UK - www.StageAccess.com - launched in April 2003 and now joined by over 2,500 members - has revealed the next generation of features that are to be added to the site over the coming months. The unique Teams Tool feature, which has been piloted as a stand-alone module on the Robbie Williams European tour this summer, will be the first major addition when it is fully integrated into the StageAccess.com website in late August. From that point on, all its powerful communications features will be available to every StageAccess member.

Teams Tool allows anyone to set up a group of people and communicate with at once them from a computer via SMS and e-mail. Important documents can also be shared and uploaded for all team members to view and share, and members can set up and join multipl

UK - The first Nexo GEO S system to be installed in the UK or Ireland was finally commissioned in the Millennium Forum, Derry, by Rea Sound (NI) Ltd. The theatre's technical manager, Jim Nelis, was demonstrated a number of key sound systems, but ultimately chose the Nexo GEO series for the clarity and quality of sound throughout the auditorium.

This 800-plus seated auditorium required a sound system that would cope with the wide range of uses, from poetry recitals to modern pop and rock bands, from local school productions to West End extravaganzas. With the GEO system the theatre is able to provide a high quality sound system previously lacking in Ireland's largest purpose built theatre. Rea Sound (NI) Ltd, the Irish Nexo dealer, installed the system, consisting of seven GEO S805, one GEO S830 and a pair of CD12 sub each side of the stage.

The installation team used speciall

UK - Le Mark will celebrate its 20th anniversary with the launch of its new catalogue at PLASA 2003. After nine months in the design and production, the new catalogue will be launched on Sunday 7 September at the PLASA Show, Earls Court, and will include many new and innovative products.

This issue will reinforce Le Mark's reciprocal trading policy: the catalogue features exciting accessories from Apollo Design Technology Inc, City Theatrical Inc and GAM Products. For the first time, products from Le Mark's recently-announced production partner Tesa UK Ltd are introduced, including the new high heat-resisting Scroller-Tak splicing tape. "Le Mark offers an 'open house' on the day of the launch, with a Champagne toast at mid-day," says catalogue design co-ordinator Mark Gibbons. "It's been a tough time for many areas of the entertainment industry - we have worked ha

UK - Allen & Heath has announced the promotion of Jamie Ward to the new position of area sales manager for UK (South), due to the increasing level of business from the company's nationwide network of resellers. Ward will be responsible for liaising with dealers across the southern regions, from briefing them on new product ranges to negotiating purchasing requirements.

Ward joined Allen & Heath's Sales Department in 2000 at the company's base in Cornwall, UK, where he managed sales activities for the UK reseller market. Sales and marketing director, Bob Goleniowski, commented: "Jamie has developed excellent relations with our dealer channels during his time working in the sales office. His insight into the audio market has matured and we believe he is more than capable of supporting our UK dealers as our market share continues to grow. I am confident that he will quickly be

UK - The Professional Lighting and Sound Association have announced that they are now members of the RIBA Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Network. This reflects the increasing importance that audio and lighting now plays within an architect's brief and underlines the growth within the architectural and design markets.

The first involvement will be at this year's PLASA Show (7-10th September at Earls Court, London), where the demands of this dynamic audience will be met with an extensive educational programme. This event is supported and endorsed by the RIBA CPD Providers Network. Included in the masterclass sessions will be a talk from English Heritage on the Conflict between Historic Accuracy and Modern Standards, whilst from Conran Design, David Chaloner will be talking about Retail Dynamic Applications. The industry seminars will cover topics including challenges a

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UK - Arbiter Pro Audio has supplied Liverpool-based Over Audio with JBL speakers for the Ministry of Sound's substantial refit. The project, at the world famous London nightclub, involves extensive building works and wide-ranging technical upgrades.

In the main bar area, the existing JBL SP128S subwoofers have been upgraded with four of the new horn-loaded units from JBL's AE range - the ASH6118. Arbiter Pro Audio's Andy Duffield said: "The single 18" driver within these units is extremely efficient due to the 14ft folded horn inside the cabinet. Given the coupling effect of having the cabinets stacked as they are, the result is a formidable partnership with the existing VerTec Line Array system in this bar."

As part of the upgrade, two new exclusive private rooms have been developed within the VIP area, both of which have the JBL SMS1 Soundzone Music System pro

UK - Studio Due has chosen the PLASA Show to launch its most recent product development in the field of architectural lighting - the Hercules. The chassis of this fixture is manufactured in die-cast aluminium, guaranteeing safe use under the most extreme conditions.

Featuring a new reflector made of borosilicate glass, light-emitting efficiency has been significantly improved. The innovative shape of the reflector allows ultimate exploitation of light output (the lamp may vary, from model to model, between the new Philips MSA600 with 6000 hours life and excellent colour rendering, or the Osram HMP 575 and the Sylvania BA800W SE HR) thus making this new fixture an excellent alternative to projectors using 800W lamps.

The Hercules will be available on the market from October 2003 in two models - 600 and 800W. The 600W will come with magnetic ballast, dimmer, CMY colour-changing

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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.

