Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025
Doughty - Banner - ABTT (27 May - 5 June)

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UK - Drapes and rigging specialist Blackout was recently appointed by London-based Production House PAV, to help realise the dramatic set for a sensational one-off club night - The King of Clubs - for brand giants Budweiser.

Staged at London’s famous Old Billingsgate market, the event concept was inspired by the Budweiser King of Beers’ commercial, and King of Clubs was the culmination of a point-of-sale campaign by the company. Re-igniting the spontaneous party spirit of the late 1980’s rave scene, over 3,000 invited guests met at a central London location, before being whisked away by boat to Billingsgate - the first time the venue has been used as a club.

Blackout’s Project Manager, Chris Brain collaborated with Paul-Ant Viollet of PAV Productions, t

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UK - Lightfactor Sales has supplied leading sound, lighting and AV installation company CGA with an new lighting rig to revamp the famous Pantiles nightclub in Camberley, Surrey.

Pantiles, owned by independent local entrepreneur Bob Archer, has maintained its popularity thanks to a flexible mainstream music and door policy. CGA’s Chris Gunton has been supplying equipment, service and technical support to Pantiles for some years. The club’s current manager, Matt Highton comes from an engineering background and therefore understands the importance of good technology and production values.

Last year, it was time to upgrade Pantiles’ moving light system, so Gunton suggested Highton take a good look at what was available at PLASA 2002. When he reached Lightfactor’s stand and saw the SGM fixtures, he knew he’d found the moving lights he wanted! "

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USA - Apogee loudspeakers were used for the first time to provide live sound at the Independent Film Producers' (IFP) Independent Spirit Awards ceremony. The event, held March 22, hosted 1,300 guests and 350 members of the international press in a large tent on a beach in Santa Monica, CA. Twenty Apogee AE-5 loudspeakers and eight Apogee SSMs were used to provide sound for the audience.

"Providing quality sound in a tent can be difficult," said Bruce Burns, sound designer and audio co-ordinator for show. "We couldn't use trusses, so special mounting brackets had to be fabricated to affix the Apogee AE-5s to the tent poles. This arrangement could have compromised coverage, but with the AE-5s, the coverage was excellent."

Since the 1990s, the veteran Hollywood sound designer has selected Apogee for large-scale events including the Grammy Awards, Golden Glob

Doughty - Banner - ABTT (27 May - 5 June)

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USA - The RADlite, from UK company IRAD, is a brand new Media Server; a fully configurable, DMX-controlled image and video manipulation system. It allows the creation and playback of images and video with added effects, shapes, colour palettes, and movement -controlled in real-time by a regular DMX lighting console.

Mountain View Staging of Salt Lake City has made the bold move of purchasing the first RADlite in the US. The system, supplied by US RADlite distributor TMB, debuted on April 11 at a dance performance in the 22,000-seat Marriott Center in Provo, Utah. Mountain View designers programmed RADlite to manipulate images and video on a backdrop 55 feet wide by 30 feet high! Lighting designer Benjamin Sanders selected a variety of stock images and video, plus client photos, RADlite onboard graphics, and custom-created images. The programming for RADlite and the show’s

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UK - Building on the success of his former company ISE, Glen Smith has launched Glen Smith Audio. The new company will offer select, high quality, new and used equipment, as well as acting as a specialist brokerage service.

"GSA will select a portfolio of niche products, rather than present products just to fill inventory gaps," said Smith. "We will concentrate all our efforts on our targeted customers, who we believe will appreciate a more dedicated and professional approach. By limiting the product range, we can concentrate wholly on support and promotion to clients.

GSA will also offer an equipment valuation service, thereby capitalizing on Smith’s established reputation with finance houses and audio companies, as a valuer and consultant for pro-audio equipment. Smith’s third string is alliances - Smith has already forged a partnership with Midas

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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

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Switzerland - Geneva-based Skynight and Nexo's Swiss distributor Zap Audio have completed the installation of a Nexo GEO S sound reinforcement system at the Geneva Stadium in Switzerland.

