Installation

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UK - Academy Music Group's long-term A/V system suppliers, Marquee Audio, has taken an inventive approach to the installation at its latest Carling Academy venue in Oxford, scheduled to open in September.

Formerly The Zodiac on Cowley Road, AMG is investing £2m into the refurbishment programme and increasing the overall building capacity to 1,350, creating three, production-complete performance spaces.

Marquee Audio carried out a site survey and identified where they could overhaul and upgrade some of the existing equipment, re-cabling each room to allow them to be used as part of a site-wide network, for which they are designing an advanced control system.

Marquee Audio's project manager Scott Wakelin said that this installation was not only about what the integrators were able to achieve, but also the forward-thinking approach of Academy Music Group.

"Aside fr

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USA - Part of the San Diego Zoo's Nighttime Zoo summer programme, Talamasca - Jungle Myths and Legends is new jungle-themed acrobatic show at the zoo's Hunte Amphitheatre. The show runs nightly until September. CBC Technical provided sound reinforcement for the show, including Electro-Voice XLD line arrays.

"The input end of the show is relatively simple - a DVD player providing four channels of audio along with timecode," says Scott Chester of CBC. "The steep and deep shape of the venue and noise restrictions outside means a balance of complete, controlled vertical and horizontal coverage and intelligibility is essential - something the zoo felt the programme was lacking last year. The XLD is proving the ideal solution."

Arrays of seven XLD are flown each side, each over two ground-stacked X-subs for low-end support. EV CP4000S amplifiers han

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UK - Inaugurated in 1978, the Vishwa Hindu Kendra temple in Southall, west London, has recently seen the completion of a project to erect a two storey community centre, which has included a new function room complete with a Turbosound audio system.

Designed and installed by Electracoustic, the system features the TCS Compact series, with a pair of TCS-121Cs as main stage loudspeakers, plus four TCS-081Cs as delayed pairs down the length of the room.

"The TCS Compact series offers high audio quality at a very good price, but the colour option was also crucial as it was important that they were visually unobtrusive," says Electracoustic's Jon Trotter. "I also wanted a product I could use with and without bass cabinets, depending on the type of event.">P>Driven by MC2 series amplifiers and controlled by a Biamp Nexia digital audio controller, the system is req

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UK - XL Video UK - working for show producers Sledge via Live Nation - supplied 70sq.m (350 tiles) of centre stage Barco I-12 hi res LED screen, two 15.5sq.m Hibino Chromatek 6mm Black Face LED flanking screens and a full camera/PPU package for The O2's staff opening party.

The event kicked off the high profile venue's new life as a major UK concert venue in grand style - with performances by Basement Jaxx, the Kaiser Chiefs and Tom Jones. The show was presented by Dermot O'Leary.

Packed close to its 23,000 capacity, guests were treated to a five-camera IMAG show directed by Kevin Watts. The four manned Sony D50 cameras were positioned one at FOH, two left and right high up in the bleachers either side and one hand-held onstage. The fifth camera was a hot-head rigged to a circular truss hung over the front of the stage.

IMAG was fed to the side screens, while the onstage scr

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Greece - The Badminton Theatre in Athens has become the first Greek venue to install a Midas XL8 Live Performance System. The system was supplied by Midas and Klark Teknik's Greek distributor, Omikron Control.

The Badminton is now a 2,500-capacity theatre, but a clue to the venue's original function is in the name: it was created from a badminton arena built for the 2004 Olympic Games. After the games, the building was used to stage a four-month run of Cats, proving it could function as a successful theatre. It has been rented by the Athens-based A.B.C.D company for a 20-year term, and a major six-month renovation project took place which included digging down 7.5m to create an amphitheatre-style auditorium.

A.B.C.D. opted for the Midas XL8 when it came to choosing a mixing system. "We wanted to create a high quality theatre experience for our audiences by providin

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UK - SPS has won a contract to design, build and supply a new conference stage environment for FT Conferences, to fulfil their busy global conference schedule. Furthermore, as part of this contract, SPS reports that it will also be supplying the AV solution at these events.

James Gunnell, head of global logistics at FT Conferences and Events, says: "We are delighted to be working with SPS. The professionalism and passion displayed by the team has impressed us immensely and they have delivered an exceptional service so far. I am looking forward to developing our relationship with SPS throughout the course of the year."

Robin Coles, managing director of SPS, adds, "We are very proud and excited to be working with the FT. With a company of this stature it is imperative to captivate and impress the highly successful business professionals who attend FT Conferences.

