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Belgium - Pan-European based dry hire specialist, AED Rent, has announced that it has made a further substantial investment in the impression series of LED based fixtures from German manufacturer GLP German Light Products.

AED Rent is investing more than 1m euros to add to ITS existing inventory with the majority being used to increase their level of the impression RZ 120 Zoom fixture by 300 pieces, and to make an initial investment in 100 pieces of the new impression Spot One, GLP's new high powered RGB LED Spot fixture. With this new investment, the total inventory of GLP moving lights at AED Rent will be in the region of 2,000 fixtures.

Glenn Roggeman, CEO of AED Rent commented, "The demand that we have seen for the GLP impression range, and particularly the RZ 120 has been incredible and so investing in more was a simple decision for us. We have found the entire GLP r

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USA - Austin City Limits Live, a live-music venue that hosts the long-running Austin City Limits television show as well as 60-100 concerts and other live events annually, has taken delivery of three Robert Juliat Victor 1159 1800W followspots. The fixtures, which were supplied by Texas Scenic, made their debut at the gala opening of the new venue.

Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theatre is a $40m, 2700 + person capacity venue on three levels. It offers in-house sound and a video control studio as well as a 40 automated head lighting package with innovative optics, and digital consoles plus a conventional lighting package for TV.

"The Robert Juliat Victors are dedicated primarily to our concerts," says Billy Heaslip. "As production manager, I knew that we'd be doing TV lighting beyond live concerts and I wanted an instrument with a excellent even fie

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Australia - The Sydney office of national audiovisual group Scene Change has purchased a ClearCom Tempest wireless talkback system. After evaluating many different systems, Sydney director Vicken Hekimian chose the Tempest system for its clarity and reliability.

"A lot of our clients are show producers who are very particular about the quality of the show call," he said. "When it comes down to a vital cue, you don't want even the slightest chance of interference. They trust Clearcom systems as it means they go into a show feeling more comfortable, knowing that they're always in control.

"We've had great feedback on the Tempest, it's one of those products that just tells your client that you're prepared to invest a bit more for ultimate dependability."

(Jim Evans)

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Sweden - Göteborgs Stadsteater has recently added a TiMax SoundHub-R32 delay-matrix processor to the sound reinforcement system for its main auditorium, with a TiMax Tracker (TT) performer tracking system. The project was overseen by head sound engineer at the theatre, Jorgen Eriksson, and the complete system is designed primarily to improve the vocal intelligibility when the on-stage actors use lapel microphones.

TiMax SoundHub controls zone level, EQ and matrixed delay for the main FOH system comprised of seven d&b Q1s distributed around a central d&b Q10 hoisted across the proscenium, supported by two L Acoustic MTD115s and a further two L Acoustics MTD112s providing side-fill back and front.

A total of 24 Tannoy 8" speakers act as delay-fills to the upper and lower house and to the balcony, with fill by three EAW JF50S enclosures. Two 2 d&b J-subs and two L Acoustic

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USA - Jason Rudolph selected a grandMA2 light console to play the crucial role of controlling 34 media servers at the recent Academy Awards telecast, which fed multiple onstage screens via 70 video projectors.

"It was an enormous undertaking, to say the least," reports Rudolph. "I regularly programme multiple media servers with grandMA2 - it's my main console - but I hadn't done anything of this size. The entire set at the Oscars was projection. We had 34 Hippotizer HD units outputting 53 discrete active outputs and some spares with control from the grandMA2 light console. In addition to the screens, we also took care of the scenic tracking for the moving elements which acted as projection surfaces."

Rudolph had three grandMA2 lights on hand: a primary controller and backup plus a separate system located back of house for programming. "We could run one

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UK - Britain's longest continuously-running game show, Question of Sport, is back for another series.

After the final whistle was blown on the filming of all sports at BBC London Television Centre, Richard Martin Lighting (RML) continues to support lighting designer Roger Williams on the show which is now filmed at its new home ground - MediaCityUK.

Located at Salford Quays, Peel Media's bespoke community features one of the biggest HD studio developments in Europe. MediaCityUK has been designed around the specific needs of the media and creative industries with the vision to become a 'world class hub for innovation and content creation'.

