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Czech Republic - Trussing manufacturer Milos staged a successful two-day international technical workshop to highlight its key products and services, and its facility near Prague.

It was attended by 50 people who travelled from across Europe, including Italy, Sweden, Germany, the UK, Ireland, Croatia, Slovenia, Spain and Belarus among others.

The event included a demonstration of building the new Milos MR5 Roof system - its largest roof product to date - which has been specially designed to cater for indoor and outdoor events needing substantial stages with plenty of space and weight-loading.

A team from hoist manufacturers Columbus McKinnon in the US presented a seminar on CM Lodestar Motors. This featured a selection of standard Lodestar hoists and a hands-on demonstration of how they work with the MR5 system, illustrating the safe use of hoists in this and other situation

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USA - Clockaudio's sturdy boundary-level microphones have proved themselves in the ultimate 'hostile' environment, reports Dick Trump of Triad AV, surviving determined investigation by several bonobos at one of North America's largest great ape facilities.

Triad AV was commissioned to provide a two-way communications interface between bonobos and researchers at a sanctuary and study centre dedicated to the great apes. The objective was to facilitate communication through the heavy glass of the bonobos enclosures, which called for the installation of boundary-layer microphones in the apes' space.

Sometimes referred to as the Pygmy Chimpanzee, the Bonobo is the closest relative species to humans, with DNA 98% identical to our own. Strong, dextrous and curious, the bonobos made short work of Triad AV's first microphone installation, ripping off the traditional grille and pulling

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UK - The first exhibitors have already committed to next year's Showlight which takes place at BBC Scotland's headquarters in Glasgow, from 16-19 May 2009. Martin Professional, the main sponsor for the event, was first to sign up, followed by ETC, Gerriets, MA Lighting, Pixel Range, Rainbow Colour Changers, Robe UK, Robert Juliat and Selecon Europe.

Mark Ravenhill, vice-president for television and theatre lighting at Martin Professional, says, "Showlight has emerged as one of the most important events for lighting professionals, an invaluable asset to the ongoing development of the industry. It is exceptionally fruitful for us as it provides the opportunity for real two-way dialogue."

(Jim Evans)

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UK - Large-format projection specialists E/T/C London created spectacular 90m wide images and produced the soundtrack for a special large scale outdoor event to launch the new Sunderland Aquatic Centre, the North East's first Olympic-sized swimming pool.

Working closely with show producers Magnetic Events, and soundscape producer Karen Monid, E/T/C's Ross Ashton interpreted an original storyboard by Magnetic's Robin Morley to create a 15-minute collage of images based on aquatic themes, interwoven with water-related elements from the City's past and present, with "the swimmer" at its core.

The show, titled A Poem To Sunderland, took an abstract, non-narrative format and the projections were beamed onto the side of the futuristic cylindrical building (designed by The Red Box Design Group) located adjacent to the City's Stadium of Light football ground.

E/T/C

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UK - At London's Royal Opera House, Britannia Row Productions' Outline Butterfly was the front-of-house system for sound reinforcement for the BAFTA ceremony, the UKequivalent of the Oscars, awarded annually to personalities from the cinema and television world since 1947.

To ensure audio coverage for the audience, 20 Outline Butterfly C.D.H. 483 Hi-Packs and four Subtech 218 were flown (respectively ten and two per side), the latter for the ultra-low frequencies. Six more Butterfly C.D.H. 483 were used as ground-stacked systems.

The entire system was controlled by a Dolby Lake processor and powered by Outline's new T Nine digital power amplifiers (2 x 4800W on 2 Ohms). The FOH engineer for the event was Derrick Zeiba.

(Jim Evans)

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France - French digital mixing console manufacturer, Innovason and German pro audio company Lawo have announced that Lawo has acquired a majority shareholding in Innovason. Lawo is an internationally renowned provider of high-end digital mixing consoles and routing systems to the broadcast industry. The move officially terminates the receivership period for Innovason and provides a strong partner for future development, says a joint statement.

According to Innovason sales and marketing director, Xavier Pion, the arrangement is a perfect fit for both companies. "It's no secret that we had been looking for a development partner for some time. We explored a number of possibilities, but none seemed to be quite the match we were looking for until Philipp Lawo expressed an interest," stated Pion.

