Business

Details
Brazil - A Midas PRO6 has been installed into one of Brazil's newest venues, the SESC Gama theatre in capital city Brasilia, by AV company Projesom which has been supplying the industry for over 30 years. The 400-seat venue, which opened in April this year, hosts a variety of productions from plays to rock concerts.

"Three years ago we installed a Midas Verona 480 for the same client in another theatre," says Ruslan Viana, Projesom's chief audio engineer, "but it was time to take the step forward to Midas digital. It has been a great success."

Amos Miranda, Projesom's chief electrician on the project, says, "Everyone has been impressed with the user-friendly controls, the flexibility and durability of the system, and, of course, the Midas sound. The PRO6 stands head and shoulders above everything else. There is no doubt that the theatre has the audio w

Details
World - Joan Armatrading has chosen a DPA 4088 cardioid headband mic for vocals on her current world tour, which began in Germany in March.

"It was Joan's intention at the end of her last tour in 2008 to switch to a headworn system so she could be free of the mic stand," says her regular front of house engineer Mike Hogg. "Although I had not tried the 4088 before, previous experience with other DPA microphones gave me the confidence to recommend it for her.

"We have now done over 80 shows with it this year and I love it. The clarity and definition is astounding; even in some of the smaller venues with lower roof heights and tighter stages it performs well with ample gain before feedback. The headband also holds its position well during the show. It's safe to say that we are all very happy with it."

Armatrading's tour has continued across Europe befor

Details
UK - White Light brought its latest technology to London's Natural History Museum on 28 June, to help the Museum celebrate the launch of its new Courtyard outdoor area, part of the Darwin Centre extension to the landmark building.

Faced with the challenge of lighting the Courtyard cleanly and without disturbance to the event's guests, White Light deployed two of its new HyLight hydrogen fuel-cell powered lighting systems, which had been officially launched just a week earlier.

"We were very pleased to be able to use the new HyLight hydrogen fuel cell system," comments Zoe Watts, the Natural History Museum's head of events. "They are silent with no emissions - perfect for the Darwin Centre's gardens, with their proximity to our residents, and also for complying with the museum's sustainability policy."

"Having the ability to deliver instant power with

Details
UK - The Adlib Audio team, this year crew chiefed by Hassane Es Siahi, returned to the King Tut's Wah Wah Tent at T in The Park Festival at Balado, Kinross-shire, Scotland.

A rainy & windy weekend didn't stop 80,000 people enjoying the Festival. King Tut's Wah Wah Tent had featured an array of artists and an electric atmosphere throughout the weekend.

The eclectic line up featured amongst many. Ellie Goulding, Empire of the Sun, We Are Scientists , Diana Vickers , Mumford & Sons and concluded with a set by David Guetta on the Sunday evening.

Adlib designed and installed a JBL VerTec PA system, with 10 flown VT4889 elements per side, complete with nine ground stacked VT4880As subs.

New for this year, they ran the subs in cardioid mode, with two stacks of two cabinets pointing forward and one in the middle facing back, which helped spread the general coverage and concentrate

Details
UK - PZ Cussons, the multi-national consumer goods company, has relocated from its base in Stockport to a new 40,000sq.ft headquarters on the Manchester Business Park.

The company was looking to create an impressive entrance to the new flagship site, which boasts an imposing atrium. This has been provided with the first European installation of Christie's MicroTiles media display.

The installation was carried out by Lancashire-based Pure Audio Visual under the supervision of divisional director Alan Marshall.

"As the atrium was glazed on two sides this presented a conundrum," said Marshall. "Initially we considered projectors - but then I had a meeting with Joe Graziano, [Christie's market development manager for MicroTiles ] and he told me about this new product."

Ged Bithell, PZ Cussons' head of IT international and Chris Colesell, head of IT UK, atte

Details
UK - Harsco Infrastructure's events team provided 21,475 temporary grandstand seats for The Open Golf Championship held at St Andrews from 15-18 July. Harsco Infrastructure is the new name for SGB Eventlink, which has supplied seating systems for use at the The Open since 1988.

There were 25 grandstands in total around the golf course, in locations chosen to provide optimum views of the event. The type and seating capacity of each grandstand varied depending on location, ground conditions, seating required and wind loading.

The seating system is designed to comply with the relevant British standards and codes of practice and causes minimum disturbance to grass and other sensitive ground areas, says the company.

(Jim Evans)

Details
UK - The Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2010, a bold geometric structure designed by Jean Nouvel, has opened to the public.

