UK - Shure Incorporated, the leading manufacturer of microphones and audio electronics, announced yesterday that it had purchased its long-time United Kingdom distribution centre, HW International, from Wilton Investments. The new Shure subsidiary will keep all current employees, as well as the distribution of its other existing product lines - Phonic, QSC and PreSonus. Dennis Harburn will continue as managing director at HW, and will report directly to Shure Europe GmbH management.

"The purchase of HW International provides an opportunity for Shure to have more direct contact with its customer base in the UK, one of Europe's largest markets," said Mike McGinn, Shure's executive vice president of global marketing and sales. ''This supports our plan to further develop the brand there.'' Markus Winkler, managing director of Shure Europe added: "From the standpoint o

Russia - The world-famous Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow recently took delivery of 35 DHA Digital Light Curtains, the first permanent installation of these fixtures in Russia. The DLCs will be used to add the finishing touches to the much-needed renovations at the theatre.

Damir Ismagilow, lighting designer for the Bolshoi Theatre, said: "I specified DHA DLCs after seeing them in use in New York - I really liked the many varied effects that can be achieved with them. DHA has a very strong reputation as a company and its equipment is consistently reliable. The DLC provides a unique combination of features for the lighting designer - it's a multifunctional and flexible product. There is nothing quite like it in Russia."

This project is representative of the progression towards the use of new technology in Russia. The latest equipment in theatrical applications will bring gr

UK - Chameleon Audio amplifiers helped power the Apogee Sound PA system for Cirque du Soleil's recent sell-out performances at London's Royal Albert Hall. 28 Chameleon 3500 DP/2s and eight 2000 DP/2s were supplied by Alex Schloesser Audio of Cologne, a hire company supported by Chameleon's German distributor, AS Audio. The amps powered an Apogee Sound rig comprising 24 3x3 cabinets and three Apogee Sound AE 15 subwoofers. In addition, six Apogee APL-220 full-range self-powered loudspeakers were added to the existing AE-8 Compact Concert loudspeakers.

Says Schlosser: "I had no hesitation in choosing Chameleon amps to power the Apogee Sound system. They have proved themselves on past projects that I've been involved in, such as the Chancellor Party in Berlin, and did so again at the Albert Hall. The self-powered speakers worked very well with the existing system, too."

Germany - When well-known television lighting designer Manfred 'Ollie' Olma was looking for an exciting new light to integrate into the set for the final three shows of the German version of Pop Idol ('Deutschland sucht den Superstar'), he opted for Color Stream from Pixeon.

The blockbuster show, broadcast on German station RTL was the world TV premier for Color Stream. Color Stream uses LED technology in an encapsulated package to create subtle colour effects and linear sequences which have hitherto been unattainable in the lighting designer's pallet. The system consists of one metre long diffused tubes, which conceal the LEDs, and connect together seamlessly to make long lines of light that can be programmed to evolve in a series of synchronous events.

The Color Stream tubes contain dense arrays of red, green and blue LEDs arranged in individual pixels. Each pixel is control

UK - When publishing and exhibition giants CMP Information held their Business for Excellence awards recently they were set on presenting a stage backdrop that everyone would remember. Hired by production company Reality Ltd, Creative Technology dressed the stage in Grosvenor House Hotel's Great Room with an array of plasma screens, together with crisp and powerful images on two motorised projection screens - supplied by Reality - to enable the 900 attendees a clear view of the activity at the event.

A white gauze created a 72ft x 20ft backdrop, behind the stage, to create a blank canvas for the intelligent lighting to wash ever-moving colours behind the guest MC, Jack Dee. An avi file was transferred to a Doremi hard disk, which looped a continuous flame rising above the CMP logo. CT drew exclusively from their pool of Christie DLP projectors, providing Christie S6 SXGA DLP pro

UK - The penetration of Martin Audio Blackline systems into the UK's dance venues continues. The latest company to turn to the high-powered, low-cost solution is Gravesend Sound & Light, with two new installations in their native Kent for Luminar Leisure. "Blackline is a great product, and we can't seem to go wrong with it," said Gravesend installation manager Simon Middleton. "It just doesn't produce that harshness of sound we have experienced with other systems."

