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New Guinea - Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea based rental and production company Nextof Kin Productions Ltd has recently taken delivery of a sizeable quantity of ARX signal processing products to expand and update their sound reinforcement systems.

ARX products added to Next of Kins rental stock include Pro-DIs, QuadcompIIs, Sixgates, EQ260s, USB DIs and iDIs.

Next Of Kin's Fred Uraru comments, "There really is not much option in PNG apart from the "cheap brand" products which really give me a headache, I believe nothing should compromise quality and reliability. That will be my strong selling point and why we chose ARX."

Next of Kin specialises in live concerts and corporate events in the very active PNG music and entertainment scene.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - While the eyes of many were firmly focused on east London, theatrical life did nonetheless continue across the rest of Britain - notably in York, for which the highlight of August is the performance of the York Mystery Plays.

Recent productions have seen the plays performed at York's Theatre Royal, around the city and, for the Millennium Mystery Plays, in York Minster itself. For 2012, the plays are returning to the Museum Gardens in York, allowing them to be staged with the dramatic ruins of St. Mary's Abbey as a backdrop. This is a return to the location used from the first production of the modern era in 1951 through to 1988 - but this year the area has been turned into a 1400-seat outdoor theatre with tiered, covered audience seating on three sides.

The team creating the Mystery Plays for 2012 include writer Mike Kenny, directors Damian Cruden and Paul Burbridg

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Europe - Acclaimed lighting designer Paul Normandale is set to wow arena audiences in Europe on Coldplay's Xylo Myloto tour with a dazzling lighting design crammed with Philips Vari-Lite luminaires.

Normandale, whose enviable design credits include: Bjork, Depeche Mode, Shakira, and the Stone Roses, is using the power of Philips Vari-Lite VL3500 Wash FX units to create a e lighting experience "to perfectly complement the band's ultraviolet spectacular".

Coldplay's current world tour promotes the band's Mylo Xyloto album release, which has charted at number one in thirty countries, including the UK and the US.

"We started the tour in festivals," explains Normandale, a long time Coldplay collaborator. "The idea was an evolving design that can scale all the way into stadiums from a core aesthetic. The band wanted a vivid ultraviolet feel,

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UK - Midas digital consoles delivered a rock solid sound foundation at this year's rather wet and muddy T in the Park festival, Scotland.

As the rain fell in sheets, bands including Snow Patrol, Florence and The Machine, The Stone Roses, Kasabian along with hundreds of other acts kept things lively and upbeat on the a disused airfield in Balado, Kinross-shire.

Ensuring sound quality on the Radio 1 / NME Stage was Scottish rental company EFX Audio, headed up by engineer Steph Fleming, who supplied two Midas XL8s and a PRO2C at FOH, one PRO6 and one PRO9 on Monitors.

Working alongside Fleming on the Radio 1 / NME Stage was Midas' Jason Kelly: "I think pretty much every T in the Park headliner used Midas," says Kelly. "Two Door Cinema Club brought their own PRO2C, however almost all of the other acts including David Guetta, Professor Green, and Swedish House Mafi

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Denmark - The end of June saw the annual Thy Rock festival held in Thisted, north-west Denmark. Celebrating the best of Danish music, this year's festival saw a Coda Audio PA system and multiple DiGiCo consoles feature.

Audio equipment for the festival was supplied by DPA SoundCo and included a main Coda Audio AIRLINE LA12 line array system. This comprised 28 LA12 three-way high output line array modules, four G712-96 three way front fills, 16 SCP sensor controlled subs and eight RC Racks amp racks with Coda processors.

The festival's house console was a DiGiCo D5T, but many of the high profile acts on the Saturday brought their own, so the festival also saw five SD8s, two SD7, an SD9 and two SD11i's in use.

Mads Staerke was the Front of House engineer for rapper L.O.C. and pop singer Sanne Salomonsen. Two very different acts, but Mads was very impressed with how the Coda sy

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USA - Having maintained a long relationship with GLP Inc. since the original impression 90 (first used on the WWE circuit), Bandit Lites has embraced every subsequent generation of the German company's LED platform.

Recently they invested in Spot One technology - noting that this high power LED spot was the first fixture of its kind to be released to the global market.

"The impression 90 was definitely a revolutionary fixture at the time," remembers Bandit Lites' president, Pete Heffernan. He added that this success was followed by the Volkslicht which has appeared on many of their tours, and has been particularly prominent this year on tour with country star, Jason Aldean, and his Nashville based LD, Aaron Swetland.

