The Le Mark Group is organizing a select Lighting & Sound Industry Track Day at the Ron Haslam Race School, Donington Park. If you have a passion, or have always wanted to know what if feels like to ride a 900cc FireBlade motorcycle around Donington Park, now is your chance to find out. Everything is included in the price - bike, clothing and the instructor. Le Mark has pre-booked a number of discounted places for the Track Day. If you are interested in joining us, then visit the Le Mark stand at this year's PLASA Show for more information.
If the 'driving' is not your thing, you can always test your nerves by riding pillion behind Ron Haslam himself around Donington Park - highly recommended, but hold on tight. Le Mark is offering the chance for one lucky person to win a free place on t
This year’s PLASA Show marks a celebration of the 40 Anniversary of Audio-Technica, and sees the company continue its long tradition of introducing significant new products at PLASA. With the ink having only recently dried on an exclusive UK distribution deal with US manufacturer Sabine, the range of digital signal processors and spread spectrum wireless equipment can be seen for the first time on an Audio-Technica stand at PLASA 2002.
Audio-Technica representatives will be on hand alongside their Sabine partners to talk visitors through the product range. Also shown for the first time in the UK will be three new additions to the Artiste Elite series of professional performance microphones, a range designed specifically to extend the capabilities of today's most sophisticated live sound systems. The new AE5100, AE3000 and AE2500 instrument mics complement the established AE perfo
Alistage provided several of their ‘Alidome’ roof structures were used throughout the country during the Jubilee celebrations, by a variety of event organisers. Alidomes were used by local authority festivals in Newham, Wandsworth and Canterbury. BBC Wales also hired in an Alidome for their event, held in Cardiff Castle. Stratford-upon-Avon council also became the first user of their new Eclipse winch-controlled ground support system. Many other jobs had to be satisfied on a dry-hire only basis, because of the increased demand, which saw some 200 additional stage units being manufactured.
Alistage was also involved in some of the street visits which the Queen undertook in London, one in particular involving the construction of a ‘gold’ circular podium in the East-end. The stage came from standard equipment, but the police only allowed a 30-minute build time, whi
Australian-based lighting control system designer and manufacturer, LSC Lighting Systems, has announced the forthcoming release of the PaTPad Moving Light Module for their popular maXim range of consoles. Utilizing Resistive Touch Screen Technology, the PaTPad is capable of controlling up to 20 intelligent lighting fixtures at any one time. The PaTPad’s advanced features include programmable palettes, presets and groups, extensive filtering options, cloning of looks, multiple storage options and a comprehensive fixture library.
All features are seamlessly integrated through the PaTPad’s unique and easy-to-use interface. A touch screen and bright LED dot matrix display replaces the rotary wheels, buttons and poor viewing angle LCD displays that are found on conventional Moving Light Controllers. The touch screen can be moused or tapped to select looks and positions, while th
Crown International has appointed Brian Divine to the position of marketing communications manager. Reporting to Mark Graham, Crown International vice president of marketing, Divine is now responsible for overseeing the manufacturer’s marketing budget, media placements, advertising and public relations agencies, trade show coordination, literature production and other related tasks. He is also being called upon to provide statistical forecasting for product sales as it pertains to the allocation of marketing funds.
From May of 1999 through May of 2000, Divine was employed as part of Crown’s internal sales and support team. Leaving to finish up his Economics degree at Indiana University, South Bend (IUSB), he spent the spring of 2001 conducting a semester-long internship and research project deriving a sales forecasting model for the company - a model that he now utilizes in
Stagetec, exclusive UK distributor for Compulite products, has sold its first Rave moving light console into the UK rental market. The Rave was launched at last month's ABTT show, and the first one was snapped up by Terry Tew Lighting. The console - billed as 'the next generation of lighting control for the club and live market', is a new, compact lighting control desk from Compulite aimed specifically at the Club/DJ market, and for small venues wanting low-cost, versatile moving light control.
Terry Tew Lighting is a sound, lighting and AV rental house, specializing in all areas of corporate events, product launches, industrial shows and exhibitions. They also offer technical management for all types of projects. The Rave was chosen by lighting designer Kevin Cramner, who went to Stagetec for a demo and bought it on the spot for TTL. The desk went straight out on its first show where
Tomcat’s second annual Las Vegas Motor School is sweeping through the Western Region this year hot on the heels of LDI 2002. The workshop, scheduled for 21 and 22 of October, will be held at 4 Wall Entertainment and consists of a full day of motor instruction taught by Don Dimitroff of Columbus McKinnon, a half-day of fall protection led by Morgan Neff of Mine Safety Appliances, and a half-day of truss design, use and theory taught by Keith Bohn from Tomcat USA. In other Tomcat training news, the annual Tomcat Hoist and Rigging Workshop will be hosted by Tomcat USA in Midland, Texas, from 5-8 February 2003. Recognized worldwide as one of the most comprehensive training courses of its kind, the Hoist and Rigging Workshop is a unique learning opportunity for those new to the entertainment industry, as well as veterans of the business.
