UK - Alex Proud's new venue in north London is an inventive and stylish addition to one of the city's busiest districts for live music as well as an exhibition gallery for photographic works, and private hire space. Trendily labelled in lower case, 'at proud' also manages to be a minor miracle of architectural restoration and a showcase for the latest audio technology - all at the same time.

Entrepreneur Alex Proud built his first Camden venue up as a gallery for photographic works. Located in Camden Market, recent planning developments have compelled a move to new premises and he has set up his new venue in a former horse hospital close by.

Once filled by horses injured by pulling the barges up the nearby canal, the Victorian building has lately been used by the market's antique dealers. The 'at proud' refurbishment has kept many of the original features, including the cobble

Australia - The network of HK Audio sound system users in Australia has grown. In late 2007, BE Productions, a company located in the north of Sydney, bought a 2x8 Cohedra Compact system comprising 16 CDR 108 C enclosures, eight CDR 210 C cabinets, and two PR 8 amp racks. This newcomer is the fifth firm on the continent to join the Cohedra user network.

BE Productions installs systems and provides concert sound reinforcement, but specialises in outdoor cinema events, exclusively using high-quality Sanyo projectors and inflatable screens made by the German manufacturer Airscreen. The company's crew of eight technicians and its two proprietors handle the technical support for major Australian events such as Newton's Playground Extreme Sports Festival and Starlight Cinema events. A highlight on the company calendar is the annual Movies in the Overflow, held in Sydney

USA - Towering over the banks of the Potomac River just south of the US's capital city, the new Gaylord National Resort and Convention Centre now ranks as the largest combined hotel and convention centre on the East Coast. Opened in April 2008, the $865 million development encompasses 2,000 rooms, four signature restaurants, the sleek Pose Ultra Lounge nightclub, and 470,000sq.ft of meeting space. A cavernous 18-story atrium houses full-size replicas of a Virginia farmhouse and a Georgetown row house in a park-like setting. The vast complex also incorporates scores of different sound systems for foreground music, live entertainment, and audio-for-video applications, all driven by more than 100 Lab.gruppen C Series power amplifiers.

According to Chess McKinney, director of project technologies Gaylord Entertainment, Lab.gruppen amplifiers were chosen based on the Swedish manufact

UK - White Light's busy installation team has recently helped Kingsmead School in Enfield carry out a spectacular conversion, turning what the school described as its "dull and dowdy traditional old school hall with its block flooring, wooden chairs, squeaky stage and harsh fluorescent lighting" into an "exciting, modern theatre space".

The transformation of the hall was designed by Tim Foster of Tim Foster Architects, well known for their theatre work, particularly the Tricycle Theatre and the associated Tricycle Cinema in Kilburn, the re-development of the Theatre Royal in Norwich, the adaptation of London's Whitehall Theatre into the Trafalgar Studios and many more.

At Kingsmead, they were asked to develop much needed performing facilities for a school that had recently been awarded special status for the performing and visual arts. The result is a recta

USA - Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige's Heart of the City tour has been a huge box office success, raking in more than $9 million after only its first eight dates.

With the two co-headliners sharing a stage set and teaming up for some numbers such as an opening duet of Jay-Z's Can't Knock the Hustle, then going on to perform solo with their individual bands, the show's lighting fixtures had to be versatile. The lighting had to accommodate both Blige's "softer, more feminine" show and Jay-Z's performance, which "is very hard-hitting and masculine," said Patrick Dierson of Artfag, LLC, the tour's lighting director.

"They are two very high-profile artists, and the dynamic of her show versus his is a bit different," Dierson elaborated. "Her show is a lot softer, although it still has a lot of accents and pushes because she's a strong perfor

New Zealand - The Singing Bee is the local New Zealand production of the US format show of the same name. The singing competition combines karaoke with a spelling bee as contestants try to remember the lyrics to popular songs. Airing on New Zealand's TV2, lighting director for the show is Chris McKenzie of Martin Professional distributor Kenderdine Electrical.

The major visual element of The Singing Bee set is a cyclorama-like backing created by eight large S shaped panels. "When we saw that the Australian production had used an RP screen material and LED sources to back light it, we decided that this was the way to go," says McKenzie. "We set up a test with the Martin Stagebar 54 LED luminaires and a sample of the material and were blown away with the result."

