UK - White Light continues its long association with LDI, exhibiting at this year's ETS-LDI Trade Show, where its star feature is the award-winning Digital Festoon System. This radical rethink of conventional festoon lighting allows each lamp along a festoon to be individually dimmed under the control of either a laptop or via DMX from a lighting console. Giving the possibility of creating stunning light displays from apparently simple strings of light bulbs, the Digital Festoon System carries both power and DMX using a patented data system. Up to 200 lamps can be controlled from a single Digital Festoon System power supply.
Launched at this year's PLASA Show, the Digital Festoon System was one of the winners of the PLASA Show's Awards for Innovation. It will no-doubt appeal to those creating novel light shows and - of particular relevance to the Las Vegas market - those lookin
Australia - ARX Systems has announced its new ISO De Balancer Dual Channel balanced-to-unbalanced transformer-isolated signal converter, an addition to its AudiBox range, designed to perform essential professional audio functions in a compact, flexible package.
The ISO De Balancer will convert two balanced low impedance signals to unbalanced low impedance signals, suitable for use with professional equipment and long cable runs. Transformer ground isolation provides low-noise operation and ARX says ideal source units are the ARX Level 8 Audio Balancer and Level Optimizer and the AudiBox Iso Balancer.
Typical applications include interfacing professional standard systems to consumer level product, such as sending audio-for-video around venues for AV displays, plasma screens and the like in sports centres, museums and corporate applications.
Sweden - Solid State Logic has announced the sale of a C100 digital production console to the Malmo Opera and Music Theatre, the first time the desk has been used in a theatre application.
Situated in the centre of Sweden's Öresund region, the Malmo Opera and Music Theatre was originally opened in the 1940s with the aim of giving contemporary musical drama an opportunity to grow. The theatre has one of the largest stages in Europe and can seat up to 1,500 people.
Over recent months the management of the Malmo Opera and Music Theatre have been upgrading the sound system and FOH facilities to incorporate digital live sound. As part of this refurbishment, the Theatre decided to replace its 10-year-old analogue console with an SSL C100 digital production console because it needed a desk with more inputs and instant recall and reset capabilities.
USA - Super Vision International, Inc. a world leading manufacturer of fibre optic and LED lighting announced today that it has signed a licensing agreement with Spectrum Manufacturing, Inc. of Toronto, Ontario, Canada for its Variable Color Lighting System (patent # 4,962,687). Spectrum is a member of the UK-based A C Lighting Group and primarily produces colour-changing LED lighting systems for the theater, entertainment and lighting rental industries. The licensed patent will be applied to the production, sale and development of the Color Block system.
David George, President of Spectrum Manufacturing Inc, said: "I am pleased that we have licensed the Supervision "687" patent, as this is in line with Spectrum's policy of recognizing the intellectual property of others."
Super Vision had previously purchased the Variable Color Lighting System patent, publ
France - Trantec has collaborated with its French distributor, Best Audio, to design and supply one of the largest S6000 wireless radio microphone systems deployed to date for the new musical production 'On Acheve Bien Les Chevaux', which opens at the Palais de Congrés later this month.
Adapted from Horace McCoy's legendary novel 'They Shoot Horses Don't They', the show is directed and produced by Robert Hossein and has attracted rave reviews as the first stage adaptation of this ground-breaking novel.
Trantec's Head of R&D, Richard Ganley, collaborated with leading French rental company Dispatch from the outset to ensure that the system integrated seamlessly with sound designer Julius Tessarech's sophisticated design and met his specifications.
The 40-channel S6000 system was specified because of its wide band frequency agility. Trantec supplied a system operating between
UK - Creative Technology made its production debut with Scarlet productions at the 2004 Mobo Awards, providing a 28sq.m LED display in 16:9 aspect ratio as the centrepiece of a spectacular stage set at the Royal Albert Hall. The nature of the production dictated that the big screen specialists would need to field their highest-resolution display, and the Barco DLite 7 (situated upstage centre) provided the ideal technical solution for Julia Knowles of Scarlet Productions, who handled the TV direction.
The DLite 7 is a unique product, combining a 7mm resolution with short viewing distances, due to the extreme fill factor of the LED components. These were perfect attributes for a show in which the screen took a direct feed from the O21 OB truck via an SDI link, bypassing the usual submix. The signal chain started at front-of-house where content provider Richard Shipman, operating
USA - TransAudio Group will showcase its complete line of Mercury Recording products at the AES Convention in San Francisco on Booth #602 this week. Unlike previous years, in which the distributor's products were each individually showcased under the Audio Underground banner, TransAudio Group and president Brad Lunde will feature the full line of brands in a single large booth featuring manufacturing company representatives and guest audio engineers.
