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An all-new sound reinforcement system has recently been installed in the historic chapel at Harrow School by installation specialists Scan Audio. The Grade 2 listed building was designed by Gilbert Scott - famous for landmarks such as the Albert Memorial and St. Pancras station, so the installation had to be carried out with great sensitivity.

"A key area to address was the problem of hearing the choir properly at back of the chapel over the large pipe organ," notes Dee Couchman of Scan Audio. Improved sound reinforcement for speech was also required throughout the chapel. "It was the opposite to the usual problem of long reverberation times in that type of building," comments Paul Malpas of consultants Arup Acoustics. "We needed to lift the choir and subtly balance their level with the organ."

The solution was to completely strip out the old column spea

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Julies nightclub is a well-known Newcastle landmark. Like most clubs, it’s had its fair share of small upgrades over the years, but owner Keith Gibbon, of Lazi Leisure, felt the time had come for a major renovation - hence Julies 2.To effect the refurbishment, the venue was closed at the end of January to allow for major structural alterations to increase its size. Keith Gibbon came up with the design concept and called in the team at Lighting Technology Projects - Craig Grieveson, Dave Philips and Ray Scott - to undertake the installation. The effects lighting rig centres around Martin Professional’s MAC 250s, MiniMACs, Mx4s and CX2 colour changers, with Abstract Moonrays, Pulsar Demon Strobe units and shed loads of neon providing further punctuation. Controlling all this, and the Jem ZR12 Smoke machine, is a Pulsar Masterpiece 216. A Sony-led, four-screen video system is al
Doughty - Banner - from 6 June 2025

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Stage Technologies has announced its decision to become Gold sponsor for the forthcoming international conference on Theatre Engineering and Architecture 2002 taking take place in London next June. The theatre event of 2002 will examine technology and architecture for the performing arts. Presented in a hotel venue in London's Theatreland, the conference will bring together theatre technicians, architects, consultants, scenographers, lighting designers, stage and building services engineers, acousticians, fire prevention specialists as well as building owners, cost consultants, new clients and project managers.

The conference will be followed by the ABTT Theatre Show. Stage Technologies' commercial director Nikki Scott said: "We are delighted to sponsor this landmark international event. It is an important opportunity to discuss with industry colleagues and theatre professionals t

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Kelsey Acoustics, leading manufacturer and supplier of professional audio and lighting cables, supplied a number of Kelsey 100 touring multipin connectors, looms and breakouts to ATG Spectrum for its recently-completed installation in Studio 3 at the BBC's Television Centre in Wood Lane.

Studio 3 is the new home of the Top of the Pops and Later with Jools Holland broadcasts, and the request for Kelsey's involvement came directly from the sound supervisor responsible for both programmes. Mike Felton explained: "We were temporarily housed at Riverside Studios for TOTP whilst the move and refurb was going on, and SSE were supplying all the monitoring and PA facilities. They use Kelsey's 32-way multicore as standard, and having used it ourselves, Gary [Clarke, sound supervisor TOTP] and I immediately requested that a compatible line system be installed in Studio 3. It entirely fitted

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Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone has already received great critical and popular acclaim and is expected to become the biggest grossing film ever for Time Warner. Vertigo Rigging, Spirit Design and Fourth Phase were amongst those who helped supply the magic for the recent World Première at London’s famous Odeon Cinema, Leicester Square.

Vertigo, working for production company West Design, show producer Lucy Smail and production manager Andy Cheesman, transformed the front of the building into Hogwarts School of Wizardry & Witchcraft for the evening of 4 November.

With a seven-day get in, the event required over 22 tonnes of equipment, 12 tonnes of which was hung off the side of the building - representing a huge logistical and practical challenge for Vertigo. Work began on 29 October, when project manager Paddy Burnside and his team of riggers supervised a 60 tonne

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Trussing, aluminium and ground support specialists James Thomas Engineering has designed an integrated Trussing module - on its safe use and handling - for PCM's renowned Lodestar two-day Motor School. An extended version of the trussing module is also run at PCM's five-day-Rigging School. James Thomas's Trussing course was devised by project manager Paul Young, who says: "There's more than meets the eye with trussing and its associated safety issues, and also the wider ones generally across in the rigging industry. Anyone interested in furthering their knowledge of motors and rigging also needs to know all about trussing. People are often surprised at the complexity of the subject!"

