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Canada - Hailing from Newfoundland, Great Big Sea recently completed a tour of the US and Canada with a compact Meyer Sound system that includes the MSL-4 loudspeaker and 700-HP subwoofer.

Formed in 1993, Great Big Sea has spent the past 15 years touring extensively throughout America and Europe, earning a dedicated following for its hybrid blend of traditional Newfoundland folk and edgy rock. Impromptu guest appearances by good friends like Russell Crowe have also boosted attendance and sparked interest in the group.

The system, provided by Nova Scotia-based Tour Tech East, was chosen for its power and compact size. FOH engineer Steve Doherty says: "We wanted to carry our own production, and the requirement was that all audio and lighting had to fit into a 16sq.ft trailer behind the bus. And of course, we needed a rig that would deliver top-notch sound; we're not Metalli

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South Africa - Christ Embassy Church of South Africa, based in Randburg, initially contacted Martin's South African distributor Electrosonic SA in 2007 for dimmers and TV lighting for broadcast purposes.

Pastor Milton, who was then in charge of the lighting, was looking for a reliable supplier who could supply and install quality lighting equipment with back-up and support to match. Electrosonic SA then supplied and installed dimmers, lighting bars and 2kW TV lights along with a control desk.

During 2008, Electrosonic set up a demonstration of the Martin range of lighting fixtures, as well as some options for house lights. After the demonstration it was clear that the Martin Stagebar 54S was a suitable choice for the application and the venue.

Head Pastor Ose, Pastor Tayo and Pastor Mighty were very impressed and an order was placed for 72 Martin Stagebar 54s along with six

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UAE - Located adjacent to the Al Jazira hotel complex at Ghantoot, midway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Plastik Beach Club is one of the latest leisure destinations in the UAE where those who want to see and be seen can relax and enjoy themselves.

With comfortable surroundings, a restaurant, spa, club nights, fashion shows, VIP terrace and exclusive hillside retreat, much of the club is open to the spectacular night sky. And it's all accompanied by music, delivered by Turbosound loudspeakers.

Specified and installed by Dubai-based Reference Audio, the Plastik Beach Club features 10 TCS-121CW and four Impact 50 full range units, plus two TCS-218 subs, all painted white to match the club's colour scheme. It is the latest of a number of clubs in the region to feature Turbosound loudspeakers.

"The sound quality of the speakers was extremely important, of course," says F

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Europe - Audio Rent Clair and UK-based Concert Sound have joined forces. Both companies have long histories in the tour sound and contracting segments of the professional audio market and have co-operated on many events in the past, most notably on tours and one-off events with Sir Paul McCartney, Mark Knopfler and Tina Turner.

Jürg Hügin, chairman of the Audio Rent Clair board, comments: "The opportunities for both companies that became apparent when we started talking have made this such an obvious move for us. Our clients have asked us for increased flexibility and we have been able to answer in a way that extends our in- house skills base even further, as well as adding logistical benefits. It's a great situation for everyone."

As part of the Audio Rent Clair group, Concert Sound Clair will maintain its own identity and commercial operation. Concert Sound's cur

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Singapore - The Victoria Theatre in Singapore has been refurbished. A new MA Lighting dimMA solution consists of four 19" racks with 228 channels of 3kVA and 12 channels of 5kVA. Each dimmer rack was equipped with one MA Network Dimmer Processor (NPD - two to operate the dimmers and two as a backup. If the main MA NDP fails the backup system takes over 'control' without interruption.

In the second phase a grandMA2 full-size console will be installed for control. As the shipment of the grandMA2 consoles will not start until 2009 a grandMA full-size series 1 will be used until the new console arrives.

Raymond Yong was the project manager. Desisti Asia Pte delivered the lighting equipment. The electrical contractor was Xin Bao.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - For one brief spell during the festive season The Who, Coldplay, and Damon Albarn's Monkey, Journey to the West simultaneously occupy all three venues at the Millennium site - the O2 Arena, IndigO2, and the Meridian Gardens which is a giant tent outside the O2.

On engineering duties are Daniel Green for Coldplay, Paul Ramsay for The Who and Barry Bartlett for Monkey, while all three productions were reinforced via d&b loudspeaker systems.(Jim Evans)

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UK - Despite the credit crunch apparently biting ever deeper, the organisers of The ABTT Theatre Show (10-11 June 2009, The Royal Horticultural Halls, London) are delighted to announce that the show is looking unaffected, with stand re-bookings for 2009's show remaining constant compared to this time last year at 75 per cent.

