The US-based Entertainment Services & Technology Association (ESTA) has announced that BSR E1.8, Entertainment Technology - Loudspeaker Enclosures Intended for Overhead Suspension - Classification, Manufacture and Structural Testing, is now available for public review, and will be until 25 September 2001. Loudspeakers suspended overhead should not pull apart and rain debris on people below, and this draft document is an attempt to offer guidance to a manufacturer to make sure such a mishap does not happen. The document describes the structural requirements for loudspeaker enclosures intended for overhead suspension, which include enclosure construction, component part security, enclosure suspension hardware, manufacturing control systems, structural testing, and product representati

The Swiss city of Berne is having the lighting system in its municipal theatre modernized by the Transtechnik Group at a cost of around 425,000 Euros. Due to be completed at the end of this month, the project will bring state-of-the-art lighting technology to this famous theatre. The new system includes two lighting control consoles - a Focus NT and a Prisma NT - each of which is fitted with a moving light controller and connected to the digital auxiliary console via a Transtechnik DMX-Gate protocol converter. The converter converts the DMX signals from the lighting consoles to the Profibus signals for the auxiliary console (and vice versa) to allow the devices to exchange data. The Profibus standard requires only a thin, two-wire cable for transmitting control signals, which means that there is no need for thick bundles of cables to the auxiliary console. Profibus also permits bi-direct

Brazil-based Selenium Loudspeakers has announced the appointment of Overt Light to Sound Ltd as its new exclusive distributor for the UK. Malcolm Burlow, managing director of Overt, has over 20 years’ experience in the pro audio industry, having previously worked for Numark UK. He says: "We are very proud to be associated with a loudspeaker transducer company with Selenium’s worldwide reputation. Few people realise that the company has been manufacturing loudspeaker components for over 50 years, utilized in some of the finest cabinets available. The market is looking for a high quality and competitively-priced alternative, and we are confident that Selenium will be their first choice."

Overt say that a new range of compression drivers and woofers will be available within six to eight months.

PLASA has worked in co-operation with some of London’s leading entertainment venues to offer an exclusive insight into the workings of some of the city’s most famous venues; this exclusive backstage tour immediately follows the close of the PLASA Show in London this September. Theatrical London delegates will visit the world-renowned Royal Albert Hall for a night at the Proms; the Apollo Victoria Theatre to see the upgraded Starlight Express; Tussaud’s Group Studios for an exclusive technical tour, and the Donmar Warehouse for a ‘Divas at the Donmar’ performance. To top it off, you can step back in time at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre . . .

Wednesday 12th September: The experience begins with A night at The Proms, The Royal Albert Hall, featuring Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring. Pre-show drinks will be served in the foyer. Performance starts at 7.30pm.

The historic Manchester-based BBC Philharmonic Orchestra has taken delivery of a Sony DMX-R1000 digital console, supplied by Total Audio Solutions. The orchestra will use the consoles to record its acclaimed performances at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, as well as for BBC Radio 3 recordings in their Studio Seven Concert Hall. The console will also accompany the orchestra on the regular overseas concert tours and international broadcasts that it undertakes.

Virtually all recitals are recorded to digital stereo and BBC recording and mixing engineer (programme manager) Stephen Rinker was instrumental in deciding to opt for the DMX-R1000. "We carefully evaluated the criteria by which we should select our replacement console," he explains. "This encompassed a move to digital, and it’s fair to say that the DMX-R1000 was the only digital desk that fully matched our

Cadac will be showing its innovative R-Type lightweight touring console on Stand S22 at the 2001 PLASA Show. The R-Type is already clocking up an impressive list of show credits since it went into production earlier this year: in Italy, appearances include the Pavarotti & Friends Concert in Modena, and the Heineken Jammin' Festival at Imola, and in London, the July Picnic with Pavarotti followed by Route of Kings - both in Hyde Park. Contained within a cost-efficient and easily re-configurable package, the R-Type provides comprehensive facilities for both FOH and monitor mixing. It gives rental companies a highly flexible console - using Cadac’s unique ‘plug-anywhere’ modules for fast installation - at a competitive price.

The R-Type features a new lightweight monocoque design and a slimmer module width - combining touring ruggedness with the respected Cadac audio qua

Arbiter and JBL recently took residence at the Hammersmith Apollo, to host the first UK demo of the Vertec Line Array system. The day was designed to give clients an opportunity to view the product up close and allow them some hands-on time with the system.

One of the issues JBL was most keen to emphasize was that of weight, or rather lack of it, for each Vertec VT4889 enclosure weighs only 69kg, including rigging hardware. Each enclosure includes two lightweight 15" low frequency loudspeakers, four powerful 2250H 8" midrange frequency loudspeakers, coupled to RBIs (Radiation Boundary Integrators), and three compact 2435 high frequency drivers fitted to WaveFormers.

The system is already establishing a strong following, both in the US and Europe, where some of the key touring supply companies have systems out with a number of headlining bands.

A joint project involving manufacturers Allen& Heath and Audace has provided a UK conference and exhibition venue with a unique paging system.

