UK - Allen & Heath's UK distributor, Audio-Technica and SRD Group have created a free training day on 31 October to be held at K College in Tonbridge, Kent to boost sound engineers knowledge of the manufacturer's GLD and iLive systems.

The training day, which include hands-on interactive sessions, is aimed at industry professionals and engineers and designed to give delegates both working and theoretical knowledge of the systems.

From a previous training day, Andy Woodward from AW-PA Sound Systems in Kent, UK, said, "It was really informative, in a non-technical way for people with little digital experience. These are great desks with an impressive feature set - until the training session I didn't realise just how much you can do with them."

Stuart McKay, digital console and installation specialist at Audio-Technica, added, "I'd encourage anyone interested in

USA - Audio-Technica provided a wide selection of microphones to capture every word from the candidates, moderators and selected crowd members at the 2012 presidential debates. The events were held 3 October at Colorado's University of Denver; 11 October (Vice Presidential) at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky; 16 October at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York; and 22 October at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida.

Larry Estrin, of Best Audio in Studio City, CA, serves as audio and production communications director for the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) and chose to use Audio-Technica microphones at these landmark events. Steve Savanyu, Audio-Technica's director, educational services, was also present at each debate for on-site support. Audio-Technica microphones have been chosen for the presidential debates since 1988.

Michael Abbott, A1 for the debates

China - The Chinese version of the American television singing competition, NBC's The Sing Off featuring a cappella groups, airs on Shenzhen Satellite Television and uses Martin Professional MAC III series luminaires for the dynamic visual accompaniment.

Singing a cappella, that is, without instrumental accompaniment, is very demanding and requires highly refined vocal intonation. Martin's flagship MAC III Profile and MAC III Performance luminaires were specially selected for their accurate colour mixing and delicate color tones as an ideal match for the strong sense of melody and rhythm of the a cappella style.

The MAC III series lights were also the main dynamic lighting instruments used on the US version of the show and to this end organizers invited the original stage designers and lighting designers to China for guidance.

Some 18 MAC III Performances play an impo

USA - Clay Paky Sharpy fixtures were crazy popular on the Carnival of Madness tour, the annual rock extravaganza that played major US cities this summer. Evanescence headlined dates across the country along with Chevelle, Halestorm, New Medicine and CAVO.

Dan Hardiman of THC Design, the lighting designer for Evanescence, selected 26 Sharpy fixtures for the exclusive use of the band. The core of the Evanescence rig was used for all of the musical acts.

"I had previously used Sharpys for Goo Goo Dolls and for Evanescence as floor specials," says Hardiman. "Sharpys are a very lightweight fixture whose beam is visible in daylight. For this tour I wanted to remove the ACLs from the flown rig to save on focusing time and eliminate the need to climb any trusses. Sharpy was the perfect choice: Its small footprint and high power-to-weight ratio enabled the units t

UK - The Arena Group has begun the installation of a temporary building that will host a variety of major indoor events throughout 2013 in Londonderry, Northern Ireland as it is named UK City of Culture, October 2012.

Arena's TFS structure will become the primary venue for Londonderry, extending its venue capabilities and enabling the city to host the UK City of Culture for 2013, which will present a celebration of Londonderry's culture to local and international audiences through a series of high profile cultural events. Arena's semi-permanent venue that is being built now will remain on the specially cleared, former army base for the entire year.

Without an existing venue large enough to host the variety of events planned throughout the year, Arena was approached by the Department for Social Development and Ilex, the Strategic Investment Board and Central Procurement Directo

UK - S+H Technical's new 12 mm lightweight LED screen made its touring debut on the recent Kim Wilde European tour, specified by lighting and visual designer Ian Holmes.

The Devon, UK based drapes, starcloth, LED and visual effects specialist S+H has invested in a quantity of the new LED panels as have Buckinghamshire based technical solutions providers, Universal Event Productions (UEP). The idea is that the two companies can work closely together and combine stocks of the same product to supply larger shows and events as required.

The screen features include a very light weight of just 4.5Kgs per panel (9.5 Kg per square metre made up from two panels), quick assembly and overall user-friendliness, all combined with an excellent multi-purpose pitch.

Essex based Ian Holmes was very keen to try the new screen out on the final stages of Kim Wilde's 2012 Snapshots tour w

The Netherlands - A QSC KLA Series Active Line Array Loudspeaker System, supplied by the QSC distributor in The Netherlands, AED, heads the PA system in a new 'green' congress centre recently built here.