A total of 60 Stagebars are used in vertical rows of three to light the cyclorama p

USA - The upcoming world concert tour by R.E.M. will feature EAW MicroWedge MW12 stage monitors deployed by Monitor Engineer George Squiers to provide monitor sound on stage for all band members.

R.E.M. are touring in support of the Accelerate album, released earlier this year, which debuted at number two on the Billboard charts. The band continues to be led by iconic lead singer Michael Stipe, with Peter Buck on guitar and Mike Mills on bass. They are supported by Scott McCaughey as a second guitarist, keyboardist and utility man, as well as Bill Rieflin on drums.

The tour kicks off in late May with a month of North American dates before moving on to an extensive set of European dates over the summer. Oxnard, California-based Rat Sound Systems Inc. is serving as the sound reinforcement company for the tour, and is supplying the 22 EAW MicroWedge MW12 wedges unde

USA - Bandit Lites is working with multi-platinum country recording artist, Blake Shelton on his current tour.

Lighting designer Jody Marsh chose to use Martin MAC 500s and MAC 600s for this tour. Lighting is controlled by a Whole Hog II. He said the thought process behind the design had to do primarily with the venues they would be playing.

"I know what I'm going to get from local vendors and then I make changes accordingly to essentially pull off the same show every night," Marsh explained. "You may not see the lights hung the same every night but you're still getting the same overall product, or as close to it as you can get. Creatively, I know what I can do with the lights."

Marsh said that biggest challenge for this tour is just to be flexible. "This past weekend we had two shows. One show was a 'normal day.' The second show, I didn't have the a

UAE - DPA's distributor for the United Arab Emirates, Triangle Sound & Image, has supplied the largest single order of DPA microphones in the region to the Creative Communication Group (CCG), a Doha-based events management and production company.

CCG is looking to meet future requirements and, as part of a major expansion, ordered a quantity of DPA mics including 4060 miniature omnis; BLM4060 boundary layer mics; 4088 headbands; 4011 cardioids; 4006-TL omnis; SMK4060, 3506 and 3511 stereo kits and a comprehensive package of accessories.

Since it was established in 1998, CCG has expanded to serve all aspects of the entertainment business in the Gulf region and the Middle East. It provides a wide range of products and services, and has pioneered world-class theatrical shows in Qatar by artists including Luciano Pavarotti and José Carreras, and has staged grand operas and

USA - The third annual Behind the Scenes Tony Awards Party is set for Sunday, 15 June in New York City. The event brings together the shops that work on Broadway and the companies that supply them for "a terrific evening of schmoozing, food and drink, and cheering for their Tony-nominated shows".

Fred Gallo of PRG Scenic Technologies, one of the organizers of the evening, says: "Those of us that work on Broadway rarely get the time to catch up with friends, colleagues, and co-workers outside the pressures of getting the show up. The Tony Party offers a great opportunity to see each other, celebrate what we're doing, spend some down-time together, and at the same time provide important help to our colleagues in need. What could be better?"

The 2008 Behind the Scenes Tony Awards party will be held on 15 June 7pm to 11pm at Cibo restaurant, 767 Second Avenue b

USA - D-Tools has announced its 500th live, web based training offering for users of D-Tools' System Integrator 5 software through its' MIT (Media Interactive Training) programme.

"We have offered live, instructor led D-Tools training courses every business day for the past two years to over 200 subscribing companies," said Ryan Brown, vice-president of Media Environment Design.

The MIT (Media Interactive Training) programme is an online training programme for D-Tools, consisting of (16) instructor led web based courses, with one course being offered live every business day of the year. Subscription to the programme includes unlimited access to these daily trainings as well as access to a series of on demand video trainings available 24 hours a day.

"MIT has been a great programme for both our new customers and our long-time users," said Adam Stone, presi

UK Summit Steel has moved into new, bigger and more convenient premises just outside Maidstone in Kent. The new address and contact details are: Summit Steel, Clockhouse Farm, Heath Road, Coxheath, Maidstone, Kent ME17 4BP. Tel : 01622 745977. Fax : 01622 746370.

The move was necessitated by the massive expansion in Summit's equipment stock over the last 12 months, reflecting a healthy growth in the working schedule. This has recently included The BAFTAs, Take That's 2007 tour, Cirque du Soleil at the RAH and ongoing work at the O2 Arena, where Summit is the house rigging company.