As the marketing initiative for The ABTT Theatre Show begins for 2009, show director Roger Fox comments: "The ABTT Theatre Show in 2008 again revealed a growth in our visitors and highlighted a 40 per cent rise in new attendees. We're aiming to build on this success in 2009 and remain confident in the current economic climate, to deliver another major networking opportunity for technical theatre."

Recognised for embracing a developing range of technologies for use in any auditorium, the ABTT Theatre Show has built an enviable position as a uniqu

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USA - Bandit provided lighting for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony, held at the Waldorf-Astoria's Grand Ballroom in New York City, NY. In addition to the awards presentation, Grammy-nominated rock band Matchbox Twenty performed and comedian John Pinette also entertained the audience at the 5 December, 2008 event.

At the ceremony, driver Jimmie Johnson added his name to the NASCAR record books by becoming the second driver in the sport's history to win three consecutive Cup Series championships.

Lighting designer, Mark Carver oversaw lighting production at the event. Equipment included Vari*Lite 3000 Spots, MAC 250s and 600s, PixelRange Pixelines PAR 64s, Lycian M2 Spots, and ETC Source Fours. Lighting was controlled by two Grand MAs and NSPs.

Co-production manager, Steve Hoover, said that the VL 3Ks, MAC 600s and PixelRange Pixelines all acted, in part, as the c

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UK - The Pogues have embarked on their sixth annual Christmas tour with a Midas PRO6 Live Audio System provided by HD Pro Audio at front-of-house.

The 12-date tour, which began in Belfast and continued through Scotland and England before its finale in Dublin, has become an annual fixture, providing a dose of alternative seasonal celebration and culminating in a magical live rendition of their Christmas ballad, Fairytale of New York.

This was the first Midas digital outing for Pogues engineer, and Midas analogue aficionado Paul Scully. "I was very keen to try out the PRO6 on this tour and somewhat jumped in at the deep end, and I'm really happy with it," says Scully, who first got to try out the desk during production rehearsals.

Working alongside the PRO6 is a Klark Teknik DN9331 Rapide graphics controller, which Scully describes as a vital part of the kit,

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Australia - In celebration of its 20th anniversary, lighting control and automation specialist Dynalite will step out in 2009 with a new look, logo and image.

Founded in 1989 by CEO John Gunton, Dynalite has grown from a six-person team in the Australian lighting control industry, to a 130-person enterprise with offices in China, UK and the Middle-East. The company is also represented by a distributor and dealer network in over 40 countries. According to Gunton, the success of Dynalite - which is still Australian-owned with all manufacturing in Sydney - has been the result of picking people who are the best in their field and incorporating a customer focus into every part of the business.

"Our new corporate logo heralds the beginning of a new era for Dynalite," Gunton said. "It represents where we are today and where we see ourselves going. While the future of t

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Portugal - L-Acoustics' Portuguese distributor Avitel has installed a dV-DOSC system into the main, 1,0000-capacity multipurpose hall at the Casino Figueira in the city of Figueira da Foz. The casino, which has recently been renovated, is more than 100 years old and features some historic frescoes on its domed ceiling.

The main front of house system consists of six dV-DOSC line source cabinets and two dV-SUB subwoofers per side, each hang being driven by four LA8 amplifed controller racks. Further sub bass reinforcement is provided by four SB118s driven by one LA8, while four 108P self-powered monitors take care of front-fill applications.

Additionally, six 112P self-powered coaxial speakers and two 108P self-powered monitors are being used as floor monitors.

"For a long time the Casino Figueira had been looking for a solution for its main room, the Salão Caffe,"

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UK - Creative aluminium specialists Litestructures has designed and manufactured a triangular ground support structure for the SpinVox Wishing Well, an interactive public installation as part of Covent Garden London's Christmas Delight campaign, designed by FreeState.

Litestructures was approached by Brighton based design and development experts Millimetre to produce an outdoor system that would create a visual delight both externally and internally. Litestructures technical sales manager Paul Hadfield discussed the Wishing Well concept with Millimetre's Marc Thomas and Ivan Clarke to gain a greater understanding of what was required of the final installation and the Litestructures design and manufacturing team swung into action to provide the structure.