"As a leading manufacturer of high-end digital broadcast consoles, Lawo'

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Iceland - The Café Paris at the Kringlan shopping mall, a modern shopping and recreational centre situated close to Reykjavik City Theatre has a strong focus on providing a quality music environment for its clientele as well as outstanding coffee and hot chocolate.

"Owner Grétar Ingi Berndsen knows a lot about good audio," said Gudmundur Finnsson of Pfaff, Iceland who installed the audio. Berndsen is now carefully building the Café Paris brand of music bars. "The downtown site has been open for two years and is well used," said Gudmundur, "This new bar at Kringlan uses the exact same system based on Ci80 loudspeakers with a Ci7 subwoofer. The café has its own computer based music playback system, and visiting DJs obviously bring their input devices with them. That's one of the reasons Berndsen was attracted to d&b, the level o

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UK - The Association of British Theatre Technician's ABTT Theatre Show is gearing up to celebrate its 30th birthday in London's Royal Horticultural Halls, 11-12 June 2008.

Many new innovations on the lighting front will be showcased this year with an emphasis on energy efficiency in line with the Theatres Trust conference on sustainable theatres to be held on 10 June.

Selecon will showcase its new 80V Power Supply with direct DMX control.

ETC will highlight products that offer low cost of ownership and sustainable solutions. PRG Europe will highlight its products and services.

Zero 88 will demonstrate its new version 3 software for its Leap Frog 48 & 96 consoles. Its Jester ML series will be showcased.

Stage Electrics will premiere the QMaxz 575 moving head, which offers cost effectivity and high performance as the latest addition to its expansive rental fleet, says the

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UK - A new web based music production school that enables musicians of all abilities to develop their skills has been launched. Sonicacademy.com is a new web portal for anyone interested in music technology, particularly in the use of software-driven music production and DJ skills.

Providing support for aspiring musicians, DJ's and producers, SonicAcademy.com offers easy-to-use and step-by-step web based video tutorials and resources. The site also includes features, news and reviews as well as an online community where people can meet, learn and share knowledge with other music enthusiasts. The site is supported and endorsed by some of the world's leading manufacturers of music technology hardware and software and other key industry players including: Pioneer, M-Audio, Vestax, Steinberg, Ableton and the Ministry of Sound.

According to SonicAcademy founder, Kevin Traynor, &quo

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USA - Zaxcom reports that its TRX900 wireless microphone systems are being used for the first time on Broadway in the musical Sunday in the Park With George, showing at the Roundabout Theatre Company's Studio 54 in New York. On stage now through 15 June, this is the American premiere of the new, five-time Olivier Award-winning production of the Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine musical.

New Jersey-based Masque Sound - a company first started in 1936 by three Broadway stagehands - is handling the audio production for the musical. Masque Sound is sub-hiring the Zaxcom systems from UK-based Orbital Sound, which selected and successfully used the TRX900 systems during the London debut of the same musical at a West End theatre in 2007. Working closely together, Masque Sound and Orbital Sound have deployed the Zaxcom units to support 16 audio tracks - two from the lead characte

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USA - Technomad Associates, LLC reports that San Mateo Community College District in California has standardized on Technomad weatherproof loudspeakers on its three Bay Area campuses. Skyline College in San Bruno; Cañada College in Redwood City; and the College of San Mateo are home to multiple indoor and outdoor venues now using Technomad Vienna 16 and Noho C loudspeakers for live sports and event coverage, with additional venues to follow as the district moves closer to completing a multi-year, multi-venue upgrade project that covers everything from field surfaces to bleachers to PA systems.

"This is an ongoing project with one facility upgrade after another, and we have found the Technomad loudspeakers to be highly versatile with excellent audio quality both indoors and outdoors," said Jim Petromilli, director of instructional technology at the San Mateo Community

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Chile - Widely considered to be the most important music event in Latin America, the Vina del Mar International Song Festival drew capacity crowds this year to the Quinta Vergara Amphitheatre to hear dozens of performers, including Shure endorser Miguel Bosé. Marking three decades as a popular entertainer at this, the 49th annual engagement of the festival, Bosé took to the stage using a UHF-R Wireless System (UR2/Beta 58) delivered to the site by Amexco, the Shure distributor in Chile.

One of many performers relying upon Shure products at the event, Bosé was joined onstage by a legion of other crowd favourites, including Calle 13 (UR2/SM58), Marco Antonio Solis (UR2/KSM9), Chayanne (UR2/KSM9), and Peter Frampton (SM58 wired).

