UK - Peter Gabriel’s brief foray through the arenas of the UK has been turning heads, raising eyebrows, and generally creating much excitement with its impressive blend of theatre and concert touring technology. Praise is due to the eclectic imagination of Canadian film director Robert Lepage who conceived and designed the show, but it’s the multi-textured nature of Gabriel’s music that has put most pressure on the audio technology, as house sound engineer Ben Findlay described.
"The music is quite dense and layered," he said, "so I spend a fair amount of time adjusting fader levels." Findlay is using a Yamaha PM1D for mixing, and this is his first time back at live engineering for a decade. "These new consoles are amazing to me, truth is
UK - OPTI is introducing DMX and Infra Red (IR) control for a number of effect accessories fitted to OPTI projectors. The DMX and Shutter board for the GoBo range of projectors, allows Autochangers and XY Mirrors to be controlled from a DMX lighting desk. Alternatively, the Shutter can be set (via the rear panel) to be controlled by signals from an Autochanger or XY Mirror. The XY Mirror, for the GoBo range of projectors, can be controlled via DMX or used in stand-alone mode, and projects images exactly when and where they are required, through 360° continuous motion. The IR handset, with a range of up to 30m, provides remote control of all functions of currently produced OPTI Autochangers and new Slow/Medium Variable Speed and Direction Wheel Rotators.
Also announced by OPTI is the introduction of their new Trilite 18+. A bigger, stronger 18" version of Trilite 200, the n
UK - MC2 Audio directors Ian McCarthy and Terry Clarke have announced their acquisition of Quested Monitoring Systems. MC2 Audio and Quested Monitoring Systems have been in discussion for some months about some form of co-operation, as both companies have felt that there is a natural synergy between them. The two companies already share a working relationship, and for many years Quested have been using MC2 amps as the power source for their active systems.
Roger Quested will continue in his role as the designer of Quested loudspeakers, and says he is looking forward to the reinvigoration of the company under the new ownership. Steve Revill will be acting as consultant to Quested, on a full-time basis for at least three months, in order to ensure continuity of service to customers and to oversee a smooth handover to the new management. Wes Atkinson, with his detailed knowledge of
USA - MediaSonic has launched the MS9400 High-Definition (HD) Video Player, the HD extension of MediaSonic’s FrEND (Far End Network Device) concept. This innovative HD-player network appliance, the compact MS9400, allows HD playback to be installed in almost any location, moving the intelligence and control out of the central equipment room and closer to the actual video display.
"The new HD FrEND can be mounted conveniently within a kiosk or installed behind plasma displays used prominently in a variety of AV and presentation applications," said Anthony Magliocco, manager of business development at MediaSonic. "The MS9400 is a flexible platform that will provide a critical foundation for new HD product development alongside our iMediate media networking applications. The compact size of our HD FrEND enables placement of player systems in areas that previo
UK - Tryka L.E.D. Ltd has appointed Sabrina Marenghi as marketing manager. This is a newly-created position which comes in response to Tryka’s fast expansion since its launch in October last year.
Marenghi previously worked for Pulsar for almost 10 years, and has wide experience of all elements of marketing. Chris Rolph, managing director of Tryka comments: "Tryka has expanded at an outstanding rate since its start at the end of last year and I am confident that getting Sabrina on board will enhance our activities and market presence even further."
USA - Electrosonic won two major awards at the very first Archi-tech AV Awards, organized by the ICIA and Archi-tech magazine, as well as collecting the ‘Best Overall’ award.
The competition was established to recognize the creative and effective integration of technology into projects that incorporate audio-visual equipment. All types of projects were considered, including corporate, worship, retail, education, medical facilities, urban design, historic buildings and hospitality and entertainment venues. Winners were voted for by an independent panel of judges, who considered concept, process, design, solution, results and creativity as guidelines when reviewing the entries.
At the awards ceremony on 3 June at Infocomm 2003 in Orlando, Florida, Electrosonic was presented with two of the six awards for their installations at Thinktank in Birmingham and the Imperial
Taiwan - Cadac Electronics Plc has made its first major fixed installation sale in Taiwan, announcing the supply of a 52-input J-Type Live Production Console for the Taipei Metropolitan Hall (formerly known as the Taipei Municipal Social Education Hall). The venue has recently been the subject of an extensive six-month refurbishment, with the city's Cultural Affairs Bureau investing £4million to transform the hall into a high spec modern performance space.
Cadac's local Hong Kong distributor, Hiroshi Systems, was responsible for commissioning the J-Type, with director Joseph C Lee commenting: "We are delighted to be able to introduce the first-ever Cadac in Taiwan into Taipei's principal performing arts venue. The new sound system is currently being commissioned ready for the first performances later this year. Hiroshi has been working closely with the Hall's sound team to
UK - Visitors to next week’s ABTT Theatre Show in London (18/19 June), will have the opportunity to try for themselves Harlequin’s new Liberty floor panels. The British Harlequin plc stand (No. 93) will be using ‘touring’ panel versions of Liberty sprung dance floors as the main floor covering. Permanent versions of Harlequin’s Liberty floors have recently been installed at Laban, London’s new purpose-built (and Europe’s largest) contemporary dance facility, as well as a growing number of centres throughout the Continent. In addition, a new storage cart will also be introduced to facilitate easy transportation and storage of Liberty panels.
