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PLASA Show 2025 - Banner - June-Aug 2025

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Germany - During the Confederation Cup games between Argentina and Germany and between Germany and Brazil, the new Franken Stadium in Nuremberg proved beyond doubt its credentials as a World Cup venue.

German trainer Jürgen Klinsmann wasn't the only one to draw important conclusions from the matches between Germany and the artists of South American football, Brazil and Argentina. The organizers of the World Cup 2006 were also on hand to assess the state of readiness of the venue, Nuremberg's Franken Stadium, and the conclusions they drew were highly positive: the stadium is more than qualified to play its part in the world's greatest sporting event - certainly in respect of its electro-acoustic systems.

As was the case with most of the venues selected for next year's tournament those responsible for equipping the 50,000-seater Franken Stadium opted for sound systems from EVI

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UK - The PLASA Show (11-14 September) has long been acknowledged as a focal point for new developments in technology. During its 28-year history, it has seen literally thousands of new products unveiled - a trend that is very much set to continue in 2005. This drive for creative excellence is reflected in the PLASA Awards for Innovation - a series of eight awards that puts the focus firmly on the best design and development work going on across the industry.

In the months running up to the Show, leading manufacturers across the audio, lighting, AV and staging worlds will put forward the new products that they feel initiate change and further demonstrate just how creative this industry is. All the nominations will be featured in the Lighting&Sound International-sponsored Innovation Gallery, an impressive display area at the entrance to the exhibition that captures the spirit of t

PLASA Show 2025 - Banner - June-Aug 2025

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UK - South London-based PA rental company Systems Etc has purchased a new EV XLC compact line-array system, complete with EV's Precision Series power amplifiers, from Shuttlesound.

The company's new ElectroVoice package purchase includes 24 x XLC 127+ line array cabinets, four SLX 118 subwoofers, and 12 x Xsubs from the X-Line range. To power the system, there are 24 Precision Series P3000RLs, the flagship model in EV's top line of remote power amplifiers, which offers 2 x 1300W into 4/2 x 1800 W into 2 Ohms.

"It wasn't a spontaneous decision to buy ElectroVoice," says Systems Etc's Bernard Mani, "we've been researching the market for about two years. We came to the XLC line-array because it was such a good match for the work we're doing, in terms of size and format. Some of the very compact systems are not suitable for our bigger gigs, but the XLC gives us the

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UK - PSCo has become the first UK trade hire company to be awarded Gold status as a Certified Audio Visual Solutions Provider (CAVSP).

This accolade is awarded to those companies that can boast 75% of their technical sales and customer service personnel are 'Certified Technical Specialist' (CTS) qualified. The CTS credential is for audio visual professionals who have demonstrated knowledge and comprehension of the science and technology used in communications including audio, video, display and systems.

The company can now boast that 80% of its sales and 100% of its technical staff are CTS qualified, with more currently going through the process, ensuring that they now have an advanced knowledge of the AV industry and are able to apply these skills to new technologies and applications as they develop.

PSCo's investment in bringing new and technologically advanced AV products

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UK - Wavelength Stage and Events in the Midlands has filled its work diary through to the end of 2005, which the company says is a direct result of the acquisition of a new Martin Audio Wavefront W8C system: despite adding four stacks of the compact W8C system to a substantial existing inventory of Martin Audio Blackline, Wavelength says it is still sub-hiring Martin Audio cabinets to cope with demand.

Wavelength was set up by Glen Brazil, whose career as a local radio presenter gave him a insight into the business of live radio station events. Originally, Wavelength's business was the supply of staging services, with audio requirements being met through sub-contractors. In January 2005, the decision was taken to supply PA systems directly and sound engineer Dave Abbott joined the company. "I've been using Martin Audio's W8C system for years as a freelance, and have always

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UK - E//T//C UK successfully projected onto Buckingham Palace for the Final Government Commemorations of World War 2, marking 60 years since the end of the war.

E//T//C UK was working for event producers, Unusual Services, who's end client was the Ministry of Defence (MOD). E//T//C UK's Ross Ashton worked closely with the project's creative director Sheelagh Barnard to produce the show.

The projections - Images from The Archives - a five year chronological photo album of the war years - were beamed onto the Palace for the five nights running up to the weekend of celebratory events. The photomontage praised the courage of citizens and military alike throughout the War years.

E//T//C UK has projected onto the Palace before. The first time was for the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002; also working with Unusual Services and the first time this had been done legitimately.E//

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UK - DPL Production Lighting, working for Richmond Event Management and Dick Tee, architecturally lit Nelson's flagship, the HMS Victory and supplied stage lighting systems for several stages and other areas at the 2005 International Festival of the Sea in Portsmouth.

