Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025
PLASA Show 2025 - Banner - June-Aug 2025

Business

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Germany - For the final of Deutschland sucht den Superstar (DSDS), the German equivalent of the talent show American Idol, which was screened last Saturday on RTL, a number of the impression luminaires from GLP used in the programme were sporting an elegant chrome-look finish.

The lighting design for the show was the responsibility of mo2 design's Manfred Olma and Manuel da Costa. mo2 design has been providing the lighting design for the show since its first season; the season that ended last weekend was in fact DSDS's fifth.

In all, some thirty impression XL luminaires were used in the course of the show; as a special feature for the final, six of them were coated with an elegant chrome finish. In addition to these, sixty-eight impression 90 units were deployed, of which twenty wore the same chrome finish and were mounted on impression Flower stands.

(Jim Evan

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UK - Electrosonic, the AV systems integrator and products manufacturer, has launched a newly redesigned website, located at www.electrosonic.com. The new website provides online visitors with "dramatic improvements" in navigation, content and appearance.

The new website's top page directs users to Electrosonic's products division's global website or regional websites for Electrosonic's Solutions businesses. This new design reflects the products division's recent separation from Electrosonic's AV Systems Integration and Service business.

(Jim Evans)

Doughty - Banner - from 6 June 2025

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China - The Bank of China (BOC) chose a Varizone system for its premises in Wuhan, Hubei. A VAB-Line system has been installed by Wincomn Technology, Klotz Digital's Chinese sales and service partner in the form of a hybrid application.

This means, digital technology has been combined with conventional analogue 100V technology. The system consists of a VAB1 controller and matrix, line managers, amplifiers, and speakers to form a simple but secure and stable PA application. BOC uses the new PA system mainly to supply background music to the corridors at the Governor's office, but also for voice evacuation purposes. Therefore, the VAB1 controller is equipped with an EVAC expansion card to fulfil evacuation requirements, and to ensure highest security in the facility.

The existing fire detection system has been linked into the Varizone VAB-Line. Additionally, it offers interfaces

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UK - Savage Marine, one of the UK's leading suppliers of lighting to the yacht market has halved the energy consumption of its ultra bright interior and exterior downlighters by adopting state of the art 10W LED technology from Marl to replace halogen lights.

According to Jon Freeman, research technician at Savage Marine: "The new 10W LED fittings offer the same warm glow as halogen, and don't have the 'ghosting' effect created by some LED lights - yet they use just half the energy of our halogen products. The LEDs last much longer too - up to 50,000 hours as against 1,000 hours for incandescent lights and 1,500 hours for halogen. That is over five years continuous use."

"Energy consumption is a significant focus for Savage Marine. Marine craft run their lighting from batteries, which are recharged from the engine, in consequence generating CO2 emissions very di

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UK - The former Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, will be the guest speaker at this year's PLASA AGM and Members Lunch, which takes place on Tuesday 2 June at Kings Place in London.Livingstone is one of UK politics more colourful figures: he was a member of the Greater London Council from 1976, its leader from 1981, and was largely responsible for The GLC's popular 'Fares Fair' policy which significantly cut the price of travel on London Transport.

After Margaret Thatcher abolished the GLC, Livingstone went on to become an MP for the Labour Party. In 1999, he stood for nomination as the Labour Party candidate in the London mayoral elections, but despite popular support, the Blairite Frank Dobson was selected. Not one to take things lying down, Livingstone chose to stand as an independent candidate and, as a consequence, was expelled from the Labour Party in 2000. However, he bea

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Belgium - Vieta's Do Line loudspeakers are playing a key role at the Vorst Nationaal, one of the largest concert buildings in Belgium, where an impressively plush private suite is being heavily marketed as the VIP place to be.

Located in Brussels,the Vorst Nationaal is a 7,000-capacity multipurpose venue that is a principal stop on the European touring circuit. Over the next few months, Bob Dylan, Jean Michel Jarre, Johnny Hallyday, Eros Ramazotti and Steely Dan will all play dates there, and a number of high-profile sporting events will also be staged in the main arena.

Steven Bontinck from Ampco Belgium has just completed an acoustic installation in the new VIP facility. "Our design had to complement the architectural concept of the suite, which is intended to serve visiting artists and music industry events, as well as hosting VIP concert packages for the corporate mar

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Qatar - ES Group has created the "world's largest large spanned temporary dome" to host royal families and high level dignitaries to mark an historic moment for the United Kingdom and the State of Qatar.

The Qatar dome, a perfect spherical shape, was inspired by the circular event logo of Qatargas and was surrounded by and reflected in a purpose built lake. ES Group created the dome structure in response to a creative brief for the event developed by WRG Creative Communications to mark the launch of the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the UK by Qatargas. His Royal Highness The Duke of York, Prince Andrew witnessed the official inauguration by HH the Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani in the dome.