The main build contractor, was Stage One. The company was responsible for the manufacture and installation of all the structural steelwork, flooring, a 12m high freestanding wall leaning at a 30º angle, central canopy area, seven metre high steel-framed glass cube section and bar/café areas - all in striking shades of red.

"We are honoured to have been asked to construct the prestigious Serpentine Gallery Pavilion for the second year running," said Mark Johnson, managing director, Stage One. Our involvement in the construction of the 2010 Pavilion, which required completely different manufacturing capabilities to the 2009 Pavilion, highlights the truly diverse range of skills and services we can offer to our clients.

The company worked cl

Details
UK - Black Light has announced the launch of a new course for professional

technicians working in the theatrical or events industries. The course, Rigging and Working at Height in the Entertainment Industry, is designed to provide the knowledge and practical guidance needed to work safely when rigging equipment high above a stage or auditorium.

Over three days, course attendees will learn from industry professionals and trained instructors on all aspects of safe working at height. Classroom-based theory, hands-on practical sessions and discussion groups are all part of the package which is aimed at keeping everyone involved and active throughout.

"Falls from height continue to be one of the biggest causes of workplace injury and death. Theatres and stages can be particularly hazardous places to work," says Black Light's technical manager Craig Collin. "

Details
Italy/Norway - Aethra.net and Videoworks AS a company with headquarters in Oslo, Norway, holding an OEM agreement with Sony Japan for Europe, have signed an agreement of exclusive distribution for the territory of Italy.

"We are extremely proud of this agreement which will further strengthen the position of Aethra.net and its partners in the Italian market," said Luigi Astoirii MD of aethra.net. "The distribution of Videoworks videoconferencing products based on Sony technology creates an absolutely different value proposition in the market."

Along with the products , Aethra.net will be able to render a number of converged services including multi-video conferencing in hosted and managed modes and

webcasting, audio conferencing, room design and installation.

"Adding Aethra.net as a partner for Videoworks brings great value with their deep knowledge

Details
South Africa - Ministry of illusion's work featured strongly in the 2010 World Cup closing ceremony. Contracted by the VWV Group, the ceremony's producer, MOI was mandated with conceptualising and delivering on all aspects of the digital effects and post production for the World Cup closing event.

"Being invited to join the conceptualisation phase of the ceremony gave us creative licence; it also meant our team got to work with some of the best brains in our industry. There were a large number of elements to our work, but it seems the real crowd pleasers were the watering hole, the marimba, and the newspaper," said Gerd Müller, MD of Ministry of illusion.

The animation software used by MOI for the entire project was 3D Maya and Autodesk Flint and was rendered using Quicktime Animations at 50p (50 frames per second). It included the compositing o

Details
USA - Martin Professional's new M1 lighting controller was recently used to control a large LED lighting system for Independence Eve, a patriotic concert celebration held in Denver, Colorado's historic Civic Centre Park.

Full service LED lighting company Blazen Illuminations of Loveland, Colorado produced the lighting for the event. Blazen owner Nate Webb, who served as lighting designer, commented on the new console, "The M1 performed flawlessly and made it possible to do this event without all of the heavy lifting. Setting up the console took about two minutes and we were up and running."

Webb continued, "The M1 has all the great controls of the bigger consoles but without the heavy motorized faders. There was no learning curve from the Maxxyz to the M1, it's all there. The standard 10 cuelist faders and the 12 playback faders make it easy to control an

Details
Canada - Now in its 23rd year, the Toronto Jazz Festival has grown from an ambitious upstart to become one of the world's premier jazz events, attracting some 500,000 visitors annually for 10 days of music that features jazz legends and newcomers, and even well-known musicians of other jazz-inspired genres.

This year's festival brought Maceo Parker, Herbie Hancock, and Harry Connick, Jr., as well as The Roots, Taj Mahal, Chaka Khan, and Macy Gray to the largest city in Canada. To accommodate all of the acts at the 1,200-seat Nathan Phillip Square main stage and the demands of their engineers, FOH guru Brad Mulligan set up the new Innovason Eclipse digital console to have a predictable 'analogue' topology.

For almost all of the engineers, it was their introduction to Innovason's M.A.R.S. integrated multitrack recording system, which allowed them to record portions of the soundc

Details
UK - Stage Electrics recently supplied Beyond Certainty with a high performance LED video screen during the month of June. The 3.1m x 2.4m indoor screen was ground staked on a stage in the glass atrium built on the terrace at Devonshire Terrace restaurant, located in London in the City financial area.