Mercury Recording is dedicated to bringing the sonic and aesthetic character of classic audio processors such as those originally made by Fairchild, Pultec and Telefunken to new generations through a line of hand-crafted classic recreations.
The first units introduced by Mercury Recording include the Mercury 66, a variable bias-style all-tube, all-transformer compressor similar to the Fairchild 660, and the Mercury EQ-H and EQ-P
UK - VMI High Definition and Broadcast Facility is celebrating the launch of its new Soho based HD facility on November 15. Making headlines at IBC, the company recently invested in JVC Professional Europe's HD2K for clients wishing to view rushes and final edits of footage shot in HD. Featuring three of JVC's high definition (HD) Direct Drive Image Light Amplifier (D-ILA) devices and an advanced digital video processor, guests at the official launch will be able to see the DLA-HD2K first hand.
A 2000:1 contrast ratio allows for deep rich cinema-quality blacks with smooth gradations and low noise. Colour temperature is factory-set to D65 assuring accurate colour reproduction and natural colours.
Also featured at the VMI launch event will be JVC's 42" and 50" HD colour plasma monitors, the GM-V422PCE and the GM-X50E. Both plasmas plasma supports a wide range of cinem
UK - The Institute of Sound and Communication Engineers (ISCE)'s Institute Day on October 22 in Watford had as its centrepiece the 2004 Warren-Barnett Memorial Lecture by immediate past president Doug Edworthy.
The lecture gave an attentive audience an insight into the unique Audio Frequency Induction Loop (AFIL) survey conducted by his company, D G Edworthy (www.dgea.co.uk), for London Underground. The survey, based on research carried out at a number of London Underground stations, was designed to assess the practical implications and costs of full compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act by providing induction loops throughout the underground network.
This year's ISCE AGM was treated to the sight of the recently discovered chain of office now proudly worn by President Michael Leaver. Ray Gatehouse joined the Institute's Council; Romers Electronics of Blackburn beca
UK - The People's Web, a revolutionary new low-cost service enabling UK companies and individuals to buy and sell products and services through personalized internet accounts, has been launched today to the music sector.
People's Web Accounts are, says The People's Web, "the first significant internet invention since the dotcom boom and allow companies of all sizes to post details of their goods or services and upload their entire inventory to the site". Both small and large companies can also drive traffic to their own websites, call centres, or bricks and mortar locations, from £25 a year. It claims The People's Web is now the music sector's lowest-cost distribution channel.
In the run up to the launch, The People's Web enjoyed a successful trial period, with retailers such as Volkswagen and Crabtree & Evelyn becoming members and selling their inventory.
UK - Sennheiser UK picked up the Live Microphone Award in the MIA's contemporary awards section for its evolution ew100 G2 Series wireless microphones, in a ceremony on October 6 at Sound in Leicester Square, London.
Sennheiser UK's Director of Marketing, John Steven, commented: "evolution G2 was a major step forward for Sennheiser and the products have received critical acclaim from the many musicians and engineers already using the product. This prestigious industry award is gratefully accepted as it further confirms the product's status as a market leader".
UK - Adlib Audio is supplying the Scissor Sisters with audio production for the current UK leg of their ongoing world tour. Mixing FOH is ADLIB's Dave Kay, and on monitors is another regular Adlibber, Ben Booker.
ADLIB has upgraded its BSS 366 processors to the new NTM filtering for the tour, and is using the new Sennheiser G2 550 series mics, G2 300 series IEMs and a recently purchased Yamaha PM5D console - one of two - that the Liverpool based company has on the road this autumn and which is also used to mix the support act.
The Scissor Sisters' high-energy performance is a collage of numerous musical styles, tastes and ideas, oozing with flamboyance, high kitsch fashion antics and an enormous sense of fun. The band has stormed the music industry spectacularly throughout 2004, gaining both popular and critical acclaim and much respect with their first album.
France - Pope John Paul II makes an annual pilgrimage to the city of Lourdes in France where, in 1858, the Virgin Mary appeared to the maid Bernadette Soubirou. His visit always draws a huge crowd; this year, more than 300,000 people attended the ceremonies which took place over the course of a week, culminating in a keynote speech by His Holiness, choral and orchestral concerts, and the long-awaited mass.