"Purchases are driven by the designer's needs. We look at demand on a global basis and listen to our design partners - and investing in the Spot

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Russia - Soviet and Russian pop singer, songwriter and producer, Philip Kirkorov, is using fixtures from PR Lighting to support his latest 60-date Eastern European DruGoy tour, designed to promote his new album.

Five time winner of the World Music Awards and with eight Ovation awards under his belt, Russia's most popular singer has been given a grandioise stage set - including huge screens, 3D-graphics, fireworks, computer and animated effects - and a dynamic lightshow designed by Boris Volkov.

FE Belimlight, the PR Lighting distributor for Belarus, was selected to provide the equipment for this tour, with the main fixtures including quantities of PR Lighting's XL 1500 Wash and XL 1500 Spots.

"With many dancers performing at the different stage levels, the XL 1500 Wash was the perfect choice to provide sufficient lighting to highlight the acts, while the XL 1500

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USA - ANSI E1.35 - 2007, Standard for Lens Quality Measurements for Pattern Projecting Luminaires Intended for Entertainment Use, is being revised to increase the accuracy of the measurement procedure while still keeping it simple. The draft of the revised standard is available for free download and comment through 8 October at http://tsp.plasa.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php.

E1.35 describes a method that uses a projected gobo image for measuring stage and studio luminaire lens quality, with particular emphasis on quantifying contrast and perceived image quality (sharpness). It also offers a way for presenting these results on a datasheet in a format that is readily understood by a typical end-user. It's a simple way of saying, "This lens is sharper than that lens."

(Jim Evans)

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UK - Placebo are using 90 Robe Robin 300 LEDWash fixtures in custom touring frames for their current European festival tour, specified by lighting designer Jvan Morandi.

Morandi is well known for his fresh and innovative visual concepts and has worked for Placebo since their MEDS album in 2006. Each time they go on the road he brings something new and interesting to the visual equation.

This is the first time that he has specified Robe moving lights for one of his touring rigs, which are being supplied by PRG EML Productions.

The main idea behind Placebo's touring 'specials package' is that it is exceptionally quick and easy to install in festival situations 'underneath' the house rig at each event.

The LEDWash 300s are fitted into five rolling touring-frames specially fabricated by PRG EML Productions. Inside each frame they are rigged in a 6 x 3 format, with 18 lu

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UK - Saturn Audio Visual has recently completed the installation of Audica Professional MICROseries sound systems for the new guest rooms at The Pigs in Edgefield near Holt in Norfolk, England. The award winning 17th century The Pigs establishment incorporates bar, restaurant and accommodation facilities.

For its seven new suites The Pigs wanted to create guest rooms with a real difference. Situated on the ground floor and decorated in stylish, neutral tones, each of the light and airy spa rooms comes with a private two-person sauna, dual bathing oak-clad bath and their own courtyard garden with a fire pit and modern outdoor seating. The new rooms are located off a sunny central corridor and the seven suites boast high ceilings, wooden floors, and beautiful marble bathrooms.

Technology also plays a strong part in the new room's facilities, as Olly Smith of Saturn Audio Visual

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UK - To help its channel partners drive revenue opportunities from top quality audio installations by firmly putting the 'A' back into AV, RGB Communications is committed to making sure that the content and format of its already successful Audio Essentials training course continues to give delegates the knowledge to meet the demands of their customers in the commercial and residential audio markets.

"Our Audio Essentials course, the content of which is constantly evolving, gives delegates a firm foundation of the first principles of audio installation. This foundation means that they understand how and why audio installations either succeed or fail," said RGB's CTO, David Webster.

"From the all important revenue generating perspective, the Audio Essentials course will help delegates to expertly highlight to potential customers the superior levels of sound qualit

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UK - When HOW-TO Sound Workshop's chief instructor, Mike Sokol, started out in church sound, the average house of worship audio system often consisted of a few microphones and a basic console - all typically locked away behind a sign reading 'Do Not Touch'. While house of worship audio systems have become far more complex, the training available for those running them hasn't kept pace, he says. The HOW-TO Church Sound Workshops aims to change that, one church at a time.

Lab.Gruppen's E Series amplifiers are one of the tools they've acquired most recently to serve that goal, Sokol says. "We want to showcase technology that wastes less electricity, sounds better and has more headroom. I have a number of Lab's Contractor Series and they're fabulous, but for smaller churches the E Series are a better fit in terms of wattage, performance and size."

Dedicated to providing

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UK - An important contribution to the success of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone was played by sound reinforcement systems from Electro-Voice - in three different locations.

