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UK - On 12 October, Take That's Beautiful World tour kicked-off with its first sold-out concert in Belfast. Making sure fans were treated to the night of their lives, Take That added glitter and glam to the show with Element Labs' Stealth LED displays totaling 250sq.m, which act as backdrops to the band's high energy performance.

The Stealth LED display, supplied by rental company XL Video, consists of three columns - used as two columns of 16 panels wide and 25 panels high on either side of the stage, as well as one column centre-back of 19 panels wide and 25 panels high.

TT Video's production team Andy Tonks and Richard Shipman, conceived and designed a unique way of exploiting the Stealth fan-fold capacity to enable the 200sq.m to be rigged at the speeds which production manager Chris Vaughan demanded. Dollies housing the processors allow for the screens to be hung a

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Spain - iLight's intelligent lighting control products are at the heart of a new visitor attraction on the Spanish island of Mallorca. The House of Katmandu is an interactive adventure-style attraction in the centre of Magaluf, which takes the form of a 1600sp.m 'upside down' Tibetan-style mansion.

The control of lighting, and other systems including animatronics, was the responsibility of Technovations, an Essex-based technical design company that creatively uses sound and light to provide fully choreographed and controlled features to museums, exhibitions and theme parks.

"This type of job, with substantial lighting dimming, isn't exactly unique these days," said Technovations director Graham Owens, "but the way we went about it was probably a little unconventional."

The usual approach would have been to use a show control system, which could be anythin

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Belgium - Artcoustic Loudspeakers are providing the audio solution for The Institute of the High Studies of the Social Communications (IHECS) in Brussels. At its on-campus conference facility, The Institute was faced with the requirement for more technology-based multimedia presentations, as they could no longer afford an under-utilised venue.

The venue consists of a large conference room with seating for 400, as well as several smaller rooms, each with seating for 130. The challenge was to install a high quality AV system, including sound reinforcement and multimedia capabilities for the whole facility.

A major objective was that he system was unobtrusive and would not affect the interior design. The Institution turned to the Engineer Bureau Droyers to provide the solution and selected Strobbe Sprl to install the system.

Strobbe, the Artcoustic dealer for Benelux, chose a s

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UK - Hawthorn's recently acquired Rex Howard has supplied drapes to three major TV shows this autumn in a reality TV hat-trick. Hawthorn has supplied drapes to BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, ITV's The X Factor and Sky One's Cirque de Celebrite.

Hawthorn's MD, Martin Hawthorn, commented: "We are delighted to have acquired Rex Howard and we are all really enjoying working with their clients in the TV and Film industries. It is a great complement to our theatre and corporate event work, and we look forward to increasing our joint stock of drapes on an ongoing basis."

(Jim Evans)

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UK - A.C. Lighting's Audio division has been selected as an authorised UK distributor for the Powersoft pro audio power amplifier range, the company has announced. A.C. Audio was selected as one of only four distribution partners in collaboration with Sennheiser UK, based on its distribution capability, familiarity of product, stock holding facility and a reputation for providing elite products and customer support.

A.C. Audio Sales Manager Peter Butler commented: "We are very keen to be a part of the Powersoft distribution partnership. We have always been a fan of the product portfolio due to its adaptability and reliability, and are looking forward to working closely with all parties involved to showcase these products in the UK marketplace."

Powersoft has a strong reputation of producing high end amplifiers for the pro audio industry. The company's products have a

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Belgium - Earlier this month, Visual Productions supported Quiet & Shadow, its new dealer in Belgium at the ACF trade show. The relationship between Visual Productions and Quiet & Shadow began in September this year when the Belgium Sales company was still under the name of The Blue Squares Group.

During ACF Maarten Engels, director of Visual Productions, stated that he was "delighted to meet Quiet and Shadow's first customer for Canvix Matrix Control: GSF Sonoraisation" and to hear about "the two VisualDMX installation projects that are being supplied to the LED specialist company RGB-LED Lightin' Art."

(Jim Evans)

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USA - ESTA has announced the winners of the 2007 Dealers' Choice Product Awards which recognise outstanding entertainment technology products in three categories: Expendable, Widget and Equipment. These Awards, honouring product innovation, were established in recognition of the fact that dealers have an enormous impact on the success of a new product, as well as a unique perspective on its merits.

