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The theatrical sound design and rental specialist, Autograph Sound Recording, was recently asked to join the UK's most prolific producer, Raymond Gubbay and his creative team, at London's Royal Festival Hall for the staging of Stephen Sondheim's Follies. A breathtaking neoclassic production, not seen on a West End stage for more than 15 years.

Terry Jardine, sound designer for Follies and Autograph's managing director, chose a new and unique loudspeaker product for this show, the Insider 665. A line source product from Sweden, manufactured by LLW, the Insider 665 was being used for the first time in the UK, typical of Autograph's innovative approach to new products. This new Swedish loudspeaker has been designed to handle wide and long distance coverage in large indoor venues, synchronized with pure sound reproduction. Six cabinets a side were used at the Royal Festival H

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At the PLASA Show on Tuesday 10 September, EAW’s '2002 Installation Company of the Year' Award was presented to Light Sound FX of Coleraine, Northern Ireland. On hand to accept the award from Phil Price was LSFX’s managing director Darren Gardener. He said in accepting the award: "This is a great tribute, not only to us at LSFX, but to the products and the back-up we receive from the EAW team." Phil Price added: "This has been a great year for EAW contracting products and obviously there can only be one winner - Darren and his team have done a great job."

(Lee Baldock)

Doughty - Banner - from 6 June 2025

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When Presentation Service Providers (PSP) were asked to provide AV reinforcement for a British Gas employee motivational roadshow, they sensed that Screenco’s Mini Mobile 2 would be the ideal display medium to reinforce the action. Easy to rig, and with the high brightness offered by the 10sq.m, 15mm LED display, PSP provided a three-camera (D35) PPU, with component vision mixing - augmented by the PPU which is inherent to the Mini Mobile 2 truck.

With audio reinforcement from a Nexo rig, this enabled them to capture the audience response - in the live outside auditorium. Here, small teams gathered to answer questions via a keypad driven audience response unit and participate in a game constructed within a Crystal Dome-type building under the production control of Triple A. The show itself visited British Gas car parks in Northampton, Birmingham and Manchester, and at each venue

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Producer Harley Medcalf and the Australian production team responsible for ‘Barry Humphries: A Night With Dame Edna’ was interested in creating a very special effect for this latest comedy tour. The production, which opened in Miami on 10 September, required a 30ft x 30ft backdrop, which was completely white for the purposes of the lighting designer. An assortment of coloured lighting, automated lighting and projections were to be directed at the drop. The drop also had to be durable, lightweight and manageable for extensive touring and ease of set-up and strike. In addition to these standards, the production team wanted the white backdrop to transform to a photo-realistic portrait of Dame Edna on cue! Realizing that there is only one studio that could deliver all of these effects, Harley contacted LA-based UV/FX Scenic Productions. The result proved to be breathtaking.

Acc

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A new state-of-the-art ‘IBBISS’ Help Point system, designed for use within the London Underground tube network, has just had its ‘Development Progress Demonstration’ functionality tests by leading integrators/installers and London Underground Infracos. This latest Help Point system comes from a new manufacturer, IBBISS Ltd (Interalia Baldwin Boxall Integrated Security Systems). IBBISS is a joint venture between two leading communications manufacturers, Interalia and Baldwin Boxall, who believe that the system will soon become the first choice for many Help Point installers.

In late 2001, various parties approached Interalia and Baldwin Boxall and requested that the two companies join forces to design and manufacture Help Point systems. Of course, they listened with great interest and in November 2001 three presentations were hosted by IBBISS Ltd to London Underg

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When the organizers of the Panasonic Mercury Music Prize announced the nominations for this year’s event, at a press conference at London’s Royal Commonwealth Club, they asked Avesco Group company Creative Technology to provide all the audio visual support for the event.

Project manager Matt Hunter then involved fellow Avesco company MCL-London to handle the audio, and his colleague Simon Waters to provide a sophisticated playback rig, providing separate audio feeds from the digital mixing desk to the cameras. CT provided two 37" Hitachi plasma displays, which were used as relay monitors, and a Barco i6 high-resolution daylight screen, cut into an aperture - raised on a platform and suspended from behind as an integral part of the set design created by Frames Design and Build Ltd.

