearly 120dB at the main stage's front-of-house position, and a need to deliver "ultra-pure" sound to a crowd spanning several city blocks, robust loudspeakers - and lots of them - became a necessity. Line array systems based on Meyer Sound's Milo high-power and Mica compact high-power cur

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Channel Islands - Fort Regent - originally a Napoleonic fortress dating back to the early 1800s - is Jersey's largest multipurpose centre. It features a 2,500 seat concert venue, vast sporting facilities, the biggest gym on the island and extensive conference and event facilities.

The State of Jersey Department for Education, Sport and Culture commissioned locally based company LED Lighting Technology with the task of designing and installing an energy efficient lighting solution for the main entrance to the complex, to give an inviting and atmospheric welcome to the vast array of visitors - including concert goers, sport players, conference delegates and general public - whilst complementing the stunning old stone vaults.

LED Lighting Technology specified a large assortment of Tryka products. 12 Tryka Module 12 Easy-Link with 25° optics are mounted in each corner of the t

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USA -The Pearl concert theatre at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas recently opened its doors, immediately establishing itself as one of the world's most technologically advanced performance venues. SIA Acoustics designed the acoustics and sound system, which was installed by lAudio Analysts, and features JBL Vertec DP Series powered line arrays.

The Pearl, which seats a modest 2,500, provides an intimate setting for high-profile artists, as evidenced by Gwen Stefani's performance at the venue's grand opening on April 21. Other acts slated to perform at The Pearl include Tool, Morrissey, Bloc Party and Fall Out Boy.

The heart of the system includes a total of 40 JBL Vertec VT4888DPAN powered enclosures (one line array on each side of the stage), with 20 VT4882DP arrayable subwoofers. Additionally, three groups of four VT4887DPAN powered line array elements (12 in total) pro

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UK - DMi D&M Installation has announced the appointment of KGa marketing & media as its European PR representatives, with immediate effect. The move comes in response to the perceived requirement for a dedicated press and public relations service for the professional AV and CI markets.

Having previously worked for Marantz professional in Europe, as well as many other clients in the professional AV sector, KGa has an extensive knowledge and experience of product technologies and applications in these markets.

DMi D&M Installation, a division D&M Europe, is dedicated to the distribution and support of products from all of D&M's brands to the commercial AV and custom install markets. DMi offers products from Denon, Denon professional, Marantz and Marantz professional ranges, alongside Escient digital music servers, Opus multi-room systems, and Boston Acoustics' wall, ceiling and

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UK - The world's leading mixed martial arts sports association recently spent some time inManchester. Long-time UFC Lighting designer George Smith and ShowlightDesigns, the company he co-owns with Frank Gatto, provide equipment for the U.S.shows. However, for UFC 70: Nations Collide, Smith collaborated with Bandit UK chiefexecutive, Lester Cobrin and staff to provide lighting equipment.

Initially there is a substantial amount of video to entertainthe audience before the fighters come out. During this portion of the evening, the lightsare minimally used to provide an atmosphere for optimal video viewing. Then, when the fighters come out, the full lighting production begins. Smith said that onechallenge for lighting these shows is that the fighters request that there is very littlesmoke. As a result, he has to use as little df-50 as possible, but still somehow achievethe same resu

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UK - Lighting designer and operator Nick Whitehouse is using an Avolites Diamond 4 Vision console on Justin Timberlake's Future Sex/Love world tour, which is currently playing its UK and European sections.

The D4 is controlling 76 Vari*Lite 3000 Spots, 32 Vari*Lite 3000 Washes, 8 Vari*Lite 1000 AS fixtures, 34 Vari*Lite 4s, 50 Atomic strobes and scrollers, 50 Molefeys, eight MX1000 Syncrolights, 12 MX3000 Syncrolights, 120 Color Kinetics ColorBlast 12 truss toners and a series of LED strips illuminating the four bars inbuilt into the stage set.

The shape of the lighting rig is based on over a kilometre of curved trussing custom made by LA-based Show Rig which mirrors the geometry of the stage below. It was designed around six moving screens which fly in and out to different positions constantly throughout the show, which is a high octane fusion of live performance, ligh

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USA - Emerald Downs, Seattle's horse racing circuit nestled at the foot of the Cascade Mountains, has installed an iLive 144 and iDR10 digital mixing system from Allen & Heath. The console is installed in the track's main control room and handles 56 inputs from various audio sources including announcer mics, the many simulcasts that provide playback of events for the spectators, and more. Walter Lucas of Seattle Pro Audio presided over the installation.

All 32 mix outputs of the iDR10 are utilised, and the programmable nature of the iLive surface allowed the engineers to configure the different mix outputs to provide feeds to the stadium, boxes, hospitality suites, track, OB vans, other broadcast feeds, and monitor mixes.

"The iLive was chosen for its routing flexibility, easy of use, superior audio quality, and small footprint, " states Owen McClain, Emerald Downs'

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UK - One of the most prestigious student awards for lighting design, The Michael Northen Bursary, is again open for submissions. Established in 2001, it rewards students who show exemplary talent in lighting design. The Bursary is judged on a project that the student has produced within the past academic year and awarded by the ALD in conjunction with ETC and The Mousetrap Foundation. The organisers emphasise that this is a design bursary and the entries are judged purely on imaginative design and creativity in lighting.

Applicants are asked to submit work showing the development and processes of a successfully realised lighting design performance project. The project must have been completed at some point during the last 12 months (July 2006 - June 2007). Materials such as photographs, storyboards, plans and any other work the student feels appropriate can be submitted, along w

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UK - London's Camden Crawl festival which covers 15 different venues, gave Britannia Row the opportunity to give a demanding field test to Turbosound's new NuQ loudspeakers.