The winners for 2007 are: Expendable Category - Lex-Loc Cage Clamp NEMA Wiring Device from Lex Products Corp; Widget Category - Gel Miser from Apollo Design Technology; Equipment Category - Right Arm from Apollo Design Technology.

The Dealers' Choice Product Awards were presented during the LDI 2007 awards ceremony on Saturday, 17 November in Orlando.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - It was around the middle of 2005 that experienced sound engineer Tom Marshall started working with Liverpool band, The Coral - brought in by tour manager Pete Hillier to look after the FOH position.

Since that Invisible Invasion tour, Marshall has remained the band's first choice, taking Adlib Audio's production across Europe - punctuated by stints in the US and Japan.

But it was the less likely location of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London this summer during the iTunes Festival that provided his first opportunity to mix on the Soundcraft Vi6.

"I had already seen Dave Kay using it at FOH on the Scissor Sisters tour, where it was also used as a recording console," he reports. "I really enjoyed using the desk at the ICA but it wasn't until the latest full production tour (to promote the band's fifth album Roots And Echoes

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Turkey - Istanbul's Babylon live music club has chosen an L-Acoustics sound system. Babylon serves as a multipurpose performance centre promoting other artistic disciplines, plays, modern dance, workshops and documentaries with a capacity of 400 spectators.

ELIT, L-Acoustics' distributor in Turkey, has been in charge of the installation, and thenew system consists of four ARCS, six SB118, four 8XT, four LA4 and eight112P.

Emre Defne, technical director, ELIT comments: "We are very pleased with this installation. When the club first re-opened its door with the Patti Smith concert, everybody was impressed by the intelligibility and clarity of the system - the L-Acoustics sound system in the Babylon club is becoming a legend."

(Jim Evans)

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UK - High-power projection specialist, ETC London became the first company to project video onto the 351ft high Shell Centre on London's South Bank, in an event marking the reopening of the Science Museum's Launchpad gallery - which is sponsored by Shell UK.

The eye-catching large format projection was a combination of video and PIGI projection, with live sessions of Launchball, a popular multi-level online game available from the Science Museum's website. This was played on a PC set up in the projection area and projected into a giant 40m by 30m mask on the building.

The mask was created by the PIGI projectors, and the game - via video projection - was beamed into this space. The PIGI projectors were also used to create a series of scrolling texts with information about the Launchpad gallery.

ETC's project manager Paul Highfield comments: "Obviously it was a gre

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Europe - Brilliant Stages were approached by Chris Vaughan, production manager for Take That's Beautiful World tour, to create the main stage and effects for the European tour. With a design by Mark Fisher's Ray Winkler, Brilliant Stages had to devise a construction that would not only realise Winkler's design, but would be easy to assemble, breakdown and transport, and be durable enough to survive a 49-date road tour.

"I chose Brilliant Stages because their stages are always beautifully built. They present you with good 3D drawings at the design stage, which means alterations can be made early on and there is far less to change during production rehearsals," says Vaughan. "All the components fit together accurately and quickly which is vital in allowing me to fulfil our tight touring schedules."

The initial structural design was carefully thought ou

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Dubai - The new clubhouse at the Al Badia golf course features advanced audio distribution through more than 52 zones in a system designed and installed by BCL Business Communications LLC. The system features Biamp AudiaFLEX CM module at its epicentre to create the optimum decentralised audio network for the club and grounds.

"With control over Ethernet via integration with the third-party control system and the AudiaFLEX network-friendly design architecture, we were able to create a single IP network incorporating audio distribution and paging with touchscreen control that also covers lighting and system monitoring," said BCL's Puthenkulam. "For audio distribution we have eight AudiaFLEX CM units located in separate rack rooms, but working together with convenient control points throughout the facilities. It was this flexibility that helped us meet the client req

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Europe - Experienced studio and live sound engineer Gerard Albo recently had the exacting task of piloting Amy Winehouse's FOH sound mix, and because of the access speed required when set lists suddenly change, he says he is delighted he made the decision to turn to Soundcraft's Vi6 digital console.

Hailing from the Dordogne, Gerard Albo's interest in the Vi6 was alerted after he had returned to sound mixing after an enforced layoff, following a 2006 tour with Corrine Bailey Rae.

Taking Amy Winehouse's FOH position from his friend (and tour manager) Dave Swallow (who was on paternity leave) he mixed shows at the Benicassim Festival in Spain, three broadcasts in Italy and the MTV Awards in Munich.