Also premiering at the show is a new version of Harlequin’s Activity Floor, but now with a choice of three standard hardwood finishes - oak, beech and maple - ideal for dance studios and halls,
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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.
UK - London-based FX Music, rental specialists in the corporate environment, have just invested in a Helix DN9340 digital EQ master unit and a DN9344 slave device, with the specific intent of using the system for system EQ on their corporate events.
According to FX Music’s Dave Beck, the six channels offered by the combination of the Helix master and slave together is a good template for most of their corporate work. "Generally, we require a channel each for Left and Right on the main system, and then four further channels for the bars of delays going down the room. The average capacity of the rooms we are dealing with tends to be around 1000, so we’re not talking small systems here, and it can go up to arena size. However, in corporate work, what we are always short of is space for our control equipment, and this is where the Helix system really comes into its
USA - The voters were divided at this year’s Tony Awards in New York, presented earlier this week, with no one show sweeping the boards. In the technical categories, it was La Boheme’s night, with Baz Luhrmann’s stylish production of Puccini’s opera winning designer Catherine Martin a Best Scenic Design Tony and lighting designer Nigel Levings the Best Lighting Design Tony.
"It was thrilling to win," commented Levings, who was previously nominated for The King and I. The Tonys round out a successful New York award season for the Boheme design team: Levings and Martin also won the equivalent categories in New York’s Outer Critics Circle Award and the Drama Desk awards. Levings’ co-nominees were Donald Holder for Movin’ Out, Brian MacDevitt for Nine and Kenneth Posner for Hairspray, while
UK - Plimsoll's latest 2003 analysis on the Top 45 companies in the sound equipment industry has revealed a mixed performance on the year so far. As part of Plimsoll's analysis of the major players, each of the top 45 companies is ranked on sales turnover. With an average sales growth amongst the group of 1.8%, only six companies have kept their same sales position from last year. 10 companies have improved their sales performance whilst 21 have seen it fall. Showing the biggest improvement in position is Cadac Electronics Plc, moving up two places in the league and now the 20th biggest company in this part of the industry.
But it is the profitability rankings that have seen the biggest changes with average margins in the group a steady 3.2%. Only 10 companies have kept their same profit ranking, with 10 moving up and 20 falling. The number of loss makers has increased to 12 com
UK - CP Sound, the Staines-based sound and lighting installation specialist, has designed and fitted its latest installation with the first of an innovative new concept in LED lighting technology, which has been under development for the last few months.
The fixture is a screen encased in a custom aluminium extrusion, supplied as a 10mm thick panel, capable of unobtrusive integration into any environment. It’s made from laser-etched acrylic material and side-lit by DMX controllable LED strips that criss-cross the light across the screen surface. When the light is caught in the etchings, a prism effect directs it evenly across the panel fascia.
The first installation of this new technology has just been completed by CP Sound in the chill-out area of the exclusive Eclipse wine bar and bistro in Brompton Road, London. CP Sound was approached by entrepreneur Mike Filpy, owne
Australia - The QLight loudspeaker range from Turbosound forms the centrepiece of a new audio-visual installation at St Paul's Tavern - one of Brisbane's major entertainment venues which was recently re-opened after lying dormant for several years. The design and installation of the venue's new AV system was undertaken by local contractor, Technical Response Group (TRG), with the project's equipment supplied by Audio Telex - Turbosound's Australian distributor - via the company's Queensland office.
One of Brisbane's oldest taverns, St Paul's was recently rescued from being nothing but a dust trap, and has been refurbished into an outstanding venue for live jazz and blues, as well as for private functions. Each area of the venue features a Turbosound-based audio system, from the venue's small function room - equipped with four Impact 50 loudspeakers and two Impact 110 sub-bass un
UK - Live video rental company XL Video has moved into new expanded premises in Hemel Hempstead. The relocation will address the company’s need for more space, and is part of its ongoing commitment to provide the best customer service, as Lee Spencer explains: "XL’s engineers and staff have pooled resources and ideas to design this facility for the advantage of our clients. We’ve invested over £170,000 in making the workspace more efficient, and in customizing it to our specific needs."
The new 13,500sq.ft premises have been completely gutted and rebuilt by XL: in addition to an open plan office set-up, the building features a dedicated camera cleaning centre and a projector service area, allowing these specialist pieces of kit to be cared for in clinically clean environments. There’s also a large open prep area so equipment can be prepared to
Europe - Pro audio distributor beyerdynamic has recently supplied UK-based rental house, Skan PA Hire, with a variety of Opus mics and XTA processing equipment for Moloko’s European tour, which showcases their new album Statues.