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USA - One of America's leading education and research facilities for health professionals, the University of Minnesota's Academic Health Center (AHC), has chosen a Renkus-Heinz ICONYX system for its central teaching forum - the Mayo Memorial Auditorium in Minneapolis.

The six schools and colleges that make up the AHC include the disciplines of medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, public health, and veterinary medicine. The Mayo Memorial Auditorium is used primarily as a lecture hall, but also serves many other functions.

Architects Smith Group, based out of Minneapolis, with principal architect Ted Davis and project architect Nick Woodard, were awarded the task of renovation, while technology consultants Elert & Associates of Stillwater, MN were engaged to analyse the auditorium and design a system capable of delivering seamless, first class speech quality.

In effect, the

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Eire - The Theatre Royal in Waterford has purchased a Jands Vista T2 lighting console. It was supplied by local theatre consultants Dirk Baumann Lighting (DBL Lighting) as part of an upgrade to the venue's existing lighting system, which was over 30 years old.

The Theatre has been Waterford's main centre of culture and entertainment since the mid Seventies, providing the region with a varied programme of professional and community-based music, drama, dance, variety, pantomime and other live productions.

DBL's Dirk Baumann was appointed to re-design the existing lighting grid and provide a much more flexible system to suit the theatre's current and future needs. Once the lanterns, grid and dimming were in place, Baumann was also asked to specify a more powerful console to make the most of the new lighting infrastructure.

The Theatre has purchased a Vista T2 console for its ne

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UK - Harman Pro UK has recently supplied two Soundcraft Vi6 digital mixing consoles to Camden-based electrical contractors RAG Support for installation at Koko, the North London live music venue.

One of the Vi6 desks is used as the mixer for the on-stage monitoring, the other as the main front-of-house desk. The installation completes RAG Support's refit of Koko's new sound system, which was designed by Harman Pro UK's engineers and which RAG Support has been putting together at the venue over the last few months.

Tim Hamper, FOH engineer at Koko, comments, "It's great to finally have our two Vi6 desks permanently installed here. Harman Pro UK have been closely involved with the design of the refit at Koko from the outset, and so we were offered a Vi6 when it was still in development. We've had a test desk in as the FOH console here for months and it's been easy to learn

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UK - Three out of the 14 inaugural RIBA National awards, presented at a ceremony in London, went to projects from the portfolio of young theatre consultancy Charcoalblue. They comprise The Roundhouse, Camden; The RSC Courtyard, Stratford-upon-Avon and The Young Vic, London.

Charcoalblue's specialist consultants worked in close association with architects Haworth Tompkins on the award winning Young Vic; John McAslan and Partners on the critically acclaimed Roundhouse and Ian Ritchie Architects on the RSC's groundbreaking temporary new home - the Courtyard Theatre.

Andy Hayles, managing director of Charcoalblue comments: "It was a great night. We're extremely proud to have been so closely involved with all three winning projects. It's great to see our contribution recognised from time to time."

(Jim Evans)

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UK - Contemporary Spanish restaurant La Parrilla is at the epicentre of Swansea's proto-industrial chic development, dubbed "SA1". This involves the transformation of miles of derelict, neglected old docklands - complete with original buildings and architecture - into a trendy waterside development. PAI was called in to come up with an integrated sound and AV solution plus lighting control for the eaterie.

La Parrilla is owned by Daniel Tercero, who commissioned Swansea-based interior design practice Thomas Parry to create the interiors, who in turn asked PAI to come up with the relevant technical infrastructure. The PAI team has worked with Thomas Parry on many previous projects, and on this one they collaborated closely with main designer, Matt Bailey.

High production values were at the core of the technical installation, for which a C-Burn computer music system wa

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USA - Wybron reports that the Dubai Mall Aquarium, a permanent installation in the world's largest shopping mall, located in downtown Dubai, has purchased 226 Large Format Aquarams and InfoTrace Control and Management System. The aquarium expects to install Wybron's fixtures and the InfoTrace system in September.

Wybron's Aquarams will illuminate the 164ft aquarium to allow visitors to see sharks, stingrays and other species of fish in their natural habitat. Each Aquaram contains up to 32 gel colours and is water resistant. The InfoTrace system will control and manage all of the fixtures via the RDM platform.

"We are very pleased with the spike in sales of our architectural fixtures," said Larry Turner, Wybron CEO. "Wybron continues to introduce new outdoor lighting technology as we expect the demand for lighting designs to grow in the overall architectural and

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UK - London's Arcola Theatre has launched Arcola Energy, through which the operators aim to make Arcola the world's first carbon neutral theatre. "We will be installing biomass heating, solar panels, fuel cells and state of the art energy saving technologies throughout the building," says executive director Ben Todd.

