Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025
Doughty - Banner - from 4 July 2025

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On Saturday 16 November, two major UK TV shows will simultaneously feature the first use of the new DiGiCo D5 Live on European television, with a brace of prime time shows starring Robbie Williams and the Songs of Bond.

BBC One screens the Robbie Williams Show at 21.00 - the star’s first major TV special, filmed at Pinewood Studios last week. Singing his favourite songs, Williams performs everything from swing to chart-topping hits and his new single. Dave Bracey mixed the audience sound on Sound Hire’s D5 Live with Britannia Row Productions supplying a V-Dosc PA and monitors.

Over on ITV1 at 21.15, Russell Watson presents Songs of Bond, a showcase of favourite Bond theme songs from the past 40 years, with performances from an array of stars including Lulu, Atomic Kitten, S

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ChainMaster of Eilenburg presented a new add-on console for the VarioLift at the Plasa Show in London. The Extension Board constitutes a useful complement to existing VarioLift controllers, offering in particular the ability to control manually different chain lifts at different speeds using two analogue joysticks. It is possible to cascade several Extension Boards. In addition, existing programs can run simultaneously, staggered in time.

Free group assignment is a further useful feature of the Extension Board, making the console suitable for live use. Any number of chain lifts and groups can be freely assigned to the two joysticks in a free configuration. The VarioLift Extension Board is robustly constructed and sufficiently durable to withstand all the rough treatment of day-to-day live use. It comes equipped with a 15" touch-screen integrated into the folding lid of the control

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Image enhancement and gobo specialist Projected Image, has announced the launch of a new division of the company - Projected Image Digital Ltd - and at the same time has announced the appointment of the new division as the exclusive UK distributor for the RADlite PC-based video effects and digital image generating system.

The new division will be based at Three Mills Island in East London and run by directors David March and Jim Douglas, the latter of whom founded Projected Image in 1999. Projected Image, meanwhile, has moved into new, expanded premises at Three Mills in preparation for a busy schedule for 2003. Projected Image Digital will be complementary to the gobo manufacturing side of the business, and dedicated to being at the cutting edge of new digital technology, video generation and projection.

The company was formed to take advantage of the ever-increasing creative integr

City Theatrical - Banner - July 2025

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Loudspeakers and amplification are well known to be a contentious issue in the classical opera world, but the approach taken by Autograph Sound on the recent Pag & Cav double bill at London's Albert Hall seems to have satisfied the taste of the medium's established cognoscenti. As for previous year's ‘arena opera’ seasons, featuring Tosca, Aida, Madame Butterfly and Carmen productions by promoter Raymond Gubbay, advanced source-oriented reinforcement (SOR) techniques have been employed, using Out Board's TiMax DSP matrix and show control software to accurately localize performers' voices to their physical stage locations, by exploiting delay-based Haas Precedence psychoacoustics.

It's not often that a piece of audio equipment receives a mention in the UK's most prestigious broadsheet newspaper, but during a recent interview article for one journal's re

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Shure has announced the shipment of the Beta 52A and Beta 56A microphones, effectively replacing the Beta 52 and Beta 56 in the company's line of premium Beta products. Maintaining the sound quality of the original Beta 52 and Beta 56 microphone cartridges, the new models are outfitted with features designed to enhance both form and function, say Shure.

The Beta 52A kick drum microphone is optimized for low-frequency bass punch and high-power SPL handling, whilst the Beta 56A is a compact drum microphone engineered for close mic’ing of snare and toms. Both mics boast a supercardiod design providing maximum isolation from other onstage sounds. Among the changes incorporated within the design of both mics is the addition of a larger adjustment knob and more durable tightening mechanism, which facilitate easier positioning. Both articulating mics now also employ a wider mounting bas

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White Light Sales has supplied another Strand 500-series console to the West End - this time, a Strand 520i for the Duke of York's Theatre in St. Martin's Lane. The console replaced an Arri Imagine supplied to the theatre by White Light some years ago, which was coming to the end of its useful life.

With a long-running show - the hit comedy Stones in his Pocket - occupying the theatre, White Light Sales and the theatre's crew had to ensure that they could slot the new desk into the theatre without disrupting the show's lighting design. Andy Fordham at The Service Company, a White Light Company, therefore took the show disk from the Arri and using his collection of conversion software tools, transferred it to the 520i. Thanks to this process, the 520i was in use controlling the show on the day it arrived in the theatre.

The delivery of the desk to the Duke of York's continues t

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Following a successful joint showing at PLASA in London and subsequent negotiations at LDI in Las Vegas, followed by TMB’s 20th anniversary bash in Los Angeles, TMB and Syncrolite have announced that European, African and Middle East distribution of Syncrolite products will be handled out of TMB’s UK office.