Like the Motor School, the Trussing module is presented in a hands-on, practical manner. For the two-day Motor School - run free of charge by PCM - the Trussing section takes up half a day. At th

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The Entech 2002 Conference program features workshops and seminars in areas of lighting, design, rigging, audio, projection and even the business needs of a DJ. Sessions includeIntroducing the Line Array; The Future of Systems Integration and ProAV Technology; Venue Design Forum; Digital Live Sound Mixing; Lighting Designer Forum; Rigging Workshop; Stacks and Racks; Motor Training School; Location Sound Recording; Trends in Facilities; The Art of Designing with Moving Lights; We Are Surrounded (Surround Sound); and The Changing Face of Post Production.

Entech 2002, Australasia’s leading entertainment technology trade show, will be held in Sydney’s Darling Harbour from 4-6 February 2002. For further details on the conference programme and exhibits, visit the web address below:

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Focus 21 Visual Communications has undertaken a series of videowall installation projects for a large financial firm in the City of London involving both Sony and Christie technology. Focus installed two conference/meeting rooms at the Corporation's Thameside location at Blackfriars - generally to facilitate 'plug and play' Powerpoint presentations from a laptop computer, using scan conversion technology.

Focus 21 services director Nigel Warrilow states that by using the Sony DSC-1024 scan converter, coupled with the Christie Digital's ability to split images from multiple displays in the overall picture area, correctly displayed data images can be presented from any PC. "The company wanted a big display occupying minimal depth or loss of space," he continued. "The ambient light level wouldn't lend itself to front projection, while rear projection would have eaten up too

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Luminar plc, the name behind numerous bars, restaurants and nightclubs across the UK, has recently released details of its interim financial results for 2001.

The figures make impressive reading and indicate that there is still much to be positive about in the night sector. Company turnover is up 116% from £77.2million last year to £166.4m this year. The company’s pre-tax profit has more than doubled to £29.5m.

Underpinning the financial success has been an aggressive growth strategy, which has seen Luminar acquire 10 venues from Scottish and Newcastle plc (making it the largest operator of late night venues in Scotland) and also the Life Limited brand from Whitbread. It has also continued to roll out its own brands, including Chicago Rock Cafe, Jumpin’ Jaks and Liquid, together with the development of ukclubculture - a relatively recent initiative which is aimed at

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In the first major revision to the Renkus-Heinz Synco Touring System since its introduction four years ago, Synco Europe has announced a single, new mid/high cabinet to replace the long and short throw cabinets currently in use across the Synco Network. The Synco Network members (Ampco Pro Rent and PAS Audio of Holland; DEE Sound and Light and Flashlight/APR of Belgium; R G Jones of the UK and Puro Audio of Portugal) agreed on a programme of updating their current stock of equipment with the latest technical updates. The result is a radical change from all of the network’s current MH 60-40 (40 degree vertical dispersion) and MH 60-25 (25 degree vertical dispersion) cabinets to the new standard long-throw cabinet, the MH 60-30."It has not only entailed a major change in Synco Network logistics and planning," comments Fred Heuves, managing director of Synco Europe. "Th

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Synonymous with the grass roots of concert touring, Skan PA's work portfolio has expanded under the judicious eye of directors, Chris Fitch and Abby Llewellyn, into something that is quintessentially British. They have recently simultaneously supported Orbital and Gabrielle - the latter on an exclusively British tour lasting two months, running an all-British sound rig. The company has followed up the successful beta-testing of the new TQ-310 enclosures with the band Tindersticks, by using them as infills with Gabrielle. The tour also sees a new departure for Skan, using TSW-721 subs for the first time. The tour also features continued successful use of specially manufactured 'overhangs' - provisionally designated the TFL-760HF.

Skan’s Chris Fitch says that Turbosound's willingness to listen to the requirements of PA companies, such as Skan and Britannia Row, is the reason for th

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Ad Lib Audio‘s new JBL VerTec series line array system is out on its first UK dates with the Ministry of Sound’s student union tour - a demanding, action packed environment demanding the very best in audio.

