At Celestion’s HQ in Ipswich, Richard Vivian has been promoted to the position of marketing manager, Professional Product Division. Vivian joined Celestion from the R&D department of Turbosound three years ago. As Celestion’s product manager for Professional Systems, he has been instrumental in the development and promotion of a number of key products, including the CXi range of sound reinforcement loudspeaker systems, which has been successful in opening up new opportunities and markets for the Celestion brand.

With his detailed knowledge and experience of the professional audio and music industries, Vivian will now be taking on marketing responsibility for the entire Professional Division, which includes the growing range of Professional Component (raw-frame) loudspeakers.

The exclusive Turnberry Hotel in Ayrshire has selected a Bose sound system as part of an upgrade of music systems throughout the hotel, spa and golf club house. The decision to go with Bose followed Jim Wilson’s (the Turnberry’s technical services manager), consultation with RA Communications of Stirling, to find a system that would deliver a full, rich sound, yet remain discreet.

A Bose Freespace 3 system, consisting of eight satellite cube speakers and two bass units, has been installed in the Turnberry Restaurant - a large room with traditional high ceilings. Freespace 3 systems are also employed in the Spa Terrace and Ailsa Lounge. The Turnberry has also chosen Bose for its new development of 12 luxury lodges and nine cottages, located in the grounds of the hotel. Bose Wave Radio/CDs have been spec’d in each of the lounges.

(Ruth Rossington)

Screenco has provided the LED screens for the ongoing TV programme Pop Idol. Set designer Andy Walmsley - whose company A1 Set was commissioned by Thames Television - provided Screenco with a brief to deliver the visual display element of the Pop Idol show.

The series - divided into three elements - consisted of various open auditions staged in hotel conference rooms throughout the country, followed by the ‘semi finals’ which took place at a staged ‘rehearsal room’ in Teddington Studios, ending with the ten week finals hosted at Fountain Studios in Wembley. Walmsley - who also designed the worldwide-copied ‘Who Wants to Be A Millionaire’ studio set - told us: "Pop Idol has been fascinating as a design brief, especially because the series has been in three parts. We started with a large video cube wall and one lonely plasma screen at Teddington S

At the close of last year, TC Group, the Danish parent company of TC Electronic, TCWorks and TC-Helicon, tabled a proposal to the shareholders of TGI plc to purchase their holdings in the company. That offer has now been formally accepted by the shareholders.

"I am very happy that the offer has been accepted," says Anders Fauerskov, CEO at TC Group. "The timing is perfect for a co-operation in technology like this, as the market of today clearly shows a need for an innovative fusion of technologies. Within the new TC Group, we now have the acoustics knowledge, driver technology, digital signal processing know-how, and amplification and power supply skills to make a major impact in the future market for integrated solutions."

TGI plc is a holding-company which covers four companies in the speaker market - Tannoy, Martin Audio, Lab Gruppen and GLL.

TC Group repr

The recent inclusion of Coemar within the Stanton Group, following the acquisition of a controlling interest in the company by Tracoman Inc, has led to the appointment of Animatec SA as the sole agent for Coemar Spa in Switzerland. Silvio Cibien of Animatec commented: "We are convinced that the strong synergy created by this distribution agreement will be a benefit for all our partners."

The move adds further strength to Animatec SA’s distribution portfolio, which also includes top lighting brand such as MA Lighting and Pulsar along with pro audio brands such as Ecler, Stanton and D.A.S. Audio.

(Lee Baldock)

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ETC Halcyon Silent

High End Systems Halcyon Silent builds on ETC’s legacy of fanless automated fixtures by incorporating features from the highly sought-after Halcyon family. Halcyon Silent perfectly balances silent operation with brilliant output of 18,400 lumens and high-impact features. 

For more information visit us at www.etcconnect.com

Creative sound design and installation specialists CP Sound has completed its latest project in an on-going series of Zinc Bar & Grill venues for Conran Restaurants. Zinc Birmingham was a great challenge, as the background music system had to sound natural and all sound equipment had to be concealed without a wire in sight, blending seamlessly with the clean interior of the building. Thirdly, the downstairs DJ area - for parties, late bar nights and special occasions - had to avoid noise spillage into the main dining area above.

CP Sound’s Colin Pattenden reveals that they excelled themselves in the invisibility department. By the time the CP Sound team had finished the install, the only visible evidence of any sound was four neat volume controls by the downstairs bar. CP Sound utilised JBL speakers throughout, as they have in other Conran establishments, using speakers from the

Architectural lighting specialists i-Vision has completed a lighting design and supplied all necessary instruments and fixtures for the permanent illumination of Merseyside Police Authority’s (MPA) HQ in central Liverpool.

i-Vision was approached for the project - part of the ongoing scheme to light landmark building in the City of Liverpool - by Tony Woof, chief executive of Liverpool Architecture and Design Trust (LADT). I-Vision’s brief was to produce an interesting and cost-effective design to transform this somewhat imposing looking building into an attractive, integrated element of the landscape.

