Germany - HK Audio will take part in the 2010 Integrated Systems Europe, marking the company's first showing as an exhibitor at the event.

HK Audio marketing manager Philipp Wrede notes: "HK Audio has seen significant growth in professional fixed installations in recent years. What's more, our marketing efforts in 2010 will focus on several new products designed for fixed installation, so it certainly makes sense for us to take part in the ISE. In fact, we will unveil some models for the first time at the fair."

The 2010 ISE show will take place on February 2 to 4 in Amsterdam.

(Jim Evans)

USA - Elation Professional, part of the ADJ Group of Companies, won the Best Big Booth Design award at the recent LDI Show in Orlando. Elation earned the honour for its innovative use of video and lighting in its massive display, which featured some of its advanced EVLED Series LED video panels.

Designed for creating vibrant video screens, curtains and backdrops, the panels put on an awesome visual display at the main entrance to the LDI show and thanks to their modular design Elation was able to easily integrate them with their lighting technology to create a cohesive visual display combination of lighting and video.

"As a company, we've committed ourselves to staying in the forefront of LED lighting & video technology," said Eric Loader, national sales director of Elation Professional and Acclaim Lighting. "Winning the LDI Award, which is based on voting by a

UAE - Arising from an initial contact made at the recent PLASA show in London, the Middle East's leading stage and set rental company, IBS Decor, commissioned Litestructures to design a hospitality unit for Mubadala, Ferrari's official race sponsor at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The IBS design concept called for a structure shaped to read as 'F1' when viewed from one side. This required a complex design as it necessitated the use of reverse angles of up to 70 degrees to achieve the desired profile. Measuring 14m long x 7.5m wide, and with a height of 6m, this was a substantial project, for which LitePro390-4 truss elements were utilised, clad to give the best cosmetic appearance.

Taking just three weeks from concept to completion, Litestructures, no strangers to the world of Formula 1, showed a winning turn of speed. Interestingly, the same structure has since been used for an e

Germany - This year's spectacular MTV Europe Music Awards were held at the O2 World in Berlin, where XL Video's UK and French offices combined forces to provide a dynamic interactive video backdrop for this high profile event.

XL Video France supplied a massive 22 projector system managed by Klaas Eecloo, comprising of Barco FLMs for front and rear projection on the main set, two IMAG projection screens either side of the stage, a PixLED F-40 LED screen in the "Glamour Pit" and a Barco Encore screen management system to size and shape the content for the screens.

Chris Saunders from XL UK took on the role of screens director under direction from video consultant Richard Turner, and headed up XL's on site team, following on from his work at the MTV African Music Awards in Nairobi, Kenya a couple of weeks previously.

The set designer for MTV Europe was Florian Wieder

USA - After meeting favourable reviews at its AES introduction in October, Lexicon has begun shipping the new PCM Native Reverb Plug-In Bundle. The latest addition to Lexicon's processing family provides seven Lexicon reverb algorithms that are designed to deliver "the highest level of sonic quality and function while offering all the flexibility of native plug-ins".

"We are very excited that the new PCM Native Reverb Plug-In Bundle is now available to our customers," said Randy Garrett, marketing director for Lexicon. "Ever since the introduction at AES, the response has been outstanding and we know that this product will exceed our customers' expectations once they experience the distinctive smooth, rich reverbs for themselves."

(Jim Evans)

Germany - This month sees the launch of the German distribution partnership between LMP and Visual Productions software lighting control manufacturer.

Initially focusing on the Cuelux software lighting controller, LMP Product Manager Olli Winkler says, "We are glad to have Cuelux in our product portfolio. Cuelux is a well fitting complement in the field of professional lighting control systems."

LMP Lichttechnik was founded in 1980 and has grown to be one of the most successful distributors for the entertainment business in Germany. LMP adds Visual Productions to its portfolio of professional products, for which they have exclusive distribution on the German market, including Robe and Litecraft.

With staff training and stock already in place at LMP, Visual Productions feels that this partnership is well situated to support the German market sales of their products.

USA - Prism Projection's RevEAL Color Wash lighting fixture was awarded Best Debuting Product for Lighting at the LDI 2009 in Orlando, Florida. Products being unveiled for the first time at LDI are eligible for the award, and winners are selected by a secret panel of industry experts. The award was presented in ceremony at the LDI exhibit hall on 21 November.

The Color Wash is the first product released by RevEAL, Revolutionary Entertainment & Architectural Lighting.

After the awards ceremony, Prism Projection's president and founder Garrett Young commented, "The RevEAL CW is our first product for entertainment lighting and this our first time exhibiting at LDI. To have the industry welcome us with this award is truly a great honour. This award really has me energized to get back to the team in the lab and finish up the products we have on our roadmap for the line."O

UK - Sound designer of the London stage production of Rat Pack, Chris Whybrow, fresh from his success with Thriller, describes how he's brought more than a touch of Vegas to London's Adelphi.

"The entire band is on different height risers so the audience hears different instruments directly, depending where they are sitting in the auditorium. The dress circle audience for example, are right in front of the trumpets. Getting the music right is a big part of Rat Pack; it has to be slick, so balancing the band is very important.

