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Loudspeakers and amplification are well known to be a contentious issue in the classical opera world, but the approach taken by Autograph Sound on the recent Pag & Cav double bill at London's Albert Hall seems to have satisfied the taste of the medium's established cognoscenti. As for previous year's ‘arena opera’ seasons, featuring Tosca, Aida, Madame Butterfly and Carmen productions by promoter Raymond Gubbay, advanced source-oriented reinforcement (SOR) techniques have been employed, using Out Board's TiMax DSP matrix and show control software to accurately localize performers' voices to their physical stage locations, by exploiting delay-based Haas Precedence psychoacoustics.

It's not often that a piece of audio equipment receives a mention in the UK's most prestigious broadsheet newspaper, but during a recent interview article for one journal's re

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White Light Sales has supplied another Strand 500-series console to the West End - this time, a Strand 520i for the Duke of York's Theatre in St. Martin's Lane. The console replaced an Arri Imagine supplied to the theatre by White Light some years ago, which was coming to the end of its useful life.

With a long-running show - the hit comedy Stones in his Pocket - occupying the theatre, White Light Sales and the theatre's crew had to ensure that they could slot the new desk into the theatre without disrupting the show's lighting design. Andy Fordham at The Service Company, a White Light Company, therefore took the show disk from the Arri and using his collection of conversion software tools, transferred it to the 520i. Thanks to this process, the 520i was in use controlling the show on the day it arrived in the theatre.

The delivery of the desk to the Duke of York's continues t

Doughty - Banner - from 6 June 2025

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Following a successful joint showing at PLASA in London and subsequent negotiations at LDI in Las Vegas, followed by TMB’s 20th anniversary bash in Los Angeles, TMB and Syncrolite have announced that European, African and Middle East distribution of Syncrolite products will be handled out of TMB’s UK office.

Paul Hartley, TMB’s general manager, Europe said: "TMB and Syncrolite share common rock and roll roots and values, so our partnership is natural. Syncrolite’s precision, large-format, automated fixtures are unparalleled in the industry. We are very excited to be able to offer this versatile and stunning option. As part of our agreement, we have committed to two regional goals: firstly, establishing a network of mutually supportive rental dealers to supply tours and special events of all kinds and sizes. Secondly, establishing a network of resale dealers

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XL Video were approached by lighting designer Bryan Leitch of Siyan to supply hardware for Coldplay's hihgly successful world tour - which continues until September 2003. Coldplay's unconventional video production includes an eye-catching 48ft by 9ft semi-circular IMAG screen elegantly 'crowning' the stage. With the images in 4:3 ratio, the stage takes on a portrait-shaped look.

Below this - upstage of the band - is a 4-screen RADLite video effects generation system. Several layers of lighting are sandwiched in between the two video systems, giving depth to Coldplay's overall visuals. Siyan commissioned the projection screen from XL Video. The semi-circular idea was initiated by Coldplay's lead singer Chris Martin, who approached Leitch and production manager Derek Fudge, wanting a semi-circular thrust stage.

Coldplay's video director is Nick Whitehouse, who is running Siyan's 4-way

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Large format projection specialist E//T//C UK projected one of the greatest Britons - Viscount Horatio Nelson - onto the Shell Building on London’s South Bank for the launch of the BBC’s new series Great Britons.

The major new 10-part BBC2 history series, directed by Miriam Jones, included the programme about Nelson, one of the top 10 Great Britons as voted for by the public. The two 6kW PIGI projectors were located in Jubilee Gardens, near the banks of the Thames, and overlaid, to project one 40m wide image across the building.

For the programme’s opening sequence, the camera panned along the Thames, taking in the various sights of that particular stretch of the river, including the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye, before swinging round to catch the dramatic projection on the Shell Building, which stands near the Eye.

Three weeks later, E//T//C UK was bac

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Canegreen is supplying its new Meyer M2D line array system, provided the PA equipment for Beth Orton’s recent sell-out tour. Canegreen has invested in the Meyer M2D system to join its hire stock of Meyer M3D and EAW line array speakers which have proven themselves on larger arena and festival shows. Yan Stile, MD of Canegreen commented: "We’re really pleased with the performance of the M2D. It’s proved itself to be a great system during the course of this tour. It delivered even, smooth, powerful and undistorted sound at every venue."