LADT has been overseeing the River of Light project, which started with a massive light, laser, projection and visuals show for the town on Millennium Eve. It completes with the lighting of eight key buildings in Liverpool - the last of which is the Police Authority HQ. Wit

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Create new traditions – Cameo P6 - High Output Full-Spectrum Ellipsoidal

Cameo's P6 is a future-proof LED profiler with a powerful 600 W RGBACL engine and 16,000 lumens. It’s an energy-efficient replacement for 2.5 kW halogen profile lights in theatres and venues. With excellent light quality and natural colour rendering, it fits perfectly in theatres, musicals, TV studios, congresses, and live events.

With an LED life of 50,000 hours and low power use, the P6 cuts energy costs and supports the EU’s ‘Green Deal’ goals for climate neutrality by 2050. It also meets updated eco-design rules for lighting.

www.cameolight.com/p6profile

London-based rental company FX Music has pledged its future in a world outside line array by making a major commitment to Martin Audio’s Wavefront 8 utility sound reinforcement system.According to Dave Beck, who has run FX Music with brother Alan since 1985, the 32 Wavefront 8C/24 x WSX system - purchased from the London office of LMC Audio - will give them capability to provide coverage of 1,000-seat auditoria, and tie them into the Martin Audio Wavefront rental network, which also includes Capital Sound Hire, Adlib Audio and CAV.

Explaining the rationale, Dave Beck said: "We specialise in single events for promoters such as Metropolis and SJM - whether it be rock ’n’ roll one-offs or classical spectaculars - as well as corporate shows. We don’t do sufficient arena work to warrant a line array but we wanted a system that was flexible, at the same time offe

Lighthouse LED video screens are at the heart of the installation of a custom-designed outdoor poster advertising screen at Bournemouth International Centre. Adaptable to both outdoor and indoor poster and retail sites, and capable of displaying images alongside ‘split screen’ text messages, the LED billboard concept is being pioneered in the UK by Lighthouse and, at Bournemouth, its integrator partner, Advantage Displays Ltd and screen owner/operator Inter-City Ads.

Nine panels of Lighthouse LVP20 (20mm pixel pitch) screen have been installed. Regular maintenance is provided by Lighthouse, but at the BIC, there is no facility to do this from within the building so to cater for this, a special mounting structure allows the screen to be hinged forward for maintenance work. The screen also has the ability to show two independently-controllable images on the screen at any one

During the night of Wednesday 23 January, a complete set of 32 Vari-Lite VL5 wash luminaires were stolen out of a trailer belonging to Belgium-based EML Productions. The fixtures were en route from Austria to Belgium, and it is believed that the theft occurred somewhere in Germany. The set included 32 VL5 luminaires with standard cabling, smart repeaters and truss hooks; they were packed in six six-hole black plastic Vari-Lite cases and two grey plastic Vari-Lite cable cases.

If anyone has any information regarding the whereabouts of this equipment, please contact Dirk Bosloirs at EML Productions NV in Brussels - telephone: +32 16 61 71 18 or at the e-mail address below.

(Lee Baldock)

Giant screen project manager Giles Conte, who recently left Screenco after six years with the company, has embarked on a freelance career as a project manager and technician. Giles takes with him a wealth of knowledge and expertise and is very optimistic about the future of LED, with its emergence as an information relay device and creative visual medium for both rock ‘n’ roll and the corporate market.

(Lee Baldock)

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, that most famous and best-loved of films, is coming to the London stage in a new production being billed as 'the most fantasmagorical stage musical in the history of everything.' And White Light and The Moving Light Company have been selected to provide the lighting equipment that will create the amazing effects required.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang the musical will open at the London Palladium in April, in a new production adapted from the film by Jeremy Sams and directed by Adrian Noble, the artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company. The show is being designed by Anthony Ward, with lighting by multiple Olivier-award winner Mark Henderson - a nominee for this year's lighting Olivier.

With the show set to fill every inch of the Palladium stage - and beyond, with a sequence involving Chitty flying out and over the heads of the audience being planne

Soundcraft has introduced the 328XD digital mixing console, the next generation of the popular Digital 328 production mixer, now offering dynamics processing on every channel, group and mix path. With the 328XD, Soundcraft has further broadened the desk’s functionality from straight sound mixing to production and control of sequencers and desktop synths. This will enable it to be the production control center for computers, DAWs and dedicated hard disk recorders, including dynamic automation and moving faders.

Designed for use straight out of the box, the 328XD control surface needs little explanation, and virtually all functions are easily accessible through the mixer’s unique ‘E-Strip’. This can act as a horizontal channel strip, controlling EQ and aux sends, or a dynamics control panel, or as level controls for the tape returns.

The 328XD also boasts a new

Yves Pépin, president and artistic director of ECA2, and his team are gearing up for the début of ECA2’s new nightly multimedia show, ‘Miroir d’Uranie’ (‘Uranie’s Mirror’), beginning on 2 February at the Futuroscope Park near Poitiers, France. "Uranie is the name of an as-yet undiscovered star that plays a leading role in the show," explained Pépin. "She is one of a number of characters, both touching and fantastical, who appear in the show. There’ll also be Billy la Bulle (Billy the Bubble), a flying fish; Pegasus; Venus; and an elderly fisherman who goes on a dazzling trip through the universe. The fable, the story of an impossible trip through the galaxies, unites classical mythology with ultra-modern multimedia techniques. It will warm the heart even as it dazzles spectators with its special effects."