"The Adelphi is a typical West End theatre, vertically there are three audience positions and I have placed a left/right d&b audiotechnik Q1 loudspeaker array hung at each level: stalls, dress circle and gallery. There are also Q subwoofers in the stalls, and flown Q subwoofers up at the gallery level. I'm not doing much in

featured content

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

The Netherlands - The Frisian Street Festival in the Dutch town of Leeuwarden is one of the major attractions in the Netherlands' events calendar. For one weekend a year, the streets and squares of the town are converted into a single giant stage - for acrobats, musicians and actors. On the two main stages, Oldehoofsterkerkhof and Gouverneursplein, a large number of bands this year provided a programme rich in variety.

In order to do justice to each of the different genres, which ranged from reggae to funk to hard rock, technicians from the local rental company, GV Audio, assigned a Dynacord Cobra system to each of the two stages. For the Oldehoofsterkerkhof, they opted for a flown Cobra-2 system comprising 121 Cobra Tops and Cobra Subs. The power was supplied by four Dynacord H5000 power amplifiers. For the Gouverneursplein, they used a stacked Cobra-4 system comprising

USA - The Harman Music Group has announced the promotion of Craig Paller from vice-president, domestic sales, to group-wide vice president, worldwide sales and responsible for strategic planning and sales initiatives at the brand, market, and dealer level for BSS Audio, dbx Professional, DigiTech, and Lexicon Professional. The announcement was made by Rob Urry, president of the Harman Music Group.

"Craig Paller is an outstanding sales executive with a proven understanding of the markets Harman Music Group serves and deep empathy for the needs of our dealers and customers," Urry said. "In this new role his experience, enthusiasm, and leadership skills will benefit all of our brands in growing and strengthening in each of their specific markets."

Commenting on his new position, Craig Paller stated, "I'm excited about the opportunity to lead our worldwide

Libya - TAO Group provided safety & risk consultancy services for the main structure build for the 40th Anniversary of Colonel Gaddafi coming to power in Libya this autumn.

Serious Stages and Atlantic Enterprises were contracted by Le Public Systeme to provide a custom structure for the staging of the spectacular production. The largest temporary stage ever erected in the MENA region, Serious Stages and Atlantic utilised numerous Antonov aircraft to fly out the massive amounts of equipment required. The structure consisted of a 38m SPACE roof stage on a 12m high leg with two adjoining 38m wide SPACE buildings, which functioned as the world's largest 'cowsheds'. The build was project managed by Atlantic's Shane McCarthy and David Fletcher with design and engineering support being handled by Serious Stages' team back in the UK.

Both Steven Corfield (Serious) and Shane McCarthy (

UK - A.C. Audio, a division of A.C. Entertainment Technologies has been selected as an accredited UK sub-distributor for POLARaudio's range of exclusive brands. The line-up includes ASL, Australian Monitor, Aviom, Beyerdynamic, Biamp, Blue Sky, Cue, Dynacord, Gallien-Krueger, MC² Audio, Novasonar, Renkus-Heinz, Revolabs, WHD and XTA.

POLARaudio has recently undergone some changes to its discount and distribution channels, appointing key audio resellers who specialise in the core production markets its products service.

Now in place, these are bringing significant benefits to all parties in the market. The idea behind the new distribution network is to broaden access to the POLARaudio portfolio whilst at the same time, continuing the high level of supportive services customers require in the current climate.

As part of the agreement, A.C. Audio carries increased on-the-shelf

USA - In front of a capacity crowd at the sold-out 2009 Parnelli Awards in Orlando, Florida, XL Video was announced as the winner of the Video Rental Company of the Year Award.

René de Keyzer, CEO of the XL Video Group and Phil Mercer, managing director of XL Video LA, accepted the award. Also on hand to celebrate was XL Video's president Marcel de Keyzer and Jo Beirne of XL Video UK.

Since 2001, the Parnelli Awards, presented by Projection, Lights & Staging News (PLSN) and Front of House (FOH) magazines has honoured the highest achievers and most admired innovators in the live event industry. The awards, named after the late production and touring manager Rick "Parnelli" O'Brien, recognise pioneering, influential professionals and their contributions to the industry, honouring bothAlso honoured at the Parnelli Awards was Stefaan 'Smasher' Desmedt who picked u

Israel - Waves Audio is now shipping WavesLive MultiRack Native, the first software application designed to run Waves plug-ins with live analogue and digital mixing consoles. MultiRack Native is a software host that lets FOH and monitor engineers run multiple simultaneous instances of the same Native Waves plug-ins used in recording studios and mixing rooms the world over.

Armed only with a laptop, an I/O box, MultiRack Native and Waves plug-ins, users now have the power to shape their live sound with unprecedented precision, says the company, and do away with rack after rack of heavy effects units.

