UK - West London based lighting and visuals rental company Colour Sound Experiment has invested £350,000 in the latest Robe moving lights - to up its stock and service its busy on-going work schedule.

Forty LEDWash 600s, 40 x LEDWash 300s and 35 x MMX Spots, all from Robe's Robin range, have joined Colour Sound's rental inventory which now features over 250 Robe moving heads - as well as a few hundred more from other brands.

Colour Sound's Haydn Cruikshank remarked, "These particular Robe fixtures are appearing with increasing frequency on band and LD specs, so we need to have them on board", adding that they are "light, bright and excellent value".

(Jim Evans)

UK - A technical theatre course offered by The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) has received national accreditation, as the sector continues to thrive despite the economic climate.

A team of theatre production experts from industry training body Drama UK said LIPA's BA (Hons) in Theatre and Performance Technology prepared students well for life after graduation.

Joe Stathers-Tracey, head of the programme at LIPA, enthused, "It's a great benchmark that takes into account not only the quality of our training and facilities but also the fact that our graduates are proving very employable.

"We had to meet a lot of criteria and the people putting us under the spotlight know this industry inside out. I'm proud of the programme and, especially, the students, some of whom were interviewed by the panel as part of the accreditation process."

Drama UK exp

Qatar - To take account of growing interest in the sport, a new stadium, the Qatar Cricket Stadium, was built recently in the municipality of Al Rayyan in Doha. The stadium is part of an entertainment complex that includes restaurants and a cinema. With a capacity of 13,000 spectators, the Qatar Cricket Stadium satisfies the highest international standards.

That is true not only of the sporting facilities but also of the stadium's sound system. For the installation, the stadium operators commissioned the Doha-based specialist Helmet Trading and Contracting. After conducting a variety of tests and head-to-head comparisons, the company opted - with the full agreement of the stadium management - for a sound reinforcement solution from Electro-Voice.

There were several reasons for this decision, as Mahmoud Fahmawi, Helmet's project manager, explained, "First of all, the quali

Japan - Adding to its already substantial rental inventory, Japan's Hibino Corporation has recently purchased a number of DiGiCo digital mixing consoles, which include four of the UK manufacturer's flagship SD7 consoles and two SD10s.

These additions bring Hibino's total to six SD7s, four SD10s and ten SD8s, allowing the company to continue to support the Japanese touring markets increasing requirement for top quality audio equipment.

"Of course the most important reason for investing in DiGiCo consoles is because of their high quality and usability," says Hibino's managing director, Mr Ryoichi Hashimoto. "A significant amount of DiGiCo consoles are being used all over the world and have achieved the trust of many engineers. Their high reliability is another big reason why we keep choosing DiGiCo consoles, along with the fact that we have trust in DiGiCo and hav

UK - Ambersphere Solutions have announced the dates and venues of their upcoming open days.

The Ambersphere Open Days offer customers a localised opportunity to meet the team behind Clay Paky, MA Lighting and Robert Juliat products in the UK, and spend some time familiarising themselves with the latest products available from each of these highly respected brands.

The Midlands Open Day will be held on Tuesday 9 July at the Swan Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, followed swiftly by the South-West Open Day later that week at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School on Thursday 11 July.

And hot on the heels of the announcement that Ambersphere Solutions has become the exclusive distributor of Robert Juliat in the UK there will be plenty to see and talk about with the team.

"There really is no surer way of understanding the quality of any piece of equipme

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UK - When searching for the right spot luminaire system to enhance Vive Forever the West End musical based on the songs of the Spice Girls, lighting designer Howard Harrison held a light shootout. The Martin award-winning MAC Viper Profile was chosen to light the stage.

"The Viper is a very good unit, very bright. It's as simple as that," Harrison says. "We use Vipers in every scene - they are the workhorses of our lighting rig for 'Viva Forever.' Throughout the show's running they've been reliable and have maintained their brightness very well."

Harrison's rig places the Viper Profiles on the stage's overhead truss with additional units at the FOH position. White Light, the London-based lighting contractor, supplied the Viper Profiles. The company debuted MAC Viper in the West End in late 2012 on another Harrison-designed musical, Loserville.

The Netherlands - When De Levende Steen (The Living Stone) Pentecostal ministry outgrew its existing building in the Dutch town of Hoogvliet, the church built a brand new facility in nearby Spijkenisse. Opened in the spring, the €10m state-of-the-art house of worship features Yamaha a digital audio system.

The new building covers an area of 12,000m². Its main space - dubbed The Dome - seats 2000, with a second room holding 450. Central to the design is a high quality audio network - needed to provide sound reinforcement for services and other events, as well as to allow De Levende Steen to broadcast its Saturday morning service on Dutch national television channel SBS6 and to record services for future use.

"People come from all over the Netherlands and from Belgium," says the church's technical manager Rens van Reenen. "The old building was too small to accom

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UK - Rycote, the UK-based manufacturer of advanced microphone windshields and suspension systems, has announced the departure of Stefano Pucello, the company's sales & marketing director.

