Installation

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The Waterfront Nightclub in Arbroath has turned to Turbosound to boost its sound quality, installing a sizeable Floodlight Series system to handle the club's mix of dance music and live sound. The installation was handled by Blue Audio, and took place over a two-month period earlier this year.

The PA system is divided into two elements: the live stage set-up comprises a left/right rig of Floodlight Series TFL-760Ht trapezoidal loudspeakers, complemented by TSW-718 folded horn bass enclosures stacked directly below, plus TFM-202 passive two-way floor monitors. Overall system control is provided via the LMS-D6 digital loudspeaker management system. The second system is designed to create a surround-style set up for the DJ, using one Floodlight Series TFL-760Ht positioned on each corner of the dance floor, with a TSW-718 directly below to cover the rear area. Blue Audio also provisioned a

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Stagetec is enjoying their busiest ever summer season, with a myriad of different lighting and sound design and installation projects embracing all areas of the industry - here are just a few of them:

In the world of television, Stagetec is finishing complete new lighting installations for five studios at Bloomberg TV Studios in London in association with Film & TV Services. The studios transmit 24 hours a day to five countries in Europe. Equipment includes 120 channels of Compulite CompuDIM 2000 dimmers with Dimmer Monitor software and five SP-4D control systems. At BBC Belfast, the lighting installations for two studios are having the final touches added. The installation includes 132 channels of 96 channels of 2.5kW Compulite CompuDIM 2000 dimmers with Dimmer Monitor system, Ovation 4D and two Micron 4D control systems plus Ethernet nodes, DMX network and complete installation of li

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The renowned Albany Theatre in Deptford, south-east London, has recently undergone a complete technical refurbishment.

Opened on its present site in 1982, The Albany established a formidable reputation for itself in the 1980s as a thriving community theatre with the backing of some big names. But as the years passed, lack of funding took its toll and the theatre fell into disrepair, its equipment failed or was removed, and eventually, in 2000, it succumbed to darkness.

Since then, an energetic campaign to bring it back to life has seen the birth of a three-phase refurbishment programme, most of which is now complete. Thus, the Albany opened its doors again in March, boasting a fully refurbished interior, revamped flying grid and brand new sound, lighting, comms and patching systems with names such as Meyer Sound, XTA Electronics, MC2, Yamaha, ETC and Strand in the rig.

The team re

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Music Marketing Services have completed their sixth - and most ambitious Tiger Tiger for Chorion plc, with the recent extension of the successful roll-out into Croydon. The company has largely standardized on Martin Audio sound reinforcement - and has been using the EM series extensively in Tiger Tiger since converting from another proprietary brand early on in the development.

MMS account manager Paul Woodward explained: "We have been on board with Chorion since the Tiger Tiger brand was inaugurated in London’s Haymarket. Croydon is immaculate and shows just how far the brand has evolved since the London site - every aspect of the installation has changed."

Chorion switched to Martin Audio after opening their other multi-bar unit, On Anon - just 400m away from Tiger Tiger in London’s Piccadilly - two years ago. "They were seeking a higher quality, crisper

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The World of ResidenSea, the first resort community at sea continuously circumnavigating the globe, set sail on its maiden voyage from Oslo in March - equipped with a huge inventory of TOA PA/VA components, supplied by Norwegian-based distributors, Scandec Systemer AS. The luxury 43,500-ton craft comprises 88 guest suites available for the high-end vacation market and 110 luxury apartments (costing $2 million each), many of which are available for rental. It even includes a sea-faring golf course.

FMV sub-contracted the electrical installation work to the Norwegian firm Elpro, who in turn contacted Scandec Systemer to help with the onboard PA/VA, video and show lighting systems. Working side-by-side with the Elpro consultant responsible for the job, Jan Arve Monsen, was Scandec project manager Håkon Bjartveit.

For the public address/voice alarm requirements, the designers dipped dee

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When testing a newly-installed sound system, most people’s first choice of bands probably wouldn’t be ear-splitting heavy metal act Slayer. But this was the case recently for a new Mach SlingShot system at one of southern California’s premiere live venues, The Grove of Anaheim, a 2,000+ capacity multi-use venue which hosts some 100 acts a year, including some of the industry’s top bands such as INXS, Simple Minds, The Doobie Brothers and more.

Slayer played two sold-out shows on 1-2 May and easy sounding they are not. As Slayer proclaimed that God Hates Us All in support of their latest CD, all ears were tuned to the Mach SlingShot system.

