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UK - PEL Music & Media has installed a comprehensive professional sound system into the new Playboy London Flagship Store on Oxford Street.

Opened in September 2007, the 4,000sq.ft Playboy Store is Playboy Enterprises Inc's first freestanding retail location in Europe. From the moment that visitors walk through the sliding glass-façade doors etched with the iconic Rabbit Head logo, the Playboy London Flagship Store offers a unique shopping experience. Part of that experience is the powerful sound system, designed and installed by PEL Music & Media.

As a leading Bose Pro-Partner, PEL based the design of the sound system around a Bose Professional System, featuring latest Bose ceiling speakers. The result is a sensitively installed, comprehensive and flexible sound system. Each of the three floors can have their own music playing to reflect the ambience of the floor and the pro

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Australia - With a wide selection of performance venues, theatres, and the historic Sydney Opera House vying for the public's attention, the caliber of even the smaller theatres in Sydney, Australia tends to be exceptionally high.

The Glen Street Theatre, a 400-seat, multipurpose proscenium arch auditorium located in suburban Belrose in Sydney's Northern Beaches area, is one such small theatre. The Glen Street Theatre presents a range of theatrical productions from Australia's leading performing arts companies, as well as concerts, children's theatre, and other events. Now, more than 20 years after its curtain first rose, the Glen Street Theatre shines even brighter due to an extensive refurbishment that included a new Meyer Sound system provided by Alexandria, New South Wales-based Coda Audio Services Pty Ltd.

The main system employs four UPJ-1P VariO loudspeakers: one on eit

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UK - Northern Light has today announced the culmination of over a year's worth of heavy investment within the hire and events departments.

Colin Cuthbert, managing director of Northern Light, said: "Since early in 2007 Northern Light has invested over a quarter of a million pounds and hundreds of hours of staff time in improving our hire and events departments. The ethos behind this programme of continuous improvement stemmed from an upturn in business for our hire department and our successful expansion into technical event production."

Investment has been spread over various areas of the business, covering equipment, staffing, training and process management. Increased business has meant employing further experts for the team. Northern Light is delighted to welcome Al Dalgarno as hire operations manager, Galo Dominguez and Jon Pike as technicians, Marcin Buczek as

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UK - Long and frequent excessive noise exposure whether from music or machinery can cause gradual damage to the ear that leads to increasing deafness, reduced clarity, tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and even changed perception of the level and pitch of sound.

For years musicians have been experiencing deafness and hearing problems, especially those with a career playing loud instruments such as brass and percussion. Increasing levels of amplified music have extended these risks to more musicians and workers in entertainment venues. Musicians risk permanent damage that can seriously interfere with their ability to play.

Across Europe EU Directives and national legislation have required employers to protect their workers from noise. Stricter regulations came into force in 2006, but workers in music and entertainment have been allowed to work under the older, less restricted regu

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Spain - Sonorde S.L., one of the premier equipment sales and rental companies of professional audio and lighting in Galicia in north-western Spain, has recently invested in an Sy48 Pro FX digital console package from InnovaSon. The console was supplied by InnovaSon's recently-appointed Spanish distributor, Doscientos Veinte Sonido SL, also referred to as Doviente.

According to Dosviente CEO Jose Maria Mendez, who has a long-standing relationship with Sonorde, the company had been considering the purchase of a digital console for a while, and were delighted when Dosviente took over distribution of InnovaSon. "It was perfect timing for all concerned," noted Mendez. "I knew that Sonorde were looking for something, and now I had the ideal product to show them!"

"Sonorde is a company that prides itself on the quality of both their equipment and service, and

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This week's news included the deal that never was: the proposed TC Group / Gibson Guitar merger that had the industry talking at the end of January this year finally turned out to be a non-starter, as both parties agreed to end talks and go their separate ways.

Arriving with little fanfare, the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 now applies to employers involved in the provision of live or recorded music in restaurants, bars, nightclubs etc, following a two-year period of grace, which expired on 6 April.

