Norway - The small Norwegian town of Ski provides an idyllic setting for the so-called Skifestivalen, an annual open air music festival held in fall in the town centre. The festival features acts from a wide variety of genres - from rock to hillbilly, from blues to folk.

This year, the technical side of the production was the responsibility of rental company MultiTechnic, ably supported by technicians and engineers from the local theatre, the Rådhusteateret, the centrepiece of whose sound reinforcement concept was an extensive Cobra system from Dynacord.

Hans Erikstad of the Rådhusteateret comments: "The Cobra delivered a transparent, clear and warm sound - but with the requisite capacity to project. It made it possible for us to provide homogeneous coverage throug

UK - Windshield specialist Rycote has added five further miniature windshields to its range of Mini Windjammers, all designed for different portable stereo digital recorders.

The Mini Windjammer range was first launched in 1985 to provide wind-noise protection for video camcorder and other compact microphones, and was widened at IBC 2008 with the appearance of three all-in-one windshields designed for different handheld digital recorders, of the kind now widely used by journalists, podcasters and broadcasters everywhere.

To the models for the Nagra AresM, Olympus LS10 and Sony PCMD50 launched at IBC, Rycote has now added Mini Windjammers for Edirol's R-09HR, Marantz's PMD620, Tascam's DR-1 and Zoom's H2 and H4.

"No, we're not diversifying into shock wigs," says Rycote's sales & marketing manager Gabby Davies. "Hand-held compact digital recorders are now in suc

UK - When St David's Catholic Church in Mold, Flintshire decided that its entire sound system required an upgrade, the church turned to Apple Sound, the same company that had installed the original system - no less than 30 years previously.

Using Bose Modeler software, Apple's designers created an acoustical model of the church, and were able to predict the performance of the proposed design. As an added comfort to the church, those involved also had the opportunity to 'listen' to the system before it was permanently installed, using the Bose Auditioner playback system.

The agreed solution comprises two stacked pairs of Bose Panaray MA12 line arrays for the nave, plus one pair of MA12s to cover the balcony seating. Bose FreeSpace 3 creates in-fill where it is needed, and Bose Model 32SE loudspeakers complete the system in the foyer.

With amplification from Cloud CXA4 and CXA

UK - Sennheiser Scholarship student Alyssa Bonagura has just released her first commercially available CD, which can now be downloaded directly via iTunes.

Bonagura, a third year student studying BA (Hons) in Sound Technology at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA), was helped on her musical journey by her Sennheiser Scholarship, which began at LIPA over ten years ago and has since supported many students' entries into the highly competitive world of the music industry.

"We're delighted to hear how well Alyssa is progressing at LIPA and in the industry," said Sennheiser UK general manager Phil Massey. "It's important for us that the next generation of performers and audio professionals learn their trade using Sennheiser equipment. That's why we've been committed to the Scholarship programme for over ten years. Artists like Alyssa prove that our inve

Israel - Wireless Solution Sweden AB helped Israel celebrate independence day in style. Israel@60 was a worldwide celebration to commemorate the country's 60th year of independence. While special ceremonies celebrated the event from as far as Washington DC, the biggest festivities were in the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv.

The project name for the Israel events was Lighting the Sky and combined multimedia sound and lighting with a laser show and pyro effects, culminating in a spectacular fireworks display. Altogether there were eight different mega shows at various sites, with the two main shows in Tel Aviv and Haifa.

Lighting designer for the events was Bambi (AKA Avio Benyaho) with lighting equipment supplied by Procon Event Engineering and Israel based Gil Teichman.

Because of the massive distances from console to lighting, W-DMX by Wireless Solution

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Eurovision Update - Sir Terry Wogan is stepping down as commentator on the Eurovision Song Contest after three decades. Fellow Irishman Graham Norton will take over for the 2009 contest, which will be hosted in Moscow. Veteran presenter Wogan, 70, cast doubt on whether he would be involved in covering the event again following this year's contest. He said it was "no longer a music contest" and that prospects for western European participants were "poor".

The show has suffered from accusations of block voting, which was blamed by some for leaving Britain's 2008 contestant, Andy Abraham, with only 14 points. Wogan said, "I've had 35 wonderful years commentating on the Eurovision for radio and television. From my first, in a small musichall in Dublin, to my last, in the huge arena in Belgrade, it has been nothing but laughter and fun... The silly songs, the

UK - The Stranglers embarked on their recent autumn tour of Ireland and the UK with an Allen & Heath iLive digital system to manage monitor mixing. Comprising an iDR10 Mixrack and iLive-144 Control Surface, the system was specified by the band's monitor engineer, Kev Allen.

"When the band comes on stage they know what they are going to get. iLive not only gives them the same great results every night but it saves them from lengthy sound checks at each venue because of the system's memory recall," says Allen. "I also worked out that I save a third of a ton by carrying iLive and a pair of Cat 5 cables rather than a copper multicore, heavy analogue desk and racks, so it makes load in really simple and there's more room on the tour bus."

