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UK - HRH The Earl of Wessex will visit the Wakefield offices of Litestructures GB Ltd. on Thursday 1 March to officially open the Litestructures Studios rehearsal arena and film studio.

Litestructures Studios is a purpose-built, music tour rehearsal and film and television production facility in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. With over 17,500sq ft of floor space and a height of 54ft the studio is able to accommodate even the largest music tours and film productions. For the live music sector it sets a new standard of excellence for rehearsal space while for film and television production it is a significant addition to the UK's facilities and is a viable option for major film production in the North.

"We are honoured to welcome The Earl of Wessex to open The Litestructures Studio," says Litestructures managing director Adrian Brooks. "Since we built the Studio in 20

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USA - XTA Electronics, a leader in sound reinforcement, digital signal processing, and speaker controller systems for the past 15 years, announces that two XTA DP6i Audio Installation Controllers were chosen and installed by system designers/installers the FBP Group for the fabulous Tao Nightclub inside the renowned Venetian Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

The installation took advantage of the power and flexibility of the DP6i to upgrade the club's existing sound system, simultaneously enhancing the experience for club-goers at Tao and offering significant cost savings to the club's owners. The installation was completed in January.

The Tao Nightclub is part of the 42,000-square-foot Tao entertainment and dining complex in the Venetian Hotel. Designed to look like an opulent Asian temple, the $22 million club features some of the world's leading DJs, high-tech visual effects an

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USA - "For me, light is music," says Swedish lighting designer Emma Westerberg,who recently finished a three-week North American preview tour with an alternative-rock band from Ireland that played to sold-out big-city club crowds. Westerberg chose a compact ETC Congo jr lighting control console for the tour, taking it with her on the tour bus or, when she flew, checked it through in her luggage.

Westerberg used 12 Studio Beams (six on the flybar, six on the floor assidelights), a sharkstooth cyc, four six-cell battens, six four-light Moles,three Diversitronic strobes, three half-sphere rotating mirror balls (placedon the floor) and six ETC Source Fours.

Designing for a performer who likes to change things each night meant thatlighting would differ from show to show. New songs would be introducedwithout warning and the play list would be moved around. Westerberg had t

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UK - HSL's new Robe ColorSpot and ColorWash 700 ATs were delivered from the Czech Republic, unpacked from their boxes, tested and cased up to go on tour with New York indie rockers Brand New.

Lighting designer Sarah Landau was initially recommended to HSL by Mainlight Industries at the end of 2006, when seeking a video based solution to realise her design for the band's upcoming UK tour - their biggest production outing to date.

Further research revealed that HSL carried a large stock of ColorKinetics iColor Tiles, and Landau thought they would be the hire company for her.

HSL's Mike Oates says: "We're all very excited to be working with Brand New and Sarah - there's a real buzz about the band, and Sarah is extremely talented and has a great career ahead."

Landau says: "Mike and HSL have done everything possible to make the tour smooth, efficient and enjoyab

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USA - Reinforcing the interoperability of JBL Professional loudspeakers across product lines, Clair Brothers Systems recently installed a WJHW-designed audio system at the new Glass Cactus nightclub in Grapevine, TX. The system includes JBL Vertec line arrays, AE Series loudspeakers and Control 29AV speakers.

Built on the grounds of the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Centre in Lake Grapevine, the $16 million Glass Cactus covers a total of 39,000 square feet and accommodates approximately 1,500 people. The state-of-the-art sound stage features musical acts ranging from country to blues to rock. The Glass Cactus regularly showcases local talent, while top-named national acts also perform routinely.

True to its name, the eye-catching design of the Glass Cactus includes an abundance of glass surfaces. While these make for an aesthetically pleasing environment, they pose a cha

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UK - Timothy Bird, director of The Knifedge Creative Network, is celebrating again this week after his company's ground-breaking projections for Sunday in the Park with George helped the West End musical win five Laurence Olivier Awards, including Best Set Design and Most Outstanding Musical Production. Last year, Bird and fellow designer David Farley also won the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Design, and the Critics Choice Theatre Award for Best Design for the same production.

Directed by Sam Buntrock, Sunday in the Park with George first opened at The Menier Chocolate Factory in November 2005, before transferring to Wyndham's Theatre in May 2006. Originally written by Stephen Sondheim, the musical tells the story of pointillist painter Georges Seurat and his muse Dot.