Employers are now responsible for protecting their employees' hearing. And that's not all on the legislation front - employers are now also faced with the Corporate Manslaughter Act, which also came into force on 6 April. Bosses are now responsible if their company's negligence results in death in the workplace. The message is this: review your business procedures now, to make

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USA - As an engineer, Randy Faustino has worked on a huge number of shows, including the Academy of Country Music Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, Whose Line Is It Anyway, and many others. In 2007, he formed Creative Sound Solutions with King and Gerald 'Butch' McKarge to provide high-calibre music mixing services for the television industry. The company has since mixed American Idol and a host of Idol-inspired shows, including The Next Great American Band, Rock Star, and, most recently, MTV's new show, Rock The Cradle.

Ever since Sennheiser introduced the MK 5235 dynamic capsule for their "top-of-the-range" SKM 5200 handheld wireless microphone system, Faustino has used it wherever possible because of its transparency, reliability, and ease of mixing, say the company. At Faustino's request, all American Idol contestants

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India - Born last year was the cooperation which allowed Powersoft to start distributing in India thanks to new partner R.K. International.

Owner Arun Kalra, thanks to his experience of distributing well known brands such as Martin Audio and Dolby in the Indian Pro-Audio industry, had the chance to introduce Powersoft to the Pro Audio Indian Market.

The result of this "perfect marriage" appeared in the realisation of some of the most luxury venues of New Delhi, say the company.

A company statement says: "Some of the environments where Powersoft amplifiers could power Martin Audio cabinets with great results in sound quality, we could list Castle Night Restaurant,Indo-Chine Lounge Bar, Kuki Club and Chili House Pub, all of them located in New Delhi."

Powersoft had the chance to start being included in such luxury entertainment venues thanks to its high q

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USA - Taking a leadership role in bringing together people who design and build theatre spaces, J. R. Clancy, Inc., is a Silver Sponsor of the 2008 North American Theatre, Engineering and Architecture Conference (NATEAC). The conference is scheduled for Sunday, July 20 and Monday, July 21 in New York City.

Directed by Bill Sapsis of Sapsis Rigging, NATEAC will take place at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University in downtown Manhattan. Tom Young, vice-president of marketing for J. R. Clancy, serves on the NATEAC advisory board and understands the importance of establishing a dialogue between architects, consultants, engineers and manufacturers who build new theatres and renovate existing performance spaces.

"Theatre design and construction have become more complex than ever, with the onset of digital technology, automated control systems and dynamic ne

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Hong Kong - Having won the first four tournaments of the 2008 International Rugby Board (IRB) Sevens World Series, the famously black-clad New Zealand team were the hot favourite to complete a fifth tournament victory at the Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens.

2008 was the fourth year in succession for Lighthouse being chosen as the official LED screen supplier for the event, providing its R16i/o-II 16mm LED screens in the official Sevens Village and the North Stand of the Hong Kong Stadium.

The stadium screen comprised 7 x 7 panels (7.11m x 5.33m) while the Sevens Village screen measured 7 x 6 panels (7.11m x 4.57m), both being controlled with Lighthouse LIP-KX units. Located adjacent to the main stadium, the Sevens Village is a complimentary venue where rugby fans can relax and watch the live rugby on the LED screen. Those who are unable to obtain tickets to the s

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China - Tico Digital has selected Vieta's Do Line loudspeakers in response to the requirements of Guangxi's Wangzuo Club for a high-quality audio system of elegant design, say the company. Wangzuo Club in Nanning city is a prestigious venue attracting leading business men and women. Spread over three floors, the club extends to some 3000sq.m, and includes 32 VIP rooms.

The luxurious furnishings and décor of the best private rooms demanded a quality aesthetic from its electronic fittings. Spanish manufacturer VIETA's DO Series loudspeakers were chosen because of the high audio specification suitable for background music and karaoke use, but also because of the attractive cabinet design, available in a white finish to complement the décor.Each room fitted with Vieta has the same system, using 2x Do-8 cabinets and a Do-5. Do-8s are an ideal model for use in such a hig

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China - China's Shenzhen Poly Theatre, which took 3 years to complete, is an architectural masterpiece and the pride of the city. It can hold all kinds of entertainment including: operas, plays, symphonies, ballets, concerts, lectures and the like.

Rightway Audio Consultants, L-Acoustics distributor in China, has been in charge of the installation, and the installed L-Acoustics system consists of 14 ARCS - 4 SB218 - 8 dV-DOSC - 1 dV-SUB - 33 MTD Coaxials - 4 x 115XT HiQ - 32 x 8XT. The whole system is driven by LA8 and LA4 amplified controllers, providing an advanced and precise system drive and protection.