Allen has been The Stranglers' monitor engineer for three years and also runs a PA company called Fearless Audio in the south

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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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South Africa - Gearhouse South Africa supplied all technical production - staging, rigging, lighting, video and audio - for Lionel Richie's successful South African tour, with resources pooled from its Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban bases.

Anthony Banks, operations manager for Gearhouse Rigging was head rigger for the tour, which played a mix of indoor and outdoor venues.

In Cape Town they used an 18m wide by 12m deep TFL roof. The PA Towers were done with Layher scaffolding, while the Durban gig was staged on a 20m wide by 14m deep Stageco roof with integral PA wings. The PA wings were at a height of 25m metres. The Johannesburg shows which concluded the tour took place in the Dome, a 13 212 seated capacity venue which sold out for two nights.

The GHSA lighting department was led by Rob Baker, a regular freelancer for the Cape Town branch, who worked with 4 touring crew

UK - Over the years, Maltbury Staging has supplied Shakespeare's Globe with various decks, assorted legs and accessories to suit a variety of performances. But it's not only at their famous theatre that they put on productions, for their 2008 Summer Tour project manager Paul Russell was confident that Maltbury would provide exactly what he needed, on time and at a suitable price.

The Globe chose The Winter's Tale as the perfect play for a summer's evening and Maltbury provided appropriate staging.Metrodeck Ultra, Maltbury's lightest staging system, was chosen. The package was straightforward yet versatile using an aluminium frame with a lightweight plywood top. As the tour made its way around the country, Russell reported how vital it was having flexible and manageable staging. "I would have no hesitation in recommending Maltbury to other companies," he says.

USA - Texas-based tour production specialists LD Systems are currently touring with Sarah Brightman and their Electro-Voice sound system. Brightman's Symphony World Tour is currently on its 48-day/32-city North American leg, with stops including Washington DC, Mexico City, and Toronto.

Robert Ausmus, director of production services, LD Systems reports: "We use our EV rigs for our most important projects and the new FIR filter technology has taken the system performance to a whole new level. We used NetMax N8000 (digital DSP/matrix controller) systems with FIR-Drive for the first time at our biggest annual event - the Houston Rodeo - and were very pleased with the results.

"On this tour we're running all DSP via NetMax, all managed with IRIS-Net control and monitoring software. We've cut down on hardware considerably - removing racks full of DSP from the equati

World - Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour, rolling across Europe and The Americas fall and winter 2008 employs MA Lighting's grandMA lighting system.

"Also used on Madonna's last tour, grandMA is our board of choice," says lighting programmer Troy Eckerman. This year's tour integrates some new technology into the mix. Eckerman attests that for this type of show, "90 percent is all about key lighting for her. We're presenting a very big picture - very high trim and a very white stage." The out-in-front B stage, used a lot to bring Madonna closer to her audience, has four small lifts that come off of it to front of house. Video screens and archive tape serve to supplement the look.

The Sticky & Sweet Tour lighting fleet, headed by designer Roy Bennett, also includes director Mac Mossier and programmer Cory FitzGerald. "We're using two consoles

Spain - When Barcelona's Teatre Lliuere was looking to upgrade its lighting equipment, it turned to ETC dealer Stonex - and ETC control equipment.

"The theatre, which is considered one of the most prestigious in Catalonia, opened in 2001," says Jose Louis Seoane, project manager for Stonex. "From the beginning it was equipped with Avab control desks, so the move to Congo was straightforward. It has the familiar philosophy of Avab, offering easy and efficient control."

The theatre has taken delivery of six lighting control desks in total: the 740 seat Fabià Puigserver auditorium has a Congo plus a Congo jr as backup, while the 60 seat sala de prensa (lecture room) will be using two Congo junior desks with a fader unit. As the company also produces national tours, it bought a Congo and Congo jr backup system for travelling.

Rai García, head of Teatre Lliu

UK - Summit Steel is supplying production rigging for Monkey: Journey To The West, currently being staged in a 3,300 capacity Kayam Tent outside London's O2 Arena.

Damon Albarn (musical score) and Gorillaz partner Jamie Hewlett (visuals, stage & costume design) present this innovative performance work fusing Chinese opera and circus with animated video cartoons and live performance.

Summit won a competitive tender to supply rigging services and equipment to the show which is staged by AEG Promotions UK. Summit's team is project managed by Chris Walker who is working closely with AEG's site production manager Tom Armstrong and Monkey Journey 2008 (the touring company) production manager, Jim Leaver.

The show's flown infrastructure is based around a 22.4m wide by 20.5m deep ground support system that was installed into the tent by Star Events Group.

From this, Summit

UK - Stagecraft Technical Services was launched in November by directors Kevin Hughes, Michael Naish, Lisa Tapper, Simon Sketchley and Sheryle Daniels. Bringing together many years of experience, the new Company which is based in Salisbury, will work with the event, corporate, professional, educational, amateur and entertainment sectors to provide a comprehensive staging, lighting and sound service; from supply and installation to technical support and hire.

