USA - With TV and film producers hungry for ever more dramatic special effects, Stage Technologies rental department's high-speed BT290 winches continue to be in great demand, the company reports.

These compact winches fly objects at speeds of up to 9m/s and are supplied as stand-alone products or mounted inside truss frames. They have been used for a wide variety of moving effects in the UK and USA including most recently for a high-speed stunt for TV's Desperate Housewives. The truss-mounted products have also been used to fly a stunt man in Mission Impossible 3 in Los Angeles, whilst the same technology whizzes cameras around the sets of Harry Potter and the Golden Compass, for example, in the UK. The winches were also used to defy gravity in the movie Sunshine, which is released on 4 April.

(Lee Baldock)

UK - A project to record the history of Britain's Moroccan community is underway, thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Project organisers the Migrant and Refugee Communities' Forum (MRCF) have chosen to use a fleet of Marantz PMD660 portable solid state recorders for all the data collection in the field.

The scheme will span a period of two years and record interviews with three generations of Moroccan migrants across the UK. Most of the work will be concentrated in London, where up to half of the country's 70,000 Moroccan residents live. 17 field-workers will conduct the interviews, which will ultimately be stored in the National Sound Archive at the British Library.

Project manager Verusca Calabria says: "We needed the best equipment, as this should be a long-term resource for the MRCF. We sought advice from the leading authorities in this field, from the B

UK - For Amy Winehouse's current UK/US tour, production manager and FOH engineer Dave Swallow is using After being introduced to the Digidesign D-Show Profile desk.

"I had originally planned to use an analogue desk, but I then saw the Sugababes at an AOL Winter show at Kentish Town Forum, and they were using a D-Show to mix the sound. I remember it sounded so clean and for the kind of material Amy was doing that's exactly what we wanted," says Swallow.

When it was time to put the production together he contacted Roly Oliver at Brit Row and said he would like to try out the desk. Brit Row duly obliged, supplying the console as part of a production set-up which included the Outline Butterfly line array system. Along with the D-Show Profile came the support package - courtesy of Digidesign's UK reseller Marquee Audio.

Jock Bain, system tech for the Winehouse tour alon

Chile - Robbie Williams kicked off his Close Encounters world tour in April in South Africa, recently landing in South-America in Chile's capital city of Santiago. 77,000 people packed themselves at the Estadio National, to listen to his latest offerings, including the Spanish language version of his early hit Angels, bringing his total 'Close Encounters' tour attendance numbers to a whopping three million.

Cristian Olavarria Ltd is an Adamson Y-Axis partner, and a well respected rental company that supplies sound production for the majority of international acts, including Pearl Jam, Avril Lavigne, Black Eyed Peas and Coldplay, when making their stop in Chile. Williams usually tours with Britannia Row's inventory when possible, with FOH engineer Tony Szabo and system tech Sherif El Barbari ensuring a top-notch sound.

Olavarria Ltd, which owns a large inventory o

USA - At this year's 2007 NSCA Expo in Orlando, Middle Atlantic Products named Eakins/Bernstein & Associates of Kansas City its 2006 AV-Commercial Rep of the Year. Making the announcement, Robert Newhuis, national sales manager, Middle Atlantic Products, noted the group's ability to perform high-quality service and expertise in the dynamic, competitive commercial AV industry. "Eakins/Bernstein & Associates had another outstanding year highlighted by an unmatched performance with regard to sales," said Newhuis.

Founded in 1980, Eakins/Bernstein & Associates is headquartered near Kansas City with branch offices in Des Moines, St. Louis and Wichita. Eakins/Bernstein & Associates represents Middle Atlantic Products in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and southern Illinois.

Commenting on the announcement, Mike Eakins, president, Eakins/Bernstein & Associates said, "

Hong Kong - For 35 years, the Casino Lisboa has been the beating heart of a thriving gambling industry in Macau. Now, however, the Casino Lisboa is enjoying a renewed lease of life with the construction of a new, state-of the-art property - Grand Lisboa - with five Lighthouse LED screens forming a key part of the project.

Grand Lisboa features nine floors of leisure facilities, of which five are given over to gaming. 240 tables are provided where guests can indulge in a variety of games. In addition, a live sports bar and a stage with free live music performances are provided.

With facilities for so many gamers, the venue needed a state-of-the-art system to broadcast information throughout it and so Lighthouse LED screens were chosen as the ideal complement to the fusion of modern and traditional interior design.