Nexo's pedigree in sports stadia is well-established, with venues such as the Stade de France in Paris and the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, using different Nexo loudspeaker products. Drawing on the success of a stand-alone GEO S system in the commercial village outside the Stade de France, the 35,000-capacity Geneva Stadium has become the first to use Nexo's flagship GEO technology as the main SR system.

The original specification followed very conventional lines, calling for 120 x 15 degree loudspeakers spread under the roof, with 60 amps located in one position. Cabling runs were enormous, and the project called for two people to spend three weeks, just hanging the loudspeakers. The

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China - Over 230 exhibitors from 16 countries are so far confirmed to exhibit at the second Music China, due to take place from 15-18 October in Shanghai. National pavilions from China, Germany, Italy, Taiwan, the UK and the USA are all confirmed to participate in the show, with further groups from France and Spain expected.

Market-leaders already signed up for the show include newcomers Yamaha of Japan, and Young Chang of Korea - one of the oldest and most prestigious piano manufacturers in Asia. Exhibitors coming back for a second time will include Steinway & Sons and Warwick of Germany, AXL and Electro-Harmonix of the USA, Pearl River Piano of China, Tom Lee of Hong Kong and Fazioli of Italy. A supporting programme of special events is being arranged to flesh out the show. The programme is likely to include competitions, live performances and educational visits.

Music Chin

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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

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UK - Spring is upon us and we are told it is no more keenly felt than in Osiers Road where Britannia Row Productions is enjoying an extremely fertile season. Neil Young and Bryan Adams are touring with Brit Row’s two leading Line Array systems - the L-Acoustics’ V-dosc and EV X-line respectively, and the ever popular Turbosound Flashlight system is out with both Simply Red and Alison Moyet. In addition, Brit Row’s expertise is also being applied to tours by Peter Gabriel and S Club (V-dosc and X-line), both of whom, together with Simply Red, are using Yamaha PM1D consoles. Midas Heritage and XL4s are the control for Goldfrapp, Whitesnake, Death in Vegas, and The Vines’ tours.

An eclectic mix of corporate and one-off events are interspersed with all of this touring activity, using a selection of Turbosound, d&b, DV-dosc and X-line XLC. Brit Row’s Br

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UK - Paul Harte has been appointed hire manager at lighting, sound and staging specialists Stagecraft. Responsible for the management of the Hire department, Paul, who will be based with the Stagecraft team in Salisbury, will be working closely with Mike Naish, the new technical director of the recently-merged Live Events and Hire departments.

A trained electronics engineer Paul has worked on a freelance basis for the past two years and brings to Stagecraft a wide range of experience from within the industry, covering sound and lighting design, installation and service management. New technical director Mike Naish has worked with Stagecraft for 17 years and was previously a production manager for the Live Events department.

(Ruth Rossington)

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USA - The brand new 2.3m sq.ft Washington D.C. Convention Center, which features one of the largest ballrooms on the USA’s East Coast, opened with an enormous gala event with entertainment portion of the evening being provided by, in part, Cirque Du Soleil. With 700,000sq.ft of exhibit space and 125,000sq.ft of meeting space, the Washington DC Convention Center is the largest building in DC.

Lighting for the opening event was provided by GLP Inc and Maryland Stage Lighting Inc, and constricted of 18 MAC 2k washes, 24 MAC 2k profiles, 12 MAC 600s, 16 MAC 500s with an additional 200 conventional fixtures, all run from one of the first grandMA lighting consoles ever sold in North America. Lighting designer Gary Pair, lighting director/programmer, Demfis Fyssicopulos and ME Bob Halem, were responsible for lighting all three main ballrooms.