The event was televised live, by Santiago, Chile based Canal 13. "The festival required the use of more than 50 wireles

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USA - Washington Pro Systems recently installed two Iconyx IC16 Digitally Steerable Array Systems in the premier conference auditorium of a major government agency. "We're not allowed to tell you which agency," says Greg Lukens of Washington Pro. "However, I can report that they were very impressed with the improvements we were able to bring to this 400 seat auditorium. The previous system had problems with both sound quality and gain before feedback. We resolved both issues with a Midas console, a Dolby Lake signal processor, and the Iconyx arrays from Renkus-Heinz.

"This installation is one of those we dream of, where the customer wanted and paid for close attention to every system detail. When Brian Grant and I brought our client into the auditorium to hear the new system for the first time, it sounded so natural that she told us 'I can hear everything ver

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USA - Minnesota-based pro audio manufacturer Electro-Voice is boosting the fundraising success of its Musicians for Minneapolis: 57 Songs for the I-35W Bridge Disaster Relief Effort CD release with a celebrity guitar auction on Ebay, running 29 April - 9 May. Guitars from legendary artists including Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, and Dick Dale are available.

This auction is being held to raise money for the families of those who were either wounded or lost their lives on the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 2007. All proceeds from the sale of these instruments will be donated to Minnesota Helps: Bridge Disaster Fund.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - "A good plan applied with vigour now is better than a perfect plan implemented too late." General Patton knew what he was talking about, any complex operation, be it battle, marketing campaign, or just moving home, requires forethought.

The recent relocation of PRG's main UK office from the former bus garage at Coventry Road in Birmingham, to a parts depot originally built for Rover Group at Longbridge has been just such an operation.

Nimble on its feet for such a large company, the rest of the touring production industry barely noticed the shift as Company MD Dave Keighley explained. "The move to new premises offered us the opportunity to make major improvements to the way we work and to our working environment. At over 165,000 square feet, this is a building with enormous potential; so yes, we did indeed to spend time planning how we wanted the building t

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USA - Audio Video Professional Group (AVPG) of The Woodlands, Texas, recently provided the audio system for The E.C.H.O. Foundation's Under The Moonlight gala, featuring country songstress LeAnn Rimes. The system included Vertec compact powered line array elements with JBL DrivePack technology.

With more than 25 combined years in the industry, AVPG is a leading supplier of production services for the greater Houston area, providing a wide range of services. In February 2007, AVPG Owner Mike Rape added Vertec powered line array loudspeakers to his company's inventory, purchasing 16 VT4887ADP elements and six VT4881ADP powered subwoofers.

"We purchased the powered Vertec models because I needed a versatile PA system," Rape said. "We do many outdoor festivals and lots of indoor corporate events. The combination of compact size and large sound gives us the fl

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USA - The University of Tennessee has officially launched its fund-raising campaign in an attempt to raise $1 billion.

The kick-off event was held on 17 April 17, 2008 at UT's Thompson-Boling Arena. It started with an introduction and dinner. Then UT President, John Petersen took to the stage to introduce the campaign video. The evening's programme featured appearances from a variety of students and faculty members.

Bandit CEO, Michael T. Strickland is on the campaign board and attended the event. Chris Lisle programmed the campaign launch. He used Cyberlight Turbos, Martin MAC 2000 Performances, MAC 600s, MAC 500s and High End Systems Studio Spots to light the event. Lighting was controlled by a Flying Pig Systems Whole Hog II and wing.

(Jim Evans)

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Germany - Erikson Audio has been named Ableton's exclusive distributor in Canada. Erikson Audio is a division of Jam Industries Limited, the country's largest independent distributor to the music and pro audio market.

"We are delighted to announce Erikson Audio as Ableton's exclusive distributor in Canada", says Dave Hill Jr, managing director Ableton Inc. "We've been hearing about Erikson's professionalism for years, and feel lucky to call them a partner."

Erikson audio division manager, Jeff Carman says: "We're excited to work with Ableton and we look forward to building a long-term relationship with this brilliant company whose unique software package, Live, is revolutionizing the way people make music with computers. Ableton is a perfect fit with the complementary product lines we distribute"

(Jim Evans)

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USA Lighting and control manufacturer High End Systems and UK-based Projected Image Digital have announced the next installment of Digital Lighting University, to be held 15-16 May at the Cochrane Theatre, part of the Central St. Martins College of Art and Design in London. Digital Lighting University is a programme designed to help professionals learn to apply, use and design with digital lighting in their projects.

