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Slovakia - Over 100 Robe moving lights were at the core of Martin Kubanka's lighting design for the 2008 final of Miss Universe Slovak Republic, staged at the National Tennis Centre in Bratislava.

The rig - all supplied by leading Slovakian rental company Q-99 - also included 24 Robe ColorMix 575AT fixtures and 26 Robe LEDWash 136LT and LEDWash196 LT blinders.

Kubanka's brief was to provide a glamorous show - extra special for the 10th anniversary of the Slovakian Miss Universe event - that looked equally as good on camera as it did for the live audience. It was broadcast live on STV 1, Slovakia's primary TV channel.

The moving lights were hung off a series of trusses in the roof and also spread out across the floor and set which was designed by Michael Kland.

In the air, positioned on approximately 180m of trussing installed for the show, were 40 Robe ColorSpot 1200E ATs,

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UK - High End Systems.and Projected Image Digital (PID) recently co-hosted the latest installment of the Digital Lighting University programme (DLU). This is designed to help professionals learn to use digital lighting in their work, using a hands-on approach. DLU was held at the Cochrane Theatre, part of the Central St. Martins College of Art and Design in London.

A mix of lighting designers, operators, video technicians and other professionals in the lighting, video and special events industries spent two days at DLU, listening to case studies, practising techniques, and networking over coffee and lunches. A Thursday evening event included a live band and a party at London's Sway Bar.

Keynote speakers included Peter Canning, Scott Chmielewski, Raoul Simpson, Hugh Davies-Webb and Rolf Wenzel, who shared case studies, new techniques and guidance through specific exercises such

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Germany - For the first time, beginning next year, the Musikmesse will provide a Business Centre for exhibitors and visitors. With the new Business Centre, the Musikmesse - International Trade Fair for Musical Instruments, Music Software & Computer Hardware, Sheet Music and Accessories - will create an area reserved exclusively for dealers, wholesalers and the industry. Initially, the Business Centre will occupy a whole floor of an exhibition hall and give exhibitors the space they need to conduct talks or business negotiations in a quiet and intensive atmosphere.

The Business Centre will also be open to exhibitors and trade visitors of Prolight + Sound, which is held parallel to the Musikmesse. The International Musikmesse in Frankfurt am Main will be held from 1 to 4 April 2009.

(Jim Evans)

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USA - Prince let members of the Time and Sheila E. kickoff his show before launching into 1999 and nearly two hours of music to close day two at this year's Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. Singing into a Shure KSM9, The Purple One proved demonstrably that he still has a hold over audiences few other major pop performers can claim today.

Guitar tech Bill Mayes additionally chose Shure UHF-R wireless for Prince's guitar. "The reliability and easy-to-use system makes this the only choice," Mayes said following the show. "Especially when there is no room for excuses."

(Jim Evans)

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USA - For Sheryl Crow's current spring tour, promoting her new album Detours, FOH engineer Sean 'Sully' Sullivan (Beck, Justin Timberlake) put together a streamlined live sound system based around a Digidesign Venue D-Show Profile integrated with a Pro Tools|HD system.

Keeping the system compact was a primary objective for Sullivan. The Venue system allows him to reduce the need for outboard analogue processing in favour of TDM plug-ins. And when combined with Pro Tools|HD, the D-Show Profile provides Sullivan with access to studio-quality production tools that allow him to achieve album-quality mixes from venue to venue on a nightly basis.

"On this tour, I have a very small simple setup," he explains. "When my production manager saw my rig he asked, 'When does the rest of it arrive?' But the bonus is, with the Venue [D-Show] Profile, my favourite plug-in

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UK - Adlib Audio supplied a JBL VerTec sound system, three Yamaha PM5Ds and a Soundcraft Vi6 console along with all sound production equipment and crew for the Kaiser Chiefs rocking homecoming gig at Elland Road stadium in Leeds.

This followed on from Adlib's work with the band on the last UK arena tour at the end of 2007. Adlib's FOH systems engineers were Tony Szabo and Dave Kay. They undertook their first Elland Road site visit in February - the Leeds United Football Club ground is not commonly used as a concert venue. They measured it up and created a 3D model using SoundVision and EASE software which also highlighted specific issues like coverage and delay sightlines.

The main front hangs consisted of 16 JBL VT4889s a side, along with 14 VT4880A subs flown right next to them.