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USA - CITC, the special effects equipment company that brought the Little Blizzard snow machine to market, is now offering it in five different styles, from a Basic version through to a Little Blizzard SP (soundproofed) with DMX on board, which is now, according to the company, extremely quiet.

The Little Blizzard SP can now run continuously and features CITC's 'reverse sound' technology. The Little Blizzards now blow snow to 20 feet without a fan, and up to 80 feet with CITC's Hurricane II fan. The Little Blizzards and Hurricane fans have been used successfully in films, concerts, cruise ships, amusement parks, and events worldwide.

CITC has also created a new foam machine called the Foam 'Super' Dome, which produces foam three times faster than the original Foam Dome. CITC is also debuting a new line of fluids, which are economically priced - Fog-It, Bubble-It, Basic Little

UK - Sonic8 has been appointed to handle the UK distribution of Dateq professional audio products. With their roots in broadcast and DJ consoles, Dateq, based in The Netherlands, now also designs products for the installation market. "I was attracted to Dateq's range of installation products" states Stephen Helm, Sonic8's managing director, "as I feel that they are very well thought out and I believe that installers will share that feeling too. Initially we will be focusing on Dateq's sound limiters and MusiCall paging and audio routing system."

The MusiCall system is an audio matrix available in three formats: 8 mono/8 stereo/16 stereo audio source inputs routing through to 8 mono/8 stereo/16 stereo audio output zones respectively for amplifiers, or loudspeaker systems in, for example, a 100V system. MusiCall comes with a central control unit and can be eas

UK - Bosch Security Systems has won the 'Market Penetration Award 2003' from international consultancy Frost & Sullivan. Bosch's gain in market share, its innovative new products and its successful strategies for marketing and sales decided the choice of Bosch Security Systems as prizewinner. The assessments were made on the basis of the company's performance during the last two to three years.

Over this period of time, Bosch has made two major acquisitions. The first in 2001 was Detection Systems Inc headquartered in Fairport, New York, a global supplier of intruder alarms with production sites and sales distribution channels in every major economic region of the world.

The second acquisition at the end of 2002 was Philips CSI, formerly the CCTV and Communications Systems division of the Philips Group in Eindhoven. With this acquisition, Bosch also gained additional productio

UK - Arbiter Pro Audio has supplied Edinburgh-based SI Sound and Light with JBL 25AV speakers for a new multi-purpose installation at The Traverse Theatre bar. The installation had to be completed in time for kick-off of the 2003 Edinburgh Festival. The globally renowned event unites over 20,000 individual performers in a diverse, month-long celebration of all types of creative and artistic expression.

SI Sound & Light's Neil Silver designed and specified the sound system. The challenge was in making it affordable whilst also covering the Traverse's large bar area. Silver chose 16 JBL Control 25Avs. They are rigged in the shallow mesh roof running right across the top of the bar area and attached to the grid via custom mountings. Silver commented: "Control 25AVs are an ideal sized and sounding speaker for the environment."

The system is mainly used as a high quality

UK - The countdown to this year's PLASA show is ticking, with only two weeks to go. This year, the show has undergone a major relaunch to strengthen its position and reputation as one of the leading international trade events in the sector. Plans are now finalized for:

The New Technology Gallery - over 60 new products will be features in the gallery and will include the finalists of the PLASA Awards for Product Excellence 2004; The New Architectural Audio & Visual feature addresses this growth market with dedicated exhibitors and a photographic gallery demonstrating imaginative use of product; The PLASA Production Village incorporates the PLASA Crew Zone and the PLASA Backstage Area, dedicated to technicians with an opportunity for 'hands-on' demonstration of products; The Central Meeting Area will be at the heart of the show and reflects the importan

UK - AudioLight will be returning to PLASA this year, on stand M70, to showcase 'The Matrix' moving head laser. The Matrix features a flash-memory based processor for storing large graphics, animations and messages, as well as a very bright, sharp laser output and advanced SLS software, offering many powerful but easy to use features.

The second product to be presented this year is a brand new fluorescent colour-changing lighting fixture, named 'Multihue'. The Multihue, combines the latest technology with versatility, a unique system to maximise light output and is controllable through any DMX based lighting desk. AudioLight have been appointed as official distributors of both products. AudioLight also provide a complete range of corporate services, including sound & lighting installations, complete event planning for both indoor and outdoor events, and professional laser & fire

The Netherlands - August 2nd 2003 brought over 40,000 dance fans to Spaarnwoude, just outside Amsterdam, to enjoy a line-up of the world's finest DJs featuring Sasha & Digweed, Tiesto, Deep Dish, Sister Bliss and Yoji Biomehanika.

Allen & Heath played an important role as Xone mixers were installed in a number of stages. Those DJs who were particularly conscious about sound quality specifically asked for a Xone console. Amongst them was Carl Cox, who hosted his own stage and formed a line-up featuring other big names, including the techno pioneers Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May. Cox specifically asked for the Xone:62, not only for the sound quality, but for its "wicked'' filter section as well.

