France - Graham Pattison has been Front Of House engineer for many bands and spent years with Kula Shaker and, more recently, Gomez. When it comes to recording, there's just one mic that Pattison takes into the studio, the SE Gemini.

Pattison is a freelance sound engineer based in Paris who has worked with a host of big bands and artists. For years he worked as Kula Shaker's FOH engineer and when the band reformed recently they asked him to work with them at their reunion gigs.

"The gigs were really good," he says. "I didn't know whether to get involved again to be honest. It was kind of like going out with an old girlfriend! I turned up and mixed the first show and it went great."

Pattison has a long list of other bands on his CV too. "I've worked with Spiritualized and, over the last couple of years, I worked with Gomez who are now very big in Amer

Thailand - Visualization specialist Barco is delighted that its products were selected for the MTV Asia Awards in Thailand on 6 May 2006. The Siam Paragon in Bangkok was illuminated not only with international and Asian stars celebrating the fifth spectacular MTV Asia Awards 2006, but also a host of Barco's leading creativity products were on set to provide the visual displays.

The highly creative set design was built around two OLite 510 LED displays totaling 30sq.m of modular LED blocks. Set back from the OLite were a total of 8,000 MiPIX blocks which gave the set depth. Two SLM R12+ projectors provided the 4,600 capacity crowd with a front seat view of what was happening on stage, as well the MTV short animation film that played at intervals throughout the show.

All Barco products were supplied and installed by Tedtronic Pte Ltd of Singapore, one of Barco's la

Belgium - Barco, pioneer in creative LED technology, is again centre stage at this year's 2006 Eurovision Song contest. With an impressive and varied combination of the latest LED technology and projectors, the show is set to be the biggest ever and is a tribute to Barco's leadership in international events.

As the eyes of an estimated 400 million viewers across the world tune-in to watch the semi-final and final in Athens, Greece on 18 and 20 May, they will see one of the most spectacular stage designs ever, featuring more than 1,100 of the industry's standard Barco ILite 6 XP LED tiles, 4,800 OLite 510 modules and 8 high brightness SLM-R12+ projectors all being controlled by the Encore show control system. Barco rental partner Procon (Germany) - ETF (Belgium) delivered all visualization equipment used on the show.

Integrated into the gigantic 13-metre-wide stage floor

Australia - Norwest Productions, one of Australasia's largest sound rental companies, have recently added an additional 66 fP Series amplifiers to their already impressive inventory giving them well over 1million watts of Lab Gruppen power.

The main amplifier model in Norwest's inventory is the Lab.gruppen fP 6400, which delivers 2300W per channel into 4 ohms in a 2 rack space, 10 kg package. Norwest employ their Lab Gruppen amplifiers to power a variety of speaker systems as well as for a wide range of applications including corporate shows, tours, dance parties and large scale events. Some recent Norwest shows and events powered by Lab.gruppen include: Black Eyed Peas tour, REM tour, Michael Crawford, Tamworth Country Music Awards, Billy Connolly tour, Carols in the Domain, The Wiggles tour, East Coast Blues and Roots Festival, 2006 Commonwealth Games ceremonies and of

The Netherlands - Midas Consoles Holland is pleased to announce the sale of a Midas XL8 Live Performance System to rental company Hof Audio - Licht - Beeld, a long-established rental company whose top-end inventory includes several Midas analogue consoles.

"Since Midas announced it was to produce a digital console which would retain, and indeed improve upon, the sound characteristics of XL4, we had huge confidence in the new product," says company owner Bart Hof. "We also know that, this being Midas, we can be assured of excellent quality, service and support. There's a niche for XL8 in the Dutch market, and as we are an established and trusted company we are well placed to introduce it."

Both Hof and his chief engineer Auke Meijer are exited about the possibilities XL8 offers, both in technical and commercial terms. "Aside from the sound quality and r

UK - XL Video supplied a 20 by 4.8 metre landscape curved SoftLED backdrop and Catalyst digital media server control system for Irish comedian Dara O'Briain's DVD shoot at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London for Open Mike Productions.

Series producer Alex Hardcastle specifically wanted a simple 'screen effect' with no text or recognizable images, just abstract effect and colours. He wanted about eight or 10 different colour states that could slowly morph throughout the show, matching his cues for the two acts and encore.

SoftLED was suggested as the ideal solution, and the deal was set up by XL's Al Green who says: "Open Mike specifically wanted controllable, changing colour states with different intensities across the screen, as opposed to solid colours."