The system is comprised of eight Mach MS1262 SlingShot top-boxes and four MS15X2 SlingShot fly-bass units with additional power coming from 12 Ballister subwoofers. Six Mach M12T full-range speakers are used for front

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The old Thalia Theater in Rotterdam used to be a cinema in a former life but was abandoned some time ago. Now, after several months of renovation, Rotterdam has a brand new dance club - The Thalia Lounge. This is not only a pure dance club but it can also be rented for corporate and live events. For this reason, the sound system needs to be very flexible, as it has to deliver a great performance for disco nights as well as for live events and speech reinforcement. Club owner Bart Den Ouden therefore decided to contact the Dutch HK Audio product manager Johan Meerman of Wils Muziekimport in Roosendaal. Den Ouden says: "I met Johan during an HK Audio demo in another disco here in Holland and from what I heard there I was really convinced about the quality of HK Audio, so I asked him to plan the PA system for the Thalia Lounge. The system itself was installed by Toon Dekkers of HK Audi

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Polaron Communications have been contracted to provide a public address and voice alarm (PA/VA) system integrated with a fire detection system, CCTV, access control disabled intercom and intruder alarm for Harvey Nichols and the landlord's areas of The Shambles in Manchester. Interfaces have been provided for later connection to retail shop units, for the propagation of fire detection signals.

Included in the specification is TOA’s new VS-900 intercom system. The Harvey Nichols store and 10 other retail units form the backbone of the transformation of the former Shambles West development in the city centre, along with a residential block. The PA and VA systems will provide secure, fail-safe and high intelligibility emergency speech broadcast to the Harvey Nichols areas and are fully compliant with BS5839 and all other relevant standards. The PA system in Harvey Nichols Department

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A major new nightclub has opened in Washington DC to reveal a large number of Coemar lighting fixtures incorporated into the design. Installed by Washington Entertainment Technologies, the 7,500-capacity Dream, based in the northeast of the city, boasts five separate dance areas. Owner Marc Barnes originally hired another contractor but the venue was under-specified. He then turned to Washington Entertainment Technologies to instil the requisite amount of power and lighting. According to general manager and partner in Washington Entertainment, Frank Wilt: "There had been a meagre attempt at the lighting and they clearly needed something more significant. We ended up respecifying the entire club."

The solution lay in Coemar’s popular iSpot, supported by Coemar Digiscans. On the main dance floor, the fixtures are mounted on iBeam trussing, with the light sources concealed

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Arbiter Pro Audio has supplied Liverpool-based sound installers Over Audio with a JBL VerTec line array system for Luminar Plc's latest Liquid venue - just open in Hanley, Stoke. Complete with ASB6128 subs from the JBL custom shop, this is the first ever JBL VerTec club installation in the UK. The VerTec system, originally designed for live concerts and touring applications, has previously been used at the Ministry of Sound in Bangkok - which also has a Luminar interest. Last year, VerTec was utilized on the Ministry's own UK college and university tour, where it was very well received.

"JBL products are always developing, and this was the perfect opportunity to put the latest technology into practice," states Over Audio's Mike Boylan, who has been dealing with both Arbiter and Luminar Plc for many years, and has used JBL products in six other Liquid venues. All the Liquids

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Miami-based MAVCO has been awarded contracts for two key South Florida construction projects.

At Wynmoor Theater, MAVCO is providing engineering, supply and installation of the lighting, sound and cinema systems for the refurbishment of the 900-seat theatre located at Coconut Creek, Florida. Working to a design by TSG Design Solutions, MAVCO’s enormous experience in all three disciplines was a crucial element in gaining the project, offering the main contractor, Dooley & Mack, the advantage of having one supplier handling all the technical systems.

The Wynmoor Theater serves a private gated community just off the Florida Turnpike and, as well as offering both drama and music productions, is also used for lectures and courses, as well as current events. The comprehensive refurbishment, under the project management of MAVCO’s Nick Gibson, is due for completion at the end of

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i-vision's Geoff Jones has been seen in action yet again at Late Night Bars in the Warrington and Manchester areas - designing architectural lighting schemes for this new brand concept. The Warrington venue - the brainchild of nightlife entrepreneur John Rennie - is located in a highly competitive area of town, with many operations competing directly for business from Warrington's night-owls. The Late Night Bar is one of the few venues offering outside seating and i-vision’s brief from the client was to design an attractive lighting scheme to draw people to the venue.

