World - Spanish superstar Alejandro Sanz has spent 20 months touring in support of his successful, Grammy-winning eighth album Paraiso Express. Taking in 22 countries and over 100 shows, Front of House engineer Fernando Diaz relied on two DiGiCo SD7s to mix this extensive tour.

Travelling to countries as varied as the USA, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica, such was its success that it was nominated for Billboard's best live tour of 2010, yet it still had months to run.

Fernando Diaz, is a veteran of 30 years on the road and has worked with Sanz for the past decade. Using DiGiCo consoles since the company was formed, he was an early adopter of the SD7, along with monitor engineer Frank Aponte.

"I remember perfectly the first day, three years

USA - This year's LDI Show proved a massive success for coolux and its multifaceted Pandoras Box product family. The positive feedback that coolux received for their new Pandoras Box Version 5 release was crowned with additional honours in the form of two prestigious awards.

The coolux Widget Designer PRO 3.0 was awarded the Parnelli Indispensable Technology of the Year Award and the PLASA Rock Our World Award.

The Rock Our World Awards were created to honour innovative achievement by PLASA members and to acknowledge the genius of both the creator of the technology and the designer or integrator who applies it in a real world environment.

The Parnelli Award "recognizes pioneering, influential professionals and their contributions, honouring both individuals and companies."

The ongoing award success highlights the flexibility and reliability offered by the coolux

UK - Harting's's Han Modular series connector inserts allow event installers to create high-density connectivity and cabling solutions with total signal-handling flexibility - including audio, video, communications, data and power - through different rugged IP 65/67 hoods and housings suitable for harsh handling conditions.

Multiple contact style modules can be mixed to suit particular needs. Multi-pin modules can support analogue and digital audio transfer, while multi-way coaxial modules can handle CCTV, SDI, HD-SDI and 3G-SDI video. A full range of power modules allows current handling from a few amperes to 200 A.

RJ45 data modules allow Ca.5 10/100 Mbit/s, Cat 6e 1 Gbit/s or Cat 6E 10 Gbit/s Ethernet transfer via Harting patch leads. Signal security between power and data lines can be ensured where necessary through EMC screening options or by the use of SC fibre-optic mod

UK - Harry Bishop, freelance live sound engineer, is impressed with the XTA DP548 he recently purchased from LMC Audio. Currently using the processor with Beardyman, he describes the difference it has made to the shows:

"It's absolutely brilliant, it's revolutionised the show," he reports. "I've trained my deps on how to use it to its full potential with specific application to this show and they're complete converts, even the analogue junkies. The house technicians think it's a genius application of the right technology and Beardyman loves it.

"Feedback has been a massive issue with Beard's set-up up until now but with the DP548 he no longer needs to worry about it. In really extreme scenarios I have made use of the phase related filters in order to move bass nodes around the room and prevent localised coupling on stage which would otherwise be a show stop

USA - LumenRadio's CRMX wireless DMX/RDM technology was used with great success in the production of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise's fourth instalment, the On Stranger Tides movie - currently the eighth highest-grossing release of all time worldwide.

The movie was produced and released in conventional 2D, IMAX, Disney Digital 3-D, and IMAX 3D and included sophisticated computer generated 2D/3D visual effects, as well as many extensive and complicated location shots. That level of technical ambition, a very compressed production schedule straddling the Atlantic, and the pressure of a multi-billion dollar franchise would not leave anything to chance.

Josh Thatcher was responsible for the deployment and operation of LumenRadio's CRMX units as part of a gigantic lighting rig on the California set.

"Not only did CRMX Nova by far provide the best range

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UK - During its four-month summer season, Regent's Park Open Air theatre becomes one of London's largest, selling out its 1200+ capacity night after night. Sound designer, Olivier Award-winning Mike Walker, once again drafted in the talents of the TiMax2 SoundHub audio delay-matrix, and for the first time, TiMax Tracker automation to simplify the control task and help counter what Walker sees as the "two fundamental audio problems in open air theatre".

