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Europe - As summer 2014 draws to a close, the UK source-oriented reinforcement (SOR) specialists Out Board have seen their TiMax delay-matrix and performer-tracking systems deployed for a broad and varied season of outdoor shows across Europe.

Thunersee, Switzerland - The perennial TiMax sojurn in the stunning Swiss lakeside setting featured the visual spectacle that is AIDA the Musical. Contemporised by Elton John and Tim Rice originally for a Broadway outing in 2001, the Thunersee production accessed a new dimension with sound design by the award-winning Tom Strebel and audiopool.

As in previous years, Strebel deployed the TiMax SoundHub and TiMax Tracker combination to bring vocal clarity and authenticity to the mammoth amphitheatre's audiences.

Strebel explains, "We simply cannot put on these Thun productions each year without TiMax SoundHub and Tracker. The audienc

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UK - Milos Group, one of the largest manufacturers of trussing and support structures in the world, welcomes James Thomas Engineering to its growing number of professional and trusted brands. James Thomas Engineering has been one of the leading manufacturers of aluminium trussing, rigging and ground support to North American and international clients since 1977. Its General Purpose, Supertruss and HD truss systems are known throughout the industry as benchmarks for professional outdoor concert, theatre and corporate venue productions.

As part of the Milos Group, and falling under the TOMCAT banner, JTE will continue to manufacture the same high quality "Made in the USA" products that industry professionals have relied upon for more than 35 years. Innovation will remain its first priority, and its mission statement "Innovation through Design and Engineering Excelle

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Spain - On Sunday 5 October 2014, the curtain fell on another incredible season for Space Ibiza, as it celebrated a summer of unforgettable parties with the Space Closing Fiesta. It welcomed more than 30 DJs and thousands of guests, who bid farewell to the iconic venue for another year. It was a fitting end to a very successful season, which saw Funktion-One complete its takeover of the venue, and helped it celebrate its 25th birthday with an additional outdoor stage at three special events - the Opening Fiesta, Closing Fiesta and 25th Anniversary Party.

At the beginning of the summer, while preparing the venue for the Space Opening Fiesta in May, Funktion-One, the Space technical team and Project Audio Ibiza made the annual upgrades and adjustments to its sound systems. This included a completely new speaker system for Sunset Terrace, meaning all six rooms of Pepe Roselló's gl

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UK - Shure Distribution UK (SDUK), exclusive distributor in the UK and Ireland for leading pro audio brands including Shure, QSC, Radial, DIS, Sound Devices, Primacoustic and Servoreeler,confirmed at PLASA London 2014 that it is taking on a new line.

Manufactured by Spanish audio company Equipson, founded in 1995 and based in Valencia, WORK Pro Audio products are aimed at sound reinforcement and live sound applications. Effective immediately, SDUK will be responsible for all sales and technical support for WORK Pro Audio products in the UK and Ireland, replacing all previous UK distributors of the brand.

Highlights of the WORK Pro Audio range include loudspeakers, amplifiers and DSP Digital Matrix products which provide a quality alternative for installation projects of all budgets. The most recent addition to the brand is the BlueLine Digital range, a cost-effective, modular

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USA - Billed as the 'Largest Event in Bradford County', the 139th Troy Fair opened 21 July 21, 2014 with a new grandstands sound system provided by Gelnett and Associates of Northumberland, Pennsylvania and based on Community R Series loudspeakers.

The new system replaces a 1970s-era paging horn system that was inadequate for modern fair events and had prompted 2013's tractor pull announcer to complain, "We're not coming back unless you fix this!"

After interviewing several integrators, the Troy Fair board chose Gelnett and Associates to provide their new system. Gelnett President, Scott Gelnett reports that the fair board was very impressed during the on-site demo and knew this was the system for them.

The new system consists of two clusters of four Community R.5HPT loudspeakers covering the fans in the grandstands and three R2-52 loudspeakers covering the left, c

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UK - ETC has handed over a cheque for almost £17,500 to the Behind the Scenes UK charity at PLASA London 2014.

The donations come from people who bought the European version of the ETC iRFR or aRFR remote control app for their phone or tablet over the past year, all of whom had the choice of whether their money went to the US charity, or its UK branch, which until recently was called Light Relief.

Handing over a cheque to John Simpson, trustee of Behind the Scenes UK, ETC's CEO Fred Foster said, "Lighting can be easy to control using the ETC iRFR for iOS and aRFR for Android, but sometimes life can be more difficult. That's why we're pleased to continue to support the Behind the Scenes charity, which provides much needed support to our colleagues and their families when times are hard."

