UK - City Theatrical has provided more SHoW DMX equipment to specialist lighting contractor Howard Eaton Lighting for Cameron Mackintosh's new production of Oliver! now playing at The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, in London's West End.

SHoW DMX is used on the production to provide DMX control to dimmers and smoke machines mounted on a large scenic flying piece, which would otherwise have entailed a complex and troublesome cable run to the already crowded theatre flying grid.

For many years, WDS Wireless Data System, SHoW DMX's forerunner, provided London's West End shows with wireless DMX, and the new technology of SHoW DMX is rapidly establishing itself in London, on Broadway, in Las Vegas, and in other venues around the world.

The production lighting designer for Oliver! is Paule Constable, and the senior production electrician is Gerry Amies. Lighting equipment

USA - For the 51st GRAMMY Awards Show, Audio-Technica supplied over 250 of its microphones, including an impressive array of hard-wired mics and Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless Systems.

The team working on this year's GRAMMYs featured many top-tier contributors who returned to ensure the success of this landmark event. The sound system was provided by ATK AudioTek with FOH (front-of-house) Engineers Ron Reaves and Mikael Stewart, while the broadcast audio was supervised by Phil Ramone and Hank Neuberger, leading members of the Producers & Engineers Wing of The Recording Academy. New York-based XM Productions/Effanel Music were onsite with their L7 remote truck to create the music mix, facilitated by music mixers John Harris and Eric Schilling.

For the home audience, CBS once again delivered the most advanced form of HDTV, with 1,080 lines of picture resolution and 5.1-ch

USA - Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend, founding members The Who, have used Shure microphones onstage for more than 40 years. Their energetic live shows are often highlighted by Daltrey swinging his microphone - a standard Shure SM58® - over his head in wide arcs. Now, the rockers famous for punishing their equipment explain their loyalty to the microphones that have been taking it for so long in the new Shure Reason Why advertising campaign.

The band is just one of the artists appearing in the campaign, which features performers talking candidly about why they have remained faithful to Shure microphones throughout their careers. Other performers appearing in the series include Maroon 5, Brad Paisley, G. Love, Martina McBride, and The Black Crowes. Each ad also promotes the artist's latest album release, concert tour, and website.

"Performers all over the world

UK - Recent industry news headlines claiming that Ofcom has made assurances to the PMSE (Programme Making & Special Events) sector about its future use of spectrum, as well as promises of compensation for equipment made obsolete by the changes, have been greeted with caution by PLASA.

The claims in the news give the impression that Ofcom will make suitable alternative spectrum available UK-wide for the PMSE sector, and that compensation or 'funding' will be made available so that users of the spectrum do not have to bear the costs of replacing radio microphone equipment.

However, PLASA's technical resources manager Ron Bonner, a member of the BEIRG (British Entertainment Industry Radio Group) steering committee which is campaigning against Ofcom's proposed measures, says that we should remain very wary of Ofcom's plans. He told L&SI: "The recent headlines should be treate

Slovakia - The Slovakian staff of Mercedes-Benz held their Christmas party in the Park of Culture in Bratislava. LASA, a rental company based in the city, was responsible for the equipment and a Cobra-4 line array system from Dynacord provided the sound.

The main PA comprised eight Cobra-PHW, four Cobra-4-Top, and two Cobra-4-Far enclosures. Stanislav Lehen of LASA cited a number of reasons for his decision to invest in a Cobra-4, "For one thing, Cobra-4 provides outstanding sound quality. It also provides easy handling and enormous flexibility: with Dynacord's Cobra system, anyone can provide sound reinforcement for small, medium-sized, and even large events."

To counteract the long reverberation time of the main hall in the Park of Culture, LASA set up two delay lines (at 35 and 50m). Mercedes-Benz was so pleased with the results of their Christmas party with Cobra

USA - The HBO open signal presentation of 'We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration' at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC served as the nation's televised kickoff of the 56th Presidential Inauguration. Captured live at the National Mall, the event drew hundreds of thousands to see and hear a lineup including Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, U2, Sheryl Crow, Shakira, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, and others.

Sound reinforcement for the concert was courtesy of Clair Global and was mixed-for-air by veteran television production mixer Ed Greene. Wireless chosen for the event included 16 channels of Shure UR4D systems, using various combinations of bodypack and handheld transmitters, many of which sported SM58 capsules.

