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UK - Entec Sound moved into London's Royal Albert Hall for the seven-day run of 2011 Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) shows, which kicked off with a comedy night on the Monday, followed by a mix of music for the rest of the week, headlined by Squeeze, Biffy Clyro, Roger Daltrey, Beady Eye, The Editors and Tiny Tempah.

The event is now in its 11th year, and Entec has serviced it right from the start. For the last four years, they have used a similar d&b sound system, which is designed by systems tech Liam Halpin, and refined, fine-tuned and tweaked slightly each time they work in the venue.

Halpin was also crew chief, and worked alongside a core Entec crew of four engineers - Matt Butcher (looking after FOH), Mark Ellis-Cope (monitors), Adam Draper (patch) and James Kerridge (stage technician), with the event project managed in the office by Entec's head of sound, Dick Hayes.

The '

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Show Business - Sir Elton John is returning to Las Vegas for a three-year residency at Caesars Palace with his new Million Dollar Piano show. His return to the hotel's Colosseum in September follows his five-year run at the hotel with The Red Piano show which ended in April 2009. Sir Elton said the venue was the "perfect, idyllic place to play" and promised "a gargantuan feast of music". He said the show, which begins on 28 September, was named after a "fabulous piano" he would be using that instrument designers had been working on for four years.

Olympic Countdown - The London Philharmonic Orchestra is to record the national anthems of all 205 countries participating in the 2012 Olympics. Composer, conductor and cellist Philip Sheppard will take charge of the recordings, which will be played at the medal and welcoming ceremonie

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USA - SGM has further boosted its overseas distribution network with the appointment of Italo Trading. The company will take responsibility for sales in Central America and the following countries for South America: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay.

"Due to its great knowledge of the local markets, Italo Trading will substantially reduce the distance between our factory in Italy and the Latin American market," stated SGM's area manager, Antonio Parise. "It is a pleasure to welcome a firm with that experience on board."

Italo Trading owner and founder Daniel Costa Salomao started in the pro audio industry in September 1997 working with Selenium Loudspeakers in Brazil.

He then moved to USA to open and manage the company subsidiary and build the Selenium brand. In late 2005 he joined the B-52 Professional family company in Lo

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Chile - Six Robert Juliat followspots were chosen to highlight the 52nd Viña del Mar International Song Festival in Chile, one of the the most important music festivals in Latin America.

Orbita Producciones of Santiago purchased four RJ Aramis 4.5°-8° 2500W HMI followspots and two RJ Flo 13°-24° 1800W MSR followspots especially for the event from Robert Juliat distributor, Lighting Bits of Brazil.

The Festival, which features a pop and folk song competition alongside international performances, was televised for the first time by Chilean TV channel Chilevision. It culminated in a commemorative concert timed to coincide with the precise moment a 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit Chile a year ago causing chaos and forcing the cancellation of the Festival in 2010.

Headline acts for the reinstated Festival of 2011 included Roberto Carlos of Brazil, Alejando Sanz of S

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UK - Mojo Barriers' new Northern office opens this month, introducing a more affordable, professional stage barriers service to the North of England. The announcement of the new Mojo Barriers facility, located near York was made at PLASA Focus in Leeds yesterday (stand RA-A12).

Mojo Barriers has moved a significant stock of the company's stage barriers and crowd control systems into the new premises. After over a decade of operating across the country from a southern base Mojo Barriers can now make its internationally renowned products and services more accessible and affordable for customers in the North, says the company.

Jim Gaffney, UK director states, "We offer a trustworthy product you can rely on, with installation by trained, experienced barrier professionals, backed up with high levels of logistical support and liability insurance.

"I will be spending much

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UK - MSL Professional has been appointed as exclusive distributor of TL Audio products in the UK and Ireland. The West London-based company adds TL Audio's Ivory, Classic and Ebony series of valve processors in addition to the professional VTC, M4 and M1-F valve mixing consoles to its developing distribution portfolio.

During its 21-year history, the TL Audio brand has become associated with quality valve technology and the classic British sound. TL Audio products are currently in use with many high-profile artists, producers and engineers working in a wide range of genres.

"We are delighted to have the opportunity of working with TL Audio" says MSL company director Simon Lowther. "Many people are finding that true valve technology adds back that missing something to the recording chain, and TL Audio is a fantastic brand with a range of great products."

T

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China - Clay Paky has supplied Chinese broadcaster Anhui TV with Alpha Profile 1500s for its traditional Spring Festival show.