The new warehouse and offices will consolidate all the equipment stock - including James Thomas trussing, ground support systems, Lodestar Motors and Summit's own SmarTmast small footprint PA towers - in one location.

The warehouse will have easier access for more trucks - up to five at a time, and

Australia - Show Technology Australia, exclusive dealers for Robert Juliat products throughout Australia, reports "fantastic feedback" following the sale of a pair of Super Korrigan followspots to the Gold Coast Arts Centre in Queensland.

The Super Korrigan is a replacement for the 1200W HMI Korrigan followspot and incorporates a new double-condenser optical system that produces 25 per cent more light than the older model.

"Compared to other followspots on the market we found the Super Korrigans to be uniquely compact and light," remarked Russell Jones, senior lighting technician at GCAC. "The crew thinks the Super Korrigans are great and everyone loves them. We love their output, the smooth operating of the iris and the fact that we've got the DMX models too. The way that the sliders work is fantastic. Externally, the followspots are not very hot eith

Italy - dSound Pro has acquired the exclusive right to distribute Dynacord products in Italy. A young company, it is based in the town of Renate (near Milan).

"We share the corporate and product philosophy of the Dynacord brand," says Camilla Galeone, managing director of dSound Pro. "For this reason I am certain that Dynacord will soon be playing a still more important role in the Italian market."

(Jim Evans)

Hong Kong - LED artist Teddy Lo has a reputation for his groundbreaking pieces of visual art. Committed to demonstrating both the illuminative and environmental benefits of LED lighting, he has used the latest Lighthouse LED technology for the maiden display of his newest - and biggest - creation, Phaeodaria.

An integral part of the A-Glow-Glow Macro Interactive Media Arts Exhibition, which took place at the peripheral area of the Hong Kong Museum of Art from 11-20 April 2008, Lo's 'Phaeodaria' comprised around 80 pieces of Lighthouse's new creative video solution, LEDscape Bar, arranged to form an 8m diameter geodesic dome.

Inspired by Ernst Haeckel's illustrations of marine life forms, the project utilised wireless mobile telecommunications technologies to change the colours of the Lighthouse LEDscape Bar - thereby illustrating in lit form the wireless informat

UK - A cloud hangs at Heathrow - but its silver lining shows itself in a remarkable display. This is Cloud, a 5m digital sculpture by art and design company Troika, in the atrium to British Airways luxury lounges at Heathrow's Terminal 5. Evocative of the technology used on old-fashioned travel information boards, 4638 flip-dots cover the surface, switching between black and silver.

A Pharos Lighting Playback Controller (LPC X) controls the continuous fluid motion, displaying dramatic geometric and organic patterns across the sculpture, generating stunning visual and audio effects.

Drivers for the mechanical switching were pre-designed to receive RS232 serial data rather than DMX, so Pharos developed and implemented a custom control protocol to allow seamless communication with the sculpture's RS232 flip-dot drivers. This then allowed Troika to utilise Pharos Designer s

UK - The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama has invested in the future careers of its technical production arts students by introducing a TiMax Image Maker 16 (eight-inputs, 16-outputs) in to its portfolio of equipment. Senior lecturer, David Ripley explains: "For these students TiMax is a vital piece of equipment and they need to be learning and understanding its capabilities as standard. There are other systems that deal in playback and creation but TiMax is unique in its context of image placement."

The Academy houses the 344-capacity Athenaeum Theatre, which boasts Glasgow's largest proscenium arch and a stage the size of the London Palladium. With an opera school and courses ranging from acting through musical theatre, digital film and TV, a production arts course, the performance space is in almost constant use throughout the year. Ripley continues: "

USA - In a deal signed at the recent PALME Expo, Renkus-Heinz has announced the appointment of Dubai-based Mediatronics - Middle East as its new exclusive distributor for the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Mediatronics ME is a leading pro-audio and communications solution provider for entertainment, sports and convention venues as well as for TV and radio broadcasting, recording studios, the hospitality industry, shopping malls and airports.

The Middle East market has boomed for Renkus-Heinz in recent years, with high-profile installations including the Sharm El Sheikh Congress Center in Egypt, the new Hajj Terminal Building at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the Naad al Sheba Horse race track in Dubai and the new luxurious Dubai Mall in UAE.

