UK - Visual designer Nick Jevons of Electric Fly Productions used an Avolites Diamond 4 for controlling lighting for the first Radio 1XTRA Live event staged at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. Show visuals were played back from a Maxedia media server triggered by a Pearl Expert console run by Jake Jevons.

The show featured Akon, Chris Brown, Kelly Rowland and Craig David and was the first of its kind to be staged by the BBC's popular digital urban music channel. It was broadcast live on 1XTRA and recorded for a BBC 2 live special and BBC Digital's Red Button channel.

Jevons was brought onboard by producer Dave McColmont of Angel Music, following his many ground-breaking designs integrating video and lighting for the BBC's One Big Weekend events. All lighting and rigging was supplied by Blackburn-based HSL, with visuals and control from Electric Fly, and screens from

UK - Prism Sound, manufacturer of interfaces and converters for the recording and broadcast markets, has acquired the business and intellectual property rights of SADiE, formerly owned by Studio Audio and Video Ltd.

The acquisition marks a new chapter in the histories of both businesses. The SADiE brand has long been held in high regard by the pro audio and broadcast industries for the quality and performance of its PC-based digital audio workstation products. Prism Sound is best known by this market for its high end A/D and D/A converters for mastering, tracking and post production.

Prism Sound directors Graham Boswell and Ian Dennis negotiated the deal after learning that SADiE Studio Audio & Video Ltd had gone into administration in February.

"Along with many people in the industry, we were very saddened to hear that SADiE had run into problems," says Graham Bos

UK / Japan - D&M Holdings Inc has announced the completion of the acquisition of Allen & Heath Holdings.

"The acquisition of Allen & Heath is a strong complement to our Calrec and D&M Pro brands," said chairman and chief executive officer Eric C. Evans. "This acquisition broadens our product offerings to our longstanding DJ customer base and expands our business in the professional market into installed live sound."

Founded in 1969, Cornwall-based Allen & Heath will continue to be led by Glenn Rogers and its current management team. The company will continue to expand its digital portfolio to meet the growing demand for digital mixers.

"We're adding another dimension to our position in the professional audio marketplace with this acquisition," said Evans. "Allen & Heath is a strong brand in the professional live sound performance market an

Canada - PB Pro-Audio & Lighting recently deployed its Electro-Voice XLD281 line array system for the 2008 British Columbia Winter Games. Held at the end of February in the Rocky Mountain cities of Kimberly and Cranbrook, BC, PB's streamlined, high-performance PA handled sound for the opening ceremony, awards, and live performances held in the Cranbrook Recreation Complex, the main venue for the games.

"The XLD delivers remarkable performance for its size," says Ben Blomander, owner, PB Pro-Audio & Lighting, "balancing sonic intelligibility and precise coverage with plenty of power handling when needed.

"For the opening ceremony, about 3000 kids came out onto the ice, past the main stage area," Blomander adds, "effectively doubling the size of the space we needed to cover; we needed to cover the ice and the first tier seating area as well as the m

UAE - Robert Juliat has appointed Dutco Tennant as its Middle East dealer and will be exhibiting with them at this year's PALME Middle East show in Dubai.

One of the oldest business organizations in the United Arab Emirates, the Dutco Group of Companies has enjoyed a long and distinguished history since its foundation in 1947 by the late Yousuf Baker. Dutco Tennant is the Group's principal trading operation, with a sound reputation in the UAE and other Gulf States for its commitment and marketing abilities.

George Puthenkulam, general manager of Dutco Tennant, says: "Robert Juliat has long been recognised as a pioneer in the lighting industry and we are determined to bring as much extra value in our promotion of the Robert Juliat brand as possible.

"We want not only to supply the product, but to provide customers with the level of support that reflects the manufact

Germany - Element Labs has confirmed that it will partner with Lightpower GmbH to become an official distributor of the innovative Stealth, Versa TUBE and Helix G75 LED-systems in the German market.

This distribution collaboration forms part of Lightpower's earlier announcement that it has opened the LED competence centre Germany, which will see the company distribute some of the foremost creative and low-res LED products available on the market today, including Element Labs' Versa TUBE, Stealth and Helix G75 products.