In the centre of the Dutch countryside, the groundbreaking new conference centre has been constructed according to strict sustainable principles, making maximum use of natural materials and recycling as much as possible. The Veerkracht Ecocentre is partially built into a large mound of earth, allowing the soil to handle much of the insulation requirements of the building naturally, and is roofed with turf and grass. But this is no medieval shack; inside is a state-of-the-art meeting centre.

AV installation specialist Dave Shiphorst, who is responsible for all of the audio-visual systems at the Veerkracht centre and was part of the small team of enthusiasts that built the centr

Finland - Choreographer Tero Saarinen's creation Vox Balaenae is set to the contemporary music piece of the same name - one of the best-known works by American composer George Crumb. The music was inspired by a recording of humpback whales singing in the depths of the ocean. The composition has three parts: a prologue and an epilogue, separated by five variations named after geological periods.

Theatrical elements are built into the play's staging instructions: the piano, cello, and flute are all electrically amplified and the musicians are meant to perform masked on a stage bathed in deep-blue light.

Lighting and set designer Mikki Kunttu relied on a grandMA2 light to control the show's lights and the media server.

He states: "This line of work requires both very fast and very detailed programming. There is really no other console on the market that can deliver

USA - When Discovery Channel's MythBusters set out to test the claim that subaudible low-frequency sounds near 19 Hz can instill feelings of discomfort, dread, and even outright terror, they turned to Meyer Sound and Dr. Roger Schwenke, the company's staff scientist and honorary MythBuster, for assistance.

Filming for the "fear frequency" segment took place in and around four abandoned cabins at a secluded forest resort in Northern California. To test the theory, the show enlisted 10 volunteers to spend time in the cabins.

"One cabin was subjected to infrasonic sound while the other control cabins had no sound," says Schwenke. "Although the cabins were essentially identical, the idea was to ask the participants if one cabin seemed more eerie or frightening than the others."

Unbeknownst to the subjects, a U-shaped array of nine modified Me

USA - Melissa Etheridge is once again on the road, this time promoting her newest album, 4th Street Feeling. The Academy Award and two-time Grammy Award winner kicked off her tour early October and will make her way through North America throughout the fall season.

While it has only been a few months since her last tour, the singer-songwriter is offering a different experience for her audience with a stripped, intimate tour that reflects the artful, organic feel of her 12th studio album.

Lighting designer David Hamilton worked with tour manager Steven Girmant to give the show the exposed, rehearsal vibe he and Etheridge sought to express. In his ninth year of working with Etheridge, Hamilton wanted to "turn the venues on their heads" and strip the stages of any and all ornament.

"You see ladders, truss, lighting instruments, PA cabinets, and whatever's

Nigeria - Solution Media and InfoTech Ltd, a high-tech multimedia company specialising in sound, stages, laser multimedia, lighting, tent and digital print in Nigeria, recently staged an evening of live entertainment to demonstrate the power and versatility of the latest Robe technology along with other brands in their inventory.

Five hundred guests relaxed and enjoyed their favourite songs at the Memoirs and Wine, event including performances by two bands; Soda Pop from the Philippines and the Flame band from Kenya at the Federal Palace hotel in Lagos.

The event was co-ordinated by the CEO of Solution media, Prince Adeyanju Lipede and executive director, Prince Adeyeloye Lipede, together with the staff, plus Robe's Middle East sales manager, Elie Battah who comments, " It was really an excellent way of getting a good targeted audience in-front of the equipment and

Storm Report - Hit Broadway shows The Lion King, Phantom of the Opera and Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark are among the New York productions which closed in preparation for Hurricane Sandy. All Broadway performances on Sunday and Monday night were scrapped. Several film events were cancelled too, including the New York premiere of Keira Knightley film Anna Karenina.

It is not known how long Broadway's lights will stay out. Broadway League executive director Charlotte St Martin added that "the safety and security of theatregoers and employees is everyone's primary concern." Meanwhile the music world has also been affected, with acts such as Mercury prize-winners The xx, Rita Ora and John Legend all cancelling US shows.

AIM Awards - Singer Edwyn Collins has been honoured for his contribution to the music industry, seven years after he a

Denmark - Fredericia Theatre is using an extensive selection of DPA microphones to capture the audio for a very special musical production of the Disney classic Aladdin. All of the cast members are using DPA d:fine Headset Microphones, which were chosen for their discrete size, comfort and exceptional sound quality. DPA microphones also feature heavily in the orchestra pit, where a combination of DPA d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones, 2011C twin diaphragm cardioid microphones and 4015C wide cardioid microphones are handling the audio requirements.