Inside the Theatre, more than 1,500 seats on three terraces and eight balconies overlook the 1,700-sq.m central stage. The acoustic reflector that covers the stage works with the canopy and walls to provide perfect sound effects. "The sound of tearing a piece of paper

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Hong Kong - As part of its ongoing programme of education in automation, Stage Technologies recently worked with the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) to deliver a five day course to its students. The course combines a number of theoretical lectures and practical site visits and presents the students with an overview of theatre engineering and automation systems.

Mark Ager, Stage Technologies' managing director, lead discussions on how automation is used in entertainment venues, including the practical advantages, cost implications and safety issues, as well as giving a technical overview of the equipment used. This information was then augmented with visits to the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and the Wynn and Venetian hotel complexes in Macau, where Stage Technologies has recently completed commissioning several large systems.

The course was designed for students cur

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UK - When NME decided to move their award ceremony to the O2 arena last month, they wanted it to be an event that would herald it as the music award ceremony. Staged at the Indigo and O2 Arena in London and broadcast on Channel 4 the following night, the event saw the likes of the Manic Street Preachers, Klaxons and Bloc Party take to the stage.

Winners included The Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, Muse and, er, George W Bush for 'Villain of the Year'. (Unfortunately he was not able to collect his award personally). Organisers for the event turned to Remedy Productions and veteran LD Vince Foster to make it a show to remember. In the last year Vince has been working on Kylie, George Michael, Peter Gabriel, Duran Duran and Janet Jackson to name but a few.

Within the nanoseconds he had free between shows, Vince said of the NME gig: "We had to design a lighting show that could w

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Russia - For sound reinforcement at the Balashikha, the home arena of the MVD MO ice hockey team, located in the Russian town of the same name, almost a hundred Outline loudspeaker systems have been permanently installed. The units are a combination of line-array, point source and stage monitor systems. This is just the latest of numerous notable references for the Brescia (Italy) manufacturer, which has been on the Russian market for over twenty years.

The main rig at the Balashikha comprises 32 Outline Doppia II A 9075 enclosures (2x12", 1x10"; 1x3"), flown in pairs round the perimeter of the hockey rink and aimed at the tiered spectator seating, in order to amplify the music and any announcements with sufficient SPL and high intelligibility.

As far as reinforcement on the actual rink is concerned, four more Outline Doppia II A 9075 are flown in a single clust

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Canada - Telex is delighted to announce that SF Marketing, Inc. is its new intercom product distributor in Canada. Continuing to grow on top of a solid 30 year foundation, SF Marketing's annual sales volume makes them one of the largest pro audio distributors in Canada. In addition to their main office in Montreal, SF covers Canada with regional offices in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and Halifax.

"SF Marketing is honoured to have been chosen as the Canadian Distributor for Telex Communications Headsets, Radiocom, Telex Legacy, and Audiocom product groups," says company founder Sol Fleising. "The Telex product mix fits in perfectly with our professional audio portfolio, and our company cultures are very similar, which will make our goal of achieving total customer satisfaction an easy one."

"SF Marketing has a superlative record of customer service and

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UK - Keith Sykes, for 11 years Works Director of one of the UK's most proactive flightcase manufacturers, 5 Star, has purchased the majority shareholding of the company, whilst MD Jim Willis has retired from the Wisbech-based business after a quarter of a century.

Sykes and Willis have worked together for many years, building the company from small beginnings, when it initially made its mark as a quality guitar and keyboard case manufacturer. Sykes joined in June 1991 when 5 Star acquired Pro-Tect Cases, an Ipswich-based case making operation that he'd managed for some years. The merger with Pro-Tect forged the way ahead for 5 Star's future development, seeing it become a leading European case manufacturer, enjoying steady growth and attaining a leading market position.

Sykes was made a director and shareholder of 5 Star Cases in 1997.

In the immediate future, Jim Willis wil

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UK - Some of London's most acclaimed restaurants have been installing Electro-Voice loudspeakers of late, via installer CGA Integration. Most recently, the new Alain Ducasse restaurant at the Dorchester Hotel, China Tang (also at the Dorchester) and Mayfair restaurant Tamarind have all commissioned CGA Integration to apply its audio expertise.