The apps - which turn any smartphone into a remote lighting controller -

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Switzerland - Riedel Communications reports that Riedel Switzerland served as the official radio and intercom services supplier for the 22nd European Athletics Championships, held 12-17 August in Zurich. Throughout the event, which brought approximately 1,400 athletes from 50 countries together for a competition attended daily by 25,000 spectators, Riedel equipment supported communications and provided the main fiber backbone for in-house video distribution.

"Riedel Switzerland provided us with seamlessly integrated solutions for video transport and communications, and the company's professional support not only enabled optimal use of the Riedel gear, but also ensured that the hundreds of volunteers and other professionals involved in the event were able to use their radio systems effectively," said Christoph Joho, marketing director of the Leichtathletik EM 2014 AG. &

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UK - The new series of BBC's long-running comedy quiz show Never Mind The Buzzcocks will now be filmed at Elstree Studios.

One of the constants for the show is Richard Martin Lighting. RML has lit Never Mind the Buzzcocks for a number of years and while the set remains the same, the lights are constantly evolving and tweaking to maximise the effect.

LD Chris Kempton specs MAC 600s, Stage Zoom 1200s, MAC 250s, Alpha Beam 300's, Chroma Set Kits, MR16 Birdies, Pixel Bricks and a Nova Flower.

Now that the series is being filmed in a different, larger studio, there is also some audience lighting which consists of two Pixel Par 90s, GLP Impressions and LED 12 Lites.

(Jim Evans)

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USA - At Walnut Ridge Baptist Church in Mansfield, Texas, the congregation holds two distinct worship services. The first is a traditional worship service, but the second is a more contemporary worship environment.

Wanting to upgrade their lighting system to better encompass all the aspects of both services, Walnut Ridge turned to Gemini Light Sound and Video to oversee a full lighting renovation. Fully understanding what the church wanted to accomplish, Gemini installed 74 Showline SL PAR 150 ZOOM luminaires from Philips Entertainment.

"Gemini previously worked with Walnut Ridge Baptist Church on another lighting application and for this lighting renovation they were looking to mainly do two things," began Todd Graham, project lead installer. "First, they were looking for something more efficient than their current system which consisted of high-wattage traditi

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China - Known for its modern architecture and artistic design, the Macau Tower, located in the Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, is a landmark that features an eloquent banquet hall which was recently revamped using Martin Professional Lighting fixtures.

Featured in this lighting renovation are four Martin MAC 350 Entour LED lighting fixtures, 16 Mac Auras, six Rush PAR 2 RGBW Zoom cans, an M2GOTM lighting console and an iOS MAXRemote. This package is centred on compact performance, as each of these lighting elements take up minimal real estate, but are able to emit powerful beams of output.

The tower is a popular destination amongst international tourists, avid shoppers and romance seekers. Donned with ballroom chandeliers and magnificent crystals, the banquet hall needed specialized lighting solutions to complement the elegance of the room. By

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UK - The seventh Knight of Illumination Awards (KOI) was held on Sunday 5 October and once more it was a sparkling success. This year London's glamorous art deco Troxy saw representatives from the professional entertainment lighting and video industry come together to celebrate the creative achievements of lighting and video professionals working on shows across the UK.

The ever-popular awards, organised by The Society of Television & Lighting Design (STLD), The Association of Lighting Designers (ALD), Clay Paky and Ambersphere Solutions, was established to offer public recognition for outstanding achievements in touring, television and theatre lighting and video design.

Hosted by prolific and popular lighting designer for the theatre, opera and ballet, Mark Jonathan, the winners for each category were announced as follows:

Theatre

Dance: - Paul Keogan, No Man's

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PLASA London 2014 - The first two days of PLASA London 2014 witnessed busy stands and aisles with exhibitors and visitors alike commenting on the number of meaningful conversations they are having. PLASA London is all about revealing new products, exploring opportunities, supporting business growth and connecting people.

Mick Hannaford, Managing Director of Robe UK offers his view of Robe's huge 1000sq.ft stand: "To be honest, we've been overwhelmed - it's working really well," says Mick. "There are so many business conversations going on in here, it's amazing. Normally, when we're in a much smaller space, there are people trying to get a drink, trying to say hello. Here, there was a concern that everyone was spread out and so the atmosphere would be lost, but everywhere you look there is business happening. It is really fantastic."

And a number of major na

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The Netherlands - Award-winning sound designer Jeroen ten Brinke has chosen the Meyer Sound D-Mitri digital audio platform as the backbone of his design in Anne, a dramatic presentation of the Anne Frank story in the 1,100-capacity Theatre Amsterdam. With a CueConsole control surface, D-Mitri drives the play's audio mixing, matrixing, and loudspeaker processing.