Pucello, who joined Rycote in January 2010, is leaving at the end of June. During his time at Rycote, first as sales & marketing manager and then as S&M Director since 2011, the company has diversified successfully from its original broadcast supply base into the pro audio and DSLR accessories markets, which has involved a great deal of travel to set up and service new sales outlets internationally. Pucello initially plans a well-earned rest before deciding on his next career move.

"It's always important to leave a company on a high note, having achieved what you came on board to accomplish, and Rycote has expanded enormously into new markets during the time I've been here," he comm

Denmark - Martin's new line of affordable lighting effects, Rush, will be starring in a series of YouTube videos aptly titled, Films in the Fast Lane. With a complete demonstration of the technology's capabilities, each video will showcase the range of features and benefits each Rush product offers.

Subscribing to the RUSH by Martin YouTube channel by visiting http://www.youtube.com/user/RUSHbyMartinPro, viewers will be in the driver's seat, able to discover new and creative lighting deployments using the Rush lighting series.

(Jim Evans)

UK - The concert production industry has lost one of its most influential figures this week, with the death of the legendary concert stage designer, Mark Fisher.

Having been responsible for the design of most of the landmark touring stadium shows of the past three decades, Fisher occupied a unique position in the industry. He trained as an architect at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, graduating in 1971, and later, having already made his name in the world of concert design with his work on Pink Floyd's The Wall (1980), he teamed up with Jonathan Park to create the Fisher Park Partnership in 1984. The Mark Fisher Studio, Stufish, was founded in 1994.

Fisher's designs throughout this period encompass many of the largest, most innovative, most complex and most memorable touring concert productions of recent times. In addition to Pink Floyd,

UK - Atlantis Nightclub, situated at the end of Eastbourne Pier, has recently undergone a full re-fit complete with brand new audio and lighting systems.

Christos Stylianou, general manager of Eastbourne Pier and Atlantis Nightclub commented: "I wanted to use 3D LED tubes to maximise the impact of the arched ceiling. In addition to this we required moving heads, architectural highlighting and a complete sound system. All of this was needed on a budget."

Christos approached Ian Goacher from Accord Audio, based in East Sussex, to specify and install the equipment. Ian has a very long working relationship with the venue and understands their requirements perfectly. He sourced the majority of the equipment from MilTec (UK) Ltd, based near Maidstone in Kent.

The Miltec lighting equipment comprised of 172x 3D-PixelTubes and 4x EPW2 LED moving heads. For the architectural

UK - Backstage Academy has employed a new student ambassador to educate students across the UK and Europe about the career opportunities in live events production.

Dan Kelly is a former student from Backstage Academy's first Foundation Degree in Live Events Production. He joined the industry training company, based in Wakefield, at the end of the course and has been touring schools and colleges to provide students with an insight into working backstage.

Said Kelly: "Working with schools and colleges is very important for the sustainability of the UK's live events industry. Most students I speak to are unaware of the career opportunities available to them and even less aware of how they can get into the industry and progress once they are in it.

"Through my experience of the Foundation Degree, being tutored by industry professionals, and working both in the LS-Live

UK - When Pacha London recently won the 'Best Dance Club' category at the London Club & Bar Awards 2013 it became the latest leading night club with a Martin Audio sound system to win an award.

The Awards, which have been run each year since 1994, were presented at a gala event, held at the InterContinental London Park Lane hotel. And following the Ministry of Sound's recent success in the premier international IDMA's in Miami, Pacha was rewarded for their recent £500,000 refit which has seen them extend to a third, soundproofed Glass Room on the first floor as part of a complete club redesign earlier this year.

During the refurb, the Martin Audio WT3/WS218X system, installed back in 2008 by Bernard Mani's Systems Etc was reconfigured and enhanced by Viba Sound, with their project manager Hugh Sadleir adding a pair of WSX subs to complement the flown Martin Audio Blackli

Germany - A hundred and twelve Robe moving lights were used by set designer Valentin Lüdicke of Heidelberg based design practice Atelier Kontrast to light Floor 2 of the 2013 Time Warp EDM event at the Maimarkt-Areal Arena, Mannheim.

This saw 15,000 revellers party hard to some of the best dance music on the planet including Ritchie Hawtin, Sven Väth, Dubfire and many more.

Valentin's imagineering followed the dynamic architecture of the specially designed 'Tri-Arc' curved roof structure, constructed from a series of interlocking triangles, which, combined with some clever lighting trickery, created an infinity perspective.

He chose 56 x Robin LEDBeam 100s and 56 x Robin MMX Spots to be at the hub of the lighting rig, together with a smattering of LED-PARs and a bunch of strobes, working closely on the lighting elements with programmer / operator Matthias 'Lumpy' Vollrath.

USA - Community Professional Loudspeakers reports that John T. Wiggins, Community's vice president, will retire after a distinguished career spanning 41 years with the company.