The show's lighting specification comprised of Stage Colour 300, Alpha Wash 575, VL1000TS and Alpha Spot 575 HPE.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - One of the nation's most watched TV shows, ITV's Push The Button, hosted by Ant & Dec, chose Le Mark's StudioTak self-adhesive flooring for decoration on set.

The ease of use and flexibility of Le Mark's StudioTak Studio Vinyl offered the right combination for a seamless floor covering. Used in various places around the stage and set, StudioTak supports the stunning high gloss finish of the existing stage floor, giving a shimmer and almost water-like, gloss effect.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) continues its commitment to supporting local motor racing talent by becoming a premier sponsor for the Jack Goff Racing team for the second year running in the ELF Renault Clio Cup with Michelin.

Making a successful debut last year and finding his feet in one of the closest-fought motor racing contests in the UK, Goff is this year poised to challenge for the championship with his characteristic enthusiasm and determination.

The ELF Renault Clio Cup with Michelin series - known for its nail-biting, wheel-to-wheel finishes - is the UK's premier one-make saloon-car championship, featuring a 16 race season which runs from 2nd / 3rd April through to October.

In addition to AC-ET, other leading technology companies from the professional entertainment world join the Jack Goff Racing sponsorship roster, including Avolites, HSL Group, J&C

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UK - Modern-day AV support combines with 10 centuries of history in new galleries at the Museum of the Order of St. John, where AV hardware installed by Electrosonic helps visitors interpret exhibits and learn about the Order's story.

The London-based museum is located in the circa 1500 St. John Gate entrance of the English headquarters of the crusading Knights Hospitallers. It traces the Order's origin in 11th century Jerusalem and its rich history interwoven with such figures as Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Suleiman the Magnificent, William Shakespeare, William Hogarth and Dr. Samuel Johnson. The museum also brings visitors up to date with the Order's two leading charities: St. John Ambulance and the St. John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem.

A recent £3.7m redevelopment showcases the museum's rich and diverse collections of paintings, furniture, silver, metalwork and armour, cer

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Qatar - By the end of 2010, Qatar realised the Emir's vision for a liquefied natural gas production capacity of 77m tonnes per annum. In order to celebrate this achievement, Qatar Petroleum, Qatargas and RasGas produced one of the biggest events ever seen in the country.

As part of the main show MTFX were commissioned to design and construct a series of water effects in a 4m deep pool. These effects comprised a large circular water projection screen which could rise out of the pool to 10m in height; three different size bubbling water effects to create anything from an effervescent fizz to a bubbling cauldron and finally water explosions to simulate a drill head making impact with the water. They were also required to ensure the 1.6m litres of water was kept clean and so it was circulated and filtered using a number of large sand filters.

As there were performers in the water

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South Africa - One of South Africa's biggest stage equipment distributors is supporting the lighting designers of the future by donating a Philips Strand Lighting 200 Plus lighting console to a local lighting school.

DWR Distribution, which has been the exclusive South African distributor for Philips Entertainment brands Selecon and Strand Lighting since December 2010, made the generous gift to the Moonbox Theatre - a 40-seater venue and lighting laboratory at the Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria.

"The Moonbox is a very old theatre with a little stage," explained Gerda Kruger, manager of the Breytenbach Theatre at the University. "It's a performing venue and a lighting lab where we teach students the practical aspects of lighting.

"This lighting desk will be used to train our students for productions as well as giving them the chance to experien

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USA - Bosch Security Systems has launched the Safe & Sound security and audio tour - billed as the largest, most interactive product exhibit truck in the industry. Featuring video surveillance, access control, intrusion and fire detection, critical communications, and audio systems, the mobile product display enables dealers, specifiers, and end users to experience Bosch products in dynamic ways, says the company.

"Extensive feedback from customers confirms they want the live product interaction available at a trade show without the expense of travel or time away from business activities," said Jeremy Hockham, president of sales North America, Bosch Security Systems. "With the Bosch Safe & Sound Tour, we're bringing the 'show' to our customers - allowing more people to see our products in action and fully understand the capabilities, performance and

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Indonesia - A nation of 197m people spread across almost 6,000 inhabited islands makes Indonesia one of the most challenging territories for any business. For Sebastian Song who heads up d&b audiotechnik's Singapore office as well as being responsible for other areas within South East Asia the challenges are legion. "But I have at last found a company that really knows how to address this market with vigour, yet without compromise to the d&b ethos of democracy for listeners," he asserts.