Lighting designers, operators, video technicians, directors and other professionals in the lighting, video or special events industries are invited to attend. The two-day programme is designed to present key information in the most efficient manner. An international team of experts will present case studies, instructions and most importantly, hands-on exercises to help students on their way to new techniques in digital lighting.

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Singapore - An Avolites Pearl Expert console has been supplied to the new 1100 capacity Performing Arts Centre at Raffles Junior College in Singapore.

The desk was specified by Marc Brandon of installation company AVL Acoustic Systems in consultation with the college's in-house AV team. AVL is responsible for supplying equipment for an ongoing staged lighting and audio upgrade for the arts centre, and the Pearl Expert was supplied to them by Avolites' Singaporean distributor Total Solutions.

The Arts Centre is utilised to stage numerous and varied events and shows, accommodating both in-house and visiting productions. The College has its own events team, and some months, up to 15 shows will take place in the auditorium.

"I wanted a new desk that was very user friendly and could easily deal with both moving lights and generics, offering lots of functions," says Bran

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UK - Thousands of visitors to The Science of Survival exhibition at the Science Museum, London, were amazed by the incredible Living Image interactive floor display which will be on show throughout April-November 2008, say the organizers.

Expert integrators, Arcstream AV, worked with Electrosonic to install the state of the art technology for the exhibition, which explores some of the environmental issues facing the planet and how we might live in the year 2050. The Living Image interactive technology is on display at the exhibition's entrance, giving an impressive 'wow factor' for visitors upon entry.

The projection is integrated into the show's 'Drinking' area, where visitors can learn about innovative new techniques for getting safe drinking water and serious issues such as water shortages.

Stephen Foulger, The Science of Survival's content director, explained: &qu

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USA - Nexxus Lighting has confirmed that it has closed the previously announced acquisition of solid-state LED lighting manufacturer, Lumificient Corporation. The newly acquired company will be operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Nexxus Lighting and will continue to operate out of its manufacturing facility in Maple Grove, Minnesota.

Under the terms of the stock purchase agreement, the shareholders of Lumificient Corporation received cash consideration of $1.1 million, 475,000 shares of Nexxus Lighting's Common Stock and, based upon certain future earn-out formulations, additional shares could be earned. Lumificient Corporation had 2007 revenue of approximately $2.2 million and first quarter 2008 revenue of approximately $933,000.

"The acquisition of Lumificient Corporation is very exciting. In addition to Lumificient's current growth rate for its existing solid-stat

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USA - Audio consultant Media Systems Design Group oversaw the design of the sound reinforcement system at the new Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto, California. The Gallo Center is a $40 million complex that includes two performance spaces: the Mary Stuart Rogers Theatre (1,250 seats) and the Foster Family Theatre (444 seats).

During the design process, the decision was made to integrate a line array system in a left-right configuration at the Mary Stuart Rogers Theatre. "Until a few years ago, performance halls didn't always invest a lot of money in fixed systems," said Timothy Hart, principal, Media Systems Design Group. "The venues would typically rent equipment for different events, but the growth in touring circuits, combined with the desire to provide rider-friendly systems, led to many more venues installing larger, permanent audio systems. It's also a r

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UK - Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) recently hosted the inaugural performances of The Boys in the Photograph, a reworked version of The Beautiful Game, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton's musical set in Northern Ireland during The Troubles. An essential element of the production was the host of audio equipment provided by Sennheiser for the event.

For the 30-strong cast, 24 Sennheiser MKE 2-ew-GOLD lavalier microphones were paired with SK 500 G2 bodypacks. 24 channels of EM 500 G2 rack mounted receivers with A 2003-UHF passive directional antennas and AB 2 boosters were used in conjunction with three NET-1 systems running Sennheiser's Wireless System Manager software.

"Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton decided they wanted to change a few elements of the original version of The Beautiful Game and they are taking it in its new revised sta

  1. LC Series for Michael Jackson ballet
  2. Electro-Voice on tour with Sugarland
  3. Ibsen play gets low energy lighting
  4. Martin LC Series at Scarlett's Cabaret
  5. The Week in Lighting & Sound
  6. E/T/C London at Lux Zee Cine Awards
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