Knifedge's innovative projections have been a key feature of the production, allowin

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Norway - Often referred to as 'the Scandinavian Alps', Hemsedal in Norway is the premier Norwegian ski resort. One of the oldest hotels in the area is the esteemed Skogstad Hotel. Owned by the Thorset family since its beginning in 1905, the hotel boasts more than 100 years of atmosphere and history.

On 17 Febuary, the doors opened to the completely renovated Skogstad Club, which is among the most modern nightclubs in Hemsedal. With a strictly enforced dress code and age limit, Italian-designed furniture and excellent ambience, the Skogstad Club is a classy venue with a genuine club feeling.

The sound installation at the venue, carried out by EHS Pro Shop, utilised a total of 12 Cornered Audio C6TRMs as sound reinforcement for the bars. These were chosen because of the speakers' "Armani-like" design, as one of the hotel's project managers described it! The only compla

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Switzerland - Zurich's Alstadt district or "old town" is an area of tiny twisting streets, exclusive art galleries and chic shops which is spread on both right and left banks of the Limmit-river that separates the city. In the outskirts of Alstadt in the left bank resides the famous Kaufleuten building.

Increasingly popular since Prince and Madonna graced it with their presence, Kaufleuten is the best known entertainment structure in Zurich. Located in a historic building, occupying two floors, the venue is comprised of several distinct sections, including a restaurant, a nightclub, bars and lounges. The brand new "festsaal" includes a stage in which regular entertainment is provided by a variety of top DJs and live performing acts. Kaufleuten's plush decor is reminiscent of a baroque theatre with its classic furnishings, antique paintings, chandeliers, and e

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World - Andre Rieu has been called everything from the Waltz King to the Kid Rock of Classical. The charismatic 56-year-old Dutch violinist and conductor is an international phenomenon, selling in excess of 20 million albums and filling halls across Europe, North America and Japan with his Johann Strauss Orchestra for nearly a decade.

The Maastricht-based Rieu is known for being a stickler for sonic excellence. Sensitive to the acoustical limitations of the arenas and stadiums in which he often holds court, Rieu has trusted Montreal-based Solotech with his tour sound for nearly a decade. The highly respected company behind the shows of Cirque du Soleil, Celine Dion, and many others provides Rieu with a finely tuned audio system based around Meyer Sound's Milo high-power curvilinear array loudspeaker.

The main system is centred on two arrays of 14 Milo cabinets and two Milo 120

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UK - For the fourth successive year, Hawthorns were contracted by the East Midlands Conference Centre (EMCC), based on the Nottingham University Campus, to provide the technical solution for the Xerox Annual Year Start Conference. The Conference took place over four days and attracted 1700 delegates.

"This year, Xerox and the EMCC were looking to do something completely different and less corporate, whilst maintaining the Xerox Corporate Brand and the ability to use their standard PowerPoint presentation content," said Hawthorn's project manager, Oliver Moores.

The Hawthorn solution in the main auditorium was to provide a 24m x 7m cyc white backdrop as a massive projection screen, utilising a triple projection system driven by Barco's encore system. This gave the ability to use many creative and interesting backgrounds, both static and animated, with an infinite numb

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Denmark - Dansk Supermarked A/S chose local firm Aarhus Arkitekterne to design an expansion and modernisation of one of their premiere retail properties, Storcenter Nord shopping mall in Aarhus, Denmark. The project consisted of a large expansion of the retail area together with a new plaza and main entrance atrium meant to jettison the company's slightly outmoded image.

Besides re-imaging the centre in the minds of customers, there was also a need to do something more dramatic in order to draw customers to the area which essentially lies outside the city centre. "Storcenter Nord is a key part of a larger residential and business area that is experiencing dramatic growth," comments Architect Mogens Kristensen of Aarhus Arkitekterne. "The expansion gives the centre a new identity and the possibility to re-evaluate its relationship to its surroundings."

A key

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USA - There were no sirens or flashing lights, but the return of The Police to the stage at the 49th Annual Grammy Award Show, following a 21-year layoff, was certainly arresting. Just seconds into the telecast, with audience members still heading for their seats, Sting shouted into his Sennheiser e865 vocal mic, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are The Police, and we're back," and the band launched into Roxanne, perhaps their best-known song. Stewart was on the HSP4-EW headset and an SK500G2 bodypack.Andy was on an e865 as well.