Cameras were supplied by the television companies but using Beta playback, CT flipped b

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Zero 88 Lighting has awarded their North American distributor, A.C.T Lighting Inc, with their prestigious International Dealer of the Year Award for the second year running. "A.C.T Lighting's hard work and commitment has raised the brand profile in the US over the past 12 months", commented Zero 88 brand manager Tim Burt. "We have developed a close partnership with the company who provide ongoing support, training and marketing for us in the competitive US market."

Zero 88's Frog range of consoles have been extremely successful in the US market, providing easy to use and low-cost moving light and conventional control in a number of different formats, depending on the needs of the user. The Frog range currently comprises the Frog, Fat Frog, Leap Frog, Bull Frog, Mambo Frog and Frog Box.

(Lee Baldock)

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Lamba plc, UK distributors for Stanton products, scooped two top awards in DJ Magazine’s T-Scan Awards, which were held during the recent PLASA Show at the fashionable Momo Restaurant in London’s West End. The revolutionary Final Scratch was rewarded in both the MP3 Hardware and Most Innovative Product categories, and Stanton Magnetics’ export manager, Laurent Cohen was on hand to collect the awards.

Final Scratch allows bedroom DJs to enter and control the digital world. Its patented technology allows real-time manipulation and scratching of digital music files such as .wav and MP3 - from conventional analogue decks. Using any standard turntable and mixer set-up, a DJ can manipulate digital sources by hand, and with vinyl, while out on the road a DJ can now carry his entire system to a gig in a travel bag.

Certainly Final Scratch proved to be a popular winner, as D

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After more than 20 years supplying sound, screens, lighting, power and other specialist services to all types and sizes of events, Oxfordshire-based event services supplier ARB is restructuring its operation to keep pace with the shifting dynamics of the events industry. The company is now gearing up for further substantial changes within the industry by improving and developing the range of products and services required to meet the demands of the 21st century.

Having steered the company through its acquisition last year and a successful 2002 summer season, Bob Boote has decided to step down. He leaves the company in an excellent position to capitalise on this growing market, with a new management team in place committed to continuing ARB’s increasing impact and reputation within the events market. Peter Boott (no relation) who will continue as managing director, commented: &quo

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Pulsar Light has announced that from Monday 23 September, the company will commence full operation from brand new premises. Located just over a mile from Pulsar’s existing building, the new factory will house the design, manufacturing, sales and support teams. With 3,400sq.m of floor space and the potential for growth, the move will allow continued development for Pulsar.

The company’s new address will be: 3 Coldhams Business Park, Norman Way, Cambridge CB1 3LH, UK. Tel: 44 (0)1223 403500. Fax: 44 (0)1223 403501.

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Following the success of its previous open days and the demand for a repeat event, Caterham-based direct marketing company Smart Sound Direct has confirmed 2pm Sunday 17th November as the date for its Winter show, which will be held at Airport House, Purley Way, Croydon, Surrey.

Entertainment will be provided by various performers and DJs who will demonstrate the company's full complement of MSA PA enclosures, monitors, power amps, mixers, rack-mounted effects and accessories. New product lines include the upgraded version of the newly developed Smartlight range of lightweight speaker cabinets. These include bass bins which, when coupled with a power amp and mixer from the SmartLight line, provide what is claimed to be the lightest, portable, compact PA package available.

Visitors will also be able audition a variety of innovative products, including the CP8SP (currently the only

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In what can only be described as a milestone event, the Professional Lighting & Sound Association (PLASA) has cause to celebrate after recording one of the most successful shows in its 25-year history. PLASA's annual show confirmed its status once again as the leading international trade show for the entertainment, communications and presentation technology industries, as more than 400 companies from across the globe filled the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London from 8-11 September, 2002.

13,810 people (subject to ABC Audit), up by 4.2 per cent from last year, visited the PLASA Show to see the array of new product launches, attend the Masterclass Programme, network with industry colleagues and strike up new business relationships. PLASA managing director, Matthew Griffiths, said the show bucked the exhibition industry’s recent downward trend as many exhibitors conducted good

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Following its launch earlier this year, the first European installation of Emphasis has just been completed at the New Stage of the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen, as part of the venue’s major technical upgrade. More than 250 years old, The Royal Danish Theatre is located in the heart of Copenhagen and also houses the Royal Opera and Ballet.