Chris Gunton of CGA Integration observes a distinct trend in the city's fine dining rooms: "We've recently worked at several venues where the traditionally high standards applied to cuisine, service and décor have now been transferred to audio-visual aspirations: AV is no longer the poor relation in a prestige hotel or restaurant project, but has come of age with the benefits it offers both the finished venue and its bottom line."

After successfully installing EV-based background music systems in China Tang and The Cryst

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Spain - At the beginning of 2008, DC Audio Products SL took over the distribution of Dynacord audio systems within Spain. The seven-man team led by MD Jordi Alemany is based in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, a small town near Barcelona.

(Jim Evans)

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South Korea - The Daedeok Presbyterian Church was established 50 years ago, and construction on a new building was completed in October of 2007. Located in Daedeok, a special district of Seoul designed for science and engineering research, the Church's congregation is made up of students and faculty from the surrounding scientific colleges and laboratories, which devoted their talent and knowledge in the building of the architectural sanctuary.

The sanctuary rejects both rectangular organisation and symmetry, similar to the Berlin Philharmonic hall. Its concrete finished wall was influenced by the Opera house in Sidney. This abstract design makes achieving crisp, clear sound very difficult.

The church's staff closely reviewed proposals with the top 5 industry leading sound companies designs for matching its architecture and decided that Adamson's SpekTrix line source array sys

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UK - Shure Distribution UK (SDUK), a leading multibrand distributor of professional audio equipment, has teamed up with Primacoustics, a high-end sound and studio acoustic manufacturer, tobe their exclusive representative in the UK.

Primacoustics offers comparatively priced acoustic-treatment solutions in packages designed around common room sizes and audio applications. Their acoustic treatments have taken various factors that are often overlooked - expense, room logistics and the perception of acoustic design, say the company.

Dennis Harburn, managing director of Shure Distribution commented: "We are delighted to be working with Primacoustics. They make an excellent addition to our studio portfolio which already includes products from Shure, Phonic and Radial. They have over 30 years experience in studio and live sound equipment and are a perfect match for the Shure bra

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Denmark - Martin Professional has given its www.martin.com website a thorough makeover. The new look site, optimised for bigger bandwidths and wider screens, features an enlarged format with bigger images, expanded segment pages and a brighter appearance for greater clarity and visual impact, says the company.

The site includes project references, product information, technical specifications, photometric data and marketing material, as well as company and Martin Partner info, global support access and online service.

(Jim Evans)

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Denmark - For the first few months of this year Friday nights in Denmark were reserved for X Factor, a televised talent competition that approximately 2.0 million Danes - nearly 40% of the population - tuned in to watch each week. The show aired on Denmark's DR1 network and commanded some of the country's best television rating ever.

Lighting designer for the series was Kasper Steen-Lange, who coloured the set using Martin's Stagebar 54 LED luminaire and rig of Martin Professional MAC moving heads that included MAC TW1 tungsten wash lights, MAC 700 Profiles and MAC 250 Washes as well as Atomic 3000 strobes. Other automateds and an LED video display were also used. Supply of the Martin gear was by rental company Litecom A/S of Copenhagen.

"We needed to find a small color changing fixture that would fit inside the set," stated Kasper Steen-Lange. "We were l

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USA - The University of Tennessee Women's Basketball Team recently celebrated its 64-48 win over Stanford University in the women's NCAA tournament championship game. The hometown party took place at Thompson-Boling Arena and served as both a celebration of the win and a thank you to the local fans for all their support.

Lighting Designer Will Twork said that the primary objective for this event was to light the stage and the podium. He used Martin MAC 600s to wash the stage. Twork also staggered six Martin MAC 500s with custom glass gobos to project the Lady Vols logo onto a 50ft filled white cyc. Lighting was controlled by a Whole Hog II.

(Jim Evans)

  1. Glyndebourne 'Opera' rates RTS
  2. DL.3 debuts in Chicago
  3. Theatres Trust addresses environmental issues
  4. Bandit supplies Westlife tour
  5. XTA installed in Japanese arts centre
  6. Neumann celebrates 80th anniversary
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