The main support structure is 7.2m high with 6m spans between each tower and consists of Litestructures high performance Lit

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USA - Bandit Lites recently lit an invitation-only dinner, funded entirely through private donations, which was held to celebrate the completion of the new University of Tennessee College of Business Administration facility.

The new six-floor, 174,000sq.ft building at the corner of Andy Holt Avenue and Volunteer Boulevard houses 34 classrooms, more than 50 offices for staff and administration, 35 team and presentations rooms, a technology centre, an investment centre and an atrium with a glass elevator.

Lighting designer Shawn Beaulieu chose to use ETC Source Fours, Martin MAC 2000 Washes, Vari*Lite 3000 Spots and Coemar LED Pars to light the event. Lighting was controlled by a Flying Pig Systems Wholehog II.

(Jim Evans)

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Lifetime achievements - Motown legends The Four Tops are to receive a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement, organisers have said. The group, best known for hits such as I Can't Help Myself and Reach Out I'll Be There will be given the honour along with late Rat Pack star Dean Martin. Gene Autry, the Blind Boys Of Alabama, Hank Jones, Tom Paxton and Brenda Lee will also receive career awards. The prizes will be given at a ceremony in Los Angeles on 7 February, one day before the 51st annual Grammy Awards.

Neil Portnow, president of The Recording Academy - which runs the Grammys - called the recipients a "prestigious group of legendary performers, creative architects and technical visionaries". He added: "Their outstanding accomplishments, legendary passion and artistry have positively affected our culture and will continue to influence and inspire ge

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USA - At Chicago's Grant Park Barack Obama's 2008 victory speech ran through crowds, as MA Lighting's grandMA consoles (supplied by overall Lighting Contractor - Christie Lites) took front row. States lighting designer Bob Peterson, "The Obama campaign provided the statement for the directive, which was to elegantly transfer from the exuberance of the campaign to the seriousness of the presidency. What that meant to me was to deem victory night a serious and strong historical evening."

According to Peterson: "We massaged our single look over a course of three nights. The primary component was to light the President Elect to his very best advantage, then cleanly illuminate the 100,000 plus people in the park, all at exposures that would allow the skyline and city to be a backdrop in the network cut shot." Several disciplines of equipment including Martin, Sync

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UK - A host of celebrities and artists from the worlds of music, comedy and theatre came together for the annual Royal Variety Performance. Celebrating its 80th anniversary, the show returned to the London Palladium to be performed in the presence of Their Royal Highnesses, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. Headlining for 2008 were Take That, alongside artists such as Pussycat Dolls, Duffy and Leona Lewis. Recorded on 11 December, it was transmitted on BBC1 on Wednesday 17 December.

Lighting director Bernie Davis comments: "The key thing is flexibility. All the programming is done over three days on site, and we have to be ready for any plans to change. The only way to achieve the range of looks is to use moving lights."

The decision on which lights to use was partly influenced by the venue. Bernie explained, "We took over the Palladium dur

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UK - Supported by Milton Keynes Partnership, the city's main shopping centre thecentre:mk, Midsummer Place and local newspaper The Citizen amongst others, Light Fantastic was a free public event that featured a lantern parade, French aerialists Transe Express performing a display suspended from a 150ft crane, acrobats suspended from giant balloons, gas jets flaring into the night sky, stunning images projected onto landmark buildings and a futuristic Exploratorium, all set to a bespoke soundtrack.

"We were approached as event producers and asked to come up with a number of different ideas," explains Mark Harrison. "Milton Keynes is set out on a grid system and the city wanted something unique that, when the centre of the city was closed off, would work with the road system, naturally leading people from place to place, with the building projections u

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UK - Stage Electrics has purchased 10 new Mercedes Sprinter vans for its national branch network, which will replace the existing branch fleet of vehicles. Each van is fitted with the ECO-Start system which turns the engine off after a two-second waiting period, while the vehicle is stationary. The engine will automatically restart when the clutch pedal is depressed.

The new vans will save fuel, vehicle emissions, noise and engine wear. Such features are especially beneficial for branch vehicles which often spend large periods of time stuck in traffic with the engine running. The vans are due to roll out across the branches from January, with two vehicles allocated to each branch.

Gordon Wells, head of finance, comments: "This significant capital investment highlights not only our fleet growth, but ensures we are actively reducing our corporate carbon footprint."