"We will also create the first centre for new energy technology in the arts. It will be a knowledge incubator with dedicated workspace where engineers can develop initiatives to tackle climate change. Arcola Energy will be a hub for new thinking and cross-fertilisation between art and science, bringing together artistic, entrepreneurial and technological creativity.

"As a theatre we have a longstanding tradition of innovation, inspiration and deep integration with the local community. Working to the same principles, Arcola Energy will integrate

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Switzerland - The Gaswerk is one of the hippest clubs in Winterthur, Switzerland. Named after the former local gas works that it had been, the Gaswerk today is the location of all kinds of different events including theatre, musicals, movies and band contests, and it is a favoured venue for touring rock and punk bands.

The heart of the club is the main hall that can hold 600-700 visitors and that is equipped with a mobile stage, lighting and PA. As for the PA, the Gaswerk-association that is taking care of the management, hospitality and technique of the location, has chosen a Cohedra Compact from HK Audio.

Sound technician Raphael Sieber explains why: "There were three essential criteria. First of all the sound, of course, but also especially the flexibility of the system and also the looks of it. It was necessary that the system could be used for theatre productions as

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USA - Clair ShowCo Chicago has just completed the design and integration of an advanced audio system for Norwegian Cruise Lines new Theatre-In-The Round in Hawaii. The system features components from Harman Pro Group companies, JBL Professional, dbx and AKG integrated with HiQnet configuration and control protocol.

Fire eaters, hula dancers, and South Pacific singers and performers on the main stage of the new venue are reinforced by a HiQnet system featuring 16 JBL Professional VRX line arrays configured in a circle above the stage, eight JBL Control 29 loudspeakers, 16 JBL Control 25 loudspeakers, and four self-powered JBL VP Series subwoofers. Three dbx 4800 processors are on the system along with AKG wireless microphones.

Harry Witz, general manager of Clair ShowCo Chicago designed and implemented the system. "With all the components on one system architect, HiQnet, I

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UK - Paradigm Audio Visual has assisted system integrators Pixel Inspiration in the first phase of a contract to supply Manchester Airport with 79 of the 84" dnp New Wide Angle rear projection displays, in a mixture of 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios.

Forming part of the Airport's digital signage upgrade at their check-in desks, the screens were specified by consultant Tom Batey, while Pixel Inspiration carried out the installation of the displays, working in conjunction with Panasonic PT-D3500 single chip DLP projectors.

Since the Airport will not be using the screens as a revenue generator, their choice of concept was based on a combination of high clarity, relatively low capital outlay and predictable cost of ownership (with weight and engineering considerations).

Paradigm AV director Greg Jeffreys comments: "This is proving to be one of our most technically-challeng

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UK - Opening features at London's O2 Arena, included performances from Marley Brothers, Simon Webbe, Mutya Bueno and Jason Donovan on the London Piazza, one of the vast new public spaces inside the O2 complex that has been built specifically to stage innovative public events in areas that are always free to access. Star Events Group (SEGL) provided a complete package of stage, PA, lights and barriers for the event.

"We had a very tight timescale," explains Martin Green from AEG, owner and operator of The O2. "We were staging this series of events as part of the very high profile opening of The 02 in what is essentially a new building. Not only that, but it was organised in a matter of weeks, so we needed a fast, quality response and a very reactive one as we came to know our new venue more."

"As a result of the merger of SEGL and SRC, the group now has

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UK - The history of the Vishwa Hindu Kendra Temple in London dates back to March 1978 when is was inaugurated by Swami Satyamitrananda and is renowned for the presentation of its sacred images.

The external appearance of the Kendra reflects the design of many temples in India, including a portico with niches which house a popular Hindu image of welcome in the form of Lakshmi, and also Siva as Nataraja, Lord of the Dance.

The new building extension to the temple in Southall opened in April 2007 with a sound system installation in the main function room by Electracoustic. The function room will be used for community and religious events, weddings and meetings but also includes DJ and small live band facilities.

Powered by MC2 Audio T Series amplifiers and controlled by the Biamp Nexia, the system is designed to blend sympathetically with the stylish building interior to the ex

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USA - The new World of Coca-Cola, the $100 million Coke museum which opened at a new site in Atlanta, features a 30ft tall replica of Coke's famous contour bottle which is encased in a 90ft, ice-like glass cylinder suspended above the lobby entrance, with lighting control via a grandMA.