Apart from its aesthetic appeal, the company also wanted to introduce an element of 'entertainment' into the garden area, so Geoff Jones, the veteran of numerous architectural lighting schemes, from the illumination of Merseyside Police Station to the Tyne Bridge, set to work. As always, there was a budget, but Jone

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L&SI magazine is running two Round Table discussion sessions during the forthcoming PLASA Show (September 8-11, Earls Court 1, London) designed to address some of the most central issues in the industry.

The first session Freelance Rates - Due for Review? will focus on the current rates of pay for freelancers, which over the years have shown a downward trend in real terms, and will be led by a panel of industry professionals on both sides of the fence. The second session, Discounting Rental Rates: Is it Economic Madness? will look at discounting in rental markets, and how companies may be devaluing the services they provide in their attempts to undercut competitors. Once again, the panel will be drawn from those who deal with these issues on a daily basis.

The Freelance Rates session will take place on Monday 9 September at 3pm in the Westminster Room on the Mezzanine L

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The discotheque ‘Treffpunkt’ (‘Meeting Place’) in the Swabian city of Balingen in southern Germany is certainly one of the largest after-hours attractions in the region. With several dance floors, bars and restaurants as well as a large outdoor patio area, it offers a myriad of entertainment possibilities for well into the night. The newest addition to the ‘Treffpunkt’ is the ‘Loop,’ a disco with three bars and a circular dance floor. Originally an American bar, this part of the spacious disco was completely renovated and converted into an independent discotheque in autumn of 2001, with the lighting and sound installation carried out by FP Veranstaltungstechnik.

For sound reinforcement, they chose HK Audio. Company owner Frank Pfister commented: "Our experience installing HK Audio has always been good, and we also have several diffe

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WS Steele of Glasgow has completed the installation of a sound reinforcement system in the Chapel of St Salvator at Scotland's oldest university, St Andrews. The Chapel, founded in 1450, is one of the finest examples of Scottish Gothic architecture, and is highly valued by the Church of Scotland.

Acoustic consultant John McDonald, who drew up the design brief, explained that "the objective was to make the sound as natural as possible. The chapel as a very pleasing acoustic, so we wanted to use natural reverb to enhance the sound. The main problem was the separation of noise source from the choir and organ, so that people sitting below the gallery could hear what was happening above." For this purpose, microphones have been centred in the choir area which are automatically activated when the choir begins to sing, and this sound is relayed to the speakers under the balcony.

S

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One of the most talked-about live music mixing consoles of recent months - the DiGiCo D5 Live - was launched at PLASA yesterday, with and Dave Webster and Bob Doyle making a special presentation to members of the press over an enjoyable Sunday roast. On stand D28, the D5 Live system is on demonstration in a fully working set-up with a digital multitrack concert recording sync’d to video.

Designed from the ground up to deliver high sonic purity and powerful, instantly accessible controllability, the D5 Live comprises the D5 Live console itself, a front-of-house Digirack containing A/D converters and I/Os, a matching stage Digirack and 100m of fibre optic cable. This is a complete, self contained system that does away with the need for a multicore, splitters, line drivers, dynamics processors and - optionally - an entire effects rack too. The D5 Live can even record live to multitr

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The 2002 PLASA Show got off to a positive start yesterday as the industry congregated in Earls Court, London. With another bumper crop of new product innovations on show the PLASA Show is providing an unmissable opportunity to see and discuss the state of the art in entertainment, communications and presentation technology. Comment from exhibitors was upbeat - one first-time exhibitor told PLASA Media he had been overwhelmed by the attention his company had received on stand, and wished he had more staff to deal with enquiries.

O Sunday night, PLASA’s 25th anniversary party took place to round off a highly successful day on the show floor. The event - staged at The Bridge - was attended by over 500 exhibitors and visitors who participated in numerous side shows at the Party including a bucking bronco, sumo wrestling, boules and the highlight, a full-on seventies disco.

On the

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Mobil Tech UK is to take on the manufacture and distribution of selected items from the Mobil Tech France range, which will include the ALP, Standtech and Alutech lines, and will also see the reinstatement of some of the company’s most popular stands from previous years. The move comes after Mobil Tech France had experienced some problems with its manufacturing capability. It is also envisaged that Mobil Tech UK will change its name to Mobil Tech International to reflect this change in emphasis.

Mobil Tech can be seen on stand D28.