The new partner for Indonesia is Jakarta based A&T Solution, a subsidiary of IM Group which is headed by its founder Christian Kartiko, "a young ambitious audiophile decidedly in the d&b mould". "He really understands why good sound matters," said Song. "He is also a shrewd and effective businessman."

Kartiko established A&T Solutions specifically to man

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USA - Brigham Young University-Idaho turned to the Stage Technologies Las Vegas team to install an up-to-date motorized rigging system in the newly opened BYU-Idaho Centre at the heart of the school's campus. The building covers 435,000sq.ft, has a 15,000-seat auditorium and a multi-purpose area large enough for 10 full basketball courts.

The auditorium will be used for weekly devotional speeches and commencement addresses, graduation ceremonies and even regional church conferences. The building also houses a communications suite enabling the University to broadcast future events.

The system comprises 55 BigTow winches, control cabinets, a Nomad control desk and a Solo handheld control console. The system also includes two camera pylons - an engineering innovation from the Stage Technologies research and development team. The camera pylon enables perfect filming of motion shot

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Germany - Esprit's flagship store in Frankfurt with more than 3600sq.m of retail space on five levels, is the biggest Esprit store worldwide.

To achieve an intriguing storefront and attract guests with a concept from Corneille Uedingslohmann Architects, Traxon's ultra bright and fully customizable Dot XL-6 RGB was installed on the flagship location's exterior.

Arranged behind a special glass diffusion material, each individually addressable Dot is given a blurred effect. Inside the store, a series of Dot XL-3 RGB are arranged above the escalator, behind the same blurring diffusion, establishing a connection between the exterior and the interior.

The installation was executed by Ben Hur and LightLife, both located in Cologne. As a result of the strong teamwork, Ben Hur was rewarded with the Innovation Award for Architecture and Presentation at EuroShop 2011.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - Production music library Audio Network has invested in a Prism Sound Orpheus FireWire computer interface for its purpose-built mastering studio in Essex, where it is being used as the studio's main sound device.

Established 10 years ago, Audio Network has offices in London, New York, Holland and Australia and is internationally known for offering a complete music solution that cuts through the traditionally complex and costly processes of licensing music for television and advertising.

Audio Network's studio facility, which is located in Little Maplestead, is used for mastering and for remixing composers' original song files or stems. Many of the recordings take place in commercial studios such as Abbey Road, which have the space for large orchestral sessions.

(Jim Evans)

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Germany - Gert Sanner , front of house engineer for Deep Purple, and the band's keyboardist Don Airey visited the Harman stand at Prolight +Sound.

Airey and Sanner will be utilizing Si Compact 16 consoles for Airey's keyboard rig - one each for Deep Purple's upcoming Europe and US tours. An Si Compact 16 will first be put to work on Airey's own solo tour in Europe beginning in late April.

"As we have been using a Soundcraft Vi6 for Deep Purple concerts with tremendous results, the Si Compact 16 for Don's keyboard setup gives us compatibility across the system," Sanner says. "I'm looking forward to another successful tour season with Soundcraft."

(Jim Evans)

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UK - Adlib supplied sound equipment & crew for the recent sold out UK arena tour for the The Script , as part of their Science & Faith world tour , which saw their largest production set to date.

Richy Nicholson is The Script's FOH engineer. Last autumn for their theatre tour, he used an L-Acoustics V-DOSC system that was also supplied by Adlib, and for this one, he specified the new K1 system, of which Adlib now has a substantial quantity.

Nicholson worked alongside an Adlib team, consisting of Tony Szabo as systems tech, crew chief Marc Peers who also oversaw monitor world, plus PA techs Ian Nelson and Alan Harrison. Bob O'Brien managed all aspects of the production with Ian 'Quinner' Quinn as TM.

Says Adlib project manager Phil Kielty, "The Script are easily one of the most exciting and talented bands of the moment. It seems wherever I go from LA to Glasgow th

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UK - Blackout provided bespoke drapes at Mikhail Gorbachev's star-studded 80th birthday celebration to transform the Royal Albert Hall, creating an opulent backdrop to the set from which Kevin Spacey and Sharon Stone hosted VIP guests to honour of the last leader of the Soviet Union.