A joint statement says: "The announcement of the strategic collaboration between Element Labs and Lightpower represents a natural progression for two leading companies that both have a strong background in the lighting industry and who's paths have often crossed on concert tours where both provided products that worked together to deliver the visual

UK - Matthew Dilley, a leading UK producer/engineer working mainly in classical music, has purchased a DPA D3/S5 surround sound mount and five matched DPA 4006-TL omnidirectional transformerless microphones from UK distributor Sound Network.

Dilley is based in Cambridge and enjoys a close affiliation with University College Chapel choirs. "The purchase of the surround system was driven by the fact that we are seeing more demand for live recordings and DVD productions where we are trying to capture the whole atmosphere of the occasion," he says. "The S5 does this in a very elegant fashion. It looks great and is easy to fly, keeping out of the way of the visuals whilst the 4006-TL capsules ensure that the multiple mics don't increase the noise floor in the way that some multi capsule surround solutions seem to."

Supplementary spots in the form of DPA 4028 wid

USA - A trio of fundraising efforts on behalf of Behind the Scenes culminated in March with over $11,000 raised. From industry veterans to high school students, people are turning their passion for the industry into action and caring for their current and future colleagues.

Richard Wolpert's brainchild was Pedaling to Benefit Behind the Scenes, a 754 mile, 12 day bicycle trip from Springfield, MO to Houston, TX in time for the USITT Conference. Riding at an average speed of 12 mph and covering as much as 78 miles in a day. He was joined for the first 72 miles by Rob Schraft and for the last 274 miles by Jeni Lyn Anderson.

On 15 March 15, the Mount Vernon High School Chapter of USITT held its second annual Short Reach Short Riders Tricycle Ride for Behind the Scenes. A cold and wet morning greeted the 38 high school riders as they competed in relays, sprints, and

UK - Following 28 successful years of manufacturing and designing installation sound equipment, founding owners Roy Millington and Andrew Colley have officially retired their positions as directors and shareholders of Cloud Electronics Ltd. The management and all shares of the company will pass to Cloud Electronics Holdings Ltd.

The new company is formed under the managing directorship of Simon Curtis and director Clare Powell. Cloud Electronics Ltd will continue to trade as before and all day-to-day operations will be maintained as usual and without change.

Millington and Colley will adopt the role of consultants for Cloud Electronics, supporting Curtis and the internal management team.

Roy Millington comments, "We are very pleased that our legacy will be continued by Simon and are totally confident in the future success of the company. The injection of Simon's youth,

Italy - Marking the 40th Anniversary of its Broadway debut, Hair - The Musical is touring across Italy, playing in some of the country's most prestigious theatres such as Teatro Colosseo (Turin), Teatro Politeama (Genoa) and Officine Smeraldo (Milan).

Lighting director and designer is Marcello Jazzetti with video/projection direction by Cristina Redini. Rental company IMMAGINI of Soresina has supplied the video and lighting gear for the tour.

Twelve mid-stage positioned Martin LC Series LED panels are used as lateral screens for text, image and graphics projection. Jazzetti, who specified the LC panels because of their familiarity, finds the LC Series "exceptional and technologically advanced".

His initial thoughts were to use the LC Series for primary stage lighting but eventually decided to incorporate image and graphics projection as well. Marcello report

UK - Three distinctive projects, delivered by Theatre design consultants Charcoalblue, have received 2008 Civic Trust Awards in recognition of their 'outstanding contribution' to the quality and appearance of the environment: The Roundhouse, The Young Vic in London and The North Wall Performing Arts Centre, St Edwards School, Oxford. In addition to the standard prizes, nine Special Awards were also presented with the Special Award for Access going to The Roundhouse, Camden.

The Civic Trust Awards aim to promote the positive impact that good building and urban development can have on society. It's currently one of the largest and most respected award schemes of its kind in Europe.

Jack Tilbury, project director for Charcoalblue and The Roundhouse project, said: "We're delighted that the Roundhouse has received the 2008 Civic Trust Special Award for Access. We worked very c

USA - Atlas Sound and IED have joined the NSCA Education Foundation as host sponsors of the Systems Integration Industry Charity Golf Tournament. The Foundation's popular golf tournament will take place during InfoComm 08 on 17 June at Rhodes Ranch Golf Course in Las Vegas.

"I am happy to join forces with Infocomm and the NSCA Education Foundation to support the Industry Charity Golf Tournament, hosted by Atlas Sound and IED," said Loyd Ivey, CEO of Atlas Sound/IED. "We can tee up a striking event for two great causes, industry education and juvenile diabetes. Both of these causes are very dear to my heart. I look forward to everyone coming out and playing their best round of golf ever, for these two important needs."