The new M2D system means that the great dispersion characteristics available for the larger venues are now available to engineers working in smaller venues. This tour included venues ranging from the York Barbican and Birmingham Symphony Hall to the Bristol Academy, so the configuration of the new PA was tested in substantially

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Entec Sound supplied equipment and crew to Morrissey's recent high profile, sold-out UK tour. This was the first time Entec has serviced Morrissey - former frontman of 80s band The Smiths -a contract which they won through a competitive tender process. However, FOH engineer Phil Griggs and Entec's head of sound Dick Hayes have known each other for many years in the industry.

The d&b 12-stack C4 rig, with four B2 subs, achieved great sonic results throughout the tour, in a wide variety of venues. Monitors were mixed by Vince Buller, who also production managed, and the system was crew chiefed by Entec's Tristan Johnson, joined by his team-mate Adam Draper (and Liam Halpin at Brixton). Because of the nature, message and meaning of Morrissey's often intense lyrics, it's always imperative that his voice is always high and clear above the mix.

The tour culminated at Brixton Academy, where

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Noise Productions, one of New Zealand’s leading sound production houses, has acquired a new modular outdoor concert system from Proel, consisting of 32 TPR12A individually powered 12" and horn speakers, which combine to produce a system scalable from 600W to 10,000W. "This is the first time modular technology has been used for small to medium-sized concert systems in this country," said the company’s’s managing director Toby Mills.

The entire rig can be set up by one person (each box weighing only around 20kgs), reducing the amount of heavy lifting. The system van be put together quickly and efficiently, simply by plugging power and a line level feed into each box; it also provides high levels of redundancy and the flexibility to offer systems tailored exactly to a client’s size requirements in increments of 600W. "We can offer our clients a

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On 14 November, 40sq.m of Barco’s Dlite 10 daylight display solution was on stage at the MTV Europe Awards ceremony in Barcelona. The screen was supplied by XL Video, one of the world’s leading large video display specialists, which due to its reputation has over the years provided equipment to events including The Spice Girls Tour (worldwide), the Formula 1 Grand Prix, the US Open Golf Tournament and U2’s ‘Elevation’ Tour.

"The diversity of important events where our clients have deployed our video displays is a testament to both the quality of our equipment and the dependability of our service," says Rene De Keyzer, managing director of XL Video. "When approached to provide material to high profile events such as the MTV Europe Awards, it is with confidence and pride that we recommend Barco’s material, as we know it will exceed the c

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Embarking on his first North American tour in almost a decade, Peter Gabriel kicked off his ‘Growing Up Live’ 2002-2003 tour on 13 November with a stage production that has been termed "spectacular." Lighting designer Luc LaFortune (LD for Cirque du Soleil) has specified High End Systems equipment in the design, including 36 X.Spot HO (High Output) and 36 Studio Beam automated luminaires, as well as four Catalyst systems with orbital mirror heads and six Catalyst media servers. Controlling the show are three Wholehog II consoles with a wing.

The UK's Neg Earth is the primary lighting contractor, with Upstaging as its partner on the North American legs. The Neg Earth crew includes programmer/operator Dennis Gardner, crew chief John Shelly, head electrician Andy Porter, and Dave Cox in charge of Catalyst systems.

(Lee Baldock)

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Event Pro Forum, the conference for event production professionals, will be held 17-20 February 2003, at Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa in Las Vegas. The conference targets top professionals responsible for producing events for amphitheaters, arenas, auditoriums, concerts, fairs, corporate functions, festivals, sporting events, theme parks and touring entertainment.

The 2002 premiere conference attracted 150-plus attendees from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, Nashville to New York and even London to Moscow. EventPro Forum 2003 will feature industry speakers, professional development panels and the Production Pow-Wow, a series of round-table discussions. Special events, including a golf tournament, welcome reception, wrap party and backstage tour of Las Vegas venues will provide attendees with the opportunity to have fun while networking and expanding their professional contacts, say the org

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The new Sheraton Hotel on the French Polynesian island of Bora Bora has just completed the installation of 60 JBL Control Contractor Series speakers. The picturesque, five-star resort features a total of 120 rooms, 70 of which are private, over-water bungalows. The hotel needed a sound system for ambient music throughout the entire resort, including the reception area, hotel restaurant, beachside restaurant grill and banquet room.