Bryan Waters, MD and founder of Audace, explained that the HIC system required a larger number of output zones than A&H’s DR128 digital matrix could provide. "The first challenge was the need for a system of 16 zones. We wanted to provide the Centre with a single control system that would work with two of the Allen & Heath units." Waters, who professes a keen enthusiasm for the Cornish pro audio manufacturer’s products, set up Audace specifically to provide one-off solutions and off-the-shelf support products for the blossoming digital market. "When the DR128 was launched, there was nothing like it on the market for anything like the price - and there still isn’t," he enthused. "However, the software su

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Logic System Pro Audio has announced recent sales of its loudspeaker systems to PA rental companies. London-based Gighire has added eight Logic System units to its existing monitor system. Gighire’s Jon Pickett looked at many options before deciding on the CM20 15" plus 2" co-axial cabinet. Pickett, who joins a rapidly-increasing list of CM20 users, said: "When we weighed up all the options, the CM20 had the performance, was the right size, could be run off our existing control equipment and was also competitively priced. Coupled with our own experiences of Logic System’s excellent build quality and reliability, it was a fairly easy decision to make."

Meanwhile, PA company Acousys Sound Systems of Wokingham has just added another Logic System CS1296 system to its ever-increasing array of hire stock. The system has been purchased in order to fulfil a heav

Stagetec has recently completed the installation of a complete stage management, stage communications, sound and video system into the new, purpose-built DH Lawrence Pavilion Theatre on the campus of Nottingham University - one of the UK’s leading universities. The building is designed as a contemporary 250-seat theatre, an exhibition gallery and performance space, and is named after a former University student - David Herbert Lawrence - who became one of the most controversial and popular exponents of 20th century literature. The equipment installed by Stagetec was specified by ACT Consultant Services. The three-zone paging and show relay system runs throughout the building, including a Sennheiser infra-red hard-of-hearing system for the main auditorium, plus Stage Manager’s desk and full cue light system. Stagetec also supplied and installed a flexible, dynamic video and co

Tannoy Dual Concentric speakers have been installed into the Cuban-themed restaurant/bar Ipanema in Birmingham to provide a range of sound levels from gentle background music through to foreground reinforcement in the Bar and Restaurant areas. Twelve Tannoy i7 Contour slimline speakers and two CMS 6 TDC ceiling monitors inside the Whitbread-owned restaurant, along with four Tannoy all-weather i5 AW speakers outside, ensured perfect audio coverage for diners. The music-based restaurant featured a natural themed design with cream décor and the Tannoy i7 loudspeakers distributed throughout the bar and main restaurant area were chosen for their discrete and elegant low-profile design, as well as for the high quality music and speech output. Nick Freeman from Birmingham based installers, Total Sound, commented: "We needed a wide, yet controlled coverage to ensure even audio distribution

Nu-Light Systems of Warrington have been awarded with the Warrington & Cheshire Research and Innovation Award for their work on the newly-released laser animator system and its potential markets in signage and the Airoamer, for improving environments. They then went on to receive the overall Award for Warrington & Cheshire Business of the Year 2001. Debbie Clayton, managing director, comments: "We were delighted to receive the Awards, due to the calibre of businesses we were up against, from telecommunications companies to national retail outlets. It is important to us as a team for our work to be recognised outside of the industry. It has further confirmed we are moving in the right direction."

Mike Wake, technical director, added: "Receiving the first Award surpassed our expectations, but Business of the Year is amazing, a real team morale booster. It’s the first

The 26th Sound Broadcasting Equipment Show (SBES) will take place at the NEC in Birmingham from 14-15 November 2001. The way that audio systems within broadcast environments has changed can be described as nothing less than radical: audio networking is the key to how radio stations and studios will see their future and the expansion of products in this sector is likely to witness rapid growth. Companies such as IBM/Jutel, Klotz Digital, and The Oxford Sound Company have been pivotal in the implementation of substantial installations for the BBC and GWR during the course of 2001. "We can set up a studio without having to be concerned about exactly what it is going to do," commented Tim Donaldson, GWR's Technical Director. GWR have recently completed a move to a new studio that is fully networked using Klotz Digital equipment and dining out on the fact that "this is the larg

Screenco has met a production requirement from leading communications agency, Skybridge, for a large, bright mobile screen, to service a series of Channel 4 parties around the UK to celebrate their association with test cricket. Called C4 Summer Tour, the curtain raiser to the England v Australia series took place on July 6 with a beach party in Brighton featuring Fatboy Slim and Groove Armada, and project-managed by Skybridge technical director Lee Eld. In Brighton, the Fatboy Slim set was filmed for a Channel 4 special, transmitted the following week. Screenco provided a trailer-mounted 40sq.m Jumbotron JTS35 CRT daylight video display - the largest of their mobile systems. Lee Eld explained that this year’s tour was the result of a similar series of successful events they carried out for Channel 4 last year. "Working with artistic director and producer, Alex Poots, we have