The first was the victors' podium, where a fixed installation from Electro-Voice provided crystal-clear coverage. Here intelligibility was paramount, with Sir Jackie Stewart on hand to interview the winning trio of Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel following the presentations.

The quality of musical reproduction, however, was also important, as the playing of the national anthems of the victorious teams was naturally part of the ceremony. Both these challenges were met by an Electro-Voice EVF system comprising two EVF-2151D-BLK and four EVF-1122D/96 BLK cabinets installed in the roof above the podium, driven by an Electro-Voice Qseries power amplifiers and a DX46 processor. A small, b

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Australia - Joseph Mercurio, lecturer in performance technology at the Victorian College of the Arts, is on a mission to ensure that his students have access to the latest in lighting technology and has invested in a Jands Vista console.

"Part of my purpose here is to teach people how to learn and Vista offers a very different way of approaching lighting control," began Mercurio. "With most consoles you type in numbers on a keyboard but Vista has a totally different mentality with which younger people are familiar. They are used to a visual, touch screen, interactive method. Older people have learnt to be digital natives but our students were born and raised this way. You don't need to know numbers; you're talking holistically around the design and getting lights to work.

"Vista offers a totally different paradigm and breaks new ground. It certainly shows t

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UK - XL Events, working with Premier PR, supplied LED for the London premiere of Total Recall starring Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel.

Premier PR designed a 'red carpet' experience which complemented the futuristic look of the movie. To achieve the right look, Premier called on the expertise of XL project manager, Mark Rooney, to specify and supply the LED.

Pixled's versatile FX-11 LED was chosen due to its high brightness, and suitability for outdoor use - a must given the unpredictable British weather.

In total 150 tiles of FX-11 LED were used. 128 tiles formed the Total Recall stage backdrop where the movie's stars appeared for the fans and paparazzi in Leicester Square, and were interviewed by Alex Zane.

A further 22 tiles of FX-11 were used to front the booth for the DJ who played as the stars arrived.

XL Events' Mark Rooney comments,

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USA - Problem-solving theatre design consultancy Charcoalblue is crossing the pond to open a studio in the heart of New York's fashionable Chelsea district.

Since completing the Royal Shakespeare Company's new award-winning HQ in Stratford-upon-Avon, opening Glyndebourne Opera's new Ebert Recital Room and embarking on a multi-million pound transformation of the National Theatre in London, the company has sought to share its wealth of experience in performing arts consultancy service internationally.

As part of that initiative Charcoalblue's co-founder, Jon Stevens, will be opening the company's American office on West 26th Street in Manhattan. "We are thrilled to have assisted Susan Feldman and the St Ann's Warehouse team to find and develop their new temporary theatre on Jay Street in Brooklyn," says Stevens, "and we are looking forward to continuing our curren

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UK / Italy - Cloud Electronics, UK-based manufacturer of pro audio products, has announced Prase Engineering S.p.A. as the new distribution channel for Italy for the full range of Cloud audio zone-mixers, multi-channel amplifiers, paging microphones and audio distribution systems, effective 1 October 2012.

Prase Engineering has more than 30 years experience in the Italian market and is a leader in the distribution of audio products for professional and commercial use. In recent years the company has strengthened its in-house expertise and working very closely with a network of installers, contractors, design companies and retailers, ensures that the latest technological innovations are embraced in the development of systems for conference centres, sports arenas, theatres, stadiums, cinemas, places of worship, museums, airports, train stations, public spaces, commercial and indus

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The Association of Sound Designers will be running three training seminars at PLASA 2012, open to all attendees and suitable for anyone, looking at three fundamental parts of sound design, run by three of the countries top sound designers:

- Sound System delay and zoning, run by Seb Frost, whose credits include the Tony nominated Sunday in the Park with George (West End & Broadway),

- Creative Manipulation of Sounds, run by Gareth Fry, winner of two Olivier Awards and Soundscape Designer of the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics.

- Recording Sound Effects, run by the legendary John Leonard.

Sound System Delays and Zoning
Sunday 9 September, 3.30pm - 4.30pm

Seb will be demonstrating how to best set delays on a sound system to create natural sounding reinforcement or great sounding amplification; how to create delay zones so that a performers voice sounds like

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UK - Exactly 30 years after Jo Longthorne appeared in the final Talk of the Town production at the Hippodrome, the historic London venue has reopened. This follows a major £40m refurbishment, which drew on the innovative theatre design expertise of theatre consultants Charcoalblue LLP.