The technical team of Total Video Distribution, the JBL distributor in French Polynesia, collaborated with an architect to design the system. A total of 50 Control 25T surface-mount speakers and 10 Control 26CT ceiling speakers were installed on the property. The entire system is controlled from the reception desk, which features a 400-disc CD player and a CT210 Crown Amplifier. In addition to this main control station, each separate room has its own music sy

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Vari-Lite International Inc has announced that it has sold the assets of its Vari*Lite products manufacturing and sales division to Genlyte Thomas Group LLC (GTG), a leading manufacturer of lighting fixtures and controls for commercial, industrial and residential markets. The sale included the Vari*Lite family of products as well as all sales, manufacturing and engineering operations associated with this division. GTG also acquired the Vari*Lite trademark and all patents associated with Vari*Lite products. The purchase price, which will be finalized within 30 days, is estimated to be $10.5 million - $11.5 million, which will result in a loss of approximately $4.0 million - $5.0 million.

"Operating as a manufacturer and a rental company was confusing to the industry, and it limited the growth prospects of both our Vari*Lite manufacturing and sales division and VLPS Lighting Service

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Summit Steel were in action at the Birmingham Motor show, following on from their flying feats at the Paris event last month. Their clients this time were Vauxhall (via Early Action/CP Electrical) and Mini (via Act Live). Both stands were project-managed for Summit Steel by Ken Nock. The Vauxhall stand involved two Summit elements and featured the biggest roof of the five-hall event, spanning approx 50m x 40m subdivided into 6m bays. The construction of this grid involved a massive 780m of Thomas SuperTruss, 78 corner joints and 26 Lodestar hoists.

The grid ceiling was built and flown in just one working day, by a Summit team of 10 - an impressive achievement within a very short timescale. One of the great advantages of using the Thomas SuperTruss in situations like this is its strength, and the fact that large spans of truss can be supported by fewer hoists than conventional trussing

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Leamington Sight & Sound has designed and fitted a customized personal audio system into the tour coach of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club. The coach, a Scania Irizar, is owned by Wolverhampton-based Price Travel and leased to Division One team Wolves, who use it for all their away games, reserves and youth matches.

In its ‘down’ time, Price Travel utilizes the bus for a variety of other VIP and sporting events - including the Ryder Cup. The bus recently underwent a total refit, for which Price wanted the sound system updated, and a state-of-the-art personal entertainment system installed onboard. B&M Coaches in Coventry, the appointed re-fitters, called on Ian Potter of LSS to fulfill the specialist audio elements of the job. Although this type of project was a first for Potter and LSS, they weren’t daunted by its idiosyncrasies. Potter drew on his extensive kn

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London’s Lyttelton Theatre, part of the National Theatre complex, has become the first venue in the Britain to install Matrix - a new, advanced technology dimming system offering ‘silent’ dimming, free from harmonic distortion, developed by International Electronic Services BV of the Netherlands. IES’ UK agent, Technical Marketing Ltd, worked closely with the National’s senior project manager, Michael Atkinson, who was responsible for selecting Matrix as the key component in the venue’s new state-of-the-art dimming installation. This modular, plug-in dimming system also represents an evolution in design, combining advances in dimmer technology with client and consultant requests for greater versatility in mechanical construction.

The Lyttelton installation was included in the first part of an ongoing electrical upgrade, and provides power to the stag

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PCM, the entertainment division of Pfaff Silberblau, has completed a major refurbishment of stage equipment at the Carnegie Hall in Dunfermline. PCM's Projects team, led by Tony Griffiths, worked closely with Hall Manager Evan Henderson and Jim Ganley from the venue's technical department to realise the project. The new facilities are designed to enable Carnegie Hall to receive a wide array of increasingly technically complex productions.

The process has seen the updating of most of the Hall's stage equipment, and the removal of all its existing, complicated arrangement of diverted manual hemp and winch sets. The new installation started with the insertion of a 40m long timber walkway and an access bridge in the roof void - all designed to aid the easy maintenance of the new equipment. PCM then rigged 13 11m-long, 4-line, hemp sets and cleat rails, complete with 150mm multi-block ball-

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DPA Microphones has announced the appointment of Studer Austria GmbH as its new distributor in Austria. Over the last five years, under the leadership of Reinhold Fliedl, Studer Austria has established itself as one of the leading suppliers of professional audio equipment for broadcast and studio solutions in the country. In addition to its own-branded products, Studer distributes leading brands including Dolby, HHB, Digigram and dB Technologies.

From its HQ in Vienna, Studer Austria will be expanding the horizons for DPA Microphones. "We have strong contacts among the public and private broadcast companies in Austria," says Reinhold Fliedl, " and Studer has traditionally maintained a high profile with recording and film studios, including the smaller project studios and home studios. We expect to be able to bring DPA products to new customers in all these markets, as w

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On 22 October, Orange and Microsoft announced the launch of the world’s first Windows-powered Smartphone - the SPV - at a press conference in London. Creative communications agency Park Avenue Productions developed the idea of using moving screens to communicate the key messages of the launch to the audience, and CT were contracted to provide the AV solution.