"We were looking to upgrade our existing control system with more functions and channels," said the theatre’s lighting director Søren Nylin, "and we were very satisfied with the WYSIWYG software, which has grown to become the industry standard." Nylin detailed his technical requirements, to ETC’s distributor Bico Professionel A/S, who came up with the perfect solution. "As the theatre’s staff were already using Expression and WYSIWYG, Emphasis was the next logical step, providing a seamless fusi

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The summer of 2002 has seen a significant sales trend for Out Board's TiMax audio imaging and surround animation matrixes as part of sound system upgrades to three diverse, but high profile classical theatre/opera facilities. In Finland, following a prolonged period of detailed evaluation under the supervision of long-standing TiMax distributor Kurt Nyback of Hecom, the Helsinki City Theatre and the Finnish National Theatre both opted for large TiMax Rack Systems, whilst the Moscow Operetta have purchased a system for vocal localisation and special effects programming and control from the TiMax distributor Igor Kovalev from Binar. System sizes ranged from 16-In x 24-Out up to 24-In x 32-Out.

What each of these installations has in common is perhaps not surprising these days - all systems were specified with AES/EBU digital inputs and outputs to interface with a range of mixing and sign

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Luminar Leisure has carried out a major £1m conversion of its Chicago Rock Café in Northampton, providing the company with a flagship venue within the former Odeon Cinema and increasing the capacity to 1,500. With the relocation of the stage to its own mezzanine level, the venue is centred around live music. Forthcoming acts will range from Spandau Ballet to the Venga Boys - and this will be played back through a concert-spec sound system. The large venue (with a massive 18 metres floor-to-ceiling height) is divided into three areas - the main room, the restaurant and Cuba Bar, situated inside the main entrance - and this is configured as a 16-zone system.

The primary task facing Lynx Lighting’s head of sound Jerey Denning, was the ability to change the venue’s soundscape - with automatic adjustment of the room’s EQ settings in accordance with the different modes o

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Grandmaster Flash, the founder of modern Hip Hop, took both the 2002 PLASA Show and the Ministry of Sound by storm when he came to London to launch the new Rane Empath mixer, which he has helped to design.

Flash’s visit culminated in a rocking two-hour set at the Ministry of Sound on the Tuesday night of PLASA. It’s the first time he’s ever played the club, and he took full advantage to put the Empath through its paces to a packed audience. This was preceded earlier in the day by two presentations by Flash on the stand of Rane’s UK distributor, Hayden Laboratories, at the PLASA show in Earls Court. Each was followed by a short demo of his own specialist brand of performance art.

In presenting the mixer, Flash expanded on the ‘8.45’ syndrome, which has prompted many of the Empath’s most practical features. This is the common scenario when it&r

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The centrepiece of the State Fair of Texas this year is a spectacular pyro show launched from a huge opening pyramid. Onstage Productions’ Charles Belcher was charged with getting the most spectacular show possible from the organizers budget, and he immediately contacted Total Structures to assist with the design, development, engineering and manufacture of this colossal structure.

The square base pyramid, 50ft square at the base and 50ft high, was a combination of stock truss sizes, custom intersections and mechanical fabrication, while the use of Total Structures OMNI connectors added additional flexibility. The top 15ft of the pyramid opens as four ‘petals’ and the inventive and efficient use of two CM Lodestars and a push rod system provides the maximum 'bang for the buck.'

The lower part of the pyramid is provided with a decking system, whilst the platform for

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For the eleventh year running, Delta Sound Inc designed and supplied the sound and communications system for the Mercury Music Prize, the aim of which is to celebrate the best of British music. The event, which took place in mid September, saw the independent panel of judges - which included jazz legend Coutney Pine - select Miss Dynamite's 'A Little Deeper' as the Album of the Year. The 21-year-old North Londoner, real name Naomi McLean-Daley, thus performed for over 1000 guests in the elegant surroundings of The Great Room, at London's Grosvenor House.

Delta Sound deployed its versatile L-Acoustics system with the company’s Andy Jackson specifying 12 V-dosc cabinets and eight subs for the main stage, with a further 24 dV-dosc cabinets and four subs used for the second acoustic stage. Six of Delta Sound's Midas consoles (four Heritage 3000s, an XL4 and a Heritage 1000) were used

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With top promotion team DAD on board, fabric’s Dave Parry as technical consultant and legendary Back to Basics and Union club nights moving across town, the new 800-capacity Rehab in the heart of Leeds’ Exchange quarter, has gone straight into overdrive. The new venue, which opened this month, is sited on Assembly Street in a Grade 1 listed, 17th century building.