Chinese New Year, the most significant of all the traditional Chinese holidays, is a time when families gather to celebrate the passing of winter with feasting and dining. In recent times, a new family tradition has sprung up in the form an all-night New Year's TV show featuring drama, dance, music and comedy.

Once the preserve of state broadcaster CCTV, the televised New Year's Gala is said to be the most watched arts performance event anywhere in the world with over 700m viewers regularly tuning in. This year, rival broadcaster Anhui TV produced its own New Year's special, filmed live at its 5,000sq.m Anhui Radio and Television Centre - the largest TV studio anywhere in Asia. The show featured acts by singers, dancers, comedians and acrobats both fro

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Martin Professional is exhibiting at PLASA Focus: Leeds 2011 where the latest Martin LED lighting fixtures, video screens and processors, lighting consoles and media server products are set to provide an inspirational look at the ongoing convergence in lighting and video. Among the raft of products to be seen at the Royal Armouries, Leeds from 19-20 April are . . .

EC-10: The EC-10 is a high performance, true 10 mm pixel pitch LED display panel that teams with Martin's EC-20 to form a fully compatible EC family of LED displays that can be mixed and matched for ultimate design creativity. Featuring the same award-winning, lightweight and cable-free design for rapid deployment, the EC-10 is 100% compatible with the EC-20 in terms of brightness, color, setup, curving, control and processing, even accessories, allowing for seamless, mixed resolution visuals in one system.

MAC 1

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China - Martin Manufacturing Zhuhai Ltd, Martin Professional's production facility in China, has fully developed and implemented the ISO 14001 environmental management system and received its ISO 14001 certification.

The ISO 14001 environmental management standards address minimizing negative environmental impact while monitoring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and other environmentally oriented requirements.

With the ISO 14001 certification, Martin's Chinese facility, which is already ISO 9001 certified, has met additional requirements pertaining to management reviews, audits, corrective/preventive action, and document control. Additionally, ISO 14001 encompasses: Improvements beyond current environmental impact standards; Implementation of an environmental policy and action plan, and maintaining high standards in the work environment

"We have in fact bee

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Czech Republic - L-Acoustics has announced the appointment of two new K1/Kudo rental network agents in the Czech Republic, T-Servis and High Lite Touring. Both companies, who already own substantial V-DOSC and dV-DOSC WST line source systems, have each added a K1/Kudo system and K1-SB subwoofers to their inventories.

The addition of these K1/Kudo systems to the Czech market emphasises the importance of the live sound reinforcement segment in this deceivingly small territory. The Czech Republic has a very strong musical tradition, and holds a large number of large-scale music events and open air festivals annually. Furthermore, its Central European location means that most European tours pass the Czech Republic.

Dan Krcmar, director of L-Acoustics' distributor for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Pro Music, comments, "We are excited to see two of our clients investing in t

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UAE - Three leading pro audio brands are set to hold a special one-day seminar for invited guests ahead of this year's PALME Middle East show in Dubai.

This invitation-only event is aimed at audio professionals throughout the region with an active involvement in the installed sound market or touring and live sector, with the intention of introducing the latest product innovations from the TC Group's pro audio brands; namely Tannoy, Lab.gruppen and Lake. Additionally, representatives from Biamp Systems will also be on hand to present some of their industry-leading DSP products for the install market.

Delegates will find out about the recent developments and enhanced capabilities of key product solutions within the install and touring markets, such as Tannoy's QFlex, Lab.gruppen's PLM Series of Powered Loudspeaker Management systems and Lake's LM 26 Digital Audio Loudspeaker Pro

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UK - Orbital Sound is setting out its easiHire stall at ABTT 2011 (Royal Horticultural Hall, London, 15-16 June). The easiHire online service is designed to provide 24/7 access to all the information needed to put together a rental quotation, providing the ideal tools for professional and non-professional users alike.

All items are fully detailed with complete specifications and photographs, providing amateur dramatic and education users, as well as seasoned professionals, with comprehensive product information, detailed budget guides and convenient planning tools, Orbital's easiHire delivers fast, simple product selection across individual components or complete systems.

Orbital's newest recruit, rental desk assistant Lucy Jenkins, will be on hand alongside rental manager Phil Dormer to demonstrate easiHire at ABTT.

(Jim Evans)

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Israel - The recent upgrade to a Meyer Sound UltraSeries loudspeaker system transformed Jerusalem's Gerard Bechar Centre into a prime multipurpose venue to support its wide-ranging calendar of performances and community events.