However, the biggest surprise was shown backstage in the 'DJ headquarters', a hospitality area showing new DJ techniques and equipment, as the brand new Xone:V6 EQ Isolator was o

UK - Christian band '100 hours' have put their faith in professional audio developer Mackie Designs with a recent investment in brand new equipment to help bring their blend of music and praise to live audiences across the UK. "When we decided to do the live record, we knew we needed a few things from the gear we chose for the project," says band front man, Tré Sheppard. "Quality was paramount because the recordings are for commercial release and it had to be easy to use in a festival situation, there is so little time to set up gear, and the various FOH guys we work with don't need another complicated piece of gear to figure out in the midst of sound check madness! It also had to be reliable because we don't have time to check everything twice, we just want to hit record and capture the live magic without having to think too much about it. If any of those factors

UK - When Hyde Park came alive for the annual Pride in the Park Festival on the 26 July, Fourth Phase London was on board to make sure the event was lit in spectacular style. Commissioned by events company Just Add Water, Fourth Phase provided a wide array of equipment and crew as well as enlisting the skills of lighting designer Daniel Bocking.

This was the first year the Mardi Gras had been held in Hyde Park and it followed the Pride Parade as usual, which has been a high point in the annual calendar for the UK's gay and lesbian community since 1972. Bocking faced a diverse set of challenges as he produced cutting-edge lighting designs for five very differently themed areas. Arriving on site two days before the show, he immediately saw where additional equipment would help improve his designs still further. Fourth Phase London demonstrated both the excellent diversity of its r

UK - Mipro is leading its competitors by creating a variety of new designs, satisfying user requirements with professional quality at sensible prices. The company have adopted international EIA standard 19" rack half-rack metal frame. LED panels ensure that receiving channels are clearer, featuring RF/AF signal metering. This is unlike the more common mono LCD panel and enables the user to identify information and thus operate more easily.

Adopting UHF PLL-synthesized diversity reception, with Pilotone and NoiseLock dual-squelch control, guarantees a longer operating range and also eliminates signal dropout and unstable reception, whilst avoiding noise interference from karaoke machines, PC and DVD players. Noise indicators on the control panel clearly displays if a receiver is in a state of interference.

There is a [SCAN] button on the front panel, enabling the device t

UK - Queen Elizabeth School in Kirkby Lonsdale recently approached Maltbury to build a raked stage for the school. QES is a secondary school with specialist Arts Status and, as such, places great emphasis on the quality of its performing arts facilities. Peter Hooper, head of music at the school, gathered a selection of staff from relevant departments who sat down with Maltbury MD Philip Sparkes to discuss all available options. The result of this invaluable meeting was an extremely carefully planned package of equipment, which managed to accommodate a wide spectrum of requirements.

The choice was Metrodeck and the final total was forty 1m x 1m modules, triangles and quadrants. Sets of legs were added to give both flat and raked stages also bolt-on kick-rails and black serge drapes made up a package offering maximum versatility and ease of handling.

The first use of the equipm

UK - Wolverhampton-based Ra'alloy recently supplied Brighton Palace Pier with one of its Rapi-stage staging systems for promotional events scheduled throughout the summer months. Following its recent well-publicized fire, Brighton pier management had a very large repair bill and not much time before the peak influx of holidaymakers.

Ra'alloy's new Rapi-stage was seen to fit well with plans to promote the Pier. Copycat acts such as Queen, Shania Twain, Britney Spears and many more were scheduled to perform, aiming to encourage a full spectrum of visitors to the pier. The stage was manufactured in just four weeks and stands 25ft high and is clearly visible from the seafront. Face on the stage measures 50ft wide by 18ft deep.

The system was launched last year and is manufactured from aluminium and fabric. Rapi-stage is a fully integrated roof and deck system, therefore minimizing

Mexico - d&b audiotechnik has announced the opening of d&b audiotechnik Mexico, headed up by Antonio Martinez Benita, who brings his wealth of experience of the Mexican audio market to the company. The new office is located in the south business and residential district of Mexico City, within close proximity to the city's nightclub scene.

Benita founded Audio Dynamics S.A. in 1991, which supplied high quality audio equipment and was renowned for it excellent service and after-sales support. In the late 1990s, the company specialized in the install market, mainly specifying, selling and installing projects for Hard Rock Café and Planet Hollywood in Mexico, South America and Spain. "The rental market, which is strong in Mexico, has been dominated by US brands since the late 80s," says Benita. "Reliability and the plug-and-play design of some of these brands, along

UK - The first official international use of HK Audio's Cohedra system will take place in England on 4 September, just a few days before the opening of London's annual PLASA trade show. In Hull at Kingston Communications Stadium, the group Westlife and Friends will hit the stage at 'Foxy & Tom's Big Bash Festival,' sponsored by British radio station 96.9 Viking FM.

With over 12 million CDs sold and several number-one hits in several countries, Westlife is one of the most successful boy bands in Europe. Opening for them at the Big Bash Festival will be successful newcomer Triple 8 and the 5-piece girl band Girls Aloud from the UK TV show 'Popstars - The Rivals.'

For this concert JSS PA Hire in York will be implementing a Cohedra system comprising 48 Cohedra CDR 208 mid/high units and an equal number of CDR 210 subwoofers. Powered by four PR 16 and four PR 8 Power Racks with DFC

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