Admiral Nelson's famous vessel was lit initially for the Trafalgar 200 bicentennial celebrations, for a high ranking military function aboard the ship that also involved the Band of The Royal Marines 'Beating the Retreat' in the courtyard beside Britain's most famous warship. DPL also lit a life-size model of the X-35 Joint Strike Fighter airplane that was located there for the same event, providing a contrast between old and new military technology.

The Victory illuminations then continued all week into the Festival of The Sea, which started a few days after Trafalgar 200 ended. The Victory lighting scheme was d

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France - Digidesign had their new Venue live mixing system in both the FOH and stage positions for Live8 Paris headliners, The Cure. With Craig Duffy production managing, the show at the Palais de Versailles represented one of the highest profile events yet for the new D-Show digital console. Following in a long line of eminent FOH engineers for the headline band - including Jon Lemon, Dave Bracey and Craig Overbay - into the breach stepped the experienced Ian Nelson.

Nelson was also sound mixing his long-time charge Placebo on the same bill. "The way I planned it with both the Cure and Placebo was in order to avoid any worries about the mic levels, I put a stage box on the revolve and all the mics and satellite feeds went straight to the box."

For Placebo, Nelson simply recalled the last show he had recorded on the Venue - down in South America. "We had a brief

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UK - XL Video is supplying video equipment to the acclaimed Patti Boulaye's Sun Dance production, currently running at The Hackney Empire.

An international cast of 36 dancers, singers and musicians led by Boulaye celebrate the vibrant music, colour and life of Africa in a stunning display of ceremonial dances, rituals and initiation ceremonies, all played to the hypnotic throb of the African drum.

Projection plays a major part in the show's visuals. The resulting project is the product of seven years of planning and creative evolution. Patti Boulaye herself originally approached XL Video's theatre and arts specialist Malcolm Mellows early in the production process, to discuss how the visuals she had in mind would work onstage in an AV context. Mellows came up with some technical solutions, and XL then worked with show production manager Ben Arkell to realize Boulaye's v

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UK - A company offering turnkey solutions for the event, leisure, exhibition and retail markets has been set up - with the boast that it holds no equipment, has no warehouse and no trucks: OneBigStar, set up by Simon Taylor and Steve Yeardsley, both formerly with LiteStructures, is a production and management company which promises to deliver exactly the right skills for any particular event while ensuring clients' money is spent wisely and economically.

Taylor says: "When you take into account the time scales and budgets of modern productions, no single company can currently deliver the entire solution. It's our intent to bring together those suppliers which are right for any one particular job. We will have no favourites, just companies on which we can rely to deliver the goods."

Having been a project manager at LiteStructures for two-and-a-half years, Yeardsley is

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UK - London-based event services company PSL is putting the battle for The Ashes and all the other top matches of this year's cricket season into sharp focus, supplying the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) with giant LED screens for use inside the cricket venues across the country. The PSL package also includes a fully-equipped outside broadcast unit, with full vision mixing facilities on board.

The Lighthouse LED screens are travelling all over the UK, leap-frogging one another to meet the tightly-packed match schedule. Each screen, 6.84m x 9.14m, is mounted on a bespoke-design goalpost-type structure, which is wrapped in the corporate branding of main match sponsors, NatWest or Npower.

These 16mm pitch LED displays, configured in a 4:3 aspect ratio, are the highest resolution screens ever to tour with the international cricket matches in the UK. PSL project manager Mark

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UK - Recently mixing sound for Morning Glory, the opening act on Coldplay's UK leg of their world tour, Timm Cleasby reportedly had little trouble getting to grips with the new Digidesign Venue live mixing system. Also doubling as tour manager, Cleasby has wide experience of the new generation of digital desks, and was unfazed by the Venue.

Says the sound engineer, who toured with The Darkness for the duration of last year: "I'd had experience of Pro Tools so I knew instinctively what the plug-ins and EQs were going to sound like. With the Digidesign pedigree it's scarcely surprising that the sound is so good."By saving and downloading a number of the band's shows he was able to review his mixes at leisure. For his exposure to the modular system, which supports the industry-standard Pro Tools systems, he can thank seasoned sound engineer Robb Allen (Manic Street Preach

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UK - Sunday 10 July saw the culmination of a week of events marking the 60th Anniversary of the end of World War II, including a Commemoration Event of Reflection and Reminiscence, held in Horse Guards Parade in the presence of The Queen and members of the royal family and an invited audience of 10,000 WWII veterans and their families.