But his first exposure to the Vi6 came during the iTunes Festival at the ICA this summer, where Winehouse was playing and the desk was installed. "I was already c

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Australia - Anolis LED fixtures have been specified and installed for an interior lighting scheme at the new lounge/gaming area of Melbas in Surfer's Paradise - one of the highest profile entertainment hot-spots on Australia's Gold Coast.

The project was undertaken by VenuTech - who have previously installed Anolis and Robe fixtures into the bar, restaurant and night club at Melbas as well as into many other venues in the area.

The aim of Melbas' new lounge area is to provide a classy space fusing elements of neoclassical and contemporary design in which guests can relax and chill out, whilst indulging in a spot of game playing if they wish.

The lighting scheme was designed by Tony Dowthwaite of TDLD, a high profile lighting design company, and VenuTech's Mick James. Dowthwaite - who has also used Anolis products on previous projects - had originally contemplated using neon

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Germany - Audio production company Profi Musik has extended its inventory of digital mixing consoles, purchasing a compact Soundcraft Vi4, with Vistonics touch screen interface. Supplied by Harman Pro distributors Audio Pro, the desk went straight out onto the Al Jarreau/NDR Big Band tour where Profi Musik's Dirk Dechring was handling the FOH mix.

The company's first experience with the new platform, with its Vistonics interface, was at the Jazz Baltica Festival in Salzau, after the company had been introduced to the Vi6 during one of Audio Pro's regular product roadshows.

Dirk Dechring claims it took him just half an hour on the console to convince him that this was the control surface he wanted to use on Jazz Baltica. "I had heard all about the exceptional audio quality of the Vi6 and quickly came to the conclusion that an outboard rack, with compre

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USA - Dialight plc has joined forces with former US President Bill Clinton to make its green products more affordable and accessible to city governments and consumers throughout the world.

The Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) has announced discounted pricing agreements with 25 manufacturers of energy-efficient products, including Dialight, covering indoor lighting, clean vehicles, traffic and street lighting, building products, advanced waste management technologies, water system components and alternative energy technologies.

Dialight will offer solid-state lighting products, based on the use of the latest light emitting diodes (LEDs), to 1,100 cities in the United States and 40 key cities throughout the world. The initial focus will be on traffic signals but will eventually include other products which use LEDs.

Roy Burton, group chief executive of Dialight, comments on Di

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USA - Pyrotek special effects featured prominently at the 2007 Bet Hip Hop Awards. Televised from the Civic Center in Atlanta, Georgia; the effects presented played a significant role in accenting the number of set designs throughout the award show.

Effects designer, Lorenzo Cornacchia collaborated with Jesse Collins (show producer), Brian Stonestreet (production designer), Alana Billingsley (art director) as well as Marc Lucas (executive in charge of production), and John Cossette (executive producer) of Cossette Productions.

The industrial set created by Stonestreet allowed for a number of versatile positions to mount the pyrotechnic equipment. In applying the pyrotechnic effects into the set designs, Pyrotek's Crew Chief; Bob Ross was accompanied by gas specialists and pyrotechnicians, Keith Maxwell, Kevin Hughes, and Gary Bishop in assembling the special effects into each

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Cyprus - Complementary colour from Martin Architectural Alien 05 spotlights adds an artistically decorative and tasteful touch to Cyprus fusion bar and restaurant Momo, helping to establish its reputation as a trendsetting restaurant.

Located in the heart of the city of Larnaca and owned by the Varoshiotis Group of restaurants, this stylish fusion canteen is for 'anyone with a taste for exciting, contemporary and ethnic cuisine.' It combines cutting-edge culinary inspiration with in vogue interior design - leather sofas, exotic flowers, modern oriental art, dark wood and natural bamboo - and carefully placed splashes of colour.

At the main bar a backdrop of rich colour shades from Martin Architectural Alien 05 spotlights serve to both accentuate the interior design elements and wash the space in dynamic colour. The Alien 05s, controlled via an Alien 05 driver in stand-alone mo

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Germany - Label managers, producers and directors from renowned media enterprises gathered at msm-studios in Munich on the 22 October to attend a teach-in on the new optical disc format Blu-ray. The object of the half-day event was, in the words of msm MD Stefan Bock: "to introduce our customers to the technology and the associated possibilities." To make these as palpable as possible, msm opted for a judicious blend of theory with practice.