The Blackout team was brought in by production company LarMac LIVE and liaised with producers Jo Mackay & Ian Greenway to ensure the drapes complimented the event's overall look and feel. Working closely with set designer Nina Kobiashvili, Blackout supplied drapes from their range that were in keeping with the Royal Albert Hall's distinctive style, creating a set that suited the high profile nature of the event.

Blackout project director Kevin Monks coments, "The main set screen was shadowed left and right with a pair of set prosceniums created out of red velour and organza. The piece was mad

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France - Christie MicroTiles receieved 'Eco-Design' honours from the IFD at the Janus awards ceremony held in Paris at the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council recently. In attendance were governmental ministers Frédéric Lefèbvre and Pierre Lellouche, the heads of the Ministries of Commerce (for Craft Industries, Small Businesses, Tourism, Services, Professionals and Consumption), and International Trade, respectively.

Supported by the Agency for Environmental and Energy Management (ADEME), the IFD's Janus Eco-Design designation seeks to promote products and services with reduced environmental impact, beginning with the selection of materials, through the manufacturing stage, the product's distribution and use by the consumer, all the way to the end of its useful life.

Introduced to the EMEA market in February 2010, Christie MicroTiles have already

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UK - London- based production company LarMac LIVE - headed by Jo MacKay and Ian Greenway - production managed and co-ordinated all logistics for staging the star studded Gorby 80 gala concert and awards event at London's Royal Albert Hall this week.

Everything was compiled and organised in an operation lasting just under four weeks. The high profile charity event fused entertainment and awards presentations in celebration of the 80th Birthday of former Russian statesman, Mikhail Gorbachev.

It was hosted by Kevin Spacey and Sharon Stone, featuring live appearances and a fusion of classical and popular music by artists including Dame Shirley Bassey, Bryan Ferry, The Scorpions, Katherine Jenkins, Paul Anka and Melanie C among others, some performing collaborations accompanied by the 92-piece London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) conducted by Valery Gergiev.

The whole event was

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Russia - The premier showing of the new 3D Disney blockbuster Tron: Legacy took place on 17 December 2010 at the Karo Film Oktyabr cinema theatre. The film is the continuation of the original sci-fi film of the 80's about cyberspace. To create the appropriate atmosphere on the day of the premiere, of one of the most awaited and spectacular films of the year, Christie MicroTiles displays were installed in the lobby of the cinema theatre. It is the first time MicroTiles have been used for the promo action of a film in Russia.

Smart Look advertising agency, as the project manager, took care of the Oktyabr lobby design by employing digital media. Big Screen Service supplied the MicroTiles and ETC Russia created the content.

Two areas of the cinema theatre featured MicroTiles module digital displays. The main video wall installed on the first floor comprised 41 MicroTile mod

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Le Mark will launch the all new Manero® high performance modular subfloor, currently touring with FLAWLESS at PLASA Focus. Plus, the show sees the launch of Light in a Dark Place, a joint initiative with PSA's StageHand, The Industries Welfare & Benevolent Fund. On Wednesday 20 April, the first support client, LTM, will be presented with the first ever 'photoluminious' PAL Road Case Label manufactured in support of the StageHand charity.

PLASA FOCUS S-D2

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From the range of brands exclusively distributed by the company in the UK, AC-ET's stand lighting will demonstrate the new Chroma-Q Studio Force LED fixtures range. Utilising the same core technologies as the innovative Color Force range, the fixtures are equally suited to broadcast, film and TV lighting applications or any other application normally utilising daylight or tungsten fixtures. The range consists of the Studio Force D (Daylight white 6,000 CCT) and Studio Force V (Variable white 2,900K - 6,000K CCT) fixtures. Both are available in a choice of 48" and 72" battens as well as a 12" multi-purpose version. With outputs across the six models ranging from 5,000 up to 28,000 lumens, the fixtures offer at least twice the output of their RGBA colour variants.

In addition, the stand will feature the new Jands Vista v2 software now shipping as standard with the Vista

  1. The Week in Lighting & Sound
  2. ABTT Theatre Show reports record pre-registrations
  3. Rigging Services launch own brand "RSNoir", industry black products.
  4. New events boost PLASA Focus: Leeds 2011
  5. RSG debuts live events recorder/player
  6. Ally Pally in the pink for switchover
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