The Fredericia Theatre's Aladdin production, which premiered on 4 October 2012, is a significant endorsement of the theatre's ability to produce exceptional musicals. After hearing glowing reviews from a number of US directors who had worked at the Fredericia, the Disney Group chose the theatre as its only European partner for

USA - GLP's groundbreaking impression Spot One is among several of the German lighting manufacturer's LED fixtures that are presently dominating high profile touring productions in the US. However, while the impression series has extended its popularity with the arrival of the new X4head it has been the new fully featured automated Spot which is being seen as the holy grail by others.

Jackson Browne's lighting director/production designer for four years, Steve Comer, is one who admits, "I had been looking for an LED hard edge light for a long time, and when the Spot One came along it was just the fixture I'd been waiting for."

This latest tour expanded organically from its origins as a solo acoustic tour to an ensemble, with more and more musician friends set to join him onstage. And this called for a more theatrically lit show where stage positions and musicians cou

UK - A major lecture theatre on the Glenside Campus of UWE Bristol (the University of the West of England, Bristol) has been upgraded with the installation of a large, 150" Da-Lite rear projection media display.

Da-Lite distributors Paradigm AV supported contracted suppliers GV Multimedia - who have a long-standing relationship with the University - and provided a single-mirror rear projection rig and technical drawings to ensure optimum utilisation of the space.

At the same time GV Multimedia project manager, Dan Victory, carried out his own computer predictions and visualisations to ensure the optimisation of off-axis viewing in the 240-capacity theatre and correct balance of brightness and contrast.

He opted for a Da-Lite Da-Snap (fixed snap-frame) solution, using Da-Tex rear pro screen material set flush against the high arched wall. The visible area now measures 19

UK - Haydn Cruickshank of London based lighting and visuals rental company Colour Sound Experiment (CSE) has worked on some choice gigs in his time, however designing and supplying lighting for a showcase celebrating the birthday of iconic Tennessee whiskey Jack Daniels took him to the previously uncharted territory of ..... the Devil's Arse in the Peak District, UK.

The Peak Cavern earned its memorable epithet from the loud, expressive flatulent sounding emissions made by draining floodwater - of which there has been plenty lately! It is one of four 'show' caves in Castleton Derbyshire.

This atmospheric location was chosen by brand experience agency Red Lodge to stage a special show for Jack Daniels Birthday competition winners and amassed press - the line-up featured The Vaccines, Mystery Jets and Tribes.

One of numerous challenges facing the production team was the 600m p

Finland - The 47th Pori Jazz Festival took place recently in the Finnish west coast city. The annual event was held over nine days, during which there were 126 concerts - 89 of which were free - taking place in a total of 14 venues. The atmosphere and attendance were again excellent, with Pori Jazz selling 48,000 tickets, while in total around 140,000 people attended.

One of the venues used for experimental and modern music was the 150-capacity Ultra Music Nights @Theatre. Here Noretron Communications, RCF's Finnish distributor, equipped the small stage with a potent but discreet TT+ Theatre & Touring active column speaker array system for a series of sold-out shows.

By deploying six TTL11-AH/AB assemblies and TTS26-A subwoofer (in Left/Right configurations), managed by the dedicated RDNet control interface, a superior audio performance was ensured, with excellent coverage and

UK - Wednesday 24 October saw the launch of the Poppy Appeal in Trafalgar Square go off with a bang and for the third year, Capital Sound provided full production.

A fanfaire of trumpets from 1st Battalion The Coldstream Guards opened the show, which was hosted by Ben Shephard. Amongst the performers were Alesha Dixon and The Military Wives Choir, with James Fox singing the Poppy Appeal Launch single, Landlocked and Pixie Lott headlining.

"As a full production job for Capital, you literally have to supply everything from the ground up," says Capital's Charles Ellery. "We supplied staging, lighting and sound, with the video element arranged by the Royal British Legion's own in-house video production supplier, Raw. We also arranged for all the dressing room cabins, temporary loos, catering, first aid, special FX and so on."

Everything came together o

Austria - Out Board has appointed ATEC GmbH of Sommerein as the new exclusive distributor for Austria of the TiMax2 SoundHub and TiMax Tracker audio processing, playback and showcontrol automation products.