"The NSCA Foundation is extremely excited to have Atlas Sound/IED as the host sponsor for this year's event," said Tom Frericks, pr

Australia - For a recent run through a number of top Sydney venues, tribute act Abbalanche hooked up with Sydney club engineer Phill Webb, who provided his new Electro-Voice REV wireless system, complete with custom chrome-finished handheld transmitters. "ABBA sang into silver microphones back in the seventies," Webb says, "so, aside from the REV's sound quality, it made the show look even more authentic to have the girls singing into silver wireless transmitters."

The REV wireless systems were complemented by an EV RE-1 system with N/D967 handheld, as well as wired N/D967's on keyboard and bass vocals.

"I love working with these guys; they sound great, look great, and always draw a big crowd," adds Webb, "and adding EV equipment to the mix makes the whole presentation even better."

(Jim Evans)

UK - Bluewater Shopping Centre boasts 27 million visitors a year and an expansive complex of three shopping environs, each with its own "village." The centre makes a big impact, so it seems natural that they would want an equally impressive setting for the busy holiday season.

Working with Scena Projects, Tomcat UK created some larger than life Christmas presents for display on various roundabouts at the award winning shopping destination in Kent. All four presents were finished just in time to set the scene during the 2007 holiday season.

When Scena Projects were asked to build four 'Christmas Presents 20ft high' they turned to designers at Harriman Steel and Tomcat UK for help to achieve this vision. For its part, Tomcat UK manufactured the framework which consisted of a Tomcat One aluminum trussing system with counter weights for each of the presents. To complete

UK - A.C. Lighting's rigging division has announced its partnership with Out Board and can confirm it is now a full-line stocking dealer for their latest professional LV and DV chain-hoist controllers.

A.C. Lighting's rigging sales manager Adam Beaumont comments, "I am delighted to partner with Out Board and be able to work with such a leading brand, whose products fit together perfectly with our existing ranges. We looked at several options, but the products that distinguished themselves as the front runner and the only real contenders for us were those made by Out Board. We are looking forward to a long and successful relationship with them."

Out Board director Dave Haydon comments, "We have seen unprecedented growth in our motor controller sales since we re-launched with the new LV-Series and DV-Series just over a year ago, and we greatly value the substanti

USA - There's a grandMA behind the scenes as NBC revives American Gladiators for a new generation of TV viewers. The grandMA is controlling almost 600 Vari*Lite VL2500 moving lights and some 1,500 LEDs for the strength and endurance competition. The show, which originally premiered in 1989, made its midseason debut in January 2008 with Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali hosting.

"For the new version of the show the producers wanted a spectacular, immense arena feel," notes lighting director William McLachlan. "Scenically the space is so large, it covers a huge footprint. So we needed a substantial rig just to cover the area let alone create a signature look."

In crafting the signature look, McLachlan and lighting designer Oscar Dominguez wanted to "use video as a way to move, breathe colour and bring intensity across the rig. We wanted to use the rig to e

UK - Crowd management and event security company Showsec has launched its managerial Academy, a building block in its goal to offer a progressive, operational career path within the Industry.

The Showsec Academy formalises training and provides an accredited qualification for staff at managerial level, something that has never before been addressed by the industry, says the company. The year-long programme offers staff the chance to develop the knowledge, skills and experience required to become an effective operational manager within the crowd management industry.

The programme is divided into three key elements: operational management, leadership, and administration and support services. It includes vocational and industry qualifications, operational experience, as well as mentoring and self development elements. The vocational aspect will ensure associates encounter every t

Spain - The Spanish version of Fame - The Musical - Fama - El Musical - recently visited Cádiz in the south west of Spain. The show has toured Spain for over a year and has already seen packed houses in Barcelona and Madrid.

Fame, originally a film directed by Alan Parker and released in 1980, was turned in to a long-running TV series, then a stage show, which has performed in theatres all over the world and in a multitude of languages.

DiGiCo plays a major role in the show's audio success for Barcelona-based rental company Tour Serveis, which provides all the sound equipment, maintenance and logistics for the Spanish tour.