With a speech by Her Majesty, the event was hosted by Simon Callow and featured readings, humour and music from World War II, with a choir of 150, an 80 piece orchestra and a host of celebrities including Bruce Forsyth, Petula Clark, Claire Sweeney, Laura Michelle Kelly and a special - and surprise - appearance by Dame Vera Lynn. Beginning at 3pm, the event was broadcast live on BBC1 and displayed on large LED screens to the crowds lining The Mall. Working for Unusual Services to supply the lighting was PRG Europe, with Alan Thomson and Loz Wilkin

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UK - Following the success of the last PixelRange Workshop initiated by James Thomas Engineering a few months ago, another event is planned this week - again hosted by the STLD in conjunction with Stagetec. The event, to be held backstage at the National Theatre on Friday 22 July, is designed for LDs, programmers, artists, set designers and anyone else involved in lighting and the visual arts, who will get an opportunity to explore and learn more about LED lighting - the equipment, its uses, applications and control.

Featured sections will include the use of LEDS in 'lighting a cyc' with the new PixelLine 110ec batten, controlled by PixelDrive and Compulite's Vector desk. In addition, VideoDrive, the latest software from Radical Lighting, will be on demonstration as will the new PixelBrick, the PixelLine Mini Batten and the new PixelPups from James Thomas Engineering.

Start ti

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UK/USA - Audio-Technica microphones were used extensively at Live 8 concerts around the world. In particular at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, in the US, and at Live 8 Africa Calling at the Eden Centre, in Cornwall.

The Philadelphia event in front of the Museum of Art, hosted by Will Smith and attended by more than half a million people, featured performances by leading artists such as Jay-Z, A-T endorsee Linkin Park, and the legendary Def Leppard, all using Audio-Technica's Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless Systems. The Tokyo Live 8 concert featured A-T endorser Good Charlotte, with Joel Madden performing on the Audio-Technica Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless System, and Benji Madden on the Artist Elite AE6100 dynamic vocal microphone.

At Live 8 Africa Calling, Senegalese Griot musician Modou Diouf and his family (O Fogum), the internationally famous ensemble of Sab

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USA - Cadac reports the Broadway debut of its acclaimed M16 remote-controlled microphone amplifier, opening last month with the musical Sweet Charity, which features sound design by Peter Hylenski (Little Women, Brooklyn, Ragtime (West End) Olivier Award nomination). Staged at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, the show is based on Neil Simon's book of the same name, with a classic score that includes hits such as Hey, Big Spender and If My Friends Could See Me Now. Directed by Walter Bobbie and choreographed by Wayne Cilento, the show stars Christina Applegate, Denis O'Hare and Paul Shoeffler. Sound equipment is supplied by PRG.

Peter Hylenski's sound design focuses on creating a warm vintage sound that reflects the show's 1960s roots, as Peter explains: "I wanted to make the music and the sound fit the piece, achieving a warm analogue sound as opposed to thinking di

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UK - The Edwardian-built Methodist Central Hall in Westminster boasts elegant marble foyers and sweeping stairways that lead to an extensive complex of halls. It was in the largest of these, the Great Hall - against the backdrop of a pipe organ - that Marquee Audio installed a central cluster of Meyer M1D self-powered loudspeakers. The venue's managing director, Michael Sharp, said that in deference to the building's splendour: "When we were ready to retire the old system we realized we would need something of high pedigree to replace it."

Another contractor had recommended marquee Audio to the project. "In addition, we had heard good reports about the company from a number of other sources, including representatives from the award-winning installation at Cheltenham Racecourse's Centaur conference centre," stated Sharp.

In designing the system, Marquee Audi

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UK - For the sixth year, the industry's annual cricket cup challenge returns to the picturesque village of Littlewick Green as the Clarion Events XI (led by Nathan Waugh) sets out to defend its title against the Sound & Lighting Industry XI. Again sponsored by D&M Professional, this popular event is an excellent way to catch up with industry colleagues in the run-up to the PLASA Show (11-14 September).

Taking place on Thursday, 18 August, the 30 overs-per-side match will be followed by a BBQ (and further socializing) in the evening. The ground itself is conveniently located near Maidenhead - and a short drive from both the M4 and M40.

To register your interest in joining the Industry XI, please contact David Atkinson at D&M Professional at the e-mail address below. Alternatively come and lend your support - plenty of Pimms moments are guaranteed!