The screen was utilised to show various sporting events such as the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and Wimbledon for city traders who frequent the restaurant.

Mark Larcombe, account manager at Stage Electrics said, "Our high quality video screen was ideal for this venue. The fact that the screen was located in the restaurant's glass atrium didn't diminish the picture quality - even in daylight. Our client was extremely happy with how well the screen performed."

(Jim Evans)

Details
Italy - Proel features in installation projects for several venues in San Teodoro, just a few kilometers from Sardinia's Emerald Coast. Quadra Luce & Design, a company based in Pesaro, chose Proel's systems for sound reinforcement in the Bal Harbour Restaurant and the Ripping Discotheque.

Both projects, designed by architect Marco Lucchi, benefited from the cooperation of AFA Arredamenti, a leading company in wooden and custom furnishings, which took care of the details regarding style and design.

Bal Harbour Restaurant and Beach Bar features a wide terrace with a swimming pool and restaurant. Its Proel Audio System includes 18 TFLV12P satellites, 10 TFLV115SP subs, six PRL250, 6 PRL600, and six PRL950 amplifiers, all controlled by AMX systems.

The Ripping Discotheque, located in San Teodoro's town centre features two dance floors, Black Diamond and White Diamond, where Proe

Details
UK - BSS Soundweb London digital building blocks have been used to control three karaoke pods in Red Monkey, a new Japanese-themed diner in Clapham's Battersea Rise.

F1:Sound Company undertook the technical fit-out of the new Asian-inspired lounge and karaoke bar for Sanzaru - formed by MD Steve Kelly, with Jeff Veitch and Toby Cobb.

The three karaoke pods are running Lucky Voice software and IT as part of the powerby.Luckyvoice scheme (another karaoke concept with which the F1:Sound team are closely associated).

The venue, which has been created in collaboration with Focus Design, features three karaoke pods for up to 20 guests each, down in its basement. On the ground floor, which is split into four separate sound zones, guests dine on Asian cuisine and drink cocktails while listening to an eclectic mix of funk, soul, blues, chilled house, Motown and lounge.

F1:Sound's d

Details
UK - The Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT) has temporarily withdrawn the Guide To Access For Work At Heights In Theatre Code of Practice.

This follows the withdrawal of the Manufacturer's Instructions containing a section on moving an occupied Tallescope, consequential upon actions by the Health and Safety Executive.

The Manufacturer's Instructions are reprinted in the ABTT Code of Practice. Whilst believing the method contained in the Code of Practice to be safe, the ABTT strongly recommends that an occupied Tallescope is not moved until this matter is resolved.

(Jim Evans)

Details
USA - In preparation for the 2010 NBA Play Offs, Oklahoma City Thunder decided to upgrade the existing analogue FOH console in its Ford Centre arena to an Allen & Heath iLive digital system.

"The Thunder organisation was concerned that Ford Centre's sound system wasn't adequate to handle the playoffs," says Jerry Hooper, owner of Hooper Sound Production Services in Norman, Oklahoma. "The Thunder fans are among the loudest in the NBA, and a playoff scenario against the defending champion, Los Angeles Lakers, was sure to test the limits of the current system. We determined that the analogue FOH console was the weakest link in their situation."

Hooper consulted the house sound engineer for the arena, Jeremy Griffin, and recommended the Allen & Heath iLive, largely for its ability to be quickly integrated.

"We brought in an iLive-144 console and tied it

Details
UK - PLASA 2010 will see Women in Stage Entertainment (WISE) - an organisation established to address under representation of women in the entertainment technology sector - host Tea O-Clock, on the White Light stand, Earls Court 2 from 4 -6pm daily.

Olivier award winning lighting designer and co-founder of WISE, Paule Constable, comments, "Each day WISE members from all sectors - sound, AV, lighting, rigging - will offer PLASA Show visitors a calm oasis from the frenetic show floor. We will by providing refreshing mugs of scalding tea, fabulously tasty home baked cakes, an empathetic ear and some scintillating conversation. Tea O Clockis open to anyone attending the PLASA 2010 trade show and everyone who drops by is guaranteed a warm welcome from our WISE members. Details of who will be available and on what day will be confirmed on the WISE and the PLASA Show

Details
France - Now in its 13th year, the Cognac Festival (la Fete du Cognac) was originally born of an initiative from a group of young winegrowers wanting to boost the profile and celebrate the world's most famous brandy. The four-day festival which took place on the marina in Cognac in south-western France attracted some 15,000 visitors from 8-11 July who came to savour the local gastronomy and listen to music from some of France's most reputed artists.