WavesLive MultiRack Native features easy setup with advanced preset capabilities and an intuitive workflow which facilitates a smooth transition from traditional hardware-based systems to the live digital realm. There are four basic components in a MultiRack Native setup: Plug-ins

USA - The Colombian Independence Day Festival 2009, one of the oldest and best-established festivals in New York City, had its 25th anniversary outing this past July at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. Sponsored by the Colombian Civic Centre (CCC), the annual gathering is geared to promote Colombian culture, values, and traditions, as well as uniting Colombian people throughout the greater New York metropolitan area.

For one day, the area was transformed into Colombian kiosks with vendors selling their wares while live music provided entertainment with the invigorating sounds of Cumbia, Vallenato, Salsa, and other Colombian musical rhythms. To help ensure a festive mood, the CCC wanted a potent sound system. They got their wish - with a sizeable setup based on components from the D.A.S. Audio catalogue.

AVS Production Group, a Bronx, NY-based production group tha

USA - Audient's ASP8024 high resolution mixing console has been installed at Angry Chair Music, a project studio catering to local talent in Turners Falls, MA. The success of Staind, Shadows Fall, Kill Switch Engage and All That Remains, who originate from the same district, is fuelling and inspiring the music scene in the area, bringing in more recording bands to the recently upgraded studio.

Studio owner Paul Interlande thoroughly researched his options before the purchase. "I am definitely 'old school', so I wanted an analogue desk with great features and a great sound," he explains. "The ASP8024 fell neatly into all these categories, as well as coming well within budget.

"The desk is a joy. It seems with every new project I discover another useful feature to conquer problematic scenarios," he continues. "Having 14 auxes enables me to hardwire

Australia - CAMCO and its Australian distributor Group Technologies have been chosen as the power amplifier supplier for the primary AV systems in the new Melbourne Convention Centre.

The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) is the first and only '6 Star Green Star' environmentally-rated convention centre in the world, and Australia's largest and most versatile convention and exhibition facility.

As such, one of the primary objectives for the complex is to showcase pioneering technology which enhances a world-class convention centre encompassing 32 meeting rooms of various sizes, a Grand Banquet Room and a state-of-the-art Plenary that can be sub-divided into three self-contained theatres.

The extensive audio-visual installation draws upon different models of power amplifier from the German manufacturer CAMCO to provide a super-flexible operational functionality

UK - Shuttlesound is in the final stages of one of its largest hotel installations, the audio component of a complete integrated hotel-wide AV system for the latest opening in the Grange Hotels chain, the Grange St Paul's Hotel in the city of London. The project has demanded over £1/4 million of Electro-Voice professional sound reinforcement products, including an extensive networked audio solution and two complete line-array systems for the main conference facilities, installed and programmed by Kingdom Services.

Grange Hotels is London's leading independent luxury hotel group. Rob Goodings, director of technical services, has already confirmed that Shuttlesound and Electro-Voice will supply the next development in the company's busy roll-out programme, the Grange Tower Hotel, adjacent to the Tower of London.

"I am delighted with the results at the Grange St Paul's

UK - A prominent London lecture theatre - which is also heavily used for film and television productions - has taken delivery of a new dnp Beta 100 advanced double element screen and a Paradigm rear projection rig - courtesy of integrators, Audio Visual Machines.

Set within the University College London (UCL) Wilkins Building, the Grade II-listed Gustave Tuck Theatre was built from the proceeds of a donation in the 1920's by the then president of the Jewish Historical Society and remains one of the most prestigious areas within UCL complex in north London.

However, according to AV Services Manager, Mike Allinson, its last serious AV upgrade was undertaken 15 years ago. The original chalkboard was moved forward to accommodate a rear projection area and along the way CRT and then LCD projectors were brought in, firing directly onto the screen. "But it was never successful a

USA - Green Hippo once again received an award at the 2009 LDI Exhibition, scooping the Best Debuting Product for Projection for their new UberPan component. The award was received by marketing director James Ross Heron and Special Projects team member Tom Etra at the awards ceremony held on 21 November in Orlando Florida.

UberPan is a multi-server screen management component allowing multiple Hippotizers to create a single virtual canvas. Connect as many displays as you have outputs and in as many different sizes and configurations as you like. Screens can be a mixture of different physical sizes and resolutions. Once configured, the 'herd' of Hippotizers are seen as one single server allowing easy realtime control and live manipulation from Green Hippo's ZooKeeper control centre.

The setup uses real-world measurement and importantly, all realtime functionality found on any H

USA - California-based Sound Image recently used a Studer Vista 5 SR console for country music star Taylor Swift's tour throughout North America. The tour included 52 concerts that sold out within minutes, prompting a second leg of the tour to be added for 2010. Sound Image's FOH engineer on the Taylor Swift tour, Russell Fischer, stated, "The goal was to bring Taylor Swift's brand of country pop music to life, and to get the show's energy and feeling across to an already excited crowd."

According to Fischer, Sound Image chose the Vista 5SR for its audio quality and versatile control surface. "The audio quality is the most obvious advantage over other digital consoles," stated Fischer. "Being able to do six different things on different channels and input data all at once is a huge advantage when you are mixing live. The main challenge throughout the tou

Latest Issue. . .