Even On, the French PA company chosen to provide the sound reinforcement system, supplied a large number of Nexo GEO S tangent array speakers, siting them along the Pope's route as well as on the central stage. A total of 8 PA towers were set up, carrying a total of 74 GEO S805 and 8 GEO S830 speakers, powered by sixteen Camco Vortex 6 power amplifiers, each delivering 2 x 2,100 watts per channel. The system was managed by Nexo NX241 controllers and mixed on a Soundcraft MH4 4
USA - Mackie is using this year's AES Convention in San Francisco to introduce five new products for both recording and live sound applications.
The list includes the Mackie Onyx 400F 10-channel, 192kHz-capable FireWire audio interface featuring Mackie's new flagship Onyx microphone preamps and on-board DSP matrix mixing. The HM54 Headphone Amplifier and HMX56 Tabletop Matrix Mixer/Amplifier allow personalised headphone mixing, allowing the engineer to focus on other responsibilities. The Mackie Control C4 is a sophisticated plug-in and virtual instrument controller that provides four banks of eight V-Pots each, and four full-size displays that provide instant access to as many as 32 software parameters-virtually eliminating the need to constantly "bank switch" a standard control surface display in order to access parameter-rich software modules. It also acts as a &quo
USA - Super Vision International Inc, the Florida-based manufacturer of fibre optic and LED lighting, has announced that it has acquired the LED technology prior art portfolio of inventor Jerry Laidman of Henderson, Nevada. The Laidman technology includes Laidman's pioneering design and production processes in 1978 related to his Saturn I - IV LED lighting systems capable of generating multiple variable coloured lighting effects using pulse width modulation to control intensity. These systems were the first known to be designed, manufactured and sold commercially incorporating multiple LEDs to generate colour-changing light in lighting fixtures worldwide.
Laidman was founder and president of The Sound Chamber, one of the premier nightclub and discotech lighting designers and manufacturers in the 1970s and 80s. The Sound Chamber sold and rented the Saturn LED lighting fixtures t
UK - The management team of PLASA Show organizer Clarion Events, led by managing director Simon Kimble, has announced the completion of a £45m management buy out from parent company Earls Court & Olympia Group, backed by HG Capital. The deal marks the culmination of a five-year turnaround of the former P&O Events by Earls Court & Olympia Group, which has seen the events company evolve into one of the UK's top three exhibition organizing companies, with a portfolio that has grown from 18 to 33 events.
Managing director Simon Kimble set out a four-stage strategy for Clarion's development in the years ahead. The aims are to "continue to invest in and grow the current show portfolio; consider potential strategic acquisitions in the UK; actively seek venue partners in Europe with associated acquisitions of organizing companies, and extend involvement in the field of 'eventerta
USA - In the 100th anniversary of the immortal James M. Barrie tale, Peter Pan, Tony Award nominee and two-time Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby is taking this timeless musical masterpiece on a national "farewell performance" tour, which opened on September 24, 2004 at The La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts in La Mirada, California. Crown I-Tech Series amplifiers were chosen by Sound Advice LLC, who was awarded the sound system contract for the tour. Julie Ferrin of Sound Advice has worked with McCoy Rigby Entertainment for more than 10 years and served as sound engineer for a segment of the tremendously successful 1997 tour of Peter Pan that earned an extended run on Broadway and wrapped up with an Emmy Award-winning A&E Television Special.
The I-Tech amplifiers power a 16-element JBL Professional Vertec VT 4888 system, with eight I-T4000s on the highs and mi
Spain - One of the summer's most awaited events in the Murcia region is the pyrotechnical and musical show held on the bay in Aguilas, Murcia. Bringing together, fire, light and music, it is one of Europe's largest events of this kind and 40,000 people occupied over 3km of beachfront to witness the spectacular event. Professional sound company Arnae Sonido S.L provided the sound reinforcement, with more than 100kW of D.A.S. equipment supplied by Telemag de Lorca S.L.