Renkus-Heinz export sales manager Karl-Gustaf Kahlau says: "We are very pleased to be partnering with

Belgium - Earlier this year, Belgian singer Natalia invited En Vogue and Shaggy on stage for six shows that took the roof off the Antwerp Sportpaleis. More than 80,000 people attended the performances.

Produced by PSE-Belgium with lighting design by Luc Peumans of digital lighting specialists Painting with Light, Martin's LC Series of LED panels played a prominent role in the set design as video screen and set piece, both in the rig and on stage.

Painting with Light, one of Belgium's leading design companies for live television, chose the Martin LC Series for its semi-transparent design, which made it possible to place moving lights and Martin Atomic 3000 strobes behind the panels. The LC panels integrated with the large amount of projection screens used on the show and the panels' fast and simple assembly was a much applauded feature due to a very short load in and load out t

USA - Bandit Lites is working with Enrique Iglesias whose Insomniac tour began in South Africa and Europe last year. Bandit joined the tour in South America, where Iglesias recently played 10 shows. The tour is scheduled to continue in Central America, Mexico, and the US. before heading back to Europe and the Middle East.

Lighting and show designer Travis Shirley said that his lighting and set design was inspired by Iglesias'desire to transition away from stereotypical pop music to more of a rock feel. "Enrique's sound features loud guitar riffs and an amazingly high energy level, and he wanted to have a look that matched it," says Shirley.

Due to smaller venue capacity and freight constraints in South America, Shirley was challenged to create a design and select equipment that allowed him to provide essentially the same show as previous legs of the tour but o

UK - Kooks' lighting designer Luton Pete (Pete Hosier) chose an Avolites Diamond 4 Vision console to control all lighting on Kooks, who's latest album Konk hit the UK number one slot just as they played the first date on that leg of the itinerary.

Taking a less-is-more approach to the design, the look and feel of the show is based on a rear wall of light, which was one of the many ideas that Hosier discussed with the band, who take an active interest in the aesthetics of the show.

The wall is constructed around seven 20ft vertical scaffolding pipes, each rigged with three LED PARs, a Martin Professional Atomic strobe with scroller and a GLP Impression moving LED wash fixture. The rest of the lights are spread across 3 trusses and the floor.

The back truss contains eight Robe ColorSpot 700E AT fixtures; the mid truss has five Robe ColorSpot 575E ATs, while the front ha

USA - The Drunk Unkles industry band will perform live on stage at the The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas on 18 June during InfoComm 08.

This popular event will take place in a venue that has hosted, among others, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Velvet Revolver, Coldplay, Norah Jones, David Bowie, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Neil Young.

As part of the night life available during the InfoComm event, this third annual concert will rock the house to raise money for industry education through NSCA's Education Foundation.

"This event always brings a great turn out of industry supporters," said Foundation president, Tom Frericks. "Not only does everyone have a great time, the event also allows us to support the education initiatives of the NSCA Education Foundation for our industry's growing and changing workforce."

Sponsors include Platinum

Sweden - Lab.gruppen has announced that Clair Brothers Audio Enterprises will meet their growing power amplification and loudspeaker management needs for the touring division with Lab.gruppen's PLM Series Powered Loudspeaker Management systems. Clair has already ordered 300 PLM 10000Qs to put into service worldwide this touring season and plans to increase this significantly over the coming years. The first deployment of PLMs are being used on both the main full-range system and subwoofers, along with monitors and side-fills, for the upcoming Alicia Keys and Dream Theater tours.

"Clair Brothers has always been at the forefront of touring sound technology, and our decision to incorporate the PLM into our systems is no exception," stated Troy Clair. "The PLM Series makes both business and technological sense for us. Lab.gruppen has a long-standing reputation as a ma

Italy - Star DJ Joe T. Vannelli joins the ranks of top club owners with the recent opening of the Area Venezia in the North Italian town of Mestre. Area Venezia relies on a Dynacord alpha concept system to provide the sound, while guest DJs like Boy George bring on the glamour.

Having worked in many of the finest discotheques in the world, Joe T. Vannelli knew exactly which system he wanted for his own club and entrusted the task of performing the installation to the Renate-based pro audio company dSoundPro.

To tailor the system perfectly to the architecture of the building, dSoundPro's team of experts ran the simulation software EASE. The results of EASE's acoustic CAD simulations revealed not only the position and orientation but also the power handling characteristics of each loudspeaker, all needed to obtain an even distribution of the sound throughout the club, with const

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