Festival organisers, the Association Fete du Cognac, called on local rental company Atlantic Sono to supply and run all of the audio equipment, who partnered up with Alpha Audio to provide the main PA and stage monitor system, all comprised of APG equipment.

Atlantic Sono's Yann Henard explained that the festival has been growing in size and popularity every year, and this year they required a much bigger and more powerful s

Details
South Africa - Wild & Marr recently installed Crown amplifiers to power sound at World Cup venue Moses Mabhida Stadium. The stadium also features AKG, BSS Audio, JBL, and Soundcraft components as part of the sound reinforcement system.

Situated in Durban, the new stadium has a capacity of 70,000 and hosted five group games, one second round game, and a semi-final match during the World Cup. The venue is named after Moses Mabhida, a former General Secretary of the South African Communist Party. The stadium's design is highlighted by an arch, which represents the once divided nation of South Africa coming together.

The Moses Mabhida Stadium system installation was handled by South African Harman Professional distributor Wild & Marr and features 74 Crown I-Tech 4000, 36 I-Tech 8000 and 33 CTs 4200USP/CN amplifiers. Signal processing is provided by BSS Audio with three BLU-800 de

Details
UK - The Events division of Northern Light is working with one of the biggest venue producers on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe - C venues - to 'green-up' the latest addition to its stable of festival venues - C aquila.

Head of hire and events for Northern Light, Nick Read, has teamed up with C venues production manager Richard Williamson, artistic director (and international lighting designer) Hartley Kemp, and industry journalist Sarah Rushton-Read to collaborate on an energy-efficient lighting rig that will not compromise creative expression or practical application.

To that end, Read, Williamson and Rushton-Read trawled the aisles of PLASA Focus in Leeds and the ABTT Show in London to source the best in low-energy entertainment technology. Read comments, "I'm delighted to say that having established the kit we required we received unfettered support from a number of to

Details
UK - Blitz reports that it has become one of the first official sponsors of the England Team for The Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi this October.

Munir Samji, chairman & CEO of Blitz, comments, "This is the first time that we have sponsored an England Team and everyone here is really excited about it. We have always done our bit supporting trade events and charities, but to be involved with an England team is special. England came second overall in the last Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006 with 110 medals, of which 36 were gold, and we wish them every success in Delhi."

(Jim Evans)

Details
UK - Llanelli, Wales- based Vaughan Sound Installations (VSI), part of the PAI Group, was brought in to design specify and supply specialist sound, lighting and AV systems for the new Glan Usk School in Newport, south Wales.

VSI was working for electrical contractors MJN Colston, after recommendation from electrical consultants WS Atkins. The installations are in the school's two assembly halls.

VSI has long experience and some highly successful projects in this sector. Their main philosophy when dealing with the education market has always been to deliver workable systems that are appropriate and relevant.

With this being a primary school, the requirements were more straightforward than those of a high school. The School needed "budget conscious, easy to use systems that give the flexibility to enhance general presentations and service a variety of live performances&qu

Details
UK - For the third consecutive year, Chroma-Q LED fixtures brought the Clubhouse of the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) at Silverstone racing circuit to life with a temporary lighting installation for their annual British Grand Prix Ball.

The BRDC Ball is held in a luxury marquee erected adjacent to the Members' Clubhouse on the Saturday evening of the Formula 1 Santander British Grand Prix weekend. This year's event was particularly special, marking the launch of the new Grand Prix Circuit at Silverstone and the 60th anniversary of Formula 1 racing.

Personalities from the motor racing fraternity including Nigel Mansell OBE and BRDC President, Damon Hill OBE appeared on stage to talk about their experiences to the BBC's and ex-Radio Caroline's Johnnie Walker MBE.

A.C. Special Projects, a sister company of BRDC Rising Stars Programme Patron, A.C. Entertainment Technologie

  1. Martin MLA rocks the Roundhouse
  2. Delhi Commonwealth Games contract
  3. Renkus-Heinz confirms Brazilian distributor
  4. ETC announces distributorship in India
  5. DiGiCo treble for Fontaine's La Source
  6. The Week in Lighting & Sound
Page 1184 of 1813

Latest Issue. . .