The house right side hang was 14 VT4889s firing into the low seating stand on that side. On hou

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USA - Avril Lavigne has morphed, over the course of a career that is less than a decade young, from a self-professed skater punk to a newly married pop princess with her own fashion line. But one thing that has remained constant is FOH Engineer Jim Yakabuski who has been running Lavigne's sound since midway through her first tour in 2003.

For Lavigne's latest North American trek, in support of The Best Damn Album, Yakabuski and Orlando-based sound reinforcement provider LMG have chosen to return to an L-Acoustics V-Dosc and dV-Dosc loudspeaker system - this time supplementing the rig with the manufacturer's Kudo enclosures and new LA8 amplified controllers.

"We have 15 V-Dosc with three dV-Dosc down-speakers per side as mains, and then 10 Kudo a side as side- arrays," Yakabuski explains. "We've also gone back to using a centre sub cluster, which has prove

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UK - Since the long-running BBC Radio 1 Roadshow morphed into the One Big Weekend series of outdoor festival-style shows in 2000, the production values have progressively increased. With multiple stages and dozens of acts performing live, One Big Weekend is a far cry from Radio 1 Roadshows of yore - Smiley Miley and the Goodie Mobile it is not.

Thus, on 10 and 11 May this year, four separate stages and thousands of music fans descended on Mote Park, in the Kent county town of Maidstone, to enjoy a bill headlined by Madonna. But more true to the traditional Roadshow ethos was the Outdoor Stage, which featured a range of DJ performances and a large Turbosound Aspect PA system.

Headlined by Fatboy Slim and Zane Lowe respectively, the Saturday and Sunday bills on the Outdoor Stage featured a wide cross-section of DJ talent - of both the musical and radio prese

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Congratulations to The Arcola Theatre in London's Hackney which has been nominated for a major national prize at The Charity Awards 2008, the UK charity sector's most prestigious award scheme. Chosen from a long list of entries, the theatre, which provides high calibre, accessible theatre and aims to become the world's first sustainable arts venue, has been shortlisted in the Animals and the environment category. It is hoping to pick up the coveted award at an awards ceremony in London on 19 June.

Best wishes to John Steven who has left Sennheiser UK. Having been director of marketing for the past eight years, he leaves to start and run his own company, John Steven PR. He will continue working with Sennheiser UK on a freelance basis on various special projects, including assisting general manager Phil Massey with the company's ongoing involvement with the National Film and Television S

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USA - The Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis has found two markets in the Twin Cities for its Robert Juliat Topaze and Manon followspots. The Theatre not only uses a trio of Topazes and a pair of Manons for its own dramatic and musical productions but also lends them to the Minnesota Opera during its season.

"I have been a theatrical technician for 10 years and have used a wide variety of followspots at venues all over the country," notes Owen Moldow, lead electrician at the Guthrie. "When I started working at the Guthrie Theater in 2007 I got to use Robert Juliat Topaze and Manon for the first time, and I was floored. I've never seen a followspot so bright or that had such nice action. They are incredibly easy to use and maintain; I never thought that I would actually look forward to using a followspot."

When the Guthrie isn't utilizing the followspots, it len

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Italy - Robe DigitalSpot 5000 DTs and 45 Robe ColorWash 575E AT moving lights were utilised by leading Italian TV lighting director/designer and DoP Pino Quini for the latest series of RAI 1's I Fuoriclasse (The Campion).

The popular programme, presented by maverick Italian TV personality Carlo Conti and produced by Magnolia Productions sees non-celebrity contestants from all types of backgrounds and careers compete to become singing stars. It is recorded at RAI's Studio De Paolis in Rome, and lighting equipment was supplied by Rome based rental house, DI & DI Lighting.

For I Fuoriclasse, the moving lights - over 200 in total, along with 300 white light sources, were all mounted on aluminium trussing that followed the lines of the eye-catching set, designed by Marco Calzavara. The ColorWash 575E ATs were rigged behind the set and used for colouring and texturing

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UK - The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army, at the British Museum in London, which featured a 360° projection system designed and installed by systems integrator Sysco, has won the prestigious Museums & Heritage 2008 Award for Temporary or Touring Exhibition.