Paul Hartley, TMB’s general manager, Europe said: "TMB and Syncrolite share common rock and roll roots and values, so our partnership is natural. Syncrolite’s precision, large-format, automated fixtures are unparalleled in the industry. We are very excited to be able to offer this versatile and stunning option. As part of our agreement, we have committed to two regional goals: firstly, establishing a network of mutually supportive rental dealers to supply tours and special events of all kinds and sizes. Secondly, establishing a network of resale dealers

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XL Video were approached by lighting designer Bryan Leitch of Siyan to supply hardware for Coldplay's hihgly successful world tour - which continues until September 2003. Coldplay's unconventional video production includes an eye-catching 48ft by 9ft semi-circular IMAG screen elegantly 'crowning' the stage. With the images in 4:3 ratio, the stage takes on a portrait-shaped look.

Below this - upstage of the band - is a 4-screen RADLite video effects generation system. Several layers of lighting are sandwiched in between the two video systems, giving depth to Coldplay's overall visuals. Siyan commissioned the projection screen from XL Video. The semi-circular idea was initiated by Coldplay's lead singer Chris Martin, who approached Leitch and production manager Derek Fudge, wanting a semi-circular thrust stage.

Coldplay's video director is Nick Whitehouse, who is running Siyan's 4-way

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Large format projection specialist E//T//C UK projected one of the greatest Britons - Viscount Horatio Nelson - onto the Shell Building on London’s South Bank for the launch of the BBC’s new series Great Britons.

The major new 10-part BBC2 history series, directed by Miriam Jones, included the programme about Nelson, one of the top 10 Great Britons as voted for by the public. The two 6kW PIGI projectors were located in Jubilee Gardens, near the banks of the Thames, and overlaid, to project one 40m wide image across the building.

For the programme’s opening sequence, the camera panned along the Thames, taking in the various sights of that particular stretch of the river, including the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye, before swinging round to catch the dramatic projection on the Shell Building, which stands near the Eye.

Three weeks later, E//T//C UK was bac

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Canegreen is supplying its new Meyer M2D line array system, provided the PA equipment for Beth Orton’s recent sell-out tour. Canegreen has invested in the Meyer M2D system to join its hire stock of Meyer M3D and EAW line array speakers which have proven themselves on larger arena and festival shows. Yan Stile, MD of Canegreen commented: "We’re really pleased with the performance of the M2D. It’s proved itself to be a great system during the course of this tour. It delivered even, smooth, powerful and undistorted sound at every venue."

The new M2D system means that the great dispersion characteristics available for the larger venues are now available to engineers working in smaller venues. This tour included venues ranging from the York Barbican and Birmingham Symphony Hall to the Bristol Academy, so the configuration of the new PA was tested in substantially

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It may have been costly and controversial, but Switzerland’s most ambitious Expo to date has also been hailed as one of its most creative and successful. Steve Moles selects two projects which illustrate why . . .

The revered publication Architects Journal headlined a feature ‘Swiss Expo shames Dome failings’. Intended to occur approximately every 40 years, Swiss Expo is a project in the public domain and yet staged without Lottery funding. Which begs the question - is free money a curse or a kindness?

Look at what else has been in these pages of late: The Imperial War Museum North in Manchester, the Pageant of the Horse, the Commonwealth Games and the Jubilee concerts at Buckingham Palace - all without Lottery money and all successfully realized. These examples have, of course, all received finance from the commercial sector, but without the political interference

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You know you’re at a West Coast AES Convention when you’re standing in a rooftop bar at sunset, surrounded by skyscrapers, and listening to Sheryl Crow-alike Dana Glover singing through Audio-Technica’s Artist Elite microphones. One of many PLASA repeats, the product at least gave the excuse for the party, and where Earls Court ends, as Phil Ward discovers, California begins.

QSC Audio began by reinventing itself. OK, the new logo is "a relatively small change in terms of effort," but, said CEO Barry Andrews, "it’s an important one symbolically and technically. It signifies the transformation of our company from an amplifier specialist to an integrated systems supplier."

‘Integrated systems’ in this case means QSC products in signal processing, network audio transport, control systems, loudspeakers and - not least - amplifiers.

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Coemar UK, the exclusive UK distributor for Antari smoke machine products, has announced that it is now able to supply and support the Antari range of smoke effect machines ex-stock. The company has at last taken delivery of a substantial amount of stock, and will be able to same-day dispatch on most items.

(Lee Baldock)

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Entec Sound supplied equipment and crew to Morrissey's recent high profile, sold-out UK tour. This was the first time Entec has serviced Morrissey - former frontman of 80s band The Smiths -a contract which they won through a competitive tender process. However, FOH engineer Phil Griggs and Entec's head of sound Dick Hayes have known each other for many years in the industry.

The d&b 12-stack C4 rig, with four B2 subs, achieved great sonic results throughout the tour, in a wide variety of venues. Monitors were mixed by Vince Buller, who also production managed, and the system was crew chiefed by Entec's Tristan Johnson, joined by his team-mate Adam Draper (and Liam Halpin at Brixton). Because of the nature, message and meaning of Morrissey's often intense lyrics, it's always imperative that his voice is always high and clear above the mix.

