After embarking on a successful new line-up of lighting fixtures over the past 12 months, Coemar has now turned its attention to developing a range of unique tools that will become a vital part of every lighting operator’s tool kit. The DR-1 is a remote device which virtually eliminates the need to gain access to fixtures when programming or servicing lighting equipment. This diagnostic instrument allows the functions (and history) of a fixture to be monitored and interrogated from anywhere in a venue. Offering bi-directional communication with the fixtures (which ‘talk back’ to the device over a normal 3-core DMX cable), when inserted into the DMX 512A chain, the DR-1 will replicate all functions and information, which until now were accessed only via a fixture’s o

With top promotion team DAD on board, fabric’s Dave Parry as technical consultant and legendary Back to Basics and Union club nights moving across town, the new 800-capacity Rehab in the heart of Leeds’ Exchange quarter, has gone straight into overdrive. The new venue, which opened this month, is sited on Assembly Street in a Grade 1 listed, 17th century building.

Much of the club’s immediate success is attributable to the explosion of kinetic energy witnessed by punters on the opening weekend, when they queued down the street to experience Leeds’ latest venue. The installation was carried out by Jonathan Reece’s Harrogate-based Funtime Music. The sound and lighting specialists have a history of installing owner, Chris Edwards’ clubs - such as Space in Leeds and Birdcage - and were asked to assist in the conversion of the building previously trading

Industry consultant Peter Ed is all set to achieve exactly that: take on the challenge of climbing 14,000ft over just one October weekend in Morocco. In the name of charity, Peter and his wife will be scaling Mount Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa, located in the High Atlas Mountain Range. The couple will be raising money for ARK - Absolute Return for Kids - a charity established to transform the lives of children who are victims of abuse, disability, illness and poverty. Last year, ARK raised nearly £1.5m from an awards dinner plus a trek to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and they're hoping to top this figure for 2002.

Locally, Mount Toubkal is known as Adrar n'Dem: Mountain of Mountains. The area is the most popular trekking destination in Northern Africa and is home to some of the most beautiful and dramatic scenery in the world. The biggest problem for climbers is the a

CKS Entertainment Systems, one of the UK’s fastest growing distributors of plasma screens, has strengthened its sales focus by expanding to a seven-strong team and appointing Geoff Stevens to the newly created role of sales director.

The new team brings a wealth of individual expertise within the sales and distribution sector. Stevens, previously general manager of the Battery Sales Group at Panasonic Industrial Europe UK, will head the division overseeing sales of all plasma and flat screen technology. He will be supported by three business managers, former CRT flat panel display and projector specialists, Mike Clayton and Geraldine Neilly, as well as Jit Mistry who, until recently, was an AV sales specialist for House of Fraser. Internal sales members Anne Evans, Andrea Horton and Hannah Clemo, complete the team.

The team will report to CKS Group managing director, Chris Ste

Following the continued growth of Cambridgeshire-based 5 Star Cases Ltd, the company has recently undertaken major changes to its management structure. Jim Willis, the current managing director, has taken the decision to plan for his retirement in a few years by handing over the day to day running of the company to the current technical director, Keith Sykes.

Sykes, who becomes works director (MD designate) has been with 5 Star since 1991 when the company acquired Pro-Tect Cases, the Ipswich-based manufacturer which he ran for six years. "The growth of the company over the last few years has seen 5 Star become a leading name in the case industry. It's down to a professional approach and hard work from everybody in the company," explains Sykes. Justin Locks, the current production manager is promoted to general manager, overseeing both the production and administration facilit

Stanton’s new SMX-501 has been designed as a hybrid three-channel, techno/scratch mixer, which will appeal to both the turntablist and club/rave DJs alike. The impressive list of features includes: Effects loop, which can be assigned to each individual channel, plus the mic; Custom high-quality Penny & Giles crossfader with VCA curve; adjustment and crossfader assign; Assignable crossfader (A, B, Bypass); VCA crossfader curve control and reverse; Curve control and reverse on Line faders; Each channel features gain control, slider pan, and a versatile three-band EQ with complete kill; Balanced XLR master output (unbalanced RCA also provided); Booth output; Rotatable three-position phono/line switch with flash feature; Separate channel input and master output LED meters.

Stanton have also announced that the DFX-1, claimed as the world’s first trackball-controlled audio signal

A new website for freelance professionals and employers in the UK and beyond has been launched at www.freelanceshowstaff.co.uk. The site has taken two years to develop, making it a very versatile and user-friendly service for the whole entertainment industry - a market sector which relies heavily of freelance labour. A mix of useful information combined with valuable functions, the website is designed for both employees and employers. Since its launch earlier this summer, the site has registered over 200 freelancers and 80 companies - from more than 20 different disciplines including audio, lighting, carpentry, rigging, scenery, stage management and wardrobe.