"The old system was barely adequate for lectures," says Harel Tabibi, the Jerusalem-based independent audio consultant who designed the system. "For most performances, they had to hire outside sound companies to bring in equipment for the show. It was a situation that was not economically viable and often involved compromises in sound quality."

Since installation, the Meyer Sound loudspeakers have ably supported everything from community meetings and dance recitals to live theatre and rock concerts. "After a theatre show and eight concert performances using the new system, the comments from artists and sound engineers have been

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Bahamas - Señor Frogs in Nassau has a new sound system drawn from the catalogue of D.A.S. Audio.

Chester Williamson is technical director at Señor Frogs and oversees all aspects of audio and video at the popular establishment. Señor Frogs recently completed a substantial upgrade to its sound reinforcement system. Coordinated by Williamson in conjunction with GC Pro (Guitar Center Professional Division) and D.A.S. Audio of America, the new sound system incorporates a combination of D.A.S. Audio Aero 8A ultra-compact, two-way line array modules, LX-218CA high performance, powered subwoofers, and the Artec 26 2-way passive loudspeakers. Williamson discussed the challenges of the project.

"Our establishment has a very open design," explained Williamson. "On one half of the complex, we have the nightclub, where the house band and DJ perform from a stage that is c

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USA - When working with international superstars, most lighting designers are thrilled to have their designs showcased in one world tour. But with lighting designer Alain Corthout, he has the viewpoint of having his work featured in two current world tours; one with Latin music icon Miguel Bosé and another in the Juanes P.A.R.C.E world tour. While each tour has its own individuality, there is one common component on which they both rely, the VL3500 Wash luminaire from Philips Vari-Lite.

"I first started working with Miguel Bosé in 2005 and this is actually my first tour with Juanes," said Corthout. "After talking with both artists, my partner Bjorn and I put together a 'mood-board' with various looks to try and figure out what style each artist would find most appealing for their show. While many artists might have an idea or concept in mind, I find

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Switzerland - The Palazzo dei Congressi convention centre in the southern Swiss city of Lugano is one of the region's primary business assets. It also acts as a cultural focus, hosting classical concerts and dance performances. The venue has just had a new Yamaha and Nexo audio system installed, which will allow it to host a much wider range of events.

The venue has a 1150-capacity main auditorium (Hall A), with a second (Hall B) that can be divided into three separate rooms for different kinds of function.

Camorino-based Electronic Studio SA won the contract to supply a new system, which was required to be high quality, extremely flexible and straightforward to use. It was also required to be expandable, for possible future needs and to allow for interconnection with other areas of the centre and for possible broadcast use, etc. To achieve this demanding brief, audio consulta

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World - Last year, 101 musicians from 33 countries uploaded videos to YouTube of themselves auditioning for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011. Chosen with the help of leading orchestras around the world and the YouTube community, the musicians have finally made it to the end of their journey to perform in an extraordinary concert conducted by Grammy-award winning YouTube Symphony Orchestra artistic advisor, Michael Tilson Thomas, and streamed live on YouTube directly from Sydney Opera House.

The culmination of the week-long festival was the Grand Finale concert which was streamed live on YouTube from Sydney Opera House. The Grand Finale was a multimedia extravaganza of music accompanied by extraordinary projections on the interior Concert Hall and the exterior sails of the Sydney Opera House.

Richard Neville of Mandylights was the lighting designer for the event and he opted

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Poland - Clay Paky's award-winning spotlight, the Sharpy, has been given its first airing on Polish television following the broadcast of The Million Drop, a high stakes TV game show in which contestants can win or lose a million in cash.

Broadcast live, contestants begin with bundles of banknotes and have to correctly answer questions, or else see their winnings disappear through a trapdoor. The UK-created show, made by Big Brother makers Endemol, has since been exported to several other countries including the US, Australia, Germany, Russia and most recently, Poland.

Aired on Polish network TVP2, the show relies on strong lighting effects to create much of the mood and tension. Lighting director Adam Tyszka said he was challenged by the producers to come up with a distinctive new look for the show and was after something different.

"I was instinctively d

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Germany - ChainMaster recently enjoyed a record-breaking appearance at Prolight + Sound 2011 in Frankfurt, welcoming trade visitors from more than 50 countries (40 per cent of whom were new clients), meeting additional sales partners from Asia and Africa, and enjoying an outstanding response to its new products.