The Clair system spanned two miles from the Lincoln Memorial steps to the Capitol using a combination of the Lititz, Pennsylvania-based company's i5 and i3 enclosu

USA - Southern California-based Sound Image Inc. has agreed to purchase over 800 I-Tech HD amplifiers for its tour sound business. "Our customers are extremely demanding and I-Tech HD gives Sound Image the ability to take our system performance to unprecedented levels," stated Dave Shadoan, president of Sound Image Inc. "At Sound Image we have always prided ourselves on providing the best sound possible to the clients we serve."

Sound Image's touring division is known as a provider of premium live sound systems, working with major artists such as Rascal Flatts, Jimmy Buffett, Eric Clapton, and Taylor Swift to name a few.

At its core, I-Tech HD features a new user-inspired DSP engine co-developed with BSS called OmniDriveHD. The new processing engine features Linear Phase FIR filters that offer "unrivaled crossover performance for sonically pure tunings

USA - Shure Incorporated has selected Highway Marketing of Dallas, TX, as its new sales representative in the mid and south central United States. The company will be responsible for sales of the complete Shure line of professional audio products to retailers and systems contractors in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.

"Scott Baker, Steve Simmons, and the entire staff at Highway Marketing bring several decades of combined experience and proven success in our industry to our team of independent sales reps," said Jim Schanz, director of US field sales for Shure. "They have a thorough understanding of our constantly evolving industry from the perspective of dealers and manufacturers. We are confident they will continue their success and help grow our business in the region."

"Highway Marketing is thrilled to be representing Shure," said Baker

Turkey - Thomas Cook's award-winning annual conference took place in Antalya, Turkey in December 2008. The two back to back conferences catered for over 2500 of Thomas Cook's managers from across the business, over a six-day period.Produced and staged by drpevents, part of the DRP Group, the conference included spectacular outdoor welcome evenings, a Strictly Come Dancing competition, two closing ceremonies featuring singer Candi Staton, and two prestigious gala dinners, which included award ceremonies.

The Strictly Come Dancing evening was one of the highlights of the conference as staff that were paired with professional dancers got the chance to compete with their colleagues from all over the business. A week of full auditions were staged at drp studios in the UK.

Ian Ruhback, senior technician from drpevents explained the lighting for the conference: "So

UK - Litestructures supplied a key feature for the latest European tour of the American boy Band New Kids On The Block (NKOTB).

This was the first time Litestructures worked with the band. Production manager Bobby Schneider contacted Litestructures to supply a circular lift which would be located in the middle of the crowd, and would be able to hold the band and rise to up to 6' high.

Litestructures came up with a concept of adapting one of their standard Scissor lifts with a circular 12' diameter LiteDeck staging system - all used from the company's hire department.

The end result was a success and the lift acted as the centre piece of the show and toured with the band for three weeks. In smaller venues, the lift was replaced with a static 12' diameter circular LiteDeck.

Ben Brooks, hire manager at Litestructures comments: "It was a fantastic opportunity for Litestru

UK - Leading production companies and individuals contributed skills, equipment and resources to make the 2009 Barnes Charity Ball, staged at St Mary's Church in London, a memorable fundraiser for the Under Tree Schools project in Sudan.

Richard Lambert was asked to help with the lighting, and a few conversations later, he'd enrolled the help of some of the industry's finest to help too. These included Noreen O'Riordan of Entec Sound & Light who provided the lighting rig, and Michael Althaus of MA Lighting who supplied the control system. Production management was undertaken by Ryan Brown of Entec and programming by Liz Berry, with additional help and operations by Jonathon Lyle.

The overall lighting design was completed by Richard, who said: "People and companies in the lighting industry are truly amazing! It's great to be able to help with something like this and incred

USA - Dover International Speedway's recently-completed Victory Plaza is home to Miles the Monster, NASCAR's most enduring mascot and one of the world's tallest fibreglass structures. Towering some five stories above the Speedway's famed Monster Mile, the statue's glowing red eyes and menacing grin preside over the many ceremonies and dedications at the Plaza.

Powerful sound surrounding Miles is provided by Community WET-Series loudspeakers, chosen for their ability to deliver clearly over the roar of dozens of stock cars and thousands of fans in any weather.