Ad Lib first used JBL’s Ver-Tec system in the late summer when they ran a system in the VIP tent of the Ministry’s massive event at Knebworth Park. Ad Lib and Ministry’s crews, plus assorted DJs, were so impressed with VerTec that they decided to use it for the upcoming tour. Ad Lib were hired as audio contractors for the events, and decided to purchase their first VerTec speaker enclosures - in a deal completed at PLASA with UK JBL distributors Arbiter Pro Audio.

Ad Lib’s Dave Kay and Ben Baker are crewing the Ministry tour, using 12 ground-stacked VerTec VT4889 boxes - plus their own Ad Lib subs - to create a high energy sound concentration in

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The International Live Music Conference (ILMC) has announced the initial details of its 14th meeting next year. For ‘ILMC14’ the three-day conference will return to the five-star Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, over the weekend of March 8-10 2002. This time it comes wrapped in a spoof sixties spy movie theme that will see the invitation-only delegates challenged to complete a three-day mission that may not be ‘impossible’ but may certainly turn out to be ‘implausible’, ‘indigestible’ or even occasionally ‘incomprehensible’ (that is, should they choose to accept it, of course).

The ILMC’s usual array of in-depth debate, specialist breakout sessions, industry trade association meetings, and a whirlwind of social activities, culminating in the notorious ‘ILMC Gala Dinner and Arthur Awards’ on the Saturday nigh

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Having already made a lot of friends in the live music industry, XTA's versatile SiDD processor is proving itself an essential tool for sound engineers in the corporate market. Sound engineer Richard Waghorn is a regular SiDD user who has used the units on product launches and conferences for a range of high-profile clients, including Honda, TNT, DHL and One-2-One. He recently used the units at a management conference for global fast food retailer McDonalds, held at the Hilton Metropole hotel in London.

The conference hosted 1000 delegates and required 24 channels of audio, which comprised four lectern mics and a range of tieclip mics, plus VT stings and other playback elements. The sound was broadcast to the floor via Funktion One Resolution 2 loudspeakers. A major drawback of corporate events is that they often take place in venues which were not designed for amplified audio. SiDD pr

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Visitors to the Serpentine Gallery might have wondered what was going on when LA-based artist Doug Aitken brought his New Ocean exhibition to Kensington Gardens, London Crowning the mixed media installation, which included 20 video projectors supplied by DVS, and audio throughout the building supplied by Total Audio, were two Coef Show 250 scanners (programmed on a Compulite Spark console) - supplied by i-Vision in conjunction with Fentura Productions.

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Britannia Row Productions has recently signed the V-DOSC Network Agreement to join the worldwide network of L-Acoustics V-DOSC Partners since December 1st.

Since its foundation in 1975, Britannia Row Productions has developed a worldwide reputation, specializing in audio design, project management and the supply of sophisticated sound equipment with sound engineers and technicians for major events and concert tours. Britannia Row Productions has been using L-Acoustic systems for its tours and projects for several years. Britannia Row Productions will receive their first delivery by mid-December of a complete arena system.

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Innovation - Turbosound’s official installer in Tyne and Wear - was recently commissioned to supply and install the sound system for a ‘wild west’ theme bar in Newcastle. Purpose-built on two floors, Buffalo Joe’s is the latest and now the largest theme bar to hit The Quayside, with a capacity of up to 1000 people.

Hosting a schedule of live entertainment six days a week - which includes a DJ throughout open hours, cabaret, live PA and bucking bronco - the owners considered the sound system to be a major priority. Innovation tendered successfully, and the company designed and installed the sound system, the main backbone of which is 12 Turbosound TCS-259 speakers positioned discreetly amongst the wild west props throughout the ground floor, six TCS-35 speakers set on the first floor, six TCS-118 subwoofers placed throughout the ground floor, along with one THL

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In a relatively new application, XTA's DP324 dynamics controller, or SiDD (Seriously Intelligent Digital Dynamics), has been chosen for use with the in-ear monitoring system for Sophie Ellis-Bextor and her band. A total of five channels were used under the control of monitor engineer Sean Busby-Little, who commented: "SiDD is a very versatile unit because it has so many functions, which are all easily accessible for a live gig situation. A lot of digital units tend to be a bit slow to access the parameters but I have not found that with these, everything is very user friendly . . . You would normally have to have at least three units chained together to achieve what you can do with one of these so the size of it is an added bonus, all the toys you need and it's only 1U."