2007 was the first time that this unusual festival took place over two days, 19t-20 April, with artists such as Travis, The Charlatans, The Damned and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club sharing the same stages as lesser-known acts.

"As we were working in so many venues and there were so many bands playing, the idea was very much to have a standard system in all of them," says Britannia Row's Roly Oliver. "We needed to deliver a package that was very simple and very compact, but delivered great sound. Self-powered Turbosound cabinets gave the size, quality, reliability and flexibility we needed - and we also wanted to give the new NuQ cabinets a tough test."

The NuQ systems were installed in

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UK - The international-sized ice pad at the Link Centre is recognised as a 'Centre of Excellence' for both figure skating and ice hockey and is home to the Swindon Wildcats ice hockey team. The first Friday of every month is Sub Zero Friday, with a club atmosphere in the ice rink, creating an environment which turns the rink into "the hottest club night on ice".

Stagecraft Theatre Services Ltd were contracted to overhaul the venue by removing all the old lighting bars and lights and tidy the venue up to turn it into a club environment to cater for all ages of customer and to make the venue more fun.

Bryan Kelly, Project Manager of STS explained what they did. "This is the first time that we have installed a rig at an ice rink and we thoroughly enjoyed working with the team at the Link Centre. STS was responsible for the design, installation and project managemen

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Singapore - Robe moving lights took centre stage at the nail-biting final of The Dancefloor 2007, a freestyle dancing competition produced by Mediacorp Studios and broadcast live nationwide on Singapore's Channel 5.

The Dancefloor is Singapore's first televised dancing competition, aimed at finding new dancing talent, and has attracted intense interest and record ratings over its three-month run. The 110 groups and couples initially auditioning were whittled down to 32 contestants who started the series. They were voted for by a combination of panel of judges and the public, ending up with the five finalists.

Lighting equipment for the series and the final was specified by Mediacorp Studios' head of lighting Mr Lim Joo Liong. Lighting for the final was programmed and operated by Mr Loh Eng Keat, with set designed by Fuji Quek. The Robe fixtures were supplied by S

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USA - Hardly a week goes by that Pure nightclub at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas isn't in the pages of national celebrity publications or on national entertainment television. The club's ability to secure the top-name celebrities (Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and many more) and celebrated special events is notable, even among Vegas' competitive nightclub landscape.

Maintaining Pure's superior position requires constant diligence on many levels, including focused attention on the club's entertainment technology systems. Neu Visions Design (NVD) supplied and installed the Martin lighting system back in 2004 and has overseen the club's lighting gear since its opening.

"Pure Management Group was looking for a powerful and versatile lighting system that could cover the venue's approximate 10,000 sq.ft main room," states NVD's managing director Adam Camp,

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UK - Audio compression specialist APT has launched a new website that is designed to provide useful information to customers, potential customers and all those interested in audio coding and codecs. The site, which can be accessed at the same URL (www.aptx.com), is now much easier for customers to navigate, says the company. Its new look provides a distinct identity for each of APT's two business areas - Broadcast Products and the licensing of Intellectual Property.

Jon McClintock, APT's commercial director, says: "The new website reflects the depth and breadth of APT's product portfolio, both as a technology provider and a codec manufacturer. The content is clear, concise and readily accessible to both Licensing partners and codec users."

(Jim Evans)

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The Electroacoustics Group of the Institute of Acoustics in collaboration with ABTT, APRS & ISCE is staging Reproduced Sound 23 at The Sage, Gateshead, 29-30 November, and has issued a 'Call for papers'.

"This Reproduced Sound conference will be hosted at one of the UK's newest and largest venues for staging concerts and other live events," says an IOA spokesman. "We will have an auditorium to use for the presentations and for any demonstrations associated with these, so there is an exciting opportunity to devote a large part of the conference to subjects relating to audio in the production of live events. These might include: sound reinforcement, room acoustics, recording (audio and video), broadcast, loudspeakers and microphones, intelligibility, innovations."

Any paper on electroacoustics topics will be considered. Abstracts of 200 words should be submit

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Germany - Berlin's historic KulturBrauere (Culture Brewery), a former beer brewery, includes six courts and more than 20 richly decorated attached buildings including the Kesselhaus which is used increasingly as a rock music venue.

A recent was a sold out evening featured Linkin Park previewing material for their upcoming European and North American Tours.

Kenneth Van Druten, Linkin Park's FOH engineer, specified Adamson for the upcoming Linkin Park dates after meeting with Jesse Adamson at a ZZ Top gig using the Adamson Yaxis rig in Corpus Christi, Texas, who were playing on an Adamson's Yaxis rig.

Van Druten's requirements for the show were specific: even coverage and excellent intelligibility throughout the venue to do Linkin Park's new material proper justice. Jochen Sommer, Adamson's newest addition to its European support personnel assisted with the final system design

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France - Fleetwood Mobiles was backstage in Paris recently to capture Avril Lavigne in concert for an MTV Special, which was broadcast during April at various different time slots. Fleetwood director Tim Summerhayes travelled to the city with only a D-Rig for company. The concert audio was captured at the side of the stage using API mic amps and Radar.

"The concert took place in an old music hall near Sacre Coeur, in front of an invited audience," Summerhayes explains. "Access to the venue was very restricted, so I had to use a D-Rig instead of a mobile recording truck. However, Avril's road crew were incredibly helpful and made sure I had everything I needed. Her performance was electric and that atmosphere really came across on the soundtrack."

The programme was directed by MTV's Russell Thomas and the pictures were recorded on High-8 video by Bolke Burna

  1. June date for AKG contest final
  2. ADB Luminaires light new Dutch complex
  3. Radical Lighting HSL Open Day
  4. Quadrophenia goes digital in Cardiff
  5. InnovaSON gets the Works in Korea
  6. Chinese consultants catch Butterflies
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