Club Indigo/The Beach has been a popular venue on the Folkestone coastline since its original incarnation as La Parisienne. When the sound system began to repeatedly break down the Gravesend company recommended a system comprising eight Martin Blackline F15s, flown in pairs and angled around the dancefloor.

The foundations of the sound are a block stack of S218 subs, forming a single point source

Europe - Lego has recently opened three new retail stores in Cologne, Milton Keynes and Moscow. These stores all make extensive use of effect lighting to add atmosphere and excitement to the specialist display areas in the stores. Designed and maintained in house by Lego AudioVisuals, the architectural and effect lighting in all stores is controlled by a Medialon system.

The objective of the new Lego stores is to bring excitement to users. Leif Andresen, AV project manager says: "We think it is important that there should be something to stimulate the interest of both children and adults. For example, the lighting will change colour throughout the day. The large video screens will constantly show new images, and as soon as a new Lego product is announced, it will be marketed in a special way in our brand stores."

Ethernet is used as the backbone for transmitting the

The Netherlands - Alcons Audio is a new Dutch company set up to develop and manufacture professional sound systems for quality-conscious clients in the cinema, installation and touring industry. The company was set up by former Stage Accompany sales and marketing director Tom Back in October. Back comments: "Not satisfied with the products available on the market and the opportunities we had in our previous positions, we left as a team and decided to establish our own company."

Alcons Audio is backed by a group of private investors with Tom Back and senior R&D engineer Philip de Haan owning the majority of shares. The company employs seven people in total, each with 15+ years experience in the different aspects of development, manufacturing and marketing of professional sound systems. "The investors are willing to allow us the time necessary to achieve a good posi

UK - The Newcastle Regional Art Gallery in the Hunter region of NSW, Australia, rivals all other public collections in Australia with its quality and breadth. Some 3,000 works of art present an encyclopedic view of Australian art from colonial times, and many major artists are represented in the exhibition. A recent change of curator at the Gallery has led to some key changes, one being a proposal for a new look for the front of the building. Newcastle-based company Custom Audio Installations was approached by the Gallery to develop some ideas on how to enhance the rather plain, concrete wall that greets the visitor.

Colin Rothapfel owner of Custom Audio met with gallery staff to decide what could be used to brighten the façade and attract more people to the Gallery. Custom Audio had, on previous occasions, supplied the Gallery with Martin MACs to light a number of launches and

UK - Heaven, described as the most famous gay nightclub in the world, has taken delivery of a new high-powered 4-way sound system. Inspired by its new owners, David Inches (who has been involved with the club since its beginning), Jeremy Millins and Paul Savory - who recently bought out Virgin Clubs' interest in the venue - the contract was entrusted to experienced installation contractors, Blue Box Company.

Headed by Mark Metcalf - who has a long association with Millins - Blue Box specified a QSC PowerLight system to drive the component parts of a carefully thought-out Funktion One system design. Resident production manager, Rob Barton said that the venue, situated under vaulted arches at London's Charing Cross, had recently benefited from £50,000 of sound screening and acoustic treatment, which had prevented sound leakage and enabled Heaven to raise the power rating fro

UK - The optical precision of Christie digital projection has helped Immedia (the newly-formed AV division of Northern Light) to provide a lecture theatre solution for the Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton, Surrey. Operating in partnership with the Royal Marsden NHS Trust, The Institute of Cancer Research is one of the world's leading cancer research organizations.

The new Brookes Lawley Building is designed to implement several exciting new scientific initiatives, particularly relating to the Cancer Genome Project. It was in the new 197-seat tiered lecture theatre on the facility's first floor that Immedia installed a projection system - as part of a complete AV fit-out - based around Christie's digital Vista X3, front-projected onto a roll-down screen.

Immedia project manager, Dave Pritchard, says: "The origins of this project go back four years. We urged the Insti

USA - When the latest production of the smash-hit ABBA musical Mamma Mia opened in Las Vegas on 3 February, it became the eighth full-scale production of the show running concurrently in the world - and saw the show taking delivery of a further 17 DHA Digital Light Curtains, bringing the total used by the musical to 136.

Mamma Mia first appeared in April 1999 at the Prince Edward Theatre in London, the production directed by Phyllida Law and designed by Mark Thompson with lighting by Howard Harrison. Harrison made use of a wide selection of automated lighting equipment, but central to the rig were eleven eight-lamp Digital Light Curtains "absolutely fantastic for creating a strong backlight, the clean, clear look of Greek sunlight," said Harrison.