"Choosing D-Mitri as the foundation of the system was a no-brainer," says Jeroen ten Brinke, who is a design partner at Audio Design International. "The audio quality is second-to-none, which is critical to bring out all the subtleties of the dialogue. It also works beautifully with both the orchestration and the sound effects, which range from whisper-quiet to wartime bombing scenes."

Compared to most theatrical plays, the sound design in Anne is extraordinarily intricate. Actors inte

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UK - After working with RG Jones' Martin Audio Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array (MLA) at Glastonbury Festival - as well as the smaller footprint MLA Compact at other events - David McEwan's vision was to fire it up in anger at the holy grail of London venues, the Royal Albert Hall.

And as long term recording and live engineer for Nitin Sawhney, the opportunity came when this British Indian musician, orchestral composer and producer announced his return to the famous London venue to perform work from his forthcoming album Dystopian Dream and a selection of material from his first nine albums.

McEwan approached John Carroll, MD of RG Jones Sound Engineering, and to his great delight the award-winning PA was made available within the production budget.

Rarely will MLA have had so many different sounds and voices pumped through it as Sawhney moves effortlessly through dif

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South Africa - Three new Philips Strand Digital Wallracks, 24 x 2.5kw, have been installed at the Springs Civic Theatre in Ekurhuleni, South Africa. Along with Longman LED parcans, the equipment has been tried and tested in the production Prison Without Steel Bars, Changing Times and various school reviews recently.

While Ekurhuleni may mean "place of peace" in Xitsonga, the past seven months have been flat out for the team running the theatre. In the midst of it all a tender was awarded to DWR Distribution to supply and install lighting equipment.

"We have used the gear and so far we are totally happy with the upgrade," commented Dawid van Eeden, theatre stage manager.

"Philips Strand provided the most economical but reliable dimmers for this size theatre," said Dave Whitehouse of DWR. "We have known Dawie and Eduard Coetzee

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USA - When Garth Brooks announced he was launching a world tour, Michael T. Strickland, chair of Bandit Lites, knew the production would be something special.

"Garth is, and always has been, an innovator," said Strickland. "He creates or recreates almost every aspect of the industry each time he tours. 2014 is no different! The massive, interactive lighting system that Dave and Garth have designed is second to none. It is simply stunning."

Lighting designer David Butzler, who has worked with Brooks since his very first tour, requested a fixture that, simply put, did not exist on the market: a bright single source RGBA in a small PAR 30 form factor with a very smooth dimming curve that looked good on camera.

"The intention was to design these fixtures to mount in various elements of the set," said Roth Edwards, Bandit's director of special operat

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UK - The buzz around the aisles and stands of PLASA London 2014 has created an incredible atmosphere for visitors and exhibitors alike. The entertainment technology industry is full of brilliant characters, giving the industry its special personality. While the social side of the show has flourished, so has business, as exhibitors continue to launch new products and make important connections.

Green Hippo has chosen PLASA London 2014 for the launch of the Hippotizer v4. The company has taken the award-winning features of the Hippotizer v3, such as UberPan, Cross-Fade on Layer, Presets and Region Mapper success, and added new hardware and an array of key software features that will make the user experience better than ever before.

Raycom is exhibiting at PLASA London for the first time, using the show as a platform for moving into the live market. The company has built up an ex

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USA - Lighting designer Saxton Waller selected a grandMA2 full-size with a MA NPU (Network Processing Unit) for two sold-out STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9) concerts at the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, the lead up to the band's US cross-country fall tour. The console was provided by Brown Note Productions, Inc. in Thornton, Colorado.

The instrumental band STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9), which plays self-described post-rock dance music, is one of the nation's top-grossing tour acts with a heavy presence in the festival circuit. Their dates at Red Rocks preceded the start of their first tour in nearly a year. The tour will play venues in the Midwest and East, including Chicago, New York, Detroit and Pittsburgh.

Brown Note Productions, Inc. is a full-service audio, lighting and video production company specialising in touring, festivals and special events. It won

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UK - The Technical Theatre Awards, which celebrate the achievements of people working behind the scenes, have announced their winners at a well-attended ceremony during PLASA London 2014 hosted by Kasper Holten.

Now in their second year, the Technical Theatre Awards (TTAs) were established to give due credit to the often unsung heroes and heroines that work backstage to make the theatre magic happen.