ChainMaster Bühnentechnik GmbH from the German region of Saxony hired more than 100sq.m of exhibition space to display its latest products. They included a wireless load measuring system with a category 'd' performance level which enables the continuous, real-time measurement of loads on chain hoists or suspension points for professional users.

Trade visitors from Germany and abroad were especially interested in the new XYZ touch panel announced beforehand. This additional controller for the BGV-C1/SIL3 stage control system is available in both cable and wireless vers

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Poland - A Kinesys automation system with K2 control has been supplied to the Very Good Company (VGC) based in Warsaw, Poland - the first Kinesys system to be available in the country.

VGC, one of Poland's leading rental and staging companies, decided to explore Kinesys after initially seeing a system in action during the Depeche Mode Tour of the Universe world tour and were hugely impressed.

Sales director, Grzegorz Niemczyk and chief production manager, Piotr Lukasik were accompanied by lighting designer, Artur Szyman on their visit to Kinesys in the UK to further investigate the motion control system and fully discuss all available options. Following this visit, they decided to purchase a system and chose the powerful K2 software control solution over the more basic Vector control, with future system expansion in mind.

The powerful K2 3D software was also chosen du

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Slovenia - Also known as the 100 Gypsy Violins, the Budapest Gypsy Symphony Orchestra from Hungary recently delivered an astonishing performance in Slovenian capitol of Ljubljana. The count of performers on stage was astonishing - almost 60 violins and ten double basses, violas, cellos, clarinets and cybaloms - a traditional Hungarian instrument.

The concert was made possible through the recent renovation of the sound system within the Arena Stozice. The largest of its kind in Slovenia, the multi-purpose indoor arena is usually used for basketball, handball and volleyball games. The Arena Stozice is also designed to host cultural events alongside these sporting events.

The PA system in the Arena Stozice ¬- a space not known for being the Holy Grail of acoustics - was implemented by Slovenia's largest Electro-Voice rental company, Akustika Primozic of Ljubljana. "While pl

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UK - West Midlands and Bristol, UK based AV rental specialist Central Presentations (CPL) has expanded its warehouse space near Birmingham by taking over a new unit right next door to the existing facility and offices.

More capacity has been needed for some time - particularly due to recent investments in the latest larger scale technology like HD cameras, projectors and PPUs as well as an ever increasing stock of day-to-day equipment like microphones, plasma screens and speakers - plus higher staff levels and a healthy level of business, says the company.

With 12000sq.ft of space now available at the Kenilworth site, in addition to increased storage capacity, the new building will allow CPL to dramatically increase its dedicated Prep and Returns areas, further streamlining the efficiency, workflow and fast turnaround for which the company are renowned. There will also be a la

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Sweden - Wireless Solution Sweden has announced another OEM partner agreement with PR Lighting, making wireless DMX standard equipment in their new PR-5000 Spot and Wash and the PR-8802 Architectural LED Wash.

The PR-8802 has two heads and has the same characters as the popular PR-8800 with RGBW colour mixing + white + linear CTO, 0~100% linear adjustable dimmer, strobe, 15° beam angle, 32° field angle and IP 67 waterproof rating. It is designed for high power and great for outdoor use.

Mac Li, R&D manager for PR Lighting commented, "Working with W-DMX is the best choice for us as well as for our clients as it is like a standard for Wireless DMX."

Niclas Arvidsson, CEO of Wireless Solution said, "PR Lighting offers a diverse range of high quality lighting products to the market and we're proud to be chosen as their wireless DMX OEM partner. We are conf

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Czech Republic - Robe's Robin 600 LEDWash is officially the 'fastest selling' product for the Czech Republic based moving light manufacturer since 1999.

Production started at the end of 2010 and the 2000th LEDWash 600 has just been delivered to French distributor Axente, with over 1500 on order. Special arrangements have been made at the factory in Valasske Mezirici to ramp up production and keep pace with the demand.

Around the world, so far Robe's Top 8 LEDWash 600 selling territories and distributors are Germany, France, Australia, UK, Russia, Switzerland, Italy and South Africa.

Sales were further boosted by a buoyant and positive Prolight+Sound 2011 exhibition in Frankfurt, proving to be Robe's "best ever" trade show in terms of actual confirmed orders taken during the four- day event.

Meantime, the 1000th Robe LEDWash 600 fixture reached its destination in

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  6. DiGiCo SD8 monitors Thin Lizzy
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