(

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Canada - The November tour of their homeland by Canada's Sam Roberts Band featured six XTA processors in use at front of house. The tour played theatre-sized venues throughout the country and the band's FOH engineer Phil Hornung was faced with the prospect of using house PA systems in most venues.

In order to maintain consistency of the sound, XTA's local distributor, Sennheiser Canada, supplied him with a package of processing options, comprising a C2 compressor, D2 dynamic EQ, E2 parametric EQ, G2 noise gate, GQ600 dual 30 band graphic EQ and DP324 SiDD digital dynamics processor.

"I was looking for a compact outboard package that would allow me to lend some measure of consistency to the sound," says Hornung. "The XTA package was small, compact and - most importantly - easy to use and interface with local PA systems.

"The D2 allows me to keep any PA or

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UK - For the second year running, A.C. Entertainment Technologies presented a British Racing Drivers' Club award to 2008 Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton at the BRDC Annual Awards luncheon. Over 400 people gathered at the Café Royal in London for this year's event. The star-studded guest list included many of motor racing's finest heroes from past and present to celebrate the success stories of the 2008 racing season. Also, the Club welcomed The Prime Minister, Right Honourable Gordon Brown MP, as a distinguished guest.

A.C. Entertainment Technologies product development director, Glyn O'Donoghue, along with BRDC President Damon Hill OBE and Graham Hill's widow, Bette Hill, presented the esteemed Graham Hill Trophy to Lewis Hamilton. The trophy is awarded to the British Driver for the most meritorious performance in single-seater racing.

A.C. Entertainment Techno

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Iceland - At this year's Iceland Airwaves, Reykjavík-based Exton provided effective and powerful sound reinforcement for five festival venues using self-powered systems from Meyer Sound. Referred to by Rolling Stone magazine as "the hippest long weekend on the annual music festival calendar," the five-day music showcase introduces acts from Iceland and across the globe, including this year's CSS from Brazil; Junior Boys and Crystal Castles from Canada; UK-based Robots in Disguise; and White Denim and Boy Crisis from the US.

As Exton's Ivar Ragnarsson explains, the festival's largest venue, Reykjavík Art Museum's Port Room, was the most challenging. "The room was originally a warehouse," Ragnarsson says. "It's about 10m wide and 45m long, and very reverberant." Ragnarsson adds that aside from the acoustical challenges, the room required a quick set

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USA - First Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff, Missouri has re-configured its sound system from a basic two-fader setup with choir and pastor microphones into a complex multi-channel mix with a full live band.

To modernise both its sanctuary and it range of worship services, First Baptist recently undertook a $1.5 million renovation. Unity Pro AV of Jackson, Missouri was contracted to design and install a new $105,000 sound system. The church opted to retain its 24ft video screen, projector with long throw lens and multi-camera setup. "We have been working with First Baptist on small upgrades and maintenance issues for several years," Unity Pro AV's Matt Schwartz says.

In four short months, Schwartz designed both a new loudspeaker system and acoustical treatment using EASE, he gently persuaded the church that wall treatments were the right way to go and installed the co

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The Netherlands - Dutch pop star Jan Smit is touring the Netherlands to promote his latest album. Prolyte supplied the complete staging and trussing set, through its distributor Controlled for Triple show Techniek.

The mobile stage was designed as a multi-level stage to enable him to have optimum contact with his audience. Beside the visual aspect, the technical specifications also played an important role. Due to a tight touring schedule, production time to build the stage was limited. Prolyte advised to use the Easy frame C system, as support frame for the entire staging area, which assembles rapidly and without the need for extra tooling of forklifts.

(Jim Evans)

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South Africa - Gearhouse South Africa's Cape Town branch swung into action supplying staging, sound, lighting and LED screens to production company Celebrity Services/Maximum Exposure for the annual festive lights switch-on ceremony along Adderley Street, performed by Mayor Helen Zille and attended by 70,000 people.

The show included performances by several high profile artists including headliner Loyiso Bala, supported by Loading Zone, Dr Victor and the Rasta Rebels, Denim and Dozi, all MC'd by comedian Wayne McKay. The event was project managed on site for Gearhouse by Zane Carim.

The main stage was a 22m wide by 14 deep Layher construction, with a Slick Dome roof giving 12m of headroom.

Upstage of this was a Lighthouse high-resolution LED screen. Most of the artists performed before dusk, but it was dark by the time the main ceremony swung into action. This plus three del

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