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Australia - Jands Production Services deployed their Optocore fibre optic based audio distribution network on the Sydney Telstra 500 V8 supercars race held at Homebush.

"We used Optocore as a simple point to point distribution network to go long distances," reports Jim Straw, JPS' general manager. "That way we could run 600, 900 or 1000m of fibre on just one piece of cable to distribute eight or 16 lines of audio. Really we're using it in quite a basic format but it is very reliable. We used in on all four V8 races that we have been involved with this year and haven't had any problems with it. It has made life very simple for our guys out there doing it. Labour-wise, it is very efficient."

The Optocore fibre was used to distribute audio from JPS' on track system to broadcast and vica versa, acting basically as an interlink. "There are other companies t

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UK - Chroma-Q Color Force LED battens have been specified by lighting designer Howard Harrison for the current Welsh National Opera production of Die Fledermaus, which is touring the UK after an initial run at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff. Directed by John Copley, the colourful operetta features music by Johann Strauss II.

The Color Force battens are being supplied by London based hire company White Light, who purchased additional stock of the 1.8m versions (Color Force 72) specially for this production due to the high demand for their existing hire inventory.

White Light has substantial stock of all three Color Force models - the 1.8m and 1.2m battens (Color Force 48) and the new 30cm wide multi-purpose fixture (Color Force 12).

The eight Color Force 72s are being used to illuminate a massive white cyc at the back of the stage which is an integral and important e

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Australia - Surrounded by pristine parkland, lush tropical gardens and a backdrop of the balmy Burswood Entertainment Complex poolside setting, their Summer Marquee captures the essence of West Australian outdoor entertaining.

It's a stylish, air-conditioned venue with customised glass panelling made in Germany,a flow of natural light, themed aesthetic lighting and contemporary furniture. This marquee can cater for more than 450 guests banquet-style including a dance floor, band, stage, audio visual screens and more.

"The Marquee was first erected four years ago to solve a shortage in ballroom space," commented Michael Altieri, director of conventions and events at Burswood Entertainment Complex. "However a number of high-rise apartments were in the process of being constructed and once occupied, we had a number of complaints from residents about the noise emana

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Australia - Audio service provider Norwest Productions has purchased an additional 48 L'Acoustics dV-Dosc modular line source array cabinets and 16 SB218 subwoofers which will be put into immediate service, along with their existing V-Dosc/Kudo inventory, on the upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand by Neil Diamond.

"Over the years I have heard many PA systems and the L'Acoustics dV-Dosc is certainly one of the best," remarked Chris Kennedy, Norwest's managing director. "I really like the full and warm bass you get with the dV-Dosc. It's a line array that does exactly what it should and basically it just sounds good."

"The dV-Dosc is the recognised benchmark in small-format line arrays and sits nicely with our existing L'Acoustics stock," concurred Graeme Whitehouse, Norwest's group operations director. "We anticipate this will help cont

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UK - A delegation from Korean Broadcasting Services (KBS) has attended Midas for a training session on an XL8 live performance system which the national broadcaster has purchased from Korean distributor Young Nak.

For many years, KBS have been the enthusiastic owners of three Midas XL4 consoles, two of which are in the TV studios and one for sound reinforcement in the concert hall, where live music programmes are recorded. The XL8 has been purchased to replace this XL4, and includes four DL431 active input splitter units to provide audio splits for the XL8 and the studio's sound-to-air console. It will be used for TV and radio music programmes, both of which require the highest-possible quality audio content.

"After years of mixing on the XL4, anything other than a Midas would have been a backward step," says Mr Byung-Gyoo, audio director at KBS, who attended the tra

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USA - The School for Creative & Performing Arts (SCPA) in Cincinnati, Ohio has installed four Robert Juliat Topaze followspots in Corbett Hall, its 750-seat auditorium. SCPA offers a comprehensive arts education, with full college-prep curriculum, for students K-12 in the Cincinnati Public School District. It boasts many notable graduates, its students have performed on PBS with the Cincinnati Pops and it served as the setting for a popular MTV reality series.

Corbett Hall typically hosts the school's major musicals, such as last fall's Wizard of Oz, as well as performances by students in the vocal department, orchestra and band. SCPA also offers a career technical programme that trains students for jobs in the field or prepares them to go on to an arts college. Lighting design instructor Jeffrey New supervises the students who operate lighting fixtures and lighting conso

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Greece - TNM Projects, one of the RCF commercial audio installation partners in Greece has recently installed a RCF Forum 6000 System at the ASEP Supreme Council for Personnel Selection in Athens.