In order to control all three of th

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UK - As lighting designers throughout the world crave the chance to get back to the art of designing rather than spending hours dealing with complicated computer equipment, Edinburgh-based rental company black light has become one of the latest companies to upgrade its lighting control to ETC’s new Emphasis lighting control system.

black light already stocks a variety of ETC equipment, but the company realised that an upgrade to Emphasis would prove beneficial, both for its own use and for its clients. Project manager Paul McGreal explains: "Apart from renting the system out for productions, we also intend to hire it to lighting designers and programmers, as well as inviting them to use it in our pre-programming studio. We already owned both an Express and an Expression desk, and as the Emphasis server has software for both, the decision to upgrade was an easy one.&qu

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The Netherlands - Anyone interested in tracking Alcons’ product initiatives can watch the development of the company’s new line array system on-line. The building block of the new system is the recently-introduced Alcons RBN 601 ribbon driver, a highly efficient driver, with ‘real90’ horizontal dispersion, which has a natural cylindrical wave front, the main ‘ingredient’ for a good working line-array system. The current acceptance of line array technology and the development of the high-power RBN 601 has led Alcons to develop a ribbon-loaded line-array system for high power applications. This first system will be a compact, multi-use system, complete with dedicated processing and control. Visitors to the Alcons’ website can ‘witness’ its development online.

(Ruth Rossington)

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USA - Turbosound's QLight products are making a difference to the sound quality at San Francisco's high profile W Hotel. Installed by local specialist Zebra Sound, the hotel's new loudspeaker systems were supplied through Sennheiser Electronic Corporation, Turbosound's US distributor.

The project involved the installation of various Turbosound components in several public areas of the W San Francisco, a hotel located close to the city's Moscone Centre and Museum of Modern Art, in the downtown South-of-Market neighbourhood. Part of the Starwood Hotels and Resorts group, which also includes the Westin, Sheraton and Four Seasons chains, the W hosts entertainment events in the Atrium, XYZ Bar and Restaurant.

"We had an arrangement with the W to provide sound reinforcement rental services," Megerssa elaborates. "They handle major events attracting up to 1,500 people.

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UK - The BBC television centre car park was the setting for an unusual outside broadcast on 14 March 2003. Comedian Jack Dee spent over five hours balancing on top of a 50ft pole to raise money for comic relief. Elstree Light and Power had the responsibility of making sure the live TV stunt went off without a hitch.

ELP were in charge of structural design and all rigging services. Their specialist crew made use of an assortment of rigging hardware, 'A' type trussing and sand ballast to create a solid and safe structure. Head rigger Richard Wythes remarked "Jack is genuinely scared of heights so it was a real ordeal for him.we had to make sure that every health and safety aspect was checked and double checked."

Despite blustery conditions the event was a great success and became one of the most memorable episodes on red nose day. ELP managing director Ronan Willson co

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Portugal - ARX Systems is pleased to announce the appointment of Engineering of Imagination Ltd (Engenharia da Imaginação Lda) as its exclusive distributor for Portugal. Engineering of Imagination Ltd is a new company formed by three well-known figures in the Portuguese pro audio market, Miguel Lourtie, João Salgueiro and Renato Gomesto to distribute ARX and resell Meyer products in the Portuguese market.

Miguel Lourtie told us: "As our company name indicates we’ll be making use of existing partnerships with leading experts in all areas of the Industry, providing complete solutions for the most daunting ideas and challenges in the theatre, installation and sound reinforcement markets."

"Our company’s philosophy is total dealer support with project and technical sales backupwhich will allow us to better train our partners, to give them the edge ove

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France - The business of Master Europe, the France-based loudspeaker manufacturer, which had gone into receivership, has now been taken over by Hortus Audio. Hortus Audio was set up on April 1st 2003 in the form of an SAS (simplified joint stock company) with capital of €100,000 to take over the design and manufacture of speaker series Granit, Promann, Contract and NSX under the Hortus Audio brand, along with dedicated amplifiers and controllers.