Getting things underway, Johannes Müller, msm-studio's DVD producer, explained the advantages of the new medium over DVD: "With a storage capacity of 50 GB, the new medium offers enough space for an HDTV resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels - something like six times that of a DVD." Not only the image but also audio tracks, according to Müller, derive enormous benefit from the literally loss-free reproduction: "DVD is

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USA - As a fitting cap to Crown International's 60th anniversary year, the DC 300 amplifier, first introduced 40 years ago in 1967, was inducted into the TECnology Hall Of Fame on the opening day of the 123rd AES Convention in New York City. Gerald Stanley, Crown International's senior VP of R&D and the original designer of the DC 300, was on hand to accept the award.

Presented by the Mix Foundation for Excellence in Audio, best known for its production of the TEC Awards, and hosted by the AES, the Fourth Annual TECnology Hall Of Fame ceremony was emceed by George Petersen, executive editor of Mix magazine and director of the TECnology Hall Of Fame.

Petersen prefaced Crown's award by remarking: "The DC 300 was a classic that really ushered in and defined the era of the modern power amplifier. And 1967 was a perfect time for this product to come out. Suddenly there

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Greece - Mid-October saw Turbosound's Greek distributor, Athens-based Metro Audio, holding its fifth Metro Workshop in the country's resort of Kamena Vourla, at which a Turbosound Aspect system played a starring role.

The Workshops are a very important event for the Metro team, as it gives them the opportunity to meet and talk with clients from both Greece and further afield, to hear their requirements and answer their needs.

However, it is just as important from Turbosound's point of view, not only raising awareness of its latest products, but answering questions from those needing advice on systems and helping users to get the very best from its products, says the company.

Turbosound's European sales manager Chris Hinds and applications engineer Dan Orton attended the event, making a full presentation of the company's products. Focusing on Aspect, the highlight was an outd

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Denmark - The Danish Football club Vejle BK, is due to open its new stadium equipped with Dynacord enclosures installed by Ascon Trading, a Danish pro audio specialist. The sound system is in the new 10,000-seater football stadium in Vejle which is scheduled to open in the spring of 2008 and will be the new home of Vejle BK, one of Denmark's oldest clubs.

The stadium now boasts 56 Dynacord D-12 speakers, a ProMatrix distributed sound and voice alarm system, and a variety of Dynacord ceiling (DL69) and wall (WL90) loudspeakers complemented by ceiling loudspeakers (Evid 6.2C and Media 4.2) from sister company Electro-Voice.

Another major project in which Ascon Trading is currently involved is the Forum in Horsens. This extensive complex combines the functions of a sports and cultural centre with that of a football stadium. Ascon has already installed security and sound systems f

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Hong Kong - Two Iconyx IC24 digitally steerable arrays from Renkus-Heinz have been installed alongside a giant LED billboard at the entrance to the Elements shopping mall and the MTR Kowloon underground station in Hong Kong. Collectively, the equipment delivers information and advertising related to the large shopping mall and new Cultural Centre on Union Square.

The audio system needed to partner the Daktronics ProStar screen had to combine powerful long-throw capability (to cover the immediate area of the screen, the station entrance and the adjacent open area) with tightly focused sound, preventing noise spill to the nearby towers. A competitive loudspeaker 'shoot out' organised by Renkus-Heinz is Hong Kong distributor CAH Professional Sound resulted in the selection of self-powered Iconyx IC24 arrays, supplied in fully-weatherised versions and mounted one apiece on both side

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UK - Giant video display screens utilising digital signage solutions from 3M, together with technology from WindowGain, are transforming shop windows in the UK, including branches of Savills estate agents and retail centres owned by The Westfield Group.

WindowGain, a US-based out-of-home media company with a recently opened office in UK, has just installed its first two giant UK screens in Nottingham city centre. Using Vikuiti Rear Projection Film from 3M, WindowGain is able to transform entire store fronts into ultra large format high definition video screens able to present commercial advertising messages, public information messages and entertainment to passing shoppers.

Among WindowGain's first UK customers is The Westfield Group, the world's largest retail property group with assets valued at more than US$50bn, who will be using WindowGain's screens in its retail centres

  1. Women AV engineers held back says survey
  2. BenQ adopts 3LCD technology
  3. iLive on top of the World
  4. Bloomington church gets EV treatment
  5. Imagination lights up for Christmas
  6. Fogscreen offers platinum partnerships
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