Chosen by the project's construction management company SJM In

UK - Live event company Essential Lighting has invested over £1,000,000 to expand its hire stock with a wide range of lighting fixtures from Martin Professional. This new investment adds over 240 moving head fixtures from Martin, including MAC 2000 Profiles, MAC 2000 Washes, MAC 700 Profiles, MAC 700 Washes, MAC 550s, MAC TW1s, MAC 250 Washes and Entours.

Essential Lighting is a leading supplier to the live event business, delivering lighting for challenges as diverse as the BBC Proms, Ford product launches and the Conservative Party conference. For the MAC 2000 Profile, Essential will be offering a choice between the standard Martin Gobo set and the world famous Woodroffe gobo set.

Essential's managing director Martin Locket said: "The time was right to make a long term investment. Our experience over the years gave us the confidence to expand our business with Mar

USA - Furman Sound reports that the All-American Rejects are using Furman Power Factor Pro conditioners and SPB-8C pedal boards for "uncompromised sound" on tour. With a double-platinum album and a recent 2006 MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video, the All-American Rejects have been in high demand. They toured US colleges and universities recently, and followed that up by headlining the Tournado Tour, a multi-act event that stopped in over two-dozen cities.

To combat contaminated AC power and its effects during live performances, the band chose Furman Power Factor Pro conditioners. These are designed specifically for musicians and feature Clear Tone Technology, which lowers the AC line impedance supplied by wall outlets, and Linear Filtering, which suppresses noise.

"When playing multiple venues, we never really know how the amplifiers are goi

UK - HSL supplied lighting equipment and crew for Lily Allen's just completed UK theatre tour, featuring her largest production to date. Lighting for the popular and feisty British singer/songwriter, renowned for her hugely energetic live performances is designed by Neil Trenell. HSL supplied 32 of its new Robe Series 700 fixtures to the sold-out tour plus a 10x10m MainLight Industries Soft-LED back cloth and an Avolites Diamond 4 console among other elements.

HSL's Mike Oates project managed, and comments, "Neil is always a pleasure to work with. He is one of a new, enthusiastic and inventive generation of LDs, and it is also good to be working with an artist surrounded by a real buzz like Lily Allen."

Trenell's basic design was based around two straight 40ft trusses - front and back - which in the ideal circumstances and sized venues, were trimmed at over 30ft to g

USA - High End Systems (HES) has entered into an agreement to sell the Catalyst media server software back to its developer, Richard Bleasdale of SAMSC Designs in the UK.

"This is an exciting time for Catalyst," says HES' Bobby Hale, long-term Catalyst product manager. "The transfer of the Catalyst media server software back to SAMSC owner and inventor Richard Bleasdale will ensure customers receive personal support and attention directly from the developer. High End will continue to provide direct customer support to its existing Catalyst customers around the globe."

Richard Bleasdale of SAMSC Designs states, "Being closer to my Catalyst customers will allow an improved response to their needs and improve the time to market for new software releases."

SAMSC Designs will support future Catalyst customers with product updates and bug fixes for v4

USA - Hall Stage Limited, the long-established British theatre rigging manufacturer, has joined forces with a number of US distributors & manufacturers to form Hall Stage North America Incorporated and has started shipping selected ranges from its extensive catalogue of over 1,200 products.

Launching the venture at the USITT expo in Phoenix, HSNA announced the deal, with an initial roll call of 10 key dealers including Thern inc, John S. Hyatt & Associates, Gopher Stage, Centre Stage Lighting & Rigging, Schell Scenic Studios, and Westbury National Stage Equipment already confirmed. HSNA will be accepting applications for new dealerships until later this year.

Charles Haines, Hall Stage owner and UK CEO says, "We have been planning an entry into the North American market for over two years, but could not have imagined such a positive response - the reception has been truly

UK - Stuart Myles, technical manager of the Coade Hall theatre - part of Bryanston School in Dorset - has declared himself "blown away" by their new ETC Congo desk, recently purchased through dealer Stage Electrics.

Myles explains: "We looked at several desks within our price range and Congo was the one that fitted our needs and requirements. It offers us the ability to run generic lights for theatrical shows in a traditional way, while also enabling us to bolt on the moving lights when we do rock concerts. We also really like the fact that the software updates, which ETC brings out on a regular basis, are free of charge, so as a growing school theatre, we are confident that Congo will grow with us.

"ETC's Jeremy Roberts came to demonstrate the desk to us, and it was not long after we first took delivery that our 15 to 18 year old stage crew were flying aro

UK - FourFourTwo called upon the services of Blitz Vision and its sister company, Charter Broadcast, to support the Football League Awards incorporating the FourFourTwo Top 50 Football League Players ceremony, which took place at Grosvenor House< London, earlier this month.