Hortus Audio is the result of the determination of Silvère Davoust, former audio product manager at Master Europe, to continue the business and save the jobs of the employees. The mission of Hortus Audio is, the company says, to offer its partners reliable high-quality products that are designed and manufactured in France, in such a way as to achieve rapid return on investment. Hortus Audio is driven by the commitment of a dedicated t

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USA - Michigan-based Thunder Audio Inc recently used the new Klark Teknik DN9340 Helix digital equalizer and DN9344 Helix digital slave equalizer at the Phillip Morris ‘Altria Invitational’ corporate event in West Palm Beach, Florida. Guest artists included Elton John, Gloria Estefan and Michael Bolton.

Thunder’s head audio engineer Scott Minkley described the event and how the fully programmable Helix and Helix slave units were able to meet the EQ requirements of each act’s FOH engineer with seamless transitions from set to set. "We brought a whole PA system down for the various acts’ engineers to use. The Helix was particularly useful because there were 10 zones of audio and numerous engineers to work with, so the units were definitely put to task and proved themselves extremely versatile. The event took place at the PGA National Resort and S

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UK - Roxy Music’s live enhanced CD - Roxy Music Live - which will be released in the UK in early June - was compiled from a marathon of recordings made by producer/engineer Rhett Davies during Roxy’s recent world tour, encompassing Oceania, North America, Asia and Europe. Davies recorded 45 of the 51 shows betaking direct feeds from 72 outputs in the FOH mixer to three Mackie Hard Disk Recorders, synced together for each show.

Davies said: "The Mackie HDRs were all flight-cased and rack-mounted and we all had to do was connect the multicore, press the record button and we were away. It was as simple as that. We didn’t have a lot of opportunity to listen back to the recording on the road. But when we finally did, the results that came out of the Mackies were phenomenal."

However, sifting through all material recorded from 45 shows was not quite so ea

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UK - Trade Partners UK has appointed an export promoter to work with the music industry to help develop its export potential in overseas markets. Bringing with him over 25 years of experience in the music industry, Phil Patterson took up the post with Trade Partners UK on 23 April 2003 following an open competition. He has been seconded until 1 October 2004 from the Association of Independent Music (AIM).

His long-term experience will prove invaluable: after graduating from Newcastle-upon-Tyne College of Art and Design, Patterson worked initially as a musician and DJ and then for a number of record companies including Chrysalis, Pye, RCA and Polydor in promotion and public relations. In the mid 1980s, he moved into international marketing with Chrysalis and eventually became Director of EMI Music UK in 1992. He told us: "I am delighted to be offered this position and believ

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The Netherlands - Ampco Pro Rent (APR), one of the leading audio rental companies in Europe, recently purchased four Allen & Heath ML5000 consoles from local distributor TM Audio. According to Ampco, the ML5000 was chosen because of its flexibility, excellent sound quality and value for money.

Due to the variety of jobs APR is involved in, there was an increasing need for versatile multi-purpose consoles. Some of the applications will be monitor and FOH use on festivals, tours and one-offs, and as an all-purpose console in broadcast, corporate and theatre productions. With the ML5000 the rental company will be even better equipped for meeting the rising demand for flexibility and the ever-increasing use of in-ear monitoring.

(Lee Baldock)

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USA - Color Kinetics has been awarded a new technology patent that will enable future use of LED-based lighting systems as a means of communication through a local area network. According to the company, the technology will open up new ways of applying highly efficient LEDs to intelligent networking for applications such as home or office automation.

The applications for this are wide-ranging in both commercial and residential settings, and the US Patent (number 6,548,967) covers local area networking through a lighting system that uses LEDs both to generate light and to wirelessly communicate data to external devices such as pagers, personal digital assistants, and any other device that's connected to the network. For example, an LED-based lighting system in an office could transmit data that triggers security systems to engage at a scheduled time; the lighting in a hospital co

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