The specta

Sony has introduced launched the latest additions to its WL800 Series UHF radio microphone system, using recent innovations to provide increased operating frequencies, bringing greater flexibility for users.

The addition of the ‘B’ versions comes at the same time as two new products: for ENG use is a new single-unit, camera-mounting dual-channel diversity receiver (the WRR-862B), while a new handheld transmitter (the WRT-847B) with five interchangeable capsule options (female vocal, male vocal, speech, shotgun and ENG) brings greater flexibility to a range of applications.

The new additions are all compatible with the existing WL800 ‘A’ and Freedom models, but can operate in any 24MHz frequency block between 470MHz and 862MHz, including the lower TV channel ranges which were previously unusable for wireless microphones because of the size of components require

Northern Light has announced a restructuring programme to take the business forward in 2002. A key development is the launch of Immedia Systems, a new audio-visual division located in Reading. The new premises include workshop and stores areas, as well a large office suite and conference room. Immedia aims to build on Northern Light's established reputation and extensive experience in the AV installation's business, providing engineering led solutions. According to the company, the move will allow "greater strategic focus in this specialized industry, enabling a more effective response to the market and customer needs".

Richard Passman heads up a highly-trained specialist projects team including programmer Nick Nurock, sales engineer Dave Pritchard and AV engineers, Andy Macdonald, Steve Dishon, Derek Heeps and Graham Lawton, who recently rejoined the company from Dubai. The

There’s no doubt that S Club 7’s second UK tour will be highly successful, thanks to the expertise of Summit Steel, who were called in by CV Production’s Chris Vaughan, the tour’s production manager.

"As with all things, the key to success lies in good forward planning and design. The rigging design involved a great deal of CAD drawing," said Summit Steel’s Chris Walker. "Having been awarded the contract on 1 November, by the time the tour went into rehearsal on Jan 10, we were already working with draft 8 of the rigging plot. Our extensive touring experience allowed us to co-ordinate all the rigging information from the tour’s various designers and suppliers," continued Walker. "We then liaised extensively with all the venues and their house rigging contractors to ensure that load-ins would run smoothly."

To rig the s

Pulsar has announced the latest introduction to the ChromaRange family - the ChromaPanel. The ChromaPanels are 590mm square panels which utilize 132 LEDs to create a vivid panel of colour making it ideal for 600mm grid suspended ceilings or decorative wall displays. For more information on the ChromaPanel and to download the new edition of the ChromaRange brochure please visit the Pulsar website at the address below.

(Lee Baldock)

Color Kinetics has introduced ColorDial, an architecturally-styled, dial controller that offers the ability to control Color Kinetics digital LED-based lighting fixtures at the simple push and twist of a dial. With ColorDial, users have increased flexibility and access to a wide variety of lighting effects in a simple-to-use interface that can be seamlessly integrated into any environment, from residential to corporate, retail to hospitality.

ColorDial’s control knob allows users to change between a variety of pre-programmed colours and colour changing effects - fixed colour, colour wash, three chasing rainbow settings, random colour, random fade, and white light - without any added programming or setting of dipswitches. Users simply press the dial-knob to select the desired effect for their lighting set-up. Once the effect has been chosen, users can then change the speed of the

Bandit Lites has got off to an early start on what could be a record-breaking year. The company has already signed up ten new acts this year with further signings in the pipeline. Recently added to the roster of clients is Luis Miguel (LD Fabian Boggino) who is touring the world with a huge system featuring the Bandit MotoData truss cueing system and a plethora of Martin MACs. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (LD Keith Wissmar) are set to take a bigger system than ever before into arenas for their ‘Tour of America’. Toby Keith (LD Eddie ‘Bones’ Connell), takes his unique form of country music around the states this spring, not to mention a High End Systems rig unlike any other Bandit has ever done before.

Lonestar (LD Alex Krompic) head to Canada with a versatile High End Systems moving light rig allowing the group to play venues of all sizes whilst Acquire the Fir

Autograph Sound Recording began the year on a charitable note, designing and supplying the sound system, free of charge, for the UKC Hero Awards ceremony, held at the Dorchester Hotel, London, on 9 January.

Sir Elton John was the recipient of the UKC (UK Coalition of People Living with HIV and AIDS) Hero Award, held in celebration of World AIDS Day, in recognition of his outstanding contribution towards the continuing fight against the disease. Autograph's Lee Dennison installed Meyer Sound loudspeakers in the Dorchester's Ball Room, using MSL-2s together with USW-1P subs.

Meanwhile, the Olivier-award winning 'Five Guys Named Moe', which entertained West End audiences for many years, is about to hit the road with a complete Autograph sound and communications touring system. The show will be visiting over 20 venues around the UK and will have less than 48 hours to de-rig in one theatr

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