The show immediately became a smash hit, with Harrison nominated for an Olivier Award for his lighting. Mor

UK - Channel 4 and E4's latest reality TV show, The Salon, is using Audio-Technica microphones to ensure the audience misses none of the drama. The ES933 microphone, with its combination of broadcast quality sound and diminutive on-screen presence, has proved itself well suited to the requirements of the show's unique AV system, with a total of 33 units discretely suspended throughout the studio.

Also on duty is an AT871WR boundary layer microphone. Originally developed for water sports broadcasts, the waterproof 871WR has been charged with the task of handling the high-humidity environment of the Sauna. Freelance sound supervisor, Oliver France, is responsible for specifying and running the audio system on behalf production company Endemol. Having enjoyed great successes working with Audio-Technica on the last two series of Big Bother, France had no hesitation in once again tur

UK - The Professional Lighting and Sound Association (PLASA) has warned its members in the past about scams in which companies are approached by organizations claiming to be 'collectors' for Data Protection Act registration. The approaches are often in the form of a letter, and carry demands for a registration fee (often £95 +VAT) along with erroneous 'reminders' that failure to register could result in a fine of up to £5,000. Other 'collectors' have even visited companies in person, and displayed convincing-looking ID tags.

It seems that the practice is still continuing, with up to 18 bogus agencies known to be engaged in the scam - for a full list, visit the web address below. Anyone being approached with a similar request is asked not to make any payments, and to contact their local police.

(Lee Baldock)

UAE - The Middle East's sound and lighting industry is expected to be worth $1 billion a year in three-to five years time, according to Matthew Griffiths, CEO of the Professional Lighting and Sound Association (PLASA), the leading international association for the industry. He was speaking in Dubai at the first Pro Audio Light Middle East (PALME) trade show, an event officially endorsed by the organisation.

PLASA's own research into the global market indicates that the sound and lighting sector generates $20 billion a year worldwide. "With so much construction and so many major events in the Middle East, we anticipate that the Middle East will grow to be worth $1 billion a year. The sector is already worth that a year in the UK and the Middle East can certainly match this given the level of activity here.

"This is a dynamic part of the world. It isn't afraid to be lo

UK - Since Fuzion took on the Australian Monitor brand some 18 months ago, the partnership has exceeded all expectations. Specialising in public address equipment exclusively for the contracting market, the brand has more than lived up to its promise of delivering useful, reliable, well-built product at prices that are almost too good to be true. Indeed, the last twelve months have seen a staggering 1500% growth in sales for Fuzion with the trend set to continue.

Sales director Paul Ward is understandably pleased. "Obviously going from a standing start, any sales are going to be represented as fairly substantial percentage increases on paper, but the growth we've achieved since we started with Australian Monitor has been truly phenomenal. Our product specialist, Linton Smeeton, has been doing a great job, and we have excellent support from Australian Monitor themselves. But

UK - Architectural lighting specialists I-vision supplied Tim Matthews of Fentura Production Services with Studio Due City Colors and assorted other lighting fixtures to highlight three buildings in the new Paddington Basin development - which is largely still under construction. Matthews managed the four-week project for event production company Light Bitz. He also created the eye-catching lighting scheme for the buildings - The Point, and the new Marks & Spencer HQ, Waterside 1 and 2. The Point is scheduled to be handed over to mobile phone company Orange at the end of the month, and Waterside was finished by the end of 2002.

The aim of the lighting project was to raise the profile of the buildings and supply some eye-candy to attract the attention of passing motorists, crawling their way into and out of London on the A40 in evening rush hour. Shows ran from 3pm to midnight ea

UK - When Graham Norton and Angellica Bell hit the big red button to launch this year's Comic Relief fund-raising event on 7 February, the Fourth Phase crew were behind the scenes ensuring that London's BT Tower turned into a fiery red pillar. Then, with all the lighting equipment in place, later that same evening the second phase of the project kicked off with material for a series of 13 upcoming BT advertisements being projected down the side of the tower, from the new directory enquiries number to the Comic Relief donation number.