For the second year running, Blitz Vision provided a range of audio and visual equipment including high specification projectors, all of which complemented the installed rig at the venue. Utilising a wide array of OB kit, a variety of up to eight wireless and cabled cameras, as well as its own support crew, Charter recorded the event live for broadcast to Sky Sports viewers.

Hosted by Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling, the occasion is an annual gala event, which recognises all who contribute to exceptional achievements both on and off the field, including a Fan of the Year award.

In

UK - Stage One has recently taken delivery of a Routech Chronos CNC machining centre, a nine tonne, five-axis machine with a working size of 3m x 1.5m x a 800mm Z height - one of only four in the UK.

This technology enables Stage One to machine out both scenery and 3D objects such as moulds or sculptural pieces, in wood or plastic, with the utmost precision, making "an astonishing variety of 3D models a possibility and allowing the company to offer a rapid prototyping service to customers.

"Machines such as these have been used in other industries, such as furniture making for some time," says Stage One production director Chris Augur. "We believe, however, that this machine is unique to our industry and added to our portfolio, will allow us to provide yet another exclusive service for our clients; in fact it has already caused quite a stir."

Purchas

UK - The stage version of JRR Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings which played to great acclaim in Toronto last year, winning its design team numerous awards, is transferring to London. It will play to its first audience on 9 May, with its opening night set for 18 June 18.

To supply lighting designer Paul Pyant's epic rig for this epic show, London-based White Light has teamed up with Q1 Production Technologies in Canada, who provided equipment for the original production. Together they are supplying a rig that includes over 300 ETC Source Fours and Source Four Pars, seventy conventional Par Cans, Arri 2.5K HMI fresnels and almost 150 Wybron scrollers.

The moving light rig includes 13 DHA Digital Light Curtains, 34 ETC Source Four Revolutions, 13 Vari-Lite VL3500Q Framing Spotlights, 77 VL3000Q Spotlights, 34 Clay Paky Alpha Wash Halos as well as 24 Martin Atomic Strobes an

Greece - Chios has long been considered one of the most beautiful Aegean islands. Now, with the 1,200 capacity Palazzo club, Chios has gained a new attraction. In addition to an elegant ambience, the club boasts a Dynacord alpha sound system.

To ensure that the dance floors of the 1,200 capacity Palazzo remain packed at all times, the management regularly brings in internationally famous DJs from abroad to relieve the house roster.

Club manager Tsatsalis Leonidas comments, "Whilst in terms of location and ambience, the Palazzo can easily hold its own with the best in Greece, it's our sound system that really sets us apart. There we really are setting new standards, as we've been told now, repeatedly, by visiting DJs."

The sound system that gives the Palazzo the edge is an alpha system from Dynacord. In use now in many of the world's top discotheques (including the

USA - Clear-Com will launch Tempest 2400 and Tempest 900, a "revolutionary wireless intercom system", at NAB 2007. The new Tempest has been engineered to avoid the need for licensing and frequency coordination, says Clear-Com. Utilising Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) in conjunction with TDMA technology, Tempest operates in both the 2.4 GHz and 900 MHz bands.

Tempest is a timely solution for the dilemma wireless communication system users will face when the DTV transition is completed in early 2009, suggests Clear-Com. Those used to operating wireless equipment in the 500 to 600MHz portion of the UHF band will find that spectrum crowded with UHF DTV transmissions, while the 700MHz band frequencies are scheduled for auction to new users later in 2009.

However, Tempest operates in the unlicensed 2.4 GHz and 900 MHz bands, so it is unaffected by the reallocatio

USA - Utilising JBL Professional PD Series loudspeakers, Westbury National Show Systems designed and installed the audio system at the new Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, IL. The 11,000-seat arena opened in October 2006, and has already hosted concerts by Bob Dylan and Duran Duran. The Sears Centre is also the new home of the Chicago Hounds (United Hockey League), the Chicago Storm (Major Indoor Soccer League), the Chicago Shamrox (National Lacrosse League) and the Chicago Slaughter (Continental Indoor Football League).

The seating area of the Sears Centre is arranged in a horseshoe pattern, to which Westbury National designed the system accordingly. Four clusters of three JBL PD5212/64 loudspeakers were placed along the north and south sides, while two clusters of two were hung in the northwest and southwest corners. Additionally, two clusters of three PD5212/64's are located

Eire - A collaboration between Dublin-based High Resolution Lighting and London based E//T//C UK resulted in the first large format PIGI projections to grace Dublin's world famous Saint Patrick's Festival.