(Lee Baldock)

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Canary Islands - In 2004, Sonilanza of Lanzarote was the first company in the Canary Islands to purchase an HK Audio Cohedra system, and HK now reports that they appear to have started a trend: Rental company Sound Black, already a long-time HK Audio T-Series user, recently invested in a '2 x 8' Cohedra system, consisting of 16 CDR 208 S/T mid/high units, 16 CDR 210 subwoofers, PR 16 amp racks to power them, LSM speaker multi-pair cables and flying hardware. Owner and president of Sound Black Juan Pedro Barrios Glez, says: "Cohedra is the perfect system for us. It is extremely flexible - due to its small size and low weight we can easily fly it as part of a ground support system, yet in spite of its size we can handle fairly large gigs with a relatively small array of only eight mid/high units per side - a decisive factor as an investment for a rapidly growing company like ou

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UK - Summit Steel kicked off a hectic end of June and early July with SmarTmast mayhem on a huge variety of events and festivals.

SmarTmasts, a Summit designed and constructed product, have become hugely popular with PA companies, production and site managers for their rugged load bearing capacities, easy construction, elegant aesthetics and small footprint.

In Portsmouth for Mice International at the Trafalgar 200 event, Summit supplied eight SmarTmasts used as PA towers for Capital Sound. These were dotted all over the Portsmouth Royal Naval Dockyard site at various performance stages and screen sites.

For the Leeds Castle Summer Concerts in June and July and for Clear Channel 's Summer Nights in July at the same venue, Summit supplied two SmarTmast2s and four SmarTmast1s, for PA companies RG Jones and Major Tom. Summit is also providing Major Tom with a single dela

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Switzerland - When this year's 16-day Montreux Jazz Festival kicked off on Lake Geneva, visiting sound engineers to the 2,000-capacity Miles Davis Hall were delighted to see the new Digidesign Venue placed at their disposal.

They were given the opportunity to test drive the system's modular, dual-redundant architecture - which includes the D-Show mixing console, Mix Engine and Stage Rack I/O unit (with recallable, remote-controlled preamps) - firstly in the production area, under the supervision of experienced Digidesign engineers such as Bernard Natier (from Paris's Studio Garage) and Ian Nelson. Here they were able to tour the surface's topology and familiarize themselves with the main desk/sidecar arrangement prior to the real thing.

The company responsible for getting the 96-input desk, with full support for industry-stand Pro Tools plug-ins, onto the Montreux rider were S

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UK - Adlib Audio supplied a JBL VerTec line array system, full sound production and crew to high profile boy band Blue's UK arena tour. Adlib worked with leading show producers Production North for the first time on the tour, which was production managed by Iain Whitehead. Rob Coles was the FOH engineer, Marc Peers mixed monitors and Tony Szabo was ADLIB's systems engineer.

For FOH engineer Rob Coles, VerTec was an obvious choice for Blue - they needed a rich, powerful and full sound capable of dealing with the band's dynamic and energy charged shows. Coles has mixed this type of band before and is familiar with the specific nuances and requirements.

Coles first used a VerTec system when mixing the Dandy Warhols, opening for David Bowie's 2003/04 Reality tour, for which Adlib was also the audio contractor. "The system sounded great, Tony is one of the best VerTec t

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Norway - One of Norway's largest PA companies, PA Compagniet, has increased its substantial Midas inventory with the addition of four of the company's recently-launched Siena consoles, purchased from local distributor AVAB-CAC. With locations in five Norwegian cities, PA Compagniet handles major tours and festivals. The decision behind the multiple Siena order stemmed from the success of the Midas Veronas the company purchased last year to work front-of-house at the Quart Festival, one of Norway's leading summer events.

"We hope the Sienas will recreate this success in the monitor world," explains Mike Moen, MD of PA Compagniet. "We purchased them mainly because we needed monitor consoles that weren't large or heavy, but were capable of meeting the riders for the outdoors festival season, and at the same time would be suitable for indoor use in Norwegian clubs dur

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Switzerland - Circus Nock is one of the largest touring Circus Companies in Switzerland. Founded in 1860, the circus has been in the Nock family for seven generations and includes over 100 vehicles, 7km of cable and over 4,500 light bulbs. When looking for a replacement lighting console, the company opted for Zero 88: LD Stefan Ionut had been using a Zero 88 Sirius 250 for the last six years and was delighted with the reliability of the console. "The circus environment is very harsh, with a lot of dirt, a lot of dust and demanding touring schedule. The Sirius 250 never let us down," he explained.

However, with the addition of a number of Claky Paky Alpha Spots to the rig and an increasing number of high-risk attractions, Ionut needed a console that could handle moving lights and offer a full back up system - which led him to Zero 88's Frog range. Roberto Campana from Z

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