SiDD (the DP324) is a powerful processing unit incorporating Brick-Wall limiting, input EQ, High and Low p

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Musselburgh, a seaside town just outside Edinburgh, is home to the Cube, a brand new 1,200-capacity club over two floors built from the ground up by local entrepreneur Alfredo Alongi. This impressive venue has the distinction of being the UK's first EViD installation. This new range of elegant ellipsoid loudspeakers from Electro-Voice designed specifically for contractors made its UK debut at the PLASA show earlier this year.

Installers Starstruck Sound and Light were responsible for specifying the EViDs. Starstruck's Kenny Taylor admitted that he had in fact specified another brand until Shuttlesound's Andy Murray walked in with an EViD to show him. "It was definitely a case of the right product at the right time," said Taylor. "Visually the EViDs look stunning - a real departure from the usual black box scenario - and being EV, I was fairly convinced they'd sound good

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Although a variety of daytime and late night talk shows have debuted since the mid-1980s, after nearly 50 years of TV broadcasting, The Tonight Show remains the gauge by which contemporary televised culture is measured.Taped from Studio 3 at NBC Studios in Burbank, California, a newly installed Martin lighting system, supplied by Production Lighting Systems (Fourth Phase), is adding even more colour to America’s classic late night show. NBC lighting designer Gary Thorns is using Martin MAC 2000, 300, 250 and MiniMAC automated lights on several aspects of the Studio 3 stage.

Placed behind host Jay Leno’s desk and guest seating area, a row of MAC 300 wash lights bathe a line of wooden columns in various shades and provide colour washes for the ceiling and beams above the set. Above the band area where Kevin Eubanks directs The Tonight Show band, MAC 300 wash lights add colour

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Visual act, winner of both Awards for Product Excellence in Stage Engineering at PLASA 2001, will present their stage wagons at showcases in Oslo on 23 January, 2002 and in Amsterdam on 8 February, 2002. Anyone interested in attending either of these showcases should submit their interest to Jim Fainberg at jim@visualact.net before 17 January for Oslo and 30 January for Amsterdam.

For more details, including product information, technical specifications and pictures of the company’s award-winning products, visit the Visual act website at the address below.

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Young Voices is an annual event featuring competing choirs from local schools. This year's shows have taken place in some of the UK's largest touring circuit arenas - Newcastle, Sheffield, Manchester and Birmingham. The show is different to most in that the 'choir' consists of 7,000 schoolchildren! To fit this amount of people into an arena takes up most of the available space.

Canegreen were chosen to supply audio for this year's event because of their experience in this field. Faced with the task of providing a full performance system with total coverage for the attending audience, together with a comprehensive fold back system for 7,000 choristers (and band) and with the added complications of set up restraints because of rehearsals, they decided to use the new EAW 760/761 line array system.

Canegreen managing director and Yes fan Yan Stile said: "We'd previously used this ne

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PLASA (the Professional Lighting and Sound Association), in conjunction with British Trade International (BTI), will be conducting an extensive programme of government-funded overseas trade missions and other events aimed at boosting UK export trade, during 2002. The programme is part of PLASA's ongoing aim to provide valuable export assistance to the UK entertainment technology industry.

PLASA is currently organizing exhibitor groups to some of the world's key international trade exhibitions, including the NSCA, USA (April), Pro Audio & Light Asia, Hong Kong (July), and Lighting Dimensions International, USA (October). This is the first time that PLASA has been successful in a bid for funding for the NSCA Show - an event aimed at the sound contracting/installation market which showcases the products and services of over 500 exhibitors. It's also the first time that PLASA has had an op

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PCM, the company responsible for establishing the Columbus McKinnon Lodestar electric chain hoist at the forefront of the UK and European professional entertainment and touring industry, has formed a new division to handle the installation of set piece equipment on special projects. Heading up the division is Tony Griffiths, formerly with Harkness Hall, who joined the company in October.
  1. CP Sound in the Cellar Club
  2. Sarner Brings Time Travel to Life
  3. Stage Light Design on TV
  4. QVS at Birmingham Film Festival Awards
  5. Artistic Licence Travels The World
  6. New Distributors for MC2 Audio
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