Lighting designers Michael Creason and Seth Rapaport of Visionary Light & Media in Montverde, Florida, were charged with illuminating the iconic bottle and creating lighting effects for the attention-getting signage. Within the bottle are 216 Color Kinetics ColorCast 14 fixtures, 10 Flutes, 96 Birkett Strobes and one Coemar PAR. Each six-foot high level of two-ply glass panels forming the glass cylinder, which goes from opaque to translucent to give the illusion of ice, is outfitted with 104 x Color Kinetics Color Blast 12s.

"The client came to us with the fixtures already specified and pu

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UK - Hemsworth Arts & Community College has used Maltbury's Metrodeck staging for many years, and head of drama Stephen Foster recently asked Maltbury for a piece of rotating scenery for use at the school and in competition.

Maltbury provided a Scenic Revolve comprising three 8ftx4ft panels mounted on a rotating frame. These panels are arranged so that three different 8ftx8ft faces can be shown to the audience - a total of almost 200sq.ft of flattage.

The boards can be painted, have things stuck to them or projected onto them. They can also be removed. Each panel can then be taken down and the frame folded up for easy storage or transport.

The scenic revolve is designed for drama, dance and musicals but can equally be used for conferences, exhibitions or any information display, says Maltbury.

• Plymouth Music Zone is a music education facility in Devonport. Once a de

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UK - The Grove Theatre, Dunstable was officially opened on with a gala performance hosted by Brian Blessed. The curved auditorium seats 780 people on two levels in stalls, circle and box style seating with the option of retractable stalls seating offering a flat, floor space increasing the capacity to 1,000.

After the infrastructure was installed by Northern Light, AC Lighting won the supply of loose equipment to include 48 x Selecon Rama High Performance Fresnels, 5 x Aurora 4-way Cycs and 2 x Performer Series Toru Followspots.

Matt Kingslake, technical manager at the Grove Theatre comments, "I have been very pleased with the Selecon equipment I used at my previous venue and with the equipment I have seen brought in by visiting companies. Due to my experience using Selecon equipment they were my first choice when sourcing lighting equipment for the Grove Theatre. I am es

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Australia - Bonython Hall, the great hall of Australia's University of Adelaide, was built in 1936 thanks to a donation from local dignitary, politician and journalist, Sir Langdon Bonython.

Used for a wide range of functions - from university exams and graduation ceremonies, through to conferences, weddings, funerals and presentations - the hall's architecture is marvellous to look at, but the hard surfaces don't lend themselves to good acoustics.

When pro audio distributor Audio Telex was approached by the University to improve the hall's audio facilities, EASE modelling and an on-site demonstration proved that replacement of the existing loudspeakers with Turbosound QLight enclosures would be the optimum solution.

Installed by the Adelaide branch of AV Central, the new system features two main loudspeakers, two delays and two balcony delays, all from the Turbosound QLight

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France - Glasgow's Soccer Circus has selected Medialon Manager show control for its new enterprise. Housed within a multi-activity visitor centre at Xscape, the attraction has been developed by former football manager and international footballer Kevin Keegan, Scottish entrepreneur Peter Barr, project director Clive Mockford, and principal engineers David Birchall and Alistair Harrison.

"The project has been very thoroughly researched, and we believe we have a soccer-based attraction that is second only to the thrill of taking part in a professional match," says Keegan.

Soccer Circus is centred on football skill games intended to allow everyone to play. Visitors are guided through a series of interactive and fully automated games that use real footballs.

Six Medialon Manager PRO licenses control four Ektacom StreamCoders, 12 ArtNet DownLynx DMX units, 17 Barco IQG5

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Denmark - Part of a noble tradition, the new European Performers House at the Institute of Performing Arts (IPA) Silkeborg, a new international school for young actors, musicians and dancers, has set itself an exacting target - to draw almost half its students from the wider Europe, beyond the borders of Denmark.

European Performers House (EPH) intends to be at the forefront of entertainment in the arts and has already forged relations with comparable institutions around Europe, securing agreement for EPH studies to count towards formal educational qualifications from those institutes.

As such, they have invested heavily in the tools and technologies of modern presentation, the entire school is networked through an Apple Mac server system, linking all rooms to the resources of recording studios and other such facilities maintained on campus.

Audio receives much attention; al

  1. Lightscape Projects illuminates Eye Centre
  2. d&b plays Athens Badminton Theatre
  3. Theatre Projects appoints business manager
  4. Royal Dublin Society adds Arena seating
  5. QSC systems reinforce Catalonia clubs
  6. Duran Audio at Wimbledon's Centre Court
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