ATEC director Manfred Prochazka comments, "We are very happy to be a member of the TiMax family, as it fits perfect to our other high quality brands. We are delighted to have our first TiMax project with a complete TiMax SoundHub and TiMax Tracker installation in the Raimund Theater."

Out Board director Dave Haydon observes, "The ATEC guys clearly demonstrate the passion and expertise needed to fully commercialise and support unique products like TiMax SoundHub and TiMax Tracker. We very much value their commitment and support as we continue to grow diverse new European market sectors for TiMax."

(Jim Evans)

UK - Roker, a seaside resort area in North East England, just installed new energy efficient and dynamic lighting along its famed Marine Walk as part of an ongoing regeneration project by the City of Sunderland.

The project received the 2012 LGN Street Design Awards in the Public Lighting category. The Awards - in its 25th year and sponsored by Local Government Magazine - recognise high quality, best practices, and innovation in public design projects across the UK.

LumenRadio's UK partner LITE Ltd. and Philips, in close cooperation with Balfour Beatty Living Places, designed and commissioned a system to revitalize the Roker Beach area with functional, efficient, and vibrant lighting.

The system is a combination of Philips CosmoPolis pole mounted dimmable DALI fixtures and high-performance Philips Color Kinetics ColorBlast and ColorBurst LED fixtures to generate rich,

UK - West London-based rental company Entec Sound & Light's Audio division has invested in the latest d&b V-Series line array system, adding to their already substantial hire stock of the leading German brand.

Entec's audio sales manager Peter Codron explains that the V-Series is ideal to service a wide range of Entec's medium to large shows, and it can also be used as out-shooter arrays in conjunction with the larger J-Series, due to the fabulous tonal compatibility between the two systems.

Entec's V-Series' purchase includes both V8 and V12 loudspeakers (featuring 80 and 120 degree dispersion respectively) and V-SUBs.

Two of the three-way V-Series passive cabinets can be run from a single amplifier channel, so four can be powered per D12 amp, making it an extremely cost-effective choice.

The V-sub features a cardioid arrangement, with a front facing 18 inch driver and a

UK - The ITV show Surprise Surprise is returing to the small screen, hosted by Holly Willoughby.

Nigel Catmur designed the lighting show which is provided by Richard Martin Lighting (RML). The vast rig encompasses a huge variety of different types of lights and styles, meaning that they integrate into the set beautifully.

These lights include Alpha Wash 575, Alpha Spot 700, Mac Aura, Nova Flower, Robin 600, VL1000TS, VL2000 Wash, Chroma Batten 50 kit, Mac TW1 and still proving as popular as ever - Sharpys. With 42 units on the show, the striking beam is now so recognisable.

Another unit selected by Nigel for the show, which has become very popular recently is the Sunstrip. The latest piece of equipment to be added to RML's inventory, Sunstrip Active is "fully active and has a built-in dimmerpack. In order to make the unit most versatile for many applications you

Cambodia - PR Lighting's broad portfolio of fixtures are being specified increasingly on television shows around the world - from Algeria to Cambodia - in view of their rich feature-set, discreet form factor and quiet operation.

Cambodia is the latest, where a number of automated heads and architectural LED colour-mix FX are being used in a high standard production on Dream Palace, a programme which features leading singers and musicians from around the country.

The show is screened by Hang Meas HDTV - the first High Definition TV station in the country - and takes place in front of a live theatre audience every Saturday night.

Complementing the regal backdrop, with performers entering the stage down the palatial stairs, are 24 of PR Lighting's versatile, compact and fully featured XL300 moving heads, 12 x XL700 Spots and 16 of the newly-launched Arc LED 3108 fixtures

Spain - Prolific jazz singer, composer and guitarist George Benson packs the house wherever he plays, be it in New York, Paris, or most recently Valencia, where the artist performed this summer as part of his 2012 Spanish tour. The concert, held at the city's Jardín de Víveros to celebrate the city's Feria de Julio (July Fair), Valencia's 28-day festival packed with activities, special events and concerts, was brought to life with professional D.A.S. sound systems.

The sound at the event was handled by local sound reinforcement company Acústica, who teamed up with Joel Damiano, D.A.S. Audio event engineer, appointed D.A.S. Audio's head tech for the concert. The sound team knew that the powerful D.A.S. Aero Series 2 line array systems would emphasize both Benson's voice and legendary guitar playing and rolled out 20 high-performance D.A.S. Aero 50 line arrays for the event. Th

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