This year's dramatic medley included Lord of the Flies, Beggar's Opera, with a children's version of Pericles running concurrently under it during the day time, and the light and entertaining Gershwin musical, Crazy for You. Walker explains the one common factor driving his sound design for this diverse mix of performances, "It's about pulling the audio image back to the performer, so tha

Spain - Stageco supplied a bespoke stage for a special one off performance in Madrid by Coldplay to promote their fifth studio album, Mylo Xyloto.

The British band performed at the famous Spanish bull ring, Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas in Madrid on 26 October 2011. The performance was filmed by Anton Corbijn and streamed live on You Tube, where it was viewed by millions worldwide.

The band performed on a specially crafted circular 25m by 17m Stageco stage which was adjoined to an 'X' shaped catwalk to imitate the 'X' symbol from the new album - giving a special touch to the design.

Stageco also provided four single PA/Spot towers and a custom designed, transparent bandroof, which complimented the stunning backdrop of the venue and protected the artists from unpredictable weather conditions.

Stageco director Hedwig De Meyer started the 12 day project on 18 October an

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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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UK - Showsec provided a 15 strong management consultancy team to oversee all elements of the complex security operations surrounding the 2011 MTV EMA in Belfast.

A who's who of pop music came to Belfast to celebrate the best of the past year in a glittering awards show that will be seen by more than 600m MTV homes around the world through the global TV network. Eleven live performances and a host of international stars took pride of place in Belfast's Odyssey Arena, as EMA gongs were scooped by performers including Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry and Justin Bieber. Across town, Irish favourites Snow Patrol and US singer songwriter Jason Derulo played to 15,000 fans on an outdoor stage at Belfast's City Hall, while - the Red Hot Chili Peppers rocked a third stage at Ulster Hall.

Showsec Director Simon Battersby was the 2011 MTV EMA director of security. He says, "We have

USA - Cree, Inc.'s Ruud Lighting subsidiary, based in Racine, Wisc., will hold a groundbreaking ceremony today to highlight a 208,000sq.ft expansion to its manufacturing facility. The company's $24.5m investment will focus on manufacturing and assembly of LED lighting and is expected to create 469 new full-time jobs over the next four years.

"Cree's recent acquisition of Ruud Lighting and its BetaLED products brought together two leading LED lighting companies under one roof," said Chuck Swoboda, chairman and CEO of Cree. "Last month this facility shipped its 500,000th LED luminaire - further evidence of the market demand for the latest LED technology and a need to expand our facilities to maintain our leadership of the LED lighting revolution."

The expansion will extend component and product storage capacity and house several new manufacturing lines for ne

Japan - Roland Systems Group will use the backdrop of InterBEE - the International Broadcast Equipment Exhibition taking place in Tokyo - to showcase the new Roland VR-3, a fully integrated audio mixer and video switcher designed for live production and web streaming. This product combines the power of Roland's audio and video technology into one unit and expands the growing lineup of AV Mixers and streaming-ready solutions from Roland, says the company.

Like the popular Roland VR-5, the "all-in-one" design of the VR-3 simplifies production and streaming of live events. The VR-3's design incorporates a video switcher, audio mixer, preview monitors and streaming-ready USB output all in a compact, single unit.

The VR-3 is extremely portable - the size of an A4 piece of paper and weighing 2kg. The reduction in hardware equipment, setup time and connection complexity mak

Israel - Robe's Israeli distributor, Danor Theatre & Studio Systems, based in Hod Hasharon, reports that the new Robin MMX Spot is already becoming a popular choice for the country's busy rental market.

Live performance, arts and other events are prolific in Israel, and Robe MMX fixtures have been used on several major shows including a performance of Mozart's Magic Flute at the Ha Ha'Yarkon Park, Tel Aviv-Yafo (LD Uri Morag); the final of popular TV talent show A Star Is Born (LD Ronen Najar) as well as for Swedish pop megastars, Roxette's recent concert at the Expo Ground in Tel Aviv, attended by a sold out audience of 12,000.