Much of the club’s immediate success is attributable to the explosion of kinetic energy witnessed by punters on the opening weekend, when they queued down the street to experience Leeds’ latest venue. The installation was carried out by Jonathan Reece’s Harrogate-based Funtime Music. The sound and lighting specialists have a history of installing owner, Chris Edwards’ clubs - such as Space in Leeds and Birdcage - and were asked to assist in the conversion of the building previously trading

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Industry consultant Peter Ed is all set to achieve exactly that: take on the challenge of climbing 14,000ft over just one October weekend in Morocco. In the name of charity, Peter and his wife will be scaling Mount Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa, located in the High Atlas Mountain Range. The couple will be raising money for ARK - Absolute Return for Kids - a charity established to transform the lives of children who are victims of abuse, disability, illness and poverty. Last year, ARK raised nearly £1.5m from an awards dinner plus a trek to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and they're hoping to top this figure for 2002.

Locally, Mount Toubkal is known as Adrar n'Dem: Mountain of Mountains. The area is the most popular trekking destination in Northern Africa and is home to some of the most beautiful and dramatic scenery in the world. The biggest problem for climbers is the a

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Following the continued growth of Cambridgeshire-based 5 Star Cases Ltd, the company has recently undertaken major changes to its management structure. Jim Willis, the current managing director, has taken the decision to plan for his retirement in a few years by handing over the day to day running of the company to the current technical director, Keith Sykes.

Sykes, who becomes works director (MD designate) has been with 5 Star since 1991 when the company acquired Pro-Tect Cases, the Ipswich-based manufacturer which he ran for six years. "The growth of the company over the last few years has seen 5 Star become a leading name in the case industry. It's down to a professional approach and hard work from everybody in the company," explains Sykes. Justin Locks, the current production manager is promoted to general manager, overseeing both the production and administration facilit

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A new website for freelance professionals and employers in the UK and beyond has been launched at www.freelanceshowstaff.co.uk. The site has taken two years to develop, making it a very versatile and user-friendly service for the whole entertainment industry - a market sector which relies heavily of freelance labour. A mix of useful information combined with valuable functions, the website is designed for both employees and employers. Since its launch earlier this summer, the site has registered over 200 freelancers and 80 companies - from more than 20 different disciplines including audio, lighting, carpentry, rigging, scenery, stage management and wardrobe.

Potential employers can check a specific registered freelancer’s availability or search for new ones, as well as placing job advertisements. They can search by name

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Delta Sound Inc, the London-based sound company, has made a substantial investment in BSS Soundwebs, adding 25 units to its inventory specifically to handle its contract for the recent Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Delta’s head of technical Mark Underwood, the stadium project manager for the ceremonies and the games, used a total of 32 BSS DSP units within a fibre optic infrastructure to create one of the most extensive temporary Soundweb installations ever designed. From the hub at the front-of-house position, Soundwebs provided the signal distribution highway for Delta's audio installation throughout the City of Manchester Stadium, distributing to six remote amplifier sites via fibre optic cable, and managing all the matrix routing and outboard processing.

"If we hadn't had the Soundweb technology and the line length the fibre offered us, we simply couldn't have done t

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Arcadia Group Plc recently had a helping hand from Skan PA Hire, the Reading-based sound rental company, at their annual London conference. Skan provided seven separate sound systems for the event, which took place at the Business Design Centre London - just days after headline news broke of Arcadia's take over by Phillip Green, owner of BHS and other well-known high street stores.

Skan were asked to supply systems to cover all aspects of the two-day event, which included a central stage, for all 400 attendees to watch fashion shows and hear from key speakers. While six further systems were spread around the venue in break out areas. Brand experience company Hotcakes provided all creative work and production management for the event.

Skan supplied a mixed system, including Turbosound TQ440 self-powered full-range loudspeakers, together with JBL C25s for the main conference room. Vari

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  3. Nexo expands global sales organization
  4. Midas and LMC Audio forge closer relationship
  5. UCL Bloomsbury Audio
  6. Theatres afloat with Stage Technologies
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