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The Martin Audio stand at PLASA 2002 was the site for an important announcement yesterday, and the first appearance of the Synco W8L Line Array System by Martin Audio, a specially configured version of the Martin Audio W8L line array system which is exclusive to the Synco Europe Network. Fred Heuves, MD of Synco Europe, and David Bisset-Powell, MD of Martin Audio, announced the signing of the deal that will see Synco Network members equipped with the system.

The deal represents Martin Audio’s largest single European sale since the launch of the acclaimed W8L system in the spring of this year. The Synco W8L Line Array will be operated in parallel with the existing stocks of the network’s Renkus-Heinz Synco Touring System and proprietary Synco floor monitors. "The network has grown very fast in the five years since we launched it and reached over 1000 cabinets but still

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Announced at the PLASA Show, Chameleon Audio has appointed the UK’s leading export company, Expotus, to source potential distributors for its products throughout Asia, and the alliance has already borne fruit, with three companies now handling the line.Total Solution, Singapore, Stagecraft International in the Philippines and Phoenix Audio & Lighting Technology, Hong Kong, are now official distributors of Chameleon amplification.

According to Chameleon MD, Paul Houlden, the decision to appoint Expotus was based on the company’s imposing track record of successfully marketing other UK brands overseas, particularly the Far East. Says Houlden: "Trying to break into the Asian market has been a particularly tough nut to crack. However, thanks to Expotus’ expertise, it’s already beginning to pay dividends for Chameleon."

Following a series of field trials,

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Stagetec has completed a major installation of lighting systems in three studios at BBC Northern Ireland in Belfast. Studio B, the news studio, has recently been completely refurbished with the installation of a digital infrastructure - as a result, now offering widescreen programming for the News and Current Affairs output. Stagetec has installed 120 channels of 5kW Compulite CompuDIM 2000 modular dimming in the new control suite. A custom mains distribution system - also designed and supplied by Stagetec - provides remote voltage/current indication on the studio floor and in the control room.

Two new Compulite control systems have been provided - an Ovation 4D/RX system with remote electronics crate for the control room and a Micron 4D for use on the studio floor. The whole system is controlled via Ethernet, although DMX distribution has also been installed. A range of Ethernet node

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The PLASA Awards for Product Excellence were presented yesterday evening in the New Technology Gallery in front of a packed audience. This year’s awards attracted one of the largest tallies of nominations ever - 64 in total - across the categories of Lighting, Sound, Audio-Visual and Stage Engineering.

The judging panel of freelance lighting designer Simon Swift, sound system consultant Richard Northwood of Coms UK, Live Business International’s technical director Roland Hemming, freelance AV consultantPhil Pike, system designer Glyn Hughes of Sysco, project manager Andy Hayles from Theatre Projects Consultants, technical consultant Mark Jones of the Royal Albert Hall and Jason Tang, general manager of Bandit Lites (UK), deliberated over three days to decide the winning products in each category.

In the Lighting category, Clay Paky’s Stage Profile Plus SV received

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The 25th PLASA Show closed on a high yesterday thanks to one of the most positive shows in the event’s history. Business was high on the agenda for all exhibitors - many of which reported the highest levels of business they’d ever done, some saying that they had signed up orders of significant size at the show. The exhibition was buzzing practically from the moment it opened and the visitor count will significantly outstrip last year’s figures.

The show was active on many levels - the PLASA Product Awards for Excellence attracted one of its highest number of nominations ever with 64 products displayed in the L&SI sponsored New Technology Gallery - a clear indication of the importance of the event as a showcase for innovation. The Masterclass, Seminar and Round Table sessions that ran throughout the show added to the appeal of the event, allowing visitors to learn more

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The 40-year old Sydney-based National Institute of Dramatic Arts has just moved into its gleaming new home. The new NIDA building was funded by an AUS$25 million grant from the Australian government, bolstered by an AUS$10 million sponsorship programme to complete the complex. This latter fund was kick-started by donations from two of Australia’s best known exports - Mel Gibson and Rupert Murdoch.

The most prominent feature of the new building is the giant aluminium veil that encloses the auditorium of the Parade Theatre and juts skyward through the glass roof of the foyer. This veil reflects daylight into the expansive foyer space that currently houses examples of student costume design. At night, nine Griven Kolorado fixtures light up this aluminium veil in a sea of colour.

At the heart of NIDA is the Parade Theatre - a727-seater drum-shaped venue that is a far cry from the

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  6. UCL Bloomsbury Audio
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