XL achieved the basic brief that the audience should be concentrating on O'Briain's dialogue and banter, rat

USA - Aviom, Inc., manufacturer of the Pro16 Monitor Mixing System, recently announced the appointment of two new international distributors in the Middle East and one in Sweden. The new agreements are expected to significantly expand distribution of Aviom's products to all market sectors including, but not limited to: live-sound reinforcement, houses of worship, clubs, conference centres, stadiums, schools, professional musicians, and broadcast and recording studios.

"We are very pleased to add these three distributors to our expanding worldwide team," says Joel Brazy, director of international sales. "International markets represent a huge growth opportunity for Aviom, and our strategy is to partner with leaders in their markets. These new distributors represent only high quality products and we expect them to help Aviom achieve rapid growth throughout each regi

UK - Lighting designer Dave Bryant (DB) won a 2006 Lighting Design Award for his stunning site specific work, The Storr - Unfolding Landscape. The coveted Awards are sponsored by architectural publication Lighting magazine, and The Storr was the first winner of their new Entertainment category.

The project - for Scottish environmental arts organization nva Arts - involved the design of an eco-friendly lighting installation for eight weeks of live promenade performance highlighting the breathtaking darkness of The Storr Footpath on the beautiful Isle of Skye (link to full story on Avo website).

DB says: "I was surprised to be nominated let alone to win the Award! It's fantastic that such an unusual project should receive such an accolade."

The project led to Avolites developing a new rechargeable battery powered dimmer which then went into production a

Germany - The National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra recently employed an Allen & Heath ML3000 live sound VCA console to manage live recording and broadcast during the Penderecki Festival, an annual three day event held this year in Germany, which honours the renowned Polish composer, Krzysztof Penderecki.

The Festival was held at three different locations - St. Dyonisius Church in Rheine, Il Bagno concert hall in Steinfurt, and Munster cathedral - comprising performances of many of Penderecki's works and a variety of classical masterpieces by The National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra and conducted by the man himself.

The grand finale of this year's festival was a performance of Penderecki's St Luke Passion, regarded as the composer's breakthrough to world renown. It was originally performed at the same location 40 years ago, and to mark the milestone, the anniversary per

UK - They're the hottest band in the UK , with their debut album going triple platinum in a matter of weeks, and their nationwide tour selling out within minutes. Although an Alpha system saw them through most of the dates, the SSE Audio Group brought a GEO T rig out to London's Brixton Academy for the big finale of the Arctic Monkey's British tour.

SSE has supported the Arctic Monkeys since their early days, although, with the phenomenal speed of this band's success, that is not long ago. Barely three years after playing their first gigs, the Monkeys have a sell-out tour, a BRIT Award for Best New Act, and hold the UK music industry record for the fastest-selling debut album - ever. All this success has been built via the internet, where the band made their demos available for download, and in doing so, created a huge fanbase.

The tour has played 13 dates around the UK

UK - Marquee Audio ensured that the only appearance this summer by The Cure - during the Sixth Teenage Cancer Trust week at the Royal Albert Hall - received full Digidesign Venue system support.

The company's digital specialist Andy Huffer supplied the two D-Show mixing consoles and the Pro Tools HD2 recording system was provided by Andy 'Baggy' Robinson. This allowed FOH sound engineer Marc Carolan to record 48 tracks for the show's three and a half hour duration flawlessly - as well as locally tracking six ambient mics for future 5.1 mixing of the show. In addition to the recording from the FOH desk, Keith Uddin, The Cure's studio engineer, took a firewire feed to the Pro Tools LE from the monitor desk of Matt West.

Carolan added that since The Cure had used Venues on their European festivals last summer it seemed logical to treat this as a one-off extension of that, as the

UK - Phil Hartnoll will always be known as one half of the ground-breaking anddance- music defining duo Orbital, who had world-wide success with their unique blend of electronic music from 1990 until 2004. Since the demise of Orbital, Hartnoll has been as busy as ever with DJ'ing and producing new music. His studio has stayed ahead of the game too, helped in no small way by his love for all things Novation.

Orbital were one of the most consistent and ground-breaking bands of the last 20 years. As half of that act, Phil Hartnoll always used the latest gear for the band's cutting-edge sound. Even after the group's demise he has remained true to that belief so, for his latest music project (Long Range, working with Nick Smith and Ben Burns), he has added the new ReMOTE SL to his list of Novation gear.

Hartnoll's relationship with Novation goes way back to his time in Orbital. &qu

UK - ETC is delighted to announce that it has won the order to supply Sensor+ dimmers with CEM+ processors plus Matrix Mk II SineWave dimmer racks for installation in the Royal Festival Hall, which is currently undergoing redevelopment. The dimmers will be installed by Northern Light during the refurbishment on the South Bank.

Mark White, regional manager for ETC UK and Ireland says: "I am very pleased to note that with the installation at the RFH, ETC equipment will be dimming and switching most of the theatre installations on the South Bank. Adding the existing installations - Unicorn Theatre, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Royal National Theatre - this new installation will bring our total number of Sensor dimming channels in central London to just over 16,000 and the total of Matrix SineWave channels to just under 2,000."

White added: "I'm pleased to say that we a

UK - When production manager and lighting designer Steve Nolan was asked to provide both production and lighting services for the live touring show of Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds he soon realized he had his work cut out. Wearing two hats on the same show meant he needed a flexible and reliable lighting supplier and a very capable associate LD and programmer. He ultimately found both in PRG Europe.

Nolan explains: "I wouldn't normally take both roles on the same show. However having become involved I realized that production designer Jonathan Park and composer Jeff Wayne had very strong ideas of how they wanted the show to look and I felt another creative could muddy the waters. Although I am first and foremost a lighting designer, due to the complexity of the staging and my responsibilities as production manager, I needed an associate LD/programmer who I could trust to t

France - Barco are the official supplier of digital cinema projectors at 2006 Cannes Film Festival. Recognized as an industry leader in digital cinema, Barco will be the sole supplier of digital cinema projectors for all 2K digital screenings at this year's festival.

The Festival de Cannes continues its strong association with Barco in awarding the responsibility of supplying projectors for all the 2K digital screenings of the festival. Barco's 2K digital cinema projectors, based on Texas Instruments' DLP Cinema technology, equip the Lumière, Debussy, Bazin and Bunuel auditoriums during the Festival and are provided in partnership with XDC. In addition, Barco will also supply digital projectors to the Marché Du Film in the auditoriums of Bory, Palaris D, E and F.

Nico Vernieuwe, VP sales and marketing of Barco's media and entertainment division says: "We are delig

UK - The UK's first on-line resource for the AV industry has officially gone live. Brainchild of industry veteran Antony Drew, the new website allows freelance members to record their specialities, daily or hourly rates and availability online. Business users can then subscribe to search for freelancers from the comprehensive members' database.

Freelancer profiles can be viewed by speciality, day rate, and ability while the site's up-to-date availability feature allows resources to be optimised, keeping the project management process flowing freely. The web and SMS text-based service allows businesses to issue a text alert when they require support to which interested freelancers can respond direct. In return, FreelanceColony members can also use the Internet Browser or SMS text to keep their personal calendar up to date.

As freelanceColony is accessible via any web browser, b

UK - Audio-Technica Ltd. has announced that it has been appointed as UK distributor for the True Systems range of microphone preamps.

True Systems is a product line of US consulting, design and manufacturing company Sunrise Engineering and Design. The current product range comprises the P2 Analog 2-channel mic preamp, the Precision 8i, 8-channel preamp, and the single channel P-SOLO desktop preamp. Designed for studio, live and location-based recording, each of the True Systems units delivers hi-end sonic performance in a variety of situations.

Tim Spencer, president of True Systems says: "Audio-Technica has always been known for innovative technology, highest-quality products and serious customer focus. So, when the opportunity arose to work with Audio-Technica Ltd. for distribution of True Systems products in the UK and Germany, we were very excited - and honoured. Afte

Iran - The 300-seat Talan Honar theatre is an antique building located in the heart of Tehran, the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The theatre is mainly used for multipurpose applications, such as theatre, drama, live music and - being equipped with 5.1 Dolby equipment and a 35mm cinema projector - for screening movies.

The theatre is owned by the Municipality of Tehran and its refurbishment was recently completed by one of Iran's largest Iranian companies (Sazeman Farhangi Honary Shardari), which renovated the hall, changing the interior decoration, seats, screen, acoustic treatment and wall covering, as well as the sound reinforcement system and lighting fixtures.

The project manager in charge for the municipality was Masood Roostaei and the upgrade began in August 2005 and ended in February 2006. The sound equipment was provided by Italian manufacturer Outline, and

USA - The Red Raiders of Lubbock's Texas Tech University are one of the state's higher-profile college football teams: a big 12 team that swept the Holiday Bowl last year in San Diego, and played in the Cotton Bowl this year. The team's coach, Mike Leach, was recently the first coach to make the cover of the New York Times Magazine, achieving the distinction of being named one of football's best offensive coaches. Home for the team is Jones SBC Stadium, a 55,000-seat venue that underwent a $90 million renovation last year, including replacing the stadium's patchwork sound system with a new system built on Meyer Sound's Milo high-power curvilinear array loudspeakers.

The stadium's original design dates from the 1960s, and while it's not all that out of the ordinary, it presented a few logistical challenges that led James Bush, the venue's production manager, to opt for the single

UK - One of the most unlikely hybrid retail operations in London's burgeoning Fitzrovia area, is that of CVO Firevault. Immersed in the luxurious basement showroom of prestigious fireplaces and flickering flames is an ultra-chic cocktail bar and restaurant - the brainchild of husband and wife owners, Carolyn and Christian van Outersterp. Given the unique surroundings, after hours this transforms effortlessly into a seductive intimate party venue.

The only element letting the place down was the sound system, as manager Matthieu Destandau explained. "When I first came here three years ago it was more like a casual coffee bar, but slowly we increased the restaurant and bar activity, as well as the outside entertainment."

With the sponsoring of private parties and receptions in the 85 cover restaurant came the requirement for outside production, and Destandau called on C

Canada - PALM Expo 2006 (formally known as CALM Expo) will bring more than 1200 exhibiting companies with some 130,000 qualified visitors together, over the four days of exhibition. This international exhibition spans over 12 halls in the China International Exhibition Centre (CIEC), between 31 May and 3 June in Beijing.

Brock Adamson, founder and CEO of Adamson Systems Engineering will attend China's 15th annual PALM expo and will be present at booth 8120, hosted by Adamson's Chinese distributors Eastern Acoustic Development. EAD will exhibit Adamson's newest products the T-21Sub and M15 multipurpose enclosures, along side with Y-Axis Y10's and Y18's. Mr. Adamson will show power point presentations and report further on the new T-21 Sub's driver ND-21 design and on the Adamson Co-Linear Drive Technology.

Adamson Systems Engineering develops and manufactures high-end loudspeak

Belgium / Greece - Belgian manufacturer Amelia NV, known worldwide for its ShowLED starcloth product, has provided a massive backdrop for this year's Eurovision Song Contest, which takes place this weekend at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece.

The starry sky in Athens is made up of 45 cloths of 3m by 12m, creating a total of around 1,600sq.m of LED starcloth, containing some 10,000 LEDs, connected by 12.5km of electrical wire.

This is the latest event to boost ShowLED's growing international reputation. Recent additions to the company's growing international distributor network include Gerriets (Germany & Austria), Azur Scénic (France) and Peroni (Italy). Other recent projects include Night of the Proms and some 1,000sq.m of starcloths for several TV shows at Dubai Television.

A full report on the Eurovision production will appear in the July-August iss

UK - Shuttlesound has successfully hosted its latest Telex Academy, one of a series of educational events which are aimed at professional end-users and resellers working with Electro-Voice, Dynacord, Midas and Klark-Teknik technologies. 20 'students' from all over England and Scotland attended this Academy, which focussed on the needs of the permanent installation market.

The two-day event covered a variety of subjects, from basic principles of audio engineering to complex installation design tutorials, referencing Telex's numerous networked installations in the World Cup football stadia in Germany. Presenters from Shuttlesound, including John Ellis, Jason Kelly, and David Howe, were joined by Frauke Jungbluth from Germany, Dynacord's brand manager. Together, they took their audience through the Telex product portfolio, discussing different brand philosophies and the possibiliti

UK - In little over a month since its launch, SSE Hire has placed an initial order for four Soundcraft Vi6 digital live mixing consoles to add to its impressive digital rental stock.

Headquarters near Birmingham, with additional sites in Europe, SSE Hire is a member of the SSE Audio Group, which offers integrated services including sound design, service and repair, fabrication and structures. SSE Hire provides audio systems for events, tours and concerts worldwide.

Having had input to the development of the Soundcraft Vi6, and recently completed trials with the unit at their warehouse in Redditch, SSE hire manager Rich Rowley, says: "We've known Soundcraft for many years and have been familiar with their trusted MH range, but have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the digital Vi6. We were not disappointed - our first experiences with it have been very exciting. The use

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