With many years of experience with turnkey solutions TNM Projects is very keen on supplying high quality equipment for all kind of installations.

The ASEP Supreme Council installation is based on the RCF Forum 6000 system that consists of: DMU6100 central unit, a chairman console and several delegate units. TNM Projects did the installation and fine tuning of the conference system at the Plenum Room.

The RCF Forum 6000 System has been designed to manage conference, debates, president desks in auditoriums/conventions and meetings, offering outstanding versatility. The system is simple and quick to wire, to set-up and to use and includes operative functions and modes that are usually

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USA - Chester Waterfront, Philadelphia, once a study in urban decay, has been dramatically reborn, thanks in no small part to the opening of the new PPL Park, the city's first major league soccer stadium. The park has been a catalyst for economic growth along the waterfront, the first phase of a long-term development of a Riverwalk district that will include retail, stores, residential buildings and entertainment venues.

Opened in June 2010, the park offers breathtaking views of the Commodore Barry Bridge and Delaware River, and includes more than 30 luxury suites, a full-service restaurant and integrated concert stage. Audio for the venue was designed by Dallas-based Acoustic Dimensions and installed by systems integrators AVI-SPL of Columbia, MD, and features R-Series all-weather systems from the city's own Community Professional Loudspeakers.

As Acoustic Dimension's Brian E

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UK - West London based sound & lighting specialist Entec's sound department has completed a specialist d&b sound installation at one of London's most significant historical landmarks, Stationers Hall, a grade one listed building near to St Paul's Cathedral, London.

The building, the home of the Worshipful Company of Stationers & Newspaper Makers formed originally in 1559, dates back to 1763 and is now also one of London's most prestigious corporate event venues. It is owned by The Livery group, which also manages St Paul's Cathedral.

They wanted to upgrade the existing sound system which had been in service for 10 years, and replace it with a modern permanent audio system to facilitate the venue's busy schedule. This needed to cover the many organisational activities of the Stationers like conferences, seminars and meetings as well as to service the myriad of external events s

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France - L'Opéra Bastille is a shrine to culture and architecture but it is also a working building that stages some of the biggest, most complicated operatic productions in the world. An ATEÏS International IP-based communications system has been installed at the Paris opera house so stage managers, performers and crew know what is happening and when.

The 2,723-seat venue was designed by Canadian-Uruguayan architect Carlos Ott and opened on 13 July 1989, the day before the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. Updating technical equipment is a continual process at big venues and the Bastille Opera is no exception.

ATEÏS finished work on the building-wide paging and stage monitoring system at the end of 2010 and is now upgrading the public address installation. Unusually ATEÏS France installed the paging and monitoring equipment itself, rather than just supply

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South Africa / UK - South African Pay-TV channel Super Sport has installed another SoundField DSF-2/DSF-3 surround-capable digital microphone system in its latest high-definition outside broadcast vehicle, constructed by Sony Broadcast Professional in the UK.

Super Sport and its sister pay-TV channel MNET were early and enthusiastic adopters of the UK microphone manufacturer's digital systems; representatives from MNET first made contact with SoundField at the IBC exhibition in Europe in 2006, the very first year the completed digital microphone systems were shown publicly. The latest installation brings to six the total number of DSF-2 systems in use in MNET's Outside Broadcast vehicles.

"The DSF-2s are great systems, and they and our DSF-3s have done some great work on our HD Rugby, Cricket and Boxing coverage here in South Africa" comments MNET/Super Sport Audio S

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USA - The latest in rigging technology - from innovations for a grand opera house to the safest choices for schools - will be showcased in videos at J. R. Clancy's booth at the USITT conference in Charlotte, NC, March 9-12, 2011. The programme includes:

The custom-built, 40ft-high chandelier in the Winspear Opera House in Dallas which features 318 cast acrylic rods that vanish as the house lights dim before a production begins. Clancy technology made it possible for the rods to move in synchronized patterns and retract into the ceiling smoothly and rapidly, powered by 44 custom-design winches with up to eight lines per winch.

Clancy's PowerAssist allows you to motorize new or existing counterweight sets economically. This eliminates handling counterweights, simplifying operations. PowerAssist can be provided with Up / Down pushbuttons, or with the SureTarget preset position co

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Croatia - The newly opened Plaza Bar in Zagreb is a lounge bar where modern art and decor meets the latest technology in audio and video.