The event allowed CT to combine Dataton Watchout and QMotion screen movement. Four high-brightness Barco ilite 10mm LED screens in a portrait orientation were flown with Stage One’s Qmotion system. This enabled them to be tracked around the stage, each screen receiving input from the Dataton Watchout System. The Watchout content took the form of colourful images which set each scene, and this was supplemented with Video Stings timed to match the screen movement. The output to the i10 was pixel matched to maintain image

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Philip Van Loo’s Bruges-based company, PVL Sound & Light, has purchased a second 40-channel Soundcraft MH4 desk to add to the one they acquired earlier in the year. The company has purchased no fewer than nine desks in the past year to service work in the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium.

The 20-year-old sales and concert touring specialist had desperately needed a new touring desk, having sold two Soundcraft Series 5 consoles recently to the new concert hall in Bruges. Van Loo took the compact option. "The Series 5 was a little bulky for the scale of theatres we do. I was looking for a desk with the same facilities but with lower weight and dimensions. The MH4 is a perfect solution."

While their first MH4 was on active duty throughout the summer the new board will go straight out on a 38-date tour, based on a TV talk show and featuring the band Red Harmony. Philip hi

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XL Video, the UK's leading live video production specialists, has taken delivery of the first new Barco R18 projectors in the UK. XL has made an initial purchase of four of the new units. This brings XL's total stock of large projectors to over 50. XL director Lee Spencer comments, "It's important to stay at the cutting edge of the industry, and to keep investing in the latest technology as it comes on stream. This has always been XL's philosophy."

The Barco ELM R18 Director projector combines extreme light output, high resolution and advanced signal processing to deliver remarkable performance. It is specifically designed for large screen video projection, and is equipped with the state-of-the-art DLP technology. Combined with Barco's expertise in electronics and optics, the R18 features an impressive 17,000 ANSI lumens and SXGA resolution.

XL Video's busy autumn schedul

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Elation Professional and Robe Show Lighting have announced the formation of Robe America. The new company, which is a joint venture between the two suppliers, will be the exclusive North American distributor of Robe Show Lighting products.

Based in the Czech Republic, Robe Show Lighting manufactures a variety of intelligent stage and club lighting products, including the widely acclaimed AT Series of rotating head fixtures, as well as special effects and DMX controllers. "We're very pleased to be working with Robe," said Chuck Davies, president and CEO of the American DJ Group, parent company of Elation Professional. "Our company has been very impressed with Robe's design capabilities, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, and commitment to serving the stage and club lighting markets. Robe's products have earned the company a loyal international following, and we're

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Lighting designer Bryan Leitch and his company Siyan has invested in more new Avolites lighting control equipment to service the Coldplay world tour, currently delighting audiences in Europe. The Avo kit on the tour includes two Sapphire consoles, plus two Avolites ART2000 dimming systems.

One Sapphire is used to operate the 4-way Radlite PC-based video system, designed and operated by video director Nick Whitehouse. The RADLite footage is fed from seven black and white cameras onstage and played back onto four upstage screens. Above that is another level of video, projected onto a stunning 48ft (14.6m) wide by 10ft (3m) high semi-circular screen. This shows IMAG footage supplied by a 4-colour camera/Barco G5 system, provided to the tour by XL Video. The second Sapphire is operated by Leitch himself and runs all Coldplay's lighting.

With the expected longevity of the Coldplay tour an

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Nocturne Productions & Vidicon are providing Barco high-performance display technology for Paul McCartney’s World Tour, which completed its 50-date North American leg on 29 October in Phoenix, having grossed over $100 million. Nocturne and Vidicon are providing approximately 1,600sq.ft of Barco’s Daylight Display LED video displays and 16 of its high brightness ELM Series DLP projectors for McCartney’s World Tour in Japan. The displays are located on both sides of the stage, each in a spectacular 60ft (18.3m) x 40ft (12.2m) display. 16 Barco ELM R12 projectors are rear-projected, side-by-side, onto eight 15ft (4.5m) x 20ft (6.1m) projection screens left and right of the stage. The stunning configuration is used to show live image magnification and video playback during the show.

Following his successful North American tour stops, McCartney then toured to Mexico City

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