(Jim Evans)

USA / UK - 2008 was a successful year for Eat to the Beat Inc, part of the Global Infusion Group. From becoming the in-house caterer at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD, and the Virgin Mobile Festival in Baltimore to the ATP festival in upstate New York. Several major tours of the US were also undertaken. The company has truly established itself as the caterer of choice for the discerning palette.

Coldplay- international touring artists utilized the company's services twice in '08. Long-standing Eat to the Beat team member Heidi Varah, led the catering crew. Along with her were Darren Shead and Jesse Davies creating "delicious and inspired meals" daily.

These meals were complemented by the work of Pauline Austin and Sarah Money with salads and freshly made desserts. Rounding out the team on the front line, Jessie Collins and Peter Kostandelos looked after t

USA - Auralex Acoustics is creating performance art of its own in the Blue Man Groups' newest rehearsal space with its acoustical treatment products. The internationally successful group recently moved into its new NYC recording and rehearsal facility and immediately recognised the need to balance the acoustics of the space, specifically the voice over booth and the live performance room.

"When we moved into the new space, we had to get the vocal booth as dead as possible," says Chris Mulhauser, musical instrument manager of Blue Man Productions. "Auralex played a big part in that through their StudioFoam and T'Fusor Diffusors products, they work great."

(Jim Evans)

Korea - An Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing system has been selected by the Bethel Independent Church in Seoul, Korea. The iLive system - comprising an iDR10 MixRack loaded with 48 inputs and 24 outputs and iLive-144 Control Surface with 16 inputs and 8 outputs - was chosen because of its ability to cater for a diverse range of events, which includes services, gospel singing and rock concerts.

"I am very proud that we have the iLive system installed. We host a rock concert at least once every two months, as younger generations are involved in the Church's activities, and this system has the capacity to manage all the requirements. I also like the sonic quality, which is natural, clear and warm. My dream has come true," says Pastor T. N. Park.

The 930-capacity venue also installed a Renkus-Heinz line array, a Dolby surround sound system, and a 450" centre scree

DPA has launched a new website at www.dpamicrophones.com. This retains the large amount of information and resources from the previous site, including the Microphone University, which provides useful information about microphone design, interfacing, stereo and surround techniques and recording in general, as well as product information, user stories and distributor info.

Additionally, the site has undergone a complete redesign, bringing it up-to-date and consistent with DPA's corporate branding, advertising and trade show visuals. Graphics are bolder and improved, and the site features new product photography throughout.

"We wanted to make our website even more user friendly, with a good search function, easy navigation and well-organised content," says Anne Berggrein, head of marketing at DPA. "We've made better use of the images, upgraded the search engine and includ

UAE - Look behind one of the main broadcast desks at television studio CNBC Arabia and you will see a flexible, animated and visually professional backdrop courtesy of Martin LC Series LED panels. The semi-transparent, modular system of LED panels - praised for its brightness and set-up ease - is floor-mounted and creates a customizable graphics backdrop and one-of-a-kind set piece.

CNBC Arabia, which broadcasts live coverage across the Middle East and beyond from Dubai Media City in the United Arab Emirates, is the region's first 24-hour Arabic language business TV channel. The channel's Head of Operations, Nick Turner, was looking for an alternative display to augment a range of changeable and moveable 'light-boxes' that would display backlit graphics for a range of new shows.

"We needed something to simplify operations and replace one of the virtual sets we had been us

UK - The Empire Theatre in the Queensland city of Toowoomba has upgraded to a Midas PRO6, becoming the first performing arts centre in Australia to install the new digital system. Originally built in 1911 as a silent movie house, the theatre was extensively renovated following a fire in the 1930s, and is a stunning example of art deco architecture both inside and out. The Empire underwent another major renovation in the late 1990s, becoming the first theatre in Australia to install a Midas Heritage 2000 in its ongoing desire to provide optimum performance.

In recent years the theatre's audio department has expressed a desire to upgrade to a digital console to provide more features and greater flexibility. Head of audio Ralph Atkinson evaluated many consoles in his search, concluding that none came close to the sonic performance of the theatre's existing console.