Wiggins joined Community's founder, president and chief engineer, Bruce W. Howze in 1971 and became a partner in 1972. He has held multiple roles during his time at Community, including VP of sales, VP of Marketing and his current position as VP of business development.

Throughout his career with Community, Wiggins has worked closely with countless audio luminaries, contractors, consultants, musicians, film studios, NASA, professional sports venues, motorsport tracks, cruise ships, themed entertainment and amusement parks, and government organizations.

Wiggins is a member of SMPTE, ASA, AES, TEA, IAVM and InfoComm, and is active with NCAC and various theatrical groups. He was awarded a patent for the

UK - Harting's new Han-Fast Lock PCB termination system provides simple solder-free push-fit single-wire connection to printed-circuit boards, greatly enhancing the ease and flexibility of power distribution for entertainment equipment such as lighting dimmers, power supplies and winch/hoist motor controllers.

User benefits include the fact that power-line terminations can be taken from any point on the printed-circuit board without the need for tracks to be extended to one specific connection area. As a result, costs are reduced because of the simplified design and savings in real estate. This approach also eliminates the possibility of concentrated "hot spots" and therefore allows higher currents to be handled.

The easy "push/click" Han-Fast Lock PCB termination fits securely in the standard plated-through hole with pad and can handle up to 60 A for discr

UK - Lighting designer Tim Routledge used Philips Vari-Lite VL3500 Wash and Spot Luminaires to deliver a powerful and dramatic backdrop for the World War Z action film premiere after-show concert by Muse, held at London's Horse Guards Parade.

Epic and apocalyptic, Routledge's lighting design not only took care of the stage but the buildings and park surrounding the area to create an eerie, experiential evening of atmospheric entertainment for the 15,000 Muse fans attending.

Routledge - who was the lead lighting programmer for the London Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies - specified a massive 100 VL3500 Wash luminaires to wash the full expanse of the Horse Guards Georgian buildings and the audience with intense, bright blasts of colour.

"We positioned the VL3500 washes around the quadrangle, up-lighting the buildings with some of the throws only 2m from the

USA - grandMA2 full-size consoles are heading out on the road with Tim McGraw as the country superstar kicks off his Two Lanes of Freedom 2013 tour in support of his new namesake album. McGraw's tour will play 30 cities across the USA. It follows his successful joint Brothers of the Sun tour with Kenny Chesney, last year's highest-ranking country tour in Billboard's list of the top treks of 2012.

For McGraw's latest show Premiere Global, which has been a vendor for the artist for the last decade, supplied two grandMA2 full-size consoles.

Everything in the show, including the video content, is triggered by the grandMA2; a backup unit is also on hand. "We had a multi-user interface for two programmers," says lighting designer Pat Brannon. "They could save to the same cue files at the same time, and that was great. The main feature is the video interf

The Netherlands - Leiden NL based Audio van Hooidonk, one of the country's most respected and historical rental firms, took delivery of yet another Outline Doppia II 9075 + DBS 18-2 set.

Just one year after company owner Anton van Hooidonk attended an Outline demo at The Audio Specialists headquarters, they ordered a second Outline Doppia II set. More specifically, the system in question is made up of four Doppia II 9075 and four DBS 18-2 subwoofer systems. All are driven by Outline's T-Series amps, whilst signal processing is handled by an Outline Genius 24

Anton van Hooidonk explains, "When I heard this FOH set for the first time, I could not believe that such small lightweight cabinets were able to produce such an amount of SPL without any compromise in headroom and fidelity. Now, having worked for a year with our first Outline set, we wanted all our gigs to experience

USA - Elation Professional has introduced the EZ6, a high-resolution 6mm indoor LED video display panel whose affordable price, light weight and modular quick assembly make it suitable for visual displays at nightclubs, concert venues, live stages, exhibit halls and public spaces who want the excitement of a video screen without overstepping their budgets or getting bogged down by complicated installations, says the company.

Powered by high-quality Tri-Color 3528 SMD LEDs, the EZ6 will impress viewers with its uniform colour, high contrast and sharp, clear picture, making it a video superstar. It features 6mm pixel pitch, 1,800-nit brightness and 960 Hz refresh rate, producing high-definition graphics, text, logos or images -- limited only by your imagination! Wherever it's used, the EZ6 offers reliable performance and easy setup. The 22.7" x 22.7" (576mm x 576mm) squa

UK - A special customised version of ShowLED Animation supplied by UK Distributor S+H Technical Support is being used on the current David Ian Productions and Ambassador Theatre Group UK and Ireland touring version of the hit Priscilla Queen Of The Desert The Musical.

The Animation Cloth has been supplied to the tour's video contractors XL Video after being specified by their project manager Ed Cooper.

It measures 8m wide by 7m high and was specially manufactured by S+H for the tour with a 130mm grid matrix of pixels as opposed to the standard Animation Cloth where this is random.

The modifications were needed to display the specific Priscilla content being played through it in a certain manner to give it a very 'clean' finish.

The Animation Cloth is flown mid stage and is in for the first 15 minutes of the show, until the famous Priscilla bus is revealed.

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