Music is an important part of the concept of Plaza Bar. The sound system is geared to play music at different levels according to the time of day. The installation is a combination of 24 ceiling speakers and four RCF TT22A that are ceiling mounted. Two RCF 4PRO 8001AS subwoofers are placed on the floor, housed in a customised wooden cabinet to match the decoration of the lounge area. An RCF AM 1122-N integrated amplifier together with four individual amps drive the system.

Croatian RCF distributor Oktava realised the project in collaboration with Dacco. "It was a pleasure to do the installation in the Plaza Bar. The concept is to maintain a high level of visual impression based on the choice of furniture, decoration that fulfils the lou

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USA - Completed in 1955, Loyola Marymount University's Sacred Heart Chapel has been a part of the Los Angeles coastline for more than a half century. It's a majestic space, a basilica-style church spanning some 26,000sq.ft and accommodating more than 1,000. Its tall stained glass windows, long hanging chandeliers, terrazzo tile and concrete and marble pillars make for an architectural gem, but create something of an acoustical nightmare.

Given the building's historic status, integrating the new high-tech audio and lighting systems proved to be a challenge for Winnetka, CA-based Simon Productions. Principal designer and engineer Terry Stewart explains the decision to replace the Chapel's existing distributed system with an Iconyx digitally steerable array from Renkus-Heinz.

"We knew we wanted to go with a steerable line-source system, to enable us to aim the source beam di

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The Netherlands/USA - XLNT Advanced Technologies has announced a significant addition to its North America XLNT CyberHoist rental network. Chicago based Reed Rigging, the largest show rigging company in the Midwest, has taken delivery of its first rental-ready XLNT CyberHoist motion control system, including two InMotion3D control systems and eight XLNT CyberHoist CH500 half-ton intelligent chain hoist motors.

Michael Reed, president and founder of Reed Rigging, said, "I recognised the potential of XLNT CyberHoist as a special product on its US tour debut, Phil Collins' Last Final Farewell World Tour. As motion control has become an increasingly important tool for artists, designers and producers, I and our production rigging manager, Neil Montour, have compared XLNT CyberHoist with other motion control brands and concluded that nothing matches its combination of acc

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Germany - Working under the direction of lighting designer Jerry Appelt, the tarm team put on the laser effects accompanying singer Lena's rendition of the winning song at the nationally televised Our Song for Germany finals.

The winning song, entitled Taken By A Stranger will be Germany's entry in the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Duesseldorf on 14 May.

The event marked the first time that tarm's new, full-colour, AT25-projectors appeared on a television show, and the results were striking. In keeping with the show producer's wishes, Lena was enveloped in glittering, white, laser light.

(Jim Evans)

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Canada - RC4 Wireless, manufacturer of wireless lighting and motion technology for theatre, film, and television, has launched a completely redesigned website at www.theatrewireless.com. "If you've been thinking about wireless dimming and DMX, or wireless motion control, for your next theatre, film, or television production, have a look at theatrewireless.com," says the company.

The new site is full of useful information, and not just about RC4 products: "Getting into wireless and making the most of it really demands a bit of general knowledge about different kinds of batteries, about the various rf bands and frequencies being used, about what's involved in getting DMX and other kinds of control information into the air and back again. Without facts it's difficult to make an informed decision about which product is right for a particular application," says Ja

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UK - Just three weeks after FRANK Water FreeFill launched at the Event Production Show, the water charity has confirmed WOMAD 2011 as the first festival to sign up to the pioneering initiative this summer, with strong expressions of interest from a number of other major promoters.

On average, a single person will drink 10 bottles of water over a festival weekend and at a festival such as WOMAD which attracts 30,000 people, this means around 300,000 water bottles are used, posing an environmental risk and a costly recycling exercise for organisers.

FreeFill has been developed to tackle this problem and drastically reduce the amount of plastic waste through a scheme that offers festival goers access to unlimited filtered, clean and chilled water by purchasing just one re-useable bottle at a festival and refilling rather than re-buying. This enables a cost-efficient option for fe

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Germany - At the Media Systems Congress, the biggest information event to be held at Prolight + Sound from 6 to 9 April 2011, the Association of German Sound Engineers (Verband Deutscher Tonmeister - VDT) and the International Loudspeaker Association (ALMA) will hold a series of lectures and workshops for Prolight + Sound visitors.