Lisa Tapper explains: "It is a very exciting time for us all; we have a clear focus and a driven, knowledgeable team. Certain assets were acquired by Stagecraft Technical Services from Stagecraft Limited, which recently went into voluntary liquidation.

"Stagecraft Technical Services is well placed to offer full technical support services for staging, lighting and sound projects of all sizes, alongside extensive a

UK - The D&M management team has announced the appointment of Bob Goleniowski as managing director of the Business & Professional Group (Europe), with effect from 1 November 2008.

Goleniowski is to lead the Business & Professional brands into a new era of expansion and growth in Europe. Having worked for Harman International and recently Allen & Heath in various executive level roles, Goleniowski brings more than 25 years of professional audio experience to the position.

Goleniowski commented on the appointment: "I have always been a great admirer of Denon and Marantz and their ability to offer some of the finest audio products available, especially in the area of CD, DVD, and solid state storage devices for the professional user".

The Business and Professional Group includes brands such as Denon Professional, Marantz Professional, Denon Professional DJ, Allen & He

UAE - Delta Sound's new DiGiCo D5 Live and L-Acoustics loudspeaker system have been hard at work recently, providing the audio for a host of big name acts that have passed through the region in last month.

Maroon 5 and George Michael took full advantage of the D5, while Alicia Keys, Queen and Paul Rogers benefitted from Delta's substantial stock of L-Acoustics' cabinets, and the spectacular launch of Atlantis, The Palm made good use of the company's entire inventory.

"It's great to have access to DiGiCo products in the Middle East," says Jim Ebdon. "It means that I can just take my setting with me on a USB key, rather than having to ship large amounts of kit. And on this occasion it was particularly useful, because the other option available would have meant using two desks instead of the just the one D5."

"Delta Dubai has gone through a period of si

Italy - Area Venezia, the discotheque created by Joe T Vannelli, is one of the most popular names on the European clubbing scene. It was totally restructured in October 2008 by architect Massimo Cadamuro and now features two levels, with one large area and a smaller one. The club is divided into several zones, with a central dance floor surrounded by four elegantly furnished bars (each themed differently) and an art gallery.

When the venue was restructured, new installations included a sound system by Dynacord Alpha Concept and lighting by DTS and Zero 88. The new lighting system was installed by FG Lighting, with technical supervision by Dario Juka, to a lighting design project by Michele Sgolacchia of DTS.

DTS and Zero 88 products installed at Area Venezia include eight Helios full colour LED projectors inset in a semicircle in the false ceiling above the dancefloor; 35 MR16

UK - Essex-based rental company Event Sound & Light has recently invested heavily in RCF TT+ range of products. They have also taken on a full TT25-SMA monitor system along with a TTL33-A line array.

Paul Galley of Event Sound & Light comments: "We had used the RCF Line Array a couple of times and had achieved great results with it, so it made perfect commercial sense to look at adding a line array system to our hire inventory, as we already have a large point source system. The line array allows us the benefit of offering both systems to our clients, but more importantly we have the option to use what is right for the individual job.

"We had been looking at various systems, but after a visit to RCF's HQ in Italy it became clear that the TT+ system could deliver far more than what we expected and also allowed us the scale ability we had been missing. The one major th

USA - Yamaha's PM5DV2 beat off stiff competition from five other high profile audio consoles to win a Technical Excellence and Creativity (TEC) Award at the 125th AES Convention, held in San Francisco.

The award was presented to Marc Lopez, marketing manager of Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems by Night Ranger guitarist Jeff Watson and Howard Page, senior director of engineering for leading US rental firm Clair Brothers.

In accepting the award, Lopez paid tribute to Yamaha's dealers and end users worldwide whose continued feedback, suggestions and support have helped to ensure that the PM series digital consoles continue to evolve and offer the most advanced facilities and intuitive user interfaces in the large format console market.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Specialist AV trade rental company PSCo is opening a new Midlands base, complementing its southern operations. The new office opening will enable the PSCo team to service the Midlands and north of England more effectively, working with clients to create a nationwide support service.

The base will feature the portfolio of PSCo's advanced products including a fleet of Panasonic 103" plasma screens, the Sharp 108" LCD, new Infinite plasma screens and a selection of top of the range mainstream AV products.

PSCo managing director Stuart Holmes comments, "For a long time we have seen a growing demand for our innovative 'Advanced' product range, for events in the north of England and the Midlands. This was the driving force for the decision to open the new office, from which we will also be offering training and demonstrations for clients."

(Jim Evans)

USA - Harman Professional has launched HiQnet System Architect Version 1.9, a free download which delivers a host of new features including network troubleshooting tools, file compression and management and advanced control panel customization. According to Rick Kreifeldt, vice president, Harman Professional Systems Development & Integration Group (SDIG), this introduction comes just as the community of registered HiQnet System Architect users exceeds 20,000.

"It's fitting that we pass the threshold of 20,000 registered users as we continue to add new features and improvements to System Architect," Kreifeldt said. "I believe our commitment to systematically evolve and improve System Architect is a key reason that audio professionals continue to deploy HiQnet systems in an expanding array of applications. The improvements do not stop here, however, and we will cont

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