Arnae Sonido installed a centre channel system comprising of powered Compact 2 Systems. A total of 24 Compact 2 mid/high units and 24 Compact 18 subwoofer units were ground stacked in a large semi-circle on the beach. The left and right channels were flown from cranes at a height of 14m from the ground. A total of 24 ST-112 mid-high units and 24 ST-218 horn-loaded subwoofers were used to cover the extreme right and
UK / Belgium - ASC, one of Belgium's leading pro audio distributors, has taken on the distribution of MC2 amplifiers, after looking for a top-end amplifier brand to complement its existing portfolio. "We chose MC2 because it has an excellent reputation. We know designer Terry Clarke's reputation very well, and after putting them to the test and meeting with Ian McCarthy, who is very nice to work with, we decided that this was the route we wanted to take," said the company's Patrick Moiny. He added: "We have already made two important sales: one with the classic MC Series to Stage Team, a rental company that has a big Turbosound Flash/Floodlight system; and a second sale to a very important theatre in Brussels, L'Orangerie du Centre Culturel de la Communaute Francaise de Belgique: Le Botanique, with the new E45s. We're particularly pleased with the new E Series' qual
Italy - The 2004 edition of Festivalbar once again saw the participation of international artistes and the highly spectacular staging of a travelling show that had dates in Milan, Catania and Lignano Sabbiadoro, as well as the traditional finale hosted by the Arena of Verona on 18 September. Zucchero was the overall winner - the album 'Zu & Company', characterized by duets with various artistes, was the most sold CD this summer. Other artistes alternated on stage at the Arena of Verona, including R.E.M., Bryan Adams, Francesco Renga, Piero Pelù, Mango, Mark Knopfler and Eamon.
Renato Neri's Xenon provided the stage set and the light and sound systems for the 19th year running. This year, Neri used Clay Paky projectors, including Stage Zoom 1200, Stage Color 1200, Stage Scan, Super Scan Zoom and CP Color MH fixtures. The set featured numerous LED screens, which featured abstract
UK - Dave Morrisey, lighting designer and technician at Manchester's three highly active Academy venues, came up with a better solution than air conditioning at the 500 capacity Manchester Academy 3 (formerly known as the "Hop & Grape") when the venue decided to do something about its "sweat box" reputation. They initially considered upgrading the air conditioning, and faced a bill of about £50,000 - but Morrissey thought of another way.
Onstage, a large proportion of the heat was generated by the 24 Par 64 cans lighting the small area. This gave Morrissey a flash of lateral inspiration. He'd originally seen James Thomas's PixelPARs in action at PLASA 2002 - when they were launched. Morrissey approached JTE, and worked out a deal for replacing the conventional Pars with PixelPAR 90s. Including the wiring, it cost a little over half of what the air-con costs
USA / Canada - In news announced at the AES exhibition in San Francisco, Erikson Audio, the exclusive Canadian distributor of AuviTran and NetCIRA network audio products, has supplied 20 NetCIRA MS-8 AES/EBU coders/encoders and 16 AuviTran AVY-ES16 Yamaha compatible EtherSound cards to Solotech of Montreal.
Solotech, a major rental and tour-sound company, has prepared two touring rigs using the supplied equipment. Each rig consists of two Yamaha PM5D mixing consoles with four AVY-16ES cards, giving 64 channels of digital I/O over Cat 5 100TX Ethernet cabling/Network, plus eight NetCIRA MS-8 AES/EBU inputs, and two NetCIRA MS-8 AES/EBU outputs. In addition, eight Yamaha AD8HR Mic/Line pre-amp units are used for collecting the analogue sources and feeding them into the EtherSound network via the MS-8 AES/EBU encoders. All 64 channels of encoded audio then travel, via just 1 Cat
UK - The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has launched a six-week consultation on a proposed regulation to be added to the draft Work at Height Regulations. This regulation will retain a provision already in construction safety law that requires employers in the construction industry to provide particular work equipment and fall protection measures where work is undertaken at or above two metres.
This proposal is the result of representations made by the construction industry, which is seeking to maintain its existing practices by retaining the current 2-metre rule in these new regulations. This may have implications for other industries, which is why a short sharp consultation exercise is being undertaken to gather views from construction industry and other stakeholders.
Bill Callaghan, Chair of HSC said: "There has already been extensive consultation on these Regula
UK - This Saturday, 30 October, will see the PLASA Award-winning InMotion 3D/CyberHoist motion control system make its UK television début, through Vertigo Rigging, which announced last week that it has become the UK Service Point for the unique system, developed by XLNT Advanced Technologies. The system won a PLASA Award for Innovation at the PLASA Show last month in conjunction with the CyberHoist intelligent motor by Verlinde and the DataMotion and PowerMotion system components from XLNT.
It will make its live TV début at 9pm on Saturday on BBC TV's 'Big C' cancer research benefit show, which will be broadcast 'as live' from London's Alexandra Palace. Vertigo Rigging director Rebecca Loughran says: "Viewers in the production business will be able to see the versatility of the CyberHoist/InMotion 3D system being used for scenic moves and lighting effects designed by Pe