The construction and technology used to create the dome for this commemorative event was innovative; a 42m diameter dome was created using standard ES rental eq

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Rehearsal Space - Aspiring British bands are being offered the chance to pursue their musical dreams in new rehearsal spaces opened by the government. The first has been unveiled in Knotty Ash Youth Centre in Liverpool, where The Beatles played in 1962. Others will follow in Bristol, Norfolk, Hastings, St Austell in Cornwall and Washington in Tyne and Wear. A total of 10 new rehearsal spaces are due to open by the end of the year using £500,000 of government money. Locations are also being sought in Manchester, Nottingham and Leicester.

Culture Secretary Andy Burnham said they were located in deprived areas that had few other youth facilities. "These fully-equipped spaces will make a big difference for young people who are looking for somewhere to practise, spend time and find an outlet for their creative skills," he said.

The scheme is being co-ordinated by fo

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Switzerland - The KKL in Lucerne stages approximately 400 events each year, visited by over 400.000 guests, offering a wide variety of entertainment from classical to pop/rock concerts, plus award ceremonies, product launches and conventions. To replace the 10-year old lighting rig, a new grandMA2 system has been installed, consisting of three grandMA2 light and two grandMA replay-units. This was one of the first grandMA2 theatre installation worldwide.

The new system was installed during a maintenance period at the KKL Luzern in February. The grandMA2 replay units are used as back-up for the grandMA2 light. The third console was bought for mobile productions. All parts of the MA system are connected via the MA-Net2 with 1Gbit/s. The DMX-output is realised via ELC Ethernet-nodes which are triggered via Art-Net.

"Our first impression was fantastic", says head of light

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UK - The Barbican Centre in London has recently purchased 16 PixelPar 90s. Technical manager Bob Allen explains, "We first saw the PixelPars in action when a production company brought them in to light an event. We were really impressed with their light output, smooth colour mixing and controllability. They are also engineered to a high standard making them robust - which is important for us as they are continuously in and out of flight-cases being rigged."

The PixelPars are in constant use around the Barbican Centre - lighting receptions, functions, parties and branding for conferences. The diversity of the fixtures creates more of an impact on smaller events and reduces the need for hiring in alternative lighting.

Allen continues: "We mostly use them in standalone mode as it saves on cabling in our reception and function areas, although there are occasions whe

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Switzerland - Phonak Communications has supplied its guide-U wireless tour guiding system to BMW Welt for use at the company's global headquarters in Munich, Germany.

Produced in Switzerland by the miniaturized device specialist, guide-U now guides groups of tourists, corporate guests and VIPs around the company's huge on-site education centre.

guide-U allows BMW Welt tour visitors to listen to a transmitter-wearing speaker via comfortable receiver headphone sets, ensuring that guides are heard and understood by every guest (including those who wear hearing aid devices).

To date, 180 guide-U receiver sets have been introduced and employed at BMW's Munich site, with these systems being used for both scheduled daily tours and one-off group and VIP visits.

"We are delighted to be associated with such a globally recognised brand as BMW," added Evert Dijkstra, managin

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USA - Marking the 11th anniversary of his late wife Linda's passing to the day with dedications of Long and Winding Road and My Love Does it Good, Paul McCartney opened this year's Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on an emotional and energy-charged note. In a two- hour plus set including two encores, Sir Paul enthralled the crowd from behind his regular microphone of choice, a hardwired Shure Beta 58.

"Paul McCartney has been using a Beta 58 for a long time and this year's opening night at Coachella was no exception," noted Shure West Coast artist relations manager Bill Oakley. "He put on a great show, as did several other Shure endorsers like Henry Rollins, The Presets and Thievery Corporation."

(Jim Evans)

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South Africa - Northwind Recording appointed Gearhouse South Africa to team up, design and supply the largest ever line array PA system to date to be used in the country, for the three-day 2009 Mighty Men Conference (MMC 09), staged at the Shalom Farm, Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal.

Comprising 172 L-Acoustics speaker enclosures - a mix of VDOSC, dV-DOSC, Kudo and SB28 subs - the in-the-round show featured a main stage system and two delay rings at 100 and 180m respectively from the centre, calculated to cover a sound-field radius of 300m/600mdiameter.

The event has become an annual pilgrimage drawing people from all denominations and cultural groups within South Africa as well as Australia, UK and USA.

The goal of the weekend is to gather men to pray, to worship and unite and heal broken families. The ministry and teaching is headed up by evangelist preacher Angus Buchan. The even

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UK - DPA microphones, including the new 4099 instrument mics, have been used for Rick Wakeman's The Six Wives of Henry VIII performances at Hampton Court Palace. Wakeman's solo debut album was released in 1973 but he was refused permission to perform it at Henry VIII's 16th-century palace. More than three decades later, Wakeman finally realised his dream when he was asked to appear to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII's accession to the throne of England.

Never before performed in its entirety, Wakeman's two live performances of the album were played out against the backdrop of the West Gate of Hampton Court Palace. In front of the building stood a large stage supporting 30 members of the English Chamber Choir, the 50-piece Orchestra Europa, a rock band and Wakeman himself.

30 DPA 4061 miniatures