The Grade II listed venue, built in 1900 by the famous theatrical architect Frank Matcham, has been converted into London's first super casino, combining gaming and live performance with a first-class restaurant.

Charcoalblue was appointed to assist London-based architects Cadmium Design & Architecture in the design and planning of the Matcham Room, the entertainment venue that will house Live at the Hippodrome. In addition, the space provides a unique venue for hire in the heart of London's West End.

Paul Crosbie, senior project consultant for Charcoalblue comments, "

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Belgium - Pan European AV solutions provider AED Rent has announced it now has a stock of more than 2,500 Clay Paky fixtures.

AED Rent, which has headquarters in Willebroek, Belgium but also has offices in the Netherlands, France, Germany and the UK, now offers in excess of 566 Clay Paky Sharpys for rent, and nearly 2000 other Clay Paky fixtures, including AlphaSpot 1200 HPE, AlphaWash 1200, AlphaSpot 800 QWO, and AlphaProfile 1500.

"Two years ago we received a request from one of our major customers for high-performance profile fixtures. Following this we organised a shootout to make sure we would know what was available on the market," says Steven Mansvelt, light department manager at AED Rent.

"The Clay Paky Alpha Profile 1500 was a really interesting fixture for us, comparing value for money, so we ordered our first batch and that was the start of a fast g

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UK - On the eve of PLASA 2012, PLASA has announced a new home and dateline for the PLASA Show in 2013. The UK's only international event for entertainment and installation technology will take place at ExCeL London from 6-9 October 2013.

"After 21 years at Earls Court & Olympia, the time is now right for the PLASA Show to leave its current home," said PLASA CEO Matthew Griffiths. "We have hugely ambitious plans for the future of the event, and the state-of-the-art facilities at ExCeL support this vision. ExCeL is a cutting-edge, purpose-built exhibition venue with the infrastructure to attract international markets; the world-class facilities are the perfect match for PLASA's planned investment in content and growth, and an exciting prospect for our technology markets worldwide."

The move represents a major opportunity for the PLASA Show to expand its inter

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UK - Edinburgh Festival has seen Philips Selecon join forces with power monitoring company, Energeno, and one of the biggest venue producers on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe - C venues - to examine the positive impact LED lighting can have on power consumption in a fringe venue running 24/7.

Philips Selecon is working in collaboration with C venues' production manager Richard Williamson and artistic director (and international lighting designer) Hartley Kemp, to incorporate Selecon LED luminaires into existing lighting rigs at C venues newest hub venue, C nova, the largest pop-up venue on the Fringe.

"Our priority is to deliver a lighting system that allows C venues' users total creative flexibility and expression, yet is as low-energy as possible," says Grant Bales-Smith, sales manager for Strand Selecon Europe. "On this occasion we've supplied 18 Acclaim LED F

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Abu Dhabi - Nicolas Kyvernitis Electronics Enterprises, distributors of Midas and Klark Teknik in the Middle East have recently supplied a new Midas PRO9 digital live audio system to Loud N Clear Middle East. The company previously purchased one of the first Pro2 systems in the Middle East, which they first used in Abu Dhabi. Loud N Clear which operates in the region and provides its services in Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.

"Roger attended the first certified Midas training in Dubai during May and over the three days was able to see the power of the PRO9, which I think ultimately made him decide to invest in one," commented Chicco Hiranandani, business development manager at NMK.

He adds, "building on their AES50 network, Loud N Clear can take full advantage of its flexibility and scalability by using both the PRO9 and PRO2 in tan

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Estonia - Heliart has had a busy summer in their native country, with a whole host of events, festivals and concerts making the most their rental stock and expertise.

A good example of is the song and dance festival Viljandimaa laulu- ja tantsupidu in Viljandi, Estonia, with over 1500 singers, 500 dancers and more than 100 brass band members. The first festival was held in 1882, with this year being a look through of the last 130 years, allowing folk dancers and singers of Viljandi county to gather for celebration, each group wearing their own national clothes to present their identity and region.

"Heliart OÜ was founded in 2007," said Priit Kivimägi, owner and partner at Heliart. "We have a sound and lighting rental, sales and installation company, but we do not only rent equipment; we also provide a full service as well to serve our clients' needs as

  1. Jands Vista v2 on the festival circuit
  2. Adlib supplies Lady Antebellum tour
  3. grandMA2 hits the road with Dave Matthews
  4. Le Mark's Studio Floor for The Angelos set
  5. Allen & Heath onboard Viking cruise ship
  6. Meyer Sound Leo unleashed in San Francisco
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