AC Lighting Inc has announced a complete redesign and restructuring of its website and web policy. By taking the site under their own direct and local control, the website will become more responsive and able to more easily reflect changes in products and services. "By analyzing exactly what our customers wanted the website to achieve, we have radically changed how information is accessed on line with regards to the products that we handle," said Bob Gordon, president and CEO of AC Lighting Inc. Goprdon continued: "People want potentially three things from our website: they want information on a product that we sell, information about us, or they want to quickly and easily download something. Click on a manufacturer’s logo on our home page and you find information on everything that manufacturer sells as well as being able to access manuals, prices, and software abou

David Plail has joined MCL London as head of project management, bringing with him 28 years of industry experience. David comes to MCL from FrameSet Products, a company that he founded over 10 years ago, dedicated to the design, build and supply of diverse conference staging products. "Some people may think it a strange decision," said Plail, "to move away from FrameSet when it is such a successful company. But MCL is a young company with incredible backing from Avesco and it was an opportunity that I couldn’t miss. In the end it was an easy choice to make. It puts me right back into the industry mainstream and will draw heavily on what I have learnt over the years. I am looking forward to the challenge."

In his new role, Plail will be drawing together all existing elements of project management at MCL London and will fine-tune current practices to ensure the

A Cadac J-Type Live Production Console was among the cast for the momentous Three Tenors Concert in Beijing's Forbidden City - the first ‘foreign’ event ever to be staged in this unique venue. Organised by the Chinese National Cultural and Arts, the concert took place on 23rd June 2001 - in front of a live audience of some 30,000 - and was broadcast to over three billion worldwide. A huge temporary stage was erected in front of the entrance to the Emperors' Palace, with the stage area encompassing 300m from front to back. The 72-input two-frame J-Type performed alongside Meyer Sound's new M3D line-array system, with the sound system attracting extensive praise for its quality and subtlety on this remarkable occasion. Sound engineering director, John Pellowe, is responsible for all technical aspects of the Three Tenors concerts, along with Alexander ‘Thorny’ Yuill-

As you would expect, there’s an air of mystery about the new headquarters of the Magic Circle. Those wizards of trickery have spent seven years and £2 million rebuilding and refurbishing to create a new permanent base. At its heart sits an intimate 162-seat theatre, the first theatre to be built in this area of London since the Barbican. Here members of the Magic Circle, and the public, can marvel at the latest prestidigitations. This is no mean box of tricks: the theatre is technically well planned and equipped with the latest technology to cope with both Magic Circle shows, and for special events and corporate hire.

Gradav Sales of London chose a variety of Selecon products to provide the necessary lighting for a wide range of events. Selecon Pacific lanterns were used for front-of-house - the acclaimed optics of these luminaires make them ideal for gobo projection. Behind the

At PLASA 2001, the Coe Tech stand will include the latest launches from top Italian brands Coemar, TAS, and Travel Show, as well as Futurelight from Germany, Poly Optic products from Australia, and smart neon controllers from Fluid Neon Technologies in California.

Coe-tech is launching the Coemar I-Spot 150 at the show, a luminaire for bar, pub, café, restaurant, club, retail and other leisure markets. The I-Spot 150 features an 150W CDM SA/T short arc lightsource, 530° pan and 284° tilt, six interchangeable rotating gobos, seven colours, motorised focusing, strobe effect, sound-to-light mode, master/slave operation and hugely efficient light output for the size of fixture/lightsource. Also on show will be the Coemar CF7 HEX - the latest addition to Coemar’s award-winning hard-edged CF7 range of luminaires. The HEX (hard-edged)

This weekend, 250,000 spectators at the 35th British Grand Prix enjoyed a close-up view of racing heroes Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard, via two 4.8m by 8.1m jumbo TV screens from Screenco, supported by 16.5m high tower structures provided by ESS, the international staging and structure specialist. The 43 tonne screens were located at key spectator spots on the circuit, namely Copse Corner and Chapel Curve and relayed live TV coverage. So far this year, ESS has provided support structures for Wimbledon, the Grand National, the Kentucky Derby and Royal Ascot, as well as the one-day international cricket tests at Lords and Edgbaston, as part of the UK tour by Pakistan. In addition, ESS has also supplied screen supports at Twickenham for various national rugby fixtures. This brings the total number of locations where ESS has provided camera and screen supports to eigh

Laser Studio has supplied and installed an eye-catching laser system into the Ministry of Sound. The Ministry has been at the cutting edge of UK dance and youth culture since the Gaunt Street venue opened in South London in 1991. From day one, the Ministry has always been committed to having the very best in production values. But for the 10 years since its opening, lasers have been absent from the venue at the heart of UK club cool. Ministry’s resident lighting designer Lorenzo Meddi explains: "We thought the time was finally right to infuse the club’s visuals with a laser. The clarity and intensity of light from laser beam is great for suddenly - and immediately - changing an atmosphere."

Lorenzo operates the laser and lighting systems himself during the Ministry’s two public nights - Friday and Saturday. He uses the laser thoughtfully. In addition to the

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