The Awards were presented on 7 May at Church House in Westminster by journalist and broadcaster Simon Calder. The exhibition ran from September 2007 to April 2008, becoming the British Museum's most successful temporary exhibition for 30 years, with over 850,000 visitors.It featured the largest group of important objects relating to the First Emperor ever to be loaned abroad by the Museum of the Terracotta Army and the Cultural Relics Bureau of Shaanxi Province in Xi'an, China. It was housed in the Reading Room at the heart of the Museum which was temporarily converted by exhibition designers Metaphor in con

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UK - Speaking at the PLASA Annual General Meeting in London today, PLASA CEO Matthew Griffiths will call on the professional entertainment technology industry to support the new £15m National Skills Academy by donating £1m worth of lighting, sound, AV and staging equipment.

The National Skills Academy aims to significantly help to reduce skills gaps and shortages in backstage and off-stage skills. The NSA business plan, supported by PLASA and over 120 leading employers from theatre and live music, sets out in detail an ambitious vision to provide world-class training for the world's greatest stages. Working together with employers, freelancers, colleges and training-providers throughout the country, the NSA will deliver industry-endorsed training for young people and professionals. A proposed new state-of-the-art training facility in Thurrock, Thames Gateway, will pr

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UK - Peli Products has announced the acquisition of lighting manufacturer Blue i UK. This purchase will enable Peli Products to expand its presence in Europe, Middle East and Africa while continuing to develop new products and technologies, says the company.

The acquisition of Blue i complements Peli Products strategic vision to position the company as the pioneer in new lighting technology.

In 2003 the company launched Recoil LED technology. Now, through the acquisition of Blue i, Peli Products takes a further step towards the launch of its Advanced Area Lighting Group (AALG), a new line of products" bringing next generation Area Lighting Technology to market. The Advanced Area Lighting Group will drive primary R&D to bring portable, powerful, energy-efficient and environmentally responsible lighting technology to remote area applications.

"More than three decades

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UK - Kave Theatre Services, specialists in theatrical supplies and services, has increased their hire supply of ETC Source Four lanterns. Mark Larcombe, manager of Kave Hire Department, says: "We are delighted to have been able to increase our Source Four hire stock. We now have a selection of both 15°- 30° and 25° - 50° lanterns available. With over 60 Source Four luminaries in stock we are now proud to have the largest supply of these lanterns outside London, in the South East. We always listen to our customers and strive to connect them with the best products while offering great service and support. The Source Four is an excellent product and it is a lantern demanded by many in the entertainment industry. The addition of the Source Four will ensure we continue to meet the needs of our customers."

The new ETC Source Four lanterns wasted no time in Ka

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UK - Shuttlesound is promising to make an annual fixture out of its Big Day Out, a special one-day event for the UK's pro-audio industry professionals which showcased the technology of Electro-Voice, Midas and Klark-Teknik, alongside presentations from guest speakers from all aspects of the business.

More than 100 people turned up to the centrally-located Ricoh Arena in Coventry, including visitors from as far away as Belfast and Glasgow, Wigan and the West Country. Sean Maxwell's eight-person team from Shuttlesound was supported by an all-star cast of presenters including Bill Gelow, EV's head of engineering, Joseph Plager, EV's head of amplifier development, Alex Cooper, the director of console development for Midas, and Shuttlesound's own project design and support specialist David Howe.

With Midas' flagship XL8 digital console at front-of-house, there were demos of

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Belgium - Digital mixing console manufacturer InnovaSON has announced the appointment of Amptec as its new distribution partner in Belgium and Holland.

InnovaSON's international sales manager, Philippe Pelmelle comments, "Amptec has an excellent reputation. I heard from a number of independent sources that I couldn't hope to find a better distributor in Belgium, which is always reassuring to hear. They place a great deal of emphasis on providing a real service to the client, and not just on selling him the equipment."

Amptec CEO Bart Willems adds, "I'm looking forward to representing InnovaSON in Belgium and Holland. I like the concept behind their products, and I appreciate their pioneering attitude. We have a lot of experience in their target market and I'm sure that once we start getting the products in front of our customers, they will be very keen to try th

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Spain - D.A.S. Artec sound systems have become part of the standard equipment of the Karting Indoor Formula 0. This sports amusement centre is located on the outskirts of Madrid and is part of the commercial and entertainment complex Madrid Xanadú.