In all these cases the technical production was provided by the Mazuz Group from Petach Tikva, currently Israel's leading lighting, sound and AV operation. They have an extensive stock of Robe moving lights which have been supplied throug

World - FOH engineer and self-professed Midas analogue fan Eddie Mapp is using a Midas PRO9 live audio system, supplied by Clair Brothers, for the Evanescence world tour, currently heading across Europe.

Mapp had previously relied on a Midas XL4 for every tour, before switching to digital desks a few years ago. "Why did I make the change to Midas Digital?" he says. "Tone, feel and most importantly, audio quality. I've had some great shows on other digital desks but nothing sounds and feels like the PRO9 does."

Citing the PRO9's EQ as one of the first features that won him over, Mapp continues, "It really blew me away, reminding me of what it was like to mix on a great analogue desk. I just pushed up the guitars, did a little tonal shaping and they sounded massive.

"Another thing I've noticed after bouncing from festivals to theatres on a variety

Germany - LumenRadio's CRMX technology recently helped light the opening festivities for Germany's largest drinking water plant. The facility is located in Arnsberg-Neheim, part of the densely populated Ruhr valley, and produces over 600 cubic-meters of drinking water every hour; enough daily water for more than 10m people.

Lighting designer Frederik Decker, principal of City Light & Sound, choose to focus on the impressive technology involved in the tightly controlled purification process and naturally stayed with a blue colour scheme to match the water theme. Decker, together with local firm Topas Technology, provided a lighting rig of powerful, yet inconspicuous, Litecraft LED fixtures from LMP to provide saturated colour washes and powerful highlights of key technical apparatus without adding much visible equipment.

The production team was initially concerned about a wirel

Taiwan - The city of Hsin-Chu has one of the biggest industrial parks in Taiwan, most notably known for its electronics industry. Far less known is the beautiful Hinterland of Hsin-Chu which only few of today's travellers get to appreciate.

It is here that Providence Maitreya Buddha Missionary Institute has found a place to set up its new monastery. The monastery offers facilities for arts and cultural events and is also designed to serve as a convention centre within its theatre hall (1446 seats). Together with its partner DLHG in Taiwan, MA Lighting proposed a MA Digital Dimmer dimMA compact installation (the space saving alternative to the modular dimMA range) as well as a grandMA2 ultra-light console.

"It was great to have Michael Adenau himself here to take a look. The circumstances have been pretty special and bringing in the founder and mastermind of MA Lighting sh

UK - A. C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) has supplied a fully flexible Martin Audio Blackline PA system and associated AV equipment to service both live events and HD cinema shows - together with a full HD projection solution - to the Woodend Barn venue in Banchory, Aberdeenshire, a leading Scottish multi-purpose arts centre.

Founded in 1994, Woodend Arts is run by a collective of paid staff and volunteers. The Woodend Barn hosts a diverse programme of music, theatre, comedy, dance, film, children's events, art exhibitions and workshops.

AC-ET had previously supplied lighting equipment and a background music system to the Woodend Barn project for their cafe/bistro. At that stage, plans to further develop the Barn were already underway, and more recently, additional funding enabled the investment in a new sound and cinema system.

Once funding was granted by Creative Scot

UK - Three education institutes in the South West of England recently selected Allen & Heath mixing consoles for installation in their teaching and entertainment facilities, purchased through local sales company, Clockwork Audio.

DBs Music has opened a new music technology training centre in partnership with Cornwall College, choosing GS-R24M recording mixers for four production suites and several ZED-10FX. An addition to DBs' existing Plymouth centre, the new facility offers a variety of new training programmes in Music Performance and Music Production, with plans to add university-level courses in the future. All four GS-R24 mixers have been installed into bespoke furniture, connected to 27" iMacs with Pro Tools and Logic. There are also a few small ZED-10FX mixers installed in their custom built live and performance rooms.