The projections featured the heads of a selection of individuals who received the rare distinction of gaining The Honorary Freedom of the City of Dublin. The images measured 10m wide by 15m high, and were beamed onto the side of the City Hall building in Dame Street, central Dublin, for the five evenings of the Festival.

High Resolution's Peter Canning has pitched the idea of monumental projections to Dublin City Council for some time, and this year festival director Donal Shiels decided to give it the go-ahead. Shiels also suggested the theme of those who have received the Freedom of the City.

As soon as they had the green light - with only two weeks to go before the even

USA - Shortly after Sharon Osbourne made the announcement that this year's Ozzfest is free, organisers turned to sponsors to provide added support for the festival's new incarnation as a FREEfest. In stepped Jägermeister, offering its own state-of- the art mobile stage as a secondary stage for the summer's biggest heavy metal festival. And it enlisted Chauvet as a lighting sponsor.

Dubbed "revolutionary" by Osbourne, the Jägermeister stage is a 34ft long, fully self-contained stage complete with a full audio sound system provided by JVC Mobile. The entire PA system, provided by Peavey Electronics and Schecter Guitars, will be hung for optimum sound. Lighting consists mostly of LED-fitted fixtures (COLORpalette and LEDrain 56 washes, LED white Technostrobes) and 10mW Scorpion lasers. All lights are controlled via Chauvet ShowXpress software.

"We are incr

UK / Germany - Visitor registration for PLASA07 (which runs from 9-12 September at Earls Court in London) will be officially launched at the forthcoming Pro Light+Sound exhibition in Frankfurt.

Industry professionals visiting Frankfurt can take advantage of free registration to PLASA07 by visiting the PLASA Stand (J80) in Hall 8.0 where special registration forms will be available.

12,852 (ABC audited) trade buyers attended PLASA06 and the 2007 event - which has been extensively redesigned - is set to draw much bigger numbers. Re-bookings for exhibition space at Earls Court 1 and 2 are strong, ensuring that PLASA07 will be the key exhibition this year for emerging technologies and innovative ideas.

Online registration will be available from Monday 2 April enabling potential visitors to sign up via the newly redesigned and user-friendly website which will serve as the Informa

USA - Aviom introduced its new AV-P2 Output Module at NSCA 2007. It is designed for use in a wide variety of applications. The AV-P2 offers simple plug-and-play installation and secure 'set-and-forget' channel configuration.

Audio is distributed to the AV-P2 over standard Cat 5e cables, using Aviom's A-Net digital audio protocol. A-Net supports realtime distribution with sub-millisecond latency, and long cable runs up to 500ft/150m.

There is no limit to the number of devices that can be daisy chained, or to the number of parallel splits in a single system, says the company.

Power can be supplied to the AV-P2 with an external DC power supply or over the Cat 5e cable (with an A-Net Distributor). Additionally, Pro16 A-Net audio streams can be transmitted over single- or multi-mode fibre optics using certain standard third-party media converters.

The AV-P2 has reversible mount

USA - For the 10th consecutive year, a broad range of Audio-Technica microphones was selected to outfit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. A-T supplied over 100 mics to capture the audio for this widely celebrated musical event, which took place at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. The 22nd annual event was held on 12 March, with inductees including Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, R.E.M., The Ronettes, Patti Smith and Van Halen. The show was broadcast live on VH1 Classic, and for the first time, streamed live on the Internet.

Audio-Technica's Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless System was used with the AEW-T5400 handheld microphone/transmitter for frontline vocals on performances by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five (Kid Creole, Cowboy, Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel, Mr. Ness, Raheim), Aretha Franklin, Sammy Hagar, The Ronettes featuring

UK - Leisuretec Distribution has been appointed a UK distributor of the Digital Lounge, a range of products offering a complete high-end package to the AV, conference room and venue markets.

The latest creation from Harman Kardon, the Digital Lounge is billed as "the ultimate in digital entertainment, providing a 360 degree AV experience in legendary Harman Kardon surround sound, on the latest 32", 40" and 46" high-definition LCD flat-screen TV's".

The Digital Lounge speakers are designed to work optimally together to maintain a coherent sonic and visual signature across the entire entertainment system. The 10" powered subwoofer uses an efficient 200-watt amplifier to deliver more power with less distortion.

"Everyone can produce an LCD screen. This range combines an LCD screen, AV amplifier, high definition DVD player and 5.1 surround soun

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