For this sound installation, MSB Audio Madrid recommended the installation of six D.A.S. Artec 28 systems. "Taking into consideration the size of the complex and its peculiarities as to sound reverberation, they prove to be very efficient systems," comments Manuel Suarez, MSB audio director.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - XTA has considerably expanded its global distribution network, recently appointing distributors in no less than six countries - Argentina, Hungary, Iceland, Mexico, Poland, and Portugal.

With XTA enjoying considerable success in the Central and South American markets, it makes commercial sense for the company to expand its representation in the region, which has been achieved by the appointment of DA Professional SRL in Argentina and Audioacustica y Electronica in Mexico, says the company.

"We provide total production solutions, combining our expert personnel and only the very highest quality equipment," says Audioacustica y Electronica's Javier Posada. "The company was founded because of a need in Mexico for a supplier whose equipment portfolio and experience allows them to plan, coordinate and execute all technical aspects of a production. XTA is the idea

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USA - When Bally Total Fitness wanted to install CD players in its clubs nationwide that would hold up under near-constant use, systems integrator No Static Pro Audio recommended the DN-C615 CD Player from Denon Professional.

Over the past three years, No Static has installed over 120 DN-C615 decks in Bally facilities throughout Southern California and sold an additional 139 DN-C615 decks in that time period to other Bally facilities across the country.

"The DN-C615 is absolutely bulletproof," says Dave Meek, president No Static, a Burbank-based full-service systems integrator that will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year. "Bally facilities will often install multiple DN-C615 units in one club, putting them in Group Exercise Rooms and Spin Rooms. Whenever the design calls for a CD player, we use the DN-C615 exclusively."

(Jim Evans)

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Serbia - For the third consecutive year Stage One was brought in to build the set for the Eurovision Song Contest, held this year in Belgrade. Stage One was asked to construct all the stage and scenic elements by Morten Carlsson, MD of Procon Event Engineering, who were awarded the contract to realise the entire project.

One of the key challenges that both Stage One and their client faced was that they were brought on board quite late. Final detailed drawings were only received just six weeks before the load date. "The construction of such an impressive, but quite complicated structure, in this short time scale was always going to be a challenge," said Steve Dolan, account director, Stage One.

He continued, "We resolved the time issues by completing some of the work required on-site and delivered a set of the highest quality."

The city of Belgrade lies at

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UK - Sennheiser UK is on board supporting Earthrace, the eco-boat currently attempting to break the round-the-world speed record. Sennheiser supplied Earthrace with PXC 450 noise cancelling headphones, plus two HMEC 450 aviation headsets for navigation communications.

"We're delighted Sennheiser is supporting us," says Earthrace captain Pete Bethune. "This project wouldn't have been able to happen without their support and their contribution is vital to the overall goal of showing the world that the best technology can also be sustainable.

"We and the ground crew appreciate the fantastic support we have received. Every supportive company's efforts count in our race to beat the world record."

Sennheiser UK general manager Phil Massey adds, "It is great that we have been able to help such a worthwhile attempt by supplying Pete and his crew with th

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New Zealand - The City Impact Church in Auckland recently installed an Adamson SpekTrix Line Array System in the main Sanctuary of its new building.

City Impact recently embarked on a project to build a state-of-the-art auditorium that would set a new benchmark for worship venues.

Ian Anderson of Mitech Consulting was engaged as the primary technical and production consultant for the job. Under his direction Scott Willsallen of Auditoria mastered the audio design and Mark Hansen of Hansen and Associates was responsible for the architectural and acoustic design of the performance space.

Capable of holding up to 2,000 people, the Sanctuary needed to produce a powerful sound with excellent vocal clarity and accurate musical reproduction, despite the significant problem of reflective surfaces that existed on both the sides and the rear of the room. Extensive acoustic treatment w

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USA - The new 250,000sq.ft home of the Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue was well received when it opened on 11 April. Located in Washington, D.C., adjacent to the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall, the Newseum features seven levels of galleries, theatres, and event spaces that blend news history with cutting-edge technology and hands-on exhibits. Besides offering museum-goers a behind the scenes look at how and why news is made, they also produce and broadcast in their own television studios.

The main funder of the operations of the Newseum is The Freedom Forum, a non-partisan foundation. Jim Updike, vice president of technology for the Freedom Forum and for the Newseum, points out, "doing the outside news broadcasts and programmes from here is an important part of our mission. We have done any number of television shows here from network newscasts all the way to our o

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