Mark Trewin, who is DBs' development director,

Japan - The 2011International Broadcast Equipment Exhibition (InterBEE) sees Yamaha launching the 01V96i, a significantly upgraded version of its popular 01V96 digital mixing console.

First introduced in 1998, the 01V96 has proved one of Yamaha's most widely-used digital consoles, being employed in broadcast, live sound, corporate and entertainment installations, as well as project studios. Now, the 01V96i brings a raft of new features to this popular mixer.

Featuring a 24bit/96kHz sample rate, the 01V96i features newly improved, studio-quality head amps with onboard 24bit/96kHz A/D and D/A converters.

With the demand for multi-track recording in live sound applications continually growing, the01V96i also features 96kHz, 16 in/16 out USB 2.0 audio streaming. This new facility makes high quality multi-track recording and playback quick and straightforward and provides full in

UK - Monacor has launched a new series of audio mixers. Headlining the range is the MMX-1282USB, a 10 Channel mixer with 12 inputs, 99 DSP effects and integrated full duplex USB interface which allows for recording onto a PC and reproduction of digital audio from a PC simultaneously.

Other features include a three-way equaliser and balance controls, adjustable FX send output, adjustable stereo AUX return input, Tape record/play connections, adjustable headphone output, +48V phantom power, and the possibility to connect a gooseneck light.

Neil Clayton, managing director of Monacor UK commented, "The MMX-1282USB is a great addition to the IMG Stage Line brand and heads up the range perfectly. It boasts so many features for such little money it's almost embarrassing. We have often been asked for a wider choice of mixers with DSP effects and we are now pleased to be able to m

USA - Craig Dains, who served as an account executive for the Healy Group, a manufacturer's representative firm based in Richmond, Virginia, has died. The cause was complications from heart disease. He was 26.

Dains handled American DJ, American Audio, Elation Professional, Acclaim Lighting, Global Truss, and Arriba Cases on the East Coast. He is survived his companion, Melissa J. Clements, his son Craig Brian Dains Jr., his parents, and six siblings.

Dains was scheduled to take part in American DJ's Fall Learning Tour on November 16 and 17; the events have now been cancelled, with a statement from American DJ announcing they will be rescheduled. The company expressed deep regret at Dain's passing.

In lieu of flowers, contributions should be made to the Craig Brian Dains Jr. Scholarship Fund in care of the Costantinto Funeral Home, 231 White Horse Pike, Berlin, New Jersey 08

UK - Adlib continues its busy autumn season - adding to its increasingly diverse client base - supplying audio and crew for American country music singer Toby Keith's recent UK and European tour.

The venues were a selection of theatres and Wembley Arena in London. Adlib's crew of Ian Nelson and Otto Kroymann worked closely with Keith's own engineers - Dirk Durham (FOH), Bill Collyer (band monitors) and Russell Fischer (Toby Keith monitors) together with their systems tech, Scott Halle.

Durham specified JBL VerTec which he uses when touring in the USA, so Adlib supplied a total of 24 VerTec 4889 speakers with 12 VerTec 4880A subs and 10 x L-Acoustics Kara for front-fills and lip-fills.

For Wembley, they added side-hangs of another 10 VT4889s left & right, plus four additional subs a-side.

The FOH console was a Midas XL4 complete with a substantial array of outboard. These i

Australia - Following the recent appointment of John Reid as general manager, ESS Australia is rebranding the staging component of its business to Tribal Staging.

With over 30 years' experience worldwide and boasting a client list that includes leading players in the music and entertainment industry, Tribal Staging will continue to be one of Australia's

premier supplier of Outdoor Stages, PA Towers, Screen Supports, FOH Towers, Signage Towers, and Decking Systems to the music and entertainment industry.

Providing safe stages is Tribal Staging's priority and every structure with no discrimination on size or height has a design certification and site signoff by an independent certified structural engineer and certified to Australian standards, says the company.

With regular scheduling of maintenance conducted, Tribal Staging consistently supplies structures that are tested a

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