The winners are:

The Douglas Turnbull Award for Outstanding Achievement in Stage Management (Supported by Opera Holland Park)

Sharon Hobden

The Philips Entertainment Award for Outstanding Achievement in Lighting

Richard Rhys Thomas

The PRG Award for Outstanding Achievement in Production Management

Paul Hennessy

The Triple E Award for Outstanding Achievement in Flys & Rigging

Karl Meier

The Rigging Team Award for Outstanding Achievement

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UK - Orbital Sound has announced that it is opening a new demonstration zone this month, in conjunction with loudspeaker technology company, Flare Audio. Equipped with the growing line up of Flare loudspeaker systems, this represents the first facility to provide a comprehensive London demonstration resource for the manufacturer, as a dedicated centre of excellence.

Orbital Sound's MD Chris Headlam comments, "As Flare's UK & Eire distributor, we can introduce the Flare concept to a much wider audience by setting up this new demonstration centre at our Brixton headquarters - complemented by having an expert technical team on hand in support. With such extraordinarily innovative design as Flare Audio, you need to be able to provide the right environment for people to listen and explore the range in detail.

"We are incredibly excited by what Flare has achieved, to the e

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South Korea - The Incheon Asian Games in Korea is the largest sporting event in Asia - set on an Olympic scale, with around 10,000 athletes from 45 countries representing 36 sports.

For the 17th edition, both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies were held in the 62,000-capacity purpose built Incheon Asiad Main Stadium, with K-Pop stars and Gangnam Style singer Psy headlining the star-studded opening show.

With 'Diversity' as the theme, the large rental company Canlite drew on huge quantities of PR Lighting fixtures, deploying nearly 200 heads to perform specific tasks - comfortably the largest single brand represented. At the same time it met the specification of lighting designer, Han Soon Na, and his programmer Yoiung Gu Kang.

The inventory included more than 100 powerful PR 5000 Spot, Wash and Framing variants - many of them positioned, along with XR 330 Beams on the top of

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Germany - This year, the Marbach state stud farm from Baden-Wuerttemberg celebrates its 500-year existence. The Marbach Classics Open Air, taking place in July, was the climax in the anniversary calendar of the stud farm.

The Ross ballet, consisting of 90 horses from various top European stud farms and 200 performers, fascinated around 7500 visitors in the Marbach Arena. The Württemberg Philharmonic of Reutlingen accompanied the spectacle with symphonic live music. Alcons Audio facilitated a perfect sound everywhere with the LR24 pro-ribbon line-array system.

dlp motive GmbH was entrusted with the sound for the event as technical supplier and put the Alcons LR24 pro-ribbon line array for their first time to the test. The LR24 is a larger line-array system that can both be permanently installed as well as be used in touring. It was developed for a 1:1 linear reproduction of th

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UK - The 2014 Ryder Cup, held at Gleneagles, Scotland, marked Creative Technology's eighth European Ryder Cup and, by some margin, the largest and most complex in its 29 year relationship with the event.

The most visible element of Creative Technology's (CT) package was the numerous large screens positioned around the course, on the Opening and Closing Ceremony stages and in the three park and ride centres. A total of 21 screens ranging in size from 8m2 to 100m2 were installed; many in extremely inaccessible locations. The overall screen area totalled 750 m2, an increase of over 50% compared to the 2010 event held at Celtic Manor in Wales.

Pixel pitches of 8, 12 and 16mm, LED products were selected to match the display size and viewing distances, providing a consistent overall resolution, character size and subsequent text legibility. Independent feedback and switching of sour

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The Netherlands - Built in 1877, Cinecitta is one of the most culturally significant buildings in Tilburg, Netherlands. Recently it underwent a €6m refurbishment which included the installation of a major Yamaha CIS series audio system.

It was originally built as a concert venue and coffee shop for the Royal Liedertafel Souvenir des Montagnards - a Dutch association, founded in 1845, to further broaden cultural objectives including vocal and instrumental music, opera and theatre.

Since 1916 the building has functioned as a cinema, as well as hosting concerts, theatre, exhibitions, lectures and presentations. It has hosted numerous high profile artists, including Vladimir Horowitz, widely considered to be one of the greatest pianists of all time.

Taking the name of Rome's high profile Cinecitta film studio in 1982, the building continues to be of major socio-cultural signifi

  1. Panasonic projectors mark Bucharest anniversary
  2. Michael Northen Bursary 2014 presented at PLASA 2014
  3. Robe enjoys biggest, busiest and best PLASA show
  4. PLASA 2014 hits high notes at ExCel
  5. PLASA 2014: Winners of the 2014 Innovation Awards announced
  6. TiMax SoundHub Netherlands distributor confirmed
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