Potential employers can check a specific registered freelancer’s availability or search for new ones, as well as placing job advertisements. They can search by name

Delta Sound Inc, the London-based sound company, has made a substantial investment in BSS Soundwebs, adding 25 units to its inventory specifically to handle its contract for the recent Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Delta’s head of technical Mark Underwood, the stadium project manager for the ceremonies and the games, used a total of 32 BSS DSP units within a fibre optic infrastructure to create one of the most extensive temporary Soundweb installations ever designed. From the hub at the front-of-house position, Soundwebs provided the signal distribution highway for Delta's audio installation throughout the City of Manchester Stadium, distributing to six remote amplifier sites via fibre optic cable, and managing all the matrix routing and outboard processing.

"If we hadn't had the Soundweb technology and the line length the fibre offered us, we simply couldn't have done t

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Arcadia Group Plc recently had a helping hand from Skan PA Hire, the Reading-based sound rental company, at their annual London conference. Skan provided seven separate sound systems for the event, which took place at the Business Design Centre London - just days after headline news broke of Arcadia's take over by Phillip Green, owner of BHS and other well-known high street stores.

Skan were asked to supply systems to cover all aspects of the two-day event, which included a central stage, for all 400 attendees to watch fashion shows and hear from key speakers. While six further systems were spread around the venue in break out areas. Brand experience company Hotcakes provided all creative work and production management for the event.

Skan supplied a mixed system, including Turbosound TQ440 self-powered full-range loudspeakers, together with JBL C25s for the main conference room. Vari

One of Hand Held Audio's more challenging clients recently has been shock dance act the Prodigy. Hand Held has been supplying Shure SM58 hand-held, guitar and PSM 600 in-ear radio systems to the band on a one-off basis since January as they prepare for the release of their next album.

The band has been extremely busy with festivals in Australia, USA, Ireland, Belgium, Mount Fuji in Japan, plus of course the recent Mean Fiddler festivals in Reading, Leeds and Glasgow over the August Bank Holiday weekend, where Prodigy headlined. According to Hand Held's Nick Bruce Smith, the challenge has nothing to do with the gear spec, which is straightforward enough, although the licensing element has been time consuming given the number of different countries and sites the band has covered. The interesting part is seeing the state of the equipment on its return. "We just never know quite what

Hillsong Church in Sydney incorporates two major worship centres, a city-wide network of cell groups and contributing ministries and outreach services. It was set up in the early 1980s by New Zealanders Brian and Bobbie Houston, who saw the need to provide people in Sydney’s North West with an active, contemporary church. Today it is possibly the largest church in Australian history, operating from a 21-acre site in a modern business park in the Hills district, and from a contemporary facility near the heart of Sydney’s CBD. With a congregation of over 12,000, the reputation of the church continues to expand and has a dynamic influence both domestically and internationally.

Hillsong Church had been planning to build a larger auditorium since moving into its current building four years ago. With only two worship centres - one holding 1,500 at Baulkham Hills in Sydney's north

Martin Audio has launched ViewPoint - a Windows-based programme developed to enable W8L line array users to quickly configure their system to suit a particular venue. Straight line arrays are highly directional in the vertical plane - a long, straight array will produce an extremely narrow angle at high frequencies - in some cases 1° or less. Consequently, line arrays need to be physically curved in the vertical plane to cover the audience. In a typical array, the top boxes usually have a flat or shallow curvature and the lower boxes are increasingly splayed.

Up to now, arriving at the optimum curvature to achieve the most even coverage for a particular venue has been a largely hit-and-miss process. The problem is too complex to be solved by simple reasoning alone, and analytical tools that simulate the acoustic properties of each element in the array are required to determine the ove

Nexo SA has responded to growing worldwide demand for its advanced loudspeaker system technology by creating three international sales regions. Denis Baudier, international sales director, will have primary responsibility for Europe, the Middle East and Africa: he will be based at the Nexo SA factory in Roissy, France. Meanwhile, James Yeung of Nexo Far East Pte Ltd will supervise the company’s distribution in the Pacific Rim from Nexo’s headquarters in Singapore whilst David Solari, CEO of Nexo USA, will direct Nexo operations in North and South America from the company’s offices in San Rafael, CA.

"As the worldwide customer base for Nexo technology expands, we are responding to a need for increased support and training," explains Nexo managing director Michael Johnson. "These three areas of the world have unique characteristics and opportunities, and

During the recent PLASA Show came the announcement that Midas has appointed LMC Audio Systems as Executive Agent for its mixing console range. The announcement, made by Midas UK sales manager Richard Ferriday, follows the successful commercial relationship forged between the two companies over the past five years, which has seen LMC implement a very successful market diversification programme to further increase the rentability of the growing Midas range for all users.

Ferriday confirmed that the new agreement signalled a close, full working partnership between the factory and LMC, offering Midas customers for the first time, factory contact, whilst increasing the package of commercial tools on offer through LMC.