The Cádiz production took place at the Great Falla Theatre, which was built in 1884 by Adolfo Morales de los Rios on the site of the original Great Theatre, a wooden building that was constructed in 1871 but destroyed by a fire in A

UK - The Sound and Light Company, based in Huddersfield, has committed to the Fine Art UK range of moving head luminaires, having bought four each of the flagship Fine 700W washes and profiles for its current hire inventory.

The Sound and Light Company's production manager, Andrew Pickersgill, explained his decision: "I've not got anything like [the Fine Art luminaires] at the moment in terms of reliability. Normally by now moving heads would be in bits or have little faults with them after six months of constant hire use - but the Fine Art lights are superb, not a thing wrong with them - they're brilliant.

"The quality of the lights is fantastic and they're reliable - really reliable - and they're bright. They just tick all the right boxes basically."

The Fine Art luminaires have replaced The Sound and Light Company's out of date moving head hire stock and ha

USA - City Theatrical, the Carlstadt, New Jersey-based manufacturer of lighting accessories, has opened its new London office serving the UK and European markets. The opening is timed to coincide with the European launch of SHoW DMX, City Theatrical's new 'next generation' wireless DMX system.

City Theatrical's London office is headed by Martin Chisnall, well known for his work in the UK theatre industry as a production electrician for West End shows, national and international tours. Most recently his work has included Macbeth in London's West End, and, around the world, the International Tour of Mamma Mia!.

Chisnall commented: "After 20 years working in the lighting industry as a customer I'm looking forward to the challenge of getting to know the business from 'the other side of the fence'. I've had a long association with City Theatrical, and have alread

Germany - The Procon group has launched a new website (www.proconled.com) concentrating exclusively on LED technology.

On the Procon LED site, users will find "comprehensive information about a range of different LED products including reference images showing examples of their use". There is also a service area which includes information for download.

The highlight of the new website is the LED Studio. This area provides a virtual environment in which the effectiveness of a range of different LED technologies can be experimented with. Users can choose a selection of camera angles, backgrounds, camera resolution and display detail, then view each scenario as a still image or movie.

Managing director and founder of Procon, Morten Carlsson says: "Procon has consistently been engaged with LED technology for many years and has built both a substantial equipment po

Ireland - Projected Image Digital (PID) has supplied and installed over 80 standard and custom Element Labs VersaTube LED fixtures in an architectural lighting feature at the new AIB (Allied Irish Bank) Bankcentre in Ballsbridge, Dublin.

The VersaTubes create four 22.25m high vertical lighting columns in the lift cores of the building's central atrium.

This 'live art' was conceived by London-based architectural lighting practice Pritchard Themis as part of their lighting concept for the new AIB building which was designed by RKD Architects and constructed by Sisk to accommodate 4000 non-branch AIB staff.

The equipment supplied included 84 standard definition 1m VersaTubes, four standard definition half- metre VersaTubes and four custom-built .75m standard definition tubes. The .75 tubes are the last (top-most) in each of the runs, and were necessary for an exact fit into the

South Africa - Rental company Sound Stylists has enhanced its inventory with the purchase of a DiGiCo D5 console.

Founded in 1987 by owner Kevin Glover, Sound Stylists provides two main services: dry hire of equipment and production which includes rock concerts and other live events, broadcast, theatre, studio recordings, sport and corporate events. The D5, which has already been used on many local and international concerts.

"We were left short on digital desks in September and I had been toying with getting a D5," says Glover. "We wanted something that was able to offer more than 48 channels and that came as a complete package so we didn't have to run around making up input and multi racks. DiGiCo could provide all of that and more and was able to ship in the available time frame."

One of the first jobs the D5 was used for was a function for one of the

UK - Reading- based lighting rental specialists Blinding Light is the first UK hire company to take delivery of the new Martin Professional SmartMAC luminaire.

"We bought these because we needed a small, fast, profile unit with a good stand-alone protocol that's robustly built and easy to maintain for the hire market," explains Blinding Light's Paddy Stacey.

The SmartMAC is designed for hotel, museum and exhibition work with its low power requirements and silent operation due to having no cooling fan. "The 150 Watt bulb is seriously bright and the gobo selection is extremely good for dance floor and mood lighting," continues Stacey, adding that the indexable gobo wheel is handy for applications like the projection of corporate logos and branding.

Blinding Light's first batch of SmartMACs are white, so they can be utilised for shows and events where aesthe

Latest Issue. . .