Avesco plc has sold its broadcast television studio business, Fountain Studios, for £7 million to Medal Entertainment and Media plc, subject to the approval of both companies’ shareholders. The amount is made up by a combination of £5.5 million in cash and £1.5 million in securities.
The move fulfils Avesco’s intention to focus on providing its core services to the events market. David Nicholson, Avesco’s chief executive, told us: "Fountain has been a good solid business for us, but there are limited synergy benefits, with virtually no relationship with any other group company. The cash we have generated from this sale allows us to cut our debt still further. We have taken actions this past year to reduce our debt rapidly. Following completion of this transaction, the Group’s net debt figure will stand at less than £11 million, having been more than hal
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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.
Wharfedale Pro loudspeakers are fast becoming the de facto standard for installation in Kuala Lumpur’s busy restaurant areas. Amizan Arrifin of CK Music, has just finished a string of installs in Malaysia culminating in Zino's Cafe & Pub (at Changkat Raja Chulan).
The outlet is located in an area popular among back-packers from other countries. Here they are welcomed by the sound of two pairs of Wharfedale Pro LA-15P which are used to playback both live performance, which the venue has now introduced, as well as piped-in music. Meanwhile, Sakura Cafe & Cuisine has been a popular restaurant since the 1970s, serving a mix of local and continental food. As part of the recent renovation works, the owners opted to include nine pairs of Wharfedale Pro Force 1, distributed around the two floors of the restaurant, to provide easy listening for the diners.
Jane Monk is to leave Pulsar after 11 eleven successful years with the company. She will leave her position as marketing manager after this year’s PLASA show to take on the development of her family business, following the recent death of her father. Andy Graves commented: "Pulsar would like to take this opportunity to thank Jane for her efforts and wish her every success for the future."p>(Ruth Rossington)
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
Hayden Laboratories, UK distributors for Rane, have announced that Grandmaster Flash - founder of modern Hip Hop - is launching the new Rane Empath mixer on their stand at PLASA 2002.
Rane and Flash have worked together to design the Empath. In addition to doing a number of sessions on the Hayden stand (Monday 9 September at 3.00pm; Tuesday 10 at midday and 5pm) Flash will also demo Empath at the Ministry of Sound on Tuesday 10 September, playing a set in the Bar, between 11.30pm and 1.30am.
The Empath joins an impressive line up of Rane mixers already in use at the Ministry. The Empath is the first 3-channel, 10" format mixer to offer big-board features and studio quality sound. The mixer is feature packed, while also being easy and intuitive to use. Rane consulted the Grandmaster from the early stages of the mixer’s development, and Flash is responsible for many of the m
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
Thursday 4th July saw the first customer delivery, anywhere in the world, of the new Klark Teknik DN9340 ‘Helix’ digital equalizer. EFX Audio of Edinburgh took delivery of the first six units sporting serial numbers 001 to 006 from LMC Audio in Birmingham.
EFX had placed its order months before, solely on the basis of a description of Helix. According to EFX managing director John Ramsay: "From previous experience we knew that KT would produce a benchmark product which would be a much sought-after unit and a step forward for us, so we had no hesitation in being the very first customer."
Klark Teknik international sales manager David Wiggins was on hand to thank EFX personally for their early adoption of the new device. "EFX have beaten everyone out of the blocks this time in demonstrating their ongoing commitment to KT, which is a great affirmation for us
Right on cue for the forthcoming trade shows, MA Lighting is launching new software for its grandMA range. The new version - 4.0 - is characterized by its extensive network functions. Key features are the multi-user environment and the master-master operating mode. The ‘Worlds’ new Pool-System enables it to classify moving lights and fixtures to single users. Moreover users can also select special user rights for these moving lights and fixtures.Communication between operators is ensured via a network (Chat) facility.
Another new feature is the Live-Patch which runs through the command line, as well as a fixture schedule and DMX patch designed to meet customer demands. Users can assign any individual fixture and channel ID to the dimmers and moving lights in order to control the dimmers by faders and show these on the channel sheet. The ‘Matrix’ function allows
Hayden Laboratories, UK distributor for Rane, has supplied HHB with three Rane NM84 CobraNET Mics for an installation at Trinity College of Music’s new facility in Greenwich, London.