The VDT lectures will be held in Room 'Esprit', Hall 9.1, from 10.00 to 18.00 hrs on Friday, 8 April 2011, and are open to all Prolight + Sound visitors free of charge. The Association of German Sound Engineers is a professional association for professionals from all parts of the audio sector. Its members work in film, radio, television, sound studios, record production, theatres, event halls, the equip¬ment manufacturing industry, research and development, and in professions relating to sound-engineering activities.

At its congress, ALMA - The Int

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UK A.C. Special Projects is sponsor of the 'Special Projects' category for this year's Lighting Design Awards, to be held at the London Hilton hotel, Park Lane on 10 March.

The category covers projects with restrictions in terms of such factors as budget, planning or English Heritage-listing. Restricted budget schemes would include undertakings where the capital lighting equipment cost was under £20,000. This category also includes temporary lighting projects.

ACSP's managing director, Peter Keiderling states, "We're very proud to be sponsoring this award and the short listed projects from Arup, Designs for Lighting, Midas, Jason Bruges Studio and Sarah Galloway Associates are all excellent schemes."

(Jim Evans)

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Australia Linkin Park's latest Australian shows saw Linkin Park's lighting designer, A J Pen, use 41 x Vari*Lite VLX Wash as well as 12 Vari*Lite VL*3500 Wash.

"Every manufacturer has their LED wash light that is slowly evolving and I first heard about the VLX just prior to its release," says Pen. "I was programming a show in the States when a Vari*Lite rep told me all about it so I was excited to see it nearly a year later. I placed one side by side with a couple of other LED wash lights and immediately I could see it was a 'game changer' - an evolution of the wash light. It's definitely a tool and not an effect.

"The approach that Vari*Lite seems to have taken is to replace the guts of what the wash light already is, what we've come to know and love. Wash lights have colour mixing, they generally have a dimmer that's separate from a strobe channel and the

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UK - Adlib continues its work with leading comedy acts from around the world, supplying lighting & sound equipment and crew to the current Russell Howard Right Here Right Now UK arena tour - following on from their work with Russell Howard last year. At the helm of the tour, is production manager Neil McDonald and Russell's tour manager - Russell Young, who keeps everything running smoothly on a day-to-day basis.

The tour's lighting has been designed by Adlib's Ian Tomlinson, and is being operated on the road by Andy Rowe, working with technicians Neil Holloway and Mike Summerfield. FOH sound is being engineered by James Neale, monitors by Carlos Herreros, with ADLIB's Kenny Perrin out as audio systems tech.

With just Russell Howard and a single chair as the only prop/stage set - the challenge was on to make the stage an intimate and friendly spatial space for the deliv

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USA - Wireless Solution Sweden played part in one of the most widely watched televised sporting events in the world - Super Bowl XLV. The technology was used to light the exterior entrances of the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where the event was held on 6 February.

The hosting venue, Cowboys Stadium, built less than two years ago, is the largest domed stadium in the world with a capacity of 110,000 (including standing room). The actual attendance on Super Bowl Sunday was 103,219.

Syncrolite was contracted by Sports Graphics to light the NFL Super Bowl graphics that were attached to the outside of the Stadium. Dall Brown was the lighting designer and he included the four stadium support trusses in his design.The east end of the stadium was coloured in blue and the west end was coloured in red. Three Syncrolite SLX 7K with W-DMX OEM installed were used per truss as t

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UK - Flightcase manufacturer 5 Star has supplied a variety of cases to audio specialists RG Jones Sound Engineering to transport various specialist tennis umpire equipment and audio kit used during the Wimbledon Championships.

RG Jones project manager, Tim Speight contacted 5 Star about the project, having been previously impressed by the quality of their products and the excellent service. Phil Lawrence oversaw the supply and delivery for 5 Star.

Speight works with a team co-ordinating all RG Jones' business with The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, for whom the company has been the key audio contractor since 1985. This includes the provision of system design services, installation and on-site engineering support during The Championships. This year, up to 10 RG Jones sound engineers will be on duty every day throughout the Wimbledon Fortnight.

Their brief includes

  1. StudioTak on the Pride of Britain
  2. Prolight+Sound Forum speakers confirmed
  3. Lighthouse promotes Dior store
  4. Fohhn brings new sound to Concord College
  5. Music Group appoints Proel as Italian distributor
  6. Allen & Heath to show iLive MixPad iPad app
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