LMC Audio managing director Paul Hinkly was delighted with the new appointment. "The Midas brand has been and continues to be the most stable console brand to buy, o

Leading lighting supplier LCA (Lights, Camera, Action Ltd) has announced the addition of a new member to the team. Dave Short has taken the role of sales office manager at the Greenford office. Short has worked in the lighting industry for 15 years and was most recently at Lighting Technology Sales in London. Short commented: "I am very happy and excited to take this challenging role and am looking forward to working with a good team of people who are all dedicated to making LCA a success."

Nick Shapley, managing director of LCA, told us: "Dave has a vast wealth of knowledge and a lot of respect with colleagues in the industry. We are all very pleased to welcome him to the team."

(Lee Baldock)

Marquee Audio has fulfilled a request from the UCL Bloomsbury to supply and install a new Martin Audio front-of-house sound system in their auditorium, along with BSS Soundweb control blocks which will allow the expandability the venue requires in the future.

The UCL Bloomsbury is a two-level auditorium (accommodating 400 in the stalls and 150 in the circle), owned by University College London and built in the 1960s. Though housed in a concrete edifice its vertical wooden-slatted baffle ensures the sound is not overly reflective and can be heard with clarity at the rear of the wide auditorium.For three-quarters of the year the theatre is a receiving house and for the remainder of the time they run productions for student societies.

Venue chief electrician Adam Leigh contacted Marquee for the first time - on the strength of receiving their promotional literature, and the recommendatio

Stage Technologies is currently in the process of equipping two new ships with complete rigging and control systems for Princess Cruises. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) is building two giant 113,000gt ships in Nagasaki, Japan, for the cruise line, which will be the largest ever ships ordered by P&O Princess. Matthew Tonks is the project manager for Stage Technologies and believes that the new systems "will enable Princess Cruises to provide their passengers with shows to rival any equivalent on land."

One of the central elements of the Stage Technology system will be its new TanJent system. This prevents scenery from moving around with the pitching and rolling of the boat by guiding the scenery flybars throughout the full travel of the bar.

(Ruth Rossington)

Euro Hire Sound & Light, a full service production company based in Farnborough in Hampshire, has become the first UK customer to invest in the recently launched compact line array system from Dynacord, Cobra.

Euro Hire was specifically looking for a system to cope with smaller events and theatre tours. Operations manager Jools Warren explained that although their current systems (EAW and Renkus Heinz) were more than adequate, it was sometimes rather a case of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. "We decided that it would be a good idea to be able to offer our customers the option of a more compact system, so when Shuttlesound proposed Cobra, we were very interested. And then once we'd heard the demo at the Anvil theatre in Basingstoke, it was really just a question of crunching the numbers and sorting out a delivery date!"

Euro Hire invested in a total of six Cobra Top enc

Barbizon Lighting Company, the worldwide distributor of professional lighting systems and supplies for entertainment and architecture, has established a new European-based operation. Barbizon Europe will focus on fulfilling the requests of its international customers as well as establishing new business from its new London area stocking location.

CEO Jonathan Resnick told us: "This is a very exciting venture for the entire Barbizon family. Having a European-based shipping location will help to expand our already significant global business. We are also fortunate to have a very experienced team who will operate our London office."

That team includes Phil Bullock, formerly export manager of MGC Lamps, as general manager and Wendy Pearson, formerly MGC Lamps and AC Lighting export coordinator, as operations manager. Garry Nelsson, formerly of Lighting Technology Group, comes

Along with a veritable who's who of high profile club DJs, TiMax virtual surround sound and audio animation environment has been something of a feature of the summer 2002 club dance festival circuit. Corporate-sponsored arenas such as the Strongbow Loafing Lounge at Homelands and Gatecrashers Ball, plus the Smirnoff Experience at Glastonbury, have all specified TiMax audio animation for their sound systems this year.

Keen to enhance elaborately branded arena designs with advanced and integrated multimedia, production designers were quick to realise that immersive multichannel sound was essential to complement the abundance of intelligent lighting effects and multi-screen abstract video content. DJs were provided with an Octopad drum pad to trigger pre-programmed virtual surround sound spins, figure-of-eights and zigzag moves in TiMax via MIDI, along with a few samples of helicopters an

A clear sign of the international expansion of D.A.S. Audio was seen recently in Cartagena, Colombia, where presidents from a number of American states were gathered. Included in the roster of important American leaders was ex-president of Colombia Andres Pastrana, president of Colombia Uribe Velez and special guest, former president of the United States, Bill Clinton.

A special ceremony in honour of Clinton was held in the fabulous San Felipe fortress, which overlooks the port city of Cartagena. Invitees as well as the leaders from the American states were entertained with a spectacular concert themed around Colombian folk music. D.A.S. systems were on hand, with factory technical support provided by Ramon Franco, D.A.S. sales engineer in Colombia.

Sound reinforcement for this important event was handled by Sonido y Accesorios SIA, based in Bogota. Samuel Puentes, company director,

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