The CobraNET system, developed by Peak Audio, runs full bandwidth audio through computer cables, removing the need for lots of heavy cabling. Rane has developed this system further by creating a device so the mics can be input at one end, the cables fed through, and then picked up again at the other end. Before the move to the new site, Trinity College’s recording technician Kit Venables knew that the facility would need a multi-track audio system, but was concerned about the restrictions of the listed building - the old Greenwich military hospital. Ian Downs of Hayden Labs and Martin O'Donnell of HHB (who had previously supplied the college with equipment) were approached by Venables, and coll
Color Kinetics Inc, the intelligent LED illumination specialist, has launched two new products designed to help end-users maximise the potential of the company’s LED illumination fixtures: The PDS-150e and PDS-500e simplify installations of Color Kinetics fixtures by combining both power and data capabilities in one economical source. PDS-150 offers a robust 150W power source and intelligent data drive circuitry for all Color Kinetics UL Class 2 listed fixtures (all bColor Series products and all iColor Series products with the exception of iColor Accent). PDS-500e offers a robust 500W power source and intelligent data drive circuitry for all Color Kinetics UL Class 1 listed fixtures (iColor Accent).
PDS-150e and PDS-500e have been designed with a number of features which make specifying and installing Color Kinetics intelligent illumination fixtures a breeze. Both products incor
"It's my fifth Falcon Club convention," notes lighting designer Tim Ball. "In the past, the shows have been in Bali, Jamaica and on a cruise liner bobbing about on the Med. This year it was Bermuda!" No stranger to dealing with challenges, for this show Tim had to overcome a tight budget, limited freight capacity on the charter aircraft used to ship equipment to the show, the 120V operating voltage at the venue, and the need for the rig to be adaptable enough to light both a business meeting and a gala dinner with cabaret in the same room. To help face these challenges, he turned to Colourhouse.
For the maximum punch from a small package, Ball opted to use the Martin MAC 300 washlight and MAC 250 spotlight, rounding the rig out with ETC Source Four profiles, which were fitted with Morpheus ColorFader colour changers and used to provide a precisely-focussed, colour-c
Star Hire (Event Services) Ltd provided the staging for ‘Feel the Noise 2002’, a series of five Emap radio roadshows. Star Hire supplied a mixture of their mobile SS 15-12V StarStages and VT 15 stages for the event, flanked by screens on either side of the stage and triangular PA towers, provided by SSE. The tour included a variety of venues including Newcastle, Blackburn, Liverpool and Hull, for their respective radio stations.
The events, production managed by ClearChannel, featured Blue, Darius and the talented Sugar Babes amongst the artists, with Gareth Gates closing the show, much to the delight of the 25,000 strong crowd. The central stage was 15m wide, 12m deep and 10m high with a stage height of 1.8m. Each stage was constructed in its ‘Vista’ layout with screamers or 'ego-platforms' extending in front of the screens which were set back to improve audien
Coldplay’s lighting designer Bryan Leitch has invested in his first purchase of SGM Giotto 400 Spots, 14 of which he’s using for Coldplay’s 2002 world tour, which has just kicked off in Europe. The SGM fixtures were supplied to Leitch’s company, Siyan, by SGM’s UK distributor Lightfactor Sales.
Siyan specializes in designing for up-coming bands, and developing LDs and design concepts with the band as they gain profile. Leitch - who has vast experience of all the major moving light fixtures on the market - chose the SGMs after careful consideration, and following a demo by Lightfactor. He was looking for a small, bright fixture for the start of the Coldplay tour - which plays in a vast assortment of venues. "Giottos are great value for money," says Leitch. "I looked at everything available - and chose the fixture most suitable for my design b
At PLASA this year, Mackie Designs Inc is introducing its new SWA1801 high-output 18-inch active subwoofer. The 900W SWA1801 is designed specifically for portable live sound applications, as well as fixed-installation in venues such as nightclubs, churches and corporate facilities.
"The SWA1801 fills a much needed niche in our growing family of sound reinforcement speakers - the subwoofer position between the SR1501 and Fussion subwoofers," explained Ivan Schwartz, corporate director, Global Sound Reinforcement Product and Market Development. "We pulled out all the stops with this one. From the RCF Precision transducer to a new port design, we are very proud of the new 1801."
The newly designed RCF Precision transducer features a unique 4-inch inside/outside wound voice coil with composite polyamide former construction that provides improved power handling capabi