The tour culminated at Brixton Academy, where

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Allen & Heath has announced the first release of iDR System Manager software for its iDR series, a new DSP audio system for installed and live sound. The software is available for free download from the Allen & Heath website (address below). iDR System Manager runs on a Windows PC and allows installers to create customized, integrated audio systems using iDR series hardware units. PC connection can be direct to an iDR-8 or remotely across a network or via a modem. Once a software configuration is complete it can be saved to an iDR-8 audio mix processor and the PC can be removed, leaving the iDR system to run as a standalone entity.

iDR-8 uses a fixed architecture, with full processing resources available to up to 16 inputs and 16 outputs (iDR-8 has 8 inputs and 8 outputs and can be expanded using iDR-in and iDR-out units), making it impossible to run out of DSP power. This rigid struct

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Noise Productions, one of New Zealand’s leading sound production houses, has acquired a new modular outdoor concert system from Proel, consisting of 32 TPR12A individually powered 12" and horn speakers, which combine to produce a system scalable from 600W to 10,000W. "This is the first time modular technology has been used for small to medium-sized concert systems in this country," said the company’s’s managing director Toby Mills.

The entire rig can be set up by one person (each box weighing only around 20kgs), reducing the amount of heavy lifting. The system van be put together quickly and efficiently, simply by plugging power and a line level feed into each box; it also provides high levels of redundancy and the flexibility to offer systems tailored exactly to a client’s size requirements in increments of 600W. "We can offer our clients a

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On 14 November, 40sq.m of Barco’s Dlite 10 daylight display solution was on stage at the MTV Europe Awards ceremony in Barcelona. The screen was supplied by XL Video, one of the world’s leading large video display specialists, which due to its reputation has over the years provided equipment to events including The Spice Girls Tour (worldwide), the Formula 1 Grand Prix, the US Open Golf Tournament and U2’s ‘Elevation’ Tour.

"The diversity of important events where our clients have deployed our video displays is a testament to both the quality of our equipment and the dependability of our service," says Rene De Keyzer, managing director of XL Video. "When approached to provide material to high profile events such as the MTV Europe Awards, it is with confidence and pride that we recommend Barco’s material, as we know it will exceed the c

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Embarking on his first North American tour in almost a decade, Peter Gabriel kicked off his ‘Growing Up Live’ 2002-2003 tour on 13 November with a stage production that has been termed "spectacular." Lighting designer Luc LaFortune (LD for Cirque du Soleil) has specified High End Systems equipment in the design, including 36 X.Spot HO (High Output) and 36 Studio Beam automated luminaires, as well as four Catalyst systems with orbital mirror heads and six Catalyst media servers. Controlling the show are three Wholehog II consoles with a wing.

The UK's Neg Earth is the primary lighting contractor, with Upstaging as its partner on the North American legs. The Neg Earth crew includes programmer/operator Dennis Gardner, crew chief John Shelly, head electrician Andy Porter, and Dave Cox in charge of Catalyst systems.

(Lee Baldock)

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Event Pro Forum, the conference for event production professionals, will be held 17-20 February 2003, at Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa in Las Vegas. The conference targets top professionals responsible for producing events for amphitheaters, arenas, auditoriums, concerts, fairs, corporate functions, festivals, sporting events, theme parks and touring entertainment.

The 2002 premiere conference attracted 150-plus attendees from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, Nashville to New York and even London to Moscow. EventPro Forum 2003 will feature industry speakers, professional development panels and the Production Pow-Wow, a series of round-table discussions. Special events, including a golf tournament, welcome reception, wrap party and backstage tour of Las Vegas venues will provide attendees with the opportunity to have fun while networking and expanding their professional contacts, say the org

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The new Sheraton Hotel on the French Polynesian island of Bora Bora has just completed the installation of 60 JBL Control Contractor Series speakers. The picturesque, five-star resort features a total of 120 rooms, 70 of which are private, over-water bungalows. The hotel needed a sound system for ambient music throughout the entire resort, including the reception area, hotel restaurant, beachside restaurant grill and banquet room.

The technical team of Total Video Distribution, the JBL distributor in French Polynesia, collaborated with an architect to design the system. A total of 50 Control 25T surface-mount speakers and 10 Control 26CT ceiling speakers were installed on the property. The entire system is controlled from the reception desk, which features a 400-disc CD player and a CT210 Crown Amplifier. In addition to this main control station, each separate room has its own music sy

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Midas has reported record console sales in the UK since the decision to bring UK distribution back to the factory. Since the announcement at the PLASA Show in September, Midas has delivered eight consoles in the UK: Birmingham sales and rental company SSE took an XL4 and two Heritage 3000s to add to their hire stock, Skan PA also took an XL4, while Adlib Audio and Tourtech both took a Heritage 3000. Cheshire-based Lighting and Sound Services are now the proud owners of a Legend 3000, as is Atomic Sound in Newark.

UK Midas sales manager Richard Ferriday is very pleased with the way the new sales strategy appears to be working. He told us: "While it's possible that it may be coincidence, it nevertheless proves two things. Firstly, that customers are very comfortable buying direct from the factory - Midas customers have always enjoyed extremely high standards of service, and now tha

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