That was until

Australia - Located in Australia's capital city Canberra, the Australian War Memorial's newest galleries "Conflicts 1945 to Today," aims to preserve and convey the experiences of Australian servicemen and women on overseas deployments from Korea and Vietnam through to Rwanda, Iraq and Afghanistan. In the age of the virtual theme park it was a major challenge for the AWM to present these epic stories.

Bruce Brown from Mental Media who was heavily involved in a variety of aspects of the design and delivery of the project, says the design process selected the key elements from the Vietnam era to include an Iroquois helicopter, an Armoured Personnel Carrier, the operations bridge from the guided missile destroyer HMAS Brisbane and the Long Tan AV Theatre, together with a diorama and "The Trench Experience" from the Korean War. Fitting all of this and the assignme

USA - Robert Juliat Quincy profiles play a key role in the new Hall at Patriot Place, a unique sports and educational experience showcasing the history of the New England Patriots and housing the team's Hall of Fame.

The venue includes four 30ft (9.14m) high Magink pylons whose digital displays highlight the careers of each Hall of Famer via video, still images and text information.

As lighting consultants on the project Salem, Massachusetts-based Available Light was tasked with lighting the two-sided, Israeli-made Magink pylons. "They have no light source of their own; they're essentially like a giant LED screen which has to be externally illuminated," explains designer Matt Zelkowitz, a principal designer at Available Light.

In talking to the manufacturer Zelkowitz learned that each pylon needs approximately 300ft candles (3229 lux) of illumination and a 3:1 max

Germany - Sirius Showequipment, one of Germany's leading tour sound rental companies, has joined the L-Acoustics K1/KUDO Pilot Program. CEO Wolfgang "Schabbach" Neumann is excited at the prospect of using the system for this year's open-air season.

"We were very impressed by the power capability of the system, especially the fact that distribution is so equal in both the horizontal and vertical planes," he says. "But what's really struck us is the great response to the system from our customer base. Our new L-Acoustics K1/KUDO system will be the backbone of our rental activities throughout 2009, and the system will be on the road all season.

This is Sirius Showequipment's first purchase of L-Acoustics systems after years of positive experiences renting V-DOSC, dV-DOSC and KUDO on a dry hire basis. The system will comprise 48 K1 line source cabinets, 24

World - grandMA are plugged into the excitement of AC/DC's long-awaited Black Ice World Tour which takes its theme from the new AC/DC track, Rock 'n' Roll Train, with the stage featuring five curved trusses reminiscent of a railroad station's roof beams.

The Black Ice World Tour marks the first time that the band's lighting director Cosmo Wilson has toured with the grandMA. A main system and backup are on hand to control the extensive lighting package required for the large set and AC/DC's over-the-top performance.

"I've used a lot of different consoles, but I started using the grandMA on some one-off dates for other artists and have done a lot of corporate shows with it," he points out. "This is my first chance to tour with it. That's when you really get to learn it. I've always liked a lot of grandMA's features, and I'd been thinking I wan

USA - The 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards held on 8 February at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, had a performance line up and duets by Coldplay and Jay-Z; Al Green, Keith Urban, Justin Timberlake and Boyz II Men performing 'Let's Stay Together'; the Jonas Brothers pairing with Stevie Wonder; Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus;, Paul McCartney and Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl; as well as performances by Katy Perry, Carrie Underwood, and many others. California-based ATK Audiotek once again provided live audio production and, once again, chose four Yamaha PM1D digital audio consoles, two at front of house and two for the monitor mix.

"The need for these shows to be flawless is what drives Audiotek to obsess on the details and not compromise on the quality of equipment and people that operate behind the scenes," states Mike Stahl, president of ATK Audiotek.

At the helm of the four Y

UK - ITV1's successful 4th series of Dancing on Ice - a live competition in which celebrities and their professional partners 'figure skate' in front of a panel of judges - attracts an impressive 9.5 million viewers every Saturday night.

The lighting and projection media servers for the 4th series are controlled by two Vector Greens from Compulite. Lighting designer for the series is Dave Davey with assistance from Dave Hallet and console operators Bill Peachment and John Ford.

"Bill's desk features all the set and effects lighting as well as a Hippotizer media server to project onto the ice. John looks after lighting the people (contestants and judges etc) with a mixture of conventional lights and automated wash and profile lamps," says the company.

Console operator John Ford comments: "Coming from a background of controlling conventional/people lighti

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