Specified by Moloko’s FOH engineer, Graham Peacock, the equipment integrated seamlessly into Skan’s sophisticated system, as he explained: "I was introduced to these products by beyerdynamic’s Chris Hinds who asked if I’d evaluate the Opus mic range. From the moment I used them in rehearsals, I knew that they would play an integral role in the sound I wanted to create for this tour. I specified the Opus 87s for use on toms and snare - they’ve been such a success that they will definitely be used for the entire European leg of the tour."
The Opus 87 from beyerdynamic is a condenser microphone with a cardioid
UK - Large format projection specialists E//T//C UK are illuminating London’s famous Wellington Arch at the top of Constitution Hill in a high impact live projection which continues the Totally London campaign, launched earlier this year.
This is a partnership between the Mayor of London and business in the capital, organized by the London Tourist Board and Convention Bureau (LTB). Totally London Month is a high profile campaign to encourage Londoners to who live in or commute into London to get out and about and enjoy the best of what the city has to offer. E//T//C UK is working via public relations agency Good Relations, who are utilizing projection for the first time in a campaign.
This is the second such event undertaken by E//T//C UK for LTB. The first was two months ago in the Great Court of the British Museum, which proved so successful that LTB decided to re-ign
UK - Despite slightly inclement weather, which somewhat hampered the charity fund-raising hot-air balloon rides which were due to take place, White Light's recent Open Day proved a huge success with all who attended.
Originally intended as a chance for visitors to catch up with the latest products and services offered by the various members of The White Light Group, the Open Day expanded into something of a mini-trade-show with many of the companies whose equipment White Light hire or sell, attending to demonstrate their latest products. Visitors to the Open Day could therefore make side-by-side, hands-on comparisons between, for example, ETC's Emphasis, the Strand range, High End's Wholehog III, the MA Lighting grandMA, the Compulite Vector and Martin's Maxxyz lighting controller.
Beyond the battle of the lighting controllers there was plenty to see: the many companies repres
UK - Alison Moyet recently made a welcome return to the stage with a full UK tour, culminating in a sold out concert at London's Royal Albert Hall. A Neumann KMS 105 was used throughout the tour to capture the exceptional power and quality of Moyet's voice. She is appearing at Glastonbury on 27 June.
Designed with superlative vocal reproduction in mind, the KMS 105 brings Neumann quality to the demanding sound reinforcement environment. With its supercardioid polar pattern, the KMS 105 exhibits low self noise and uncoloured off-axis pick-up. By employing a unique four-layer acoustic filter, the KMS 105 minimizes popping and wind noise, and with special mechanical and electrical filters, handling noise is virtually eliminated.
UK - Building on the worldwide success of the CDJ-1000 digital deck, Pioneer has launched the CDJ-1000MK2. Since its introduction two years ago, the CDJ-1000 has achieved industry standard status in clubs, bars and studios all around the world. It is also carried by some of the world's best-known DJs, including Roger Sanchez, who says: "With the CDJ-1000, I get the same precision of mixing as I did with vinyl, plus features like looping, Master Tempo and Hot Cues. I'd tell any DJ using vinyl to try the CDJ-1000. It's revolutionized the way I play."
With the same design and layout as the CDJ-1000, the sleek and polished looks of the CDJ-1000Mk2 are made unique by the addition of a subtle silver rim on the Jog Dial. The latest Jog Dial is fine-tuned to increase sensitivity, creativity and control for DJs, so that cueing, scratching and stretching a track in Vinyl or CDJ
UK - Cambridge Audio-Visual acquired a new 24-channel GL3300 live sound console from Allen & Heath to manage sound reinforcement at a conference marking the 50th anniversary of a landmark in scientific history, the discovery of the structure of DNA.
The prestigious event took place at the University of Cambridge on 25 April, 50 years to the day after Watson and Crick published their landmark paper. Eminent scientists and researchers in the field of DNA, including Nobel Prize winners, members of Parliament and the University's Chancellor, HRH Prince Philip, gathered to discuss a range of subjects from the history behind the monumental discovery, to the progress made over the last 50 years by the science industry that resulted from it.
Cambridge Audio-Visual's general manager, Julian Berry explained: "Our available hire stock did not have the sound quality or number of chan
France - EASE users can now design and simulate curved vertical Tangent Arrays based on Nexo’s GEO S Series array modules within EASE 4.0. A new Dynamic Link Library (DLL), developed by Stefan Feistel of SDA - Software Design Ahnert GmbH, Berlin, Germany, and François Deffarges of NEXO, allows EASE users access to the same algorithms used in Nexo’s GEOSoft, a compiled MatLab application.
A new feature of EASE 4.0, EASE DLLs operate in a protected environment, allowing secure storage and safe access to the GEOSoft algorithms. The Graphical User Interface of both programs is very similar, and direct field predictions are identical (GEOSoft’s direct field predictions have been verified in field tests).
“We’re very pleased that EASE users can now design and simulate both vertical and horizontal GEO S Series Tangent Arrays," said François Deffar