PR agency Sinclair Mason came up with the idea of turning the tower red back in September 2002 as part of a documentary on Comic Relief for Children's BBC and got in touch with lighting and large format projection specialist Fourth Phase London. To create the radiant tower, Fourth Phase employed lighting designer Paul Cook, who, in turn, opted for s

USA - For the third year running, TiMax audio imaging and surround sound animation systems have featured on multiple car launches, press conferences, and charity events at the landmark NAIAS show in Detroit's Cobo Centre.

NAIAS and TiMax veterans On Stage Audio deployed TiMax ImageMaker16s in both the Jeep and Chrysler booth arenas to provide speech image localization for the several 'edu-tainment' presenters delivering rapid-fire market messages from various locations around the booth to a wide-spread audience. In addition, each brand utilized TiMax for mood-enhancing surround sound effects and playback in their respective spaces. Sound designers were OSA's Jim Risgin and Kelly Epperson, with on-site programming support by Robin Whittaker from UK-based TiMax developers, Out Board.

On the Ford booth, New York's Rock City Sound supplied a 16x32 TiMax Rack System specified by UK

Germany / UK - Columbus McKinnon has announced a change to the distribution of its entertainment products within Europe. With immediate effect, Pfaff Stage Technology, based in Augsburg, Germany, will concentrate on industrial lifting solutions only, while their UK-based subsidiary, PCM, will now be servicing all of Europe for Columbus McKinnon's entertainment products, including the market-leading Lodestar chain hoist. PCM will now also be manufacturing specialist Lodestar hoists in the UK. These specials include models to meet the German BGV C1 standard and were previously produced by Pfaff in Germany.

In order to maintain a mainland Europe stock of product, CM has also announced the addition of Sonoss of Lille, France to its Master Distribution network. "Sonoss has sold the Lodestar and our other products for some time, but they are now investing in stocks of our most po

UK - Avesco plc has announced that it plans to converge Screenco with its Creative Technology London business. Explaining the move, Graham Andrews, chief executive of the Creative Technology Group, stated: "We really started this process nearly a year ago. Our plans will be to provide an integrated CT and Screenco service from a single site and we are currently looking for a new building, since none of our existing premises are large enough."

He added: "Screenco remains extremely successful - largely as a specialist screen operation - and in our changing market, we think it makes better sense to consolidate it with CT. Until we are able to centralize our workforce and equipment within a single building, we intend to establish a combined CT and Screenco structure, with single sales, project management and operations teams - and one combined group of technicians. Th

UK - Formed by the performers and technicians of the Central Show at the Millennium Dome as their year's work there came to an end, The Generating Company is a circus-based performance company that, over the last year, has managed to balance the demands of pure performance and the need to be commercially viable. A large part of this success has been due to their show Storm, which has enjoyed a number of successful performances, most recently at the Barbican Theatre in London, but which also formed the centrepiece of last year's launch of the new Audi A8 saloon.

As Storm's lighting designer, White Light North's Jack Thompson, explains: "We first created the show at the Circus Space in Hoxton, then we converted it to a proscenium arch format at the Theatre Royal in York in late 2001, and we then toured that production. Lots of people saw the show and enjoyed it,

UK - Eddie Hirad, the former engineering manager at Lighting Technology, has set up a new company - Vipco Lighting & Sound - to service the lighting and sound industries.

Based in West London, the company will specialize in the manufacture and distribution of connectors and extension cables, details of which feature on the company's recently-launched website, which previews the full range of products and services on offer. Hirad is a well-known industry figure, and his company is fast becoming known for working weekends and through the night, to deliver those all too common, industry rush jobs.

(Ruth Rossington)

UK - Avolites, the west London-based lighting control manufacturer, is holding a series of 'Awareness Days' for its new ART 2000i installation dimmer range of products. The Days are designed to highlight the benefits and practicalities of using the ART 2000i dimmer range and will feature a presentation from designer JB Toby.

The ART2000i was launched at PLASA last year, and is already proving popular for all types of installation applications. Recent ART installs include 672 channels for a new studio in Beirut for the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation, a smaller system for the new Moat Theatre Club, Naas in County Kildare, Ireland, and the first UK system into Blackpool Grand Theatre. It is the first foray into the installation market by Avolites, and the company has plans to expand its installation product range in the future.

Huge interest has been registered in the dimmer f

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