The Police were just the first of a succession of artists on the telecast using Sennheiser wired and wireless microphones, many of them also making use of Sennheiser RF personal monitor systems. Beyoncé, Gnarls Barkley's Cee-Lo Green, Shakira, Rascal Flatts and a host of presenters and award winners benefited from the Sennheiser

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USA - Aviom Inc a leader in personal monitor mixing technology, has enabled Houston-based church Fellowship of the Woodlands to improve its efficiency and sound quality through the installation of Aviom's personal monitor mixing system.

Harold Rubens, the church's director of audio, says that the Aviom equipment has helped reinforce the church's sound integrity and ability in delivering a true worship experience for its 14,000 parishioners.

"Converting 16 channels of audio and transmitting them through a Cat-5 cable directly to the band produces a much clearer and defined sound for the musicians, who can then adjust their mixes as they see fit," Rubens explained. "This helps them keep on key and in sync - a combination that results in a performance that effectively captivates, moves and inspires."

No longer having to devote extra time and energy in creati

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Poland - UK The Polish authorities held national celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of the imposition of martial law in the country and the move towards the democracy it enjoys today. Central to the anniversary celebrations was the national television broadcaster TVP, which staged a musical tribute to those monumental events a quarter of a century ago at the city of Wroclaw's Congresses, Fairs, Music and Sports Performance Centre Centennial Hall. The visual focus of the event was a large cross, constructed from over 50 square metres of Lighthouse R12-ER LED screen.

Titled Requiem Pro Pace, this was a major multimedia production and took its main references from a requiem Mass. Song titles were similar to the Liturgy: Benedictus, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, etc, with the lyrical themes being those which dominated the Polish society 25 years ago - fear, denunciation, censorship, st

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UK - Northern Light recently played a big part in the £360,000 improvements at Buxton Opera House. During the theatre's six week dark period - which ended on 16 February 2007 - Northern Light was responsible for managing an overhaul of the dimmer system and performance lighting circuits.

The Derbyshire venue is one of Britain's leading receiving theatres, presenting around 350 performances every year. Originally opened in 1903, Buxton Opera House was lovingly restored to its former glory in 2001 and this most recent improvement to the 938 seat theatre will ensure that the latest technology helps make each performance one to remember.

Northern Light's scope of work focused mainly in the backstage area and included the installation of a brand new ETC Sensor dimmer system - incorporating a total of 192 ways of dimming - and rewiring of all the performance lighting circuits.

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UK - Bosch's sophisticated Praesideo public address system has been selected by SDD Sound and Light for use in an extensive project for the three campuses of ACS International Schools in Greater London. With a combined area of over 300 acres, the three campuses in Cobham, Hillingdon and Egham enrol a total of 2,400 students offering both day and boarding education. The students come from over 70 countries, predominantly the USA.

Security is a key concern for the school, and to upgrade the small paging system in place, it turned to Staines-based installers SDD Sound & Light to provide a campus-wide system, which could be linked together to provide pre-recorded announcement and other advanced security features across the three sites.

SDD chose Bosch Praesideo, the world's first fully digital public address and emergency sound system, because unlike traditional PA systems, which

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France - Digigram, a leader in PC audio interfaces and innovative networked audio devices, has announced the appointment of French pro audio specialists, Audiopole, as their new distributor in France with effect from 1 February 2007. Audiopole is one of France's premier distribution operations with a number of prestigious brands already numbering in their portfolio including Focusrite, Genelec, Turbosound, Studer, Beyerdynamic, ClearCom and Allen & Heath to name but a few.

Digigram's CEO and president Philippe Delacroix is confident that this new partnership will continue to reinforce the company's presence in the fixed installation market in France in addition to providing an avenue into the broadcast market: "A significant part of Digigram's product range is aimed at the broadcast market, therefore it is imperative that our distributor is also operational in that market s

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Norway - Norwegian Cruise Line's (NCL) newest Freestyle Cruising ship, Norwegian Pearl, is a sister ship to Norwegian Jewel and the latest in a string of innovative Jewel class ships. Norwegian Pearl has an abundance of automated, colour-changing lighting from Martin Professional.

Built at Germany's Meyer shipyard, the 2,400-guest capacity vessel boasts an industry first - a four-lane bowling alley; and two NCL firsts - a rock-climbing wall and two Deluxe Owner's Suites. Norwegian Pearl features all the elements of NCL's dynamic modern Freestyle Cruising fleet including multiple restaurants, bars and lounges, boutiques, luxurious accommodations, family friendly areas and the latest in relaxation and fitness.

Guests enter the foyer with its glimmering icicled motif. In the lobby, across from the reception area is a vast, ceiling-to-floor LED screen - the second largest installa

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UK - The second Tech Event, organised by leading AV/IT distributors Maverick and PSCo, will take place at the Mercedes Benz World, Weybridge, Surrey on 17 April. This year's prime objective is to deliver over 20 technical seminar/workshops throughout the day focusing on the convergence of AV and IT, including multimedia distribution, control, and telephony.

Tech Event will feature keynote presentations from industry giants such as Cisco who will outline their vision for a converging world; the event will also host an exhibition of over 30 key manufacturers in the AV/IT industry, offering the opportunity to experience the spectrum of products covering all aspects of the displays' market, the organisers say. It will focus on profiling emerging technologies, emphasising the on-going convergence and synergy with the IT sector.

Convergent business manager Kris Davies commented: &qu

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Slovakia - Slovakia's top lighting designer Martin Kubanka has once again chosen Robe moving lights as the main workhorses of his design for Hviezdy na Láde(Stars on Ice), Slovakia's version of top live TV production Dancing On Ice. All lighting equipment is being supplied by leading rental house Q-99, who are also supplying a Bose sound system for the series.

The show is a roll out of the Dancing On Ice series that took the UK's ITV by storm. A celebrity and a professional skater pair up and hone their dancing skills on the ice, with 14 hopeful couples starting the series. There's a studio-based judging panel to offer their professional opinion, but the winners are actually voted for by the public via SMS. The Slovakian show is staged at the Koliba Studios in Bratislava, directed by TomᚠEibner.

Kubanka, a designer of many high profile Slovak T

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Iran - ARX signal processing products featured heavily when newly formed five-piece Iranian rock band Nira performed the country's first two licensed live concerts in the past 18 months. ARX's Iranian distributor ZiroBam supplied the audio system, featuring products from ARX, Martin Audio and Crest Audio - all manufacturers represented by ZiroBam in the Iranian market.

ARX signal processing and interface products used included Sixgate 6-Channel Optical Noise Gates, Afterburner dual-channel dual-band compressors and ARX DI Plus and DI Plus 2 direct boxes. For the 400-capacity venue, six Martin Audio W8LM and two WS2Aloudspeakers were driven by Crest Audio power amplifiers with a Crest Audio console out front.

The two sold-out shows featured covers from Jamiroquai, Arcade and Audio Slave, as well as Nira originals.

(Lee Baldock)

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USA - Opened in 1998, Bellagio is located squarely on Las Vegas's Strip, and epitomises the incredible scale and lavishness that has become the city's hallmark. With more than 10,000 blooming flowers and a wide variety of other plant life, plus fountains and themed displays, the conservatory is located in a large atrium with a glass ceiling. The conservatory installs new displays five times a year: spring, summer, autumn, Christmas, and Chinese New Year. The displays feature plantings appropriate to the theme (including sculptures of people and animals made entirely out of flowers), along with scenic elements, active props, and other related items.

Music and sound design are key to creating the conservatory's atmosphere. For each display, sound designer Jason Rauhoff of Goes To Eleven assembles and masters a music programme, as well as sound effects. Original sound designer Jona

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UK - The Palace Exchange is a brand new retail development in the centre of Enfield, which has attracted several new retailers to the town, as well as existing stores extending their shops. A key feature of the 160,000sq.ft area is the Enfield Word Wall, which - measuring at approximately 120m - imposes over the northern side of the development and features passages of conversations from the town past and present.

Hoare Lea specified the lighting, with the concept of backlighting the wall behind the large text, whilst simultaneously illuminating the wall with LED projectors from across the street. Specialists Architen Landrell were drawn in to carry out the entire installation.

A total of over 100 Tryka Strip Module Optic IP67 in a variety of lengths were used on the project, with 27 Tryka IDS-4s - the Intelligent Drive System capable of running large numbers of LED fixtures w

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UK - Fuzion plc have taken over the UK distriibution of Compulite digital lighting control desks, dimmers (and associated lighting products) with immediate effect. Under Stagetec Distribution, the Israel-based company's penetration of the UK market has gone from strength to strength over the past few years, claiming hundreds of installations in theatres, TV studios, schools and colleges up and down the country. It has been particularly successful with the Vector range of consoles, the company reports, which are currently used on major TV productions such as Big Brother, X-Factor, Dancing on Ice and many more.

Andrew Stone from Stagetec Distribution, the Compulite UK distributor for the past 11 years, comments: "After many years of distributing the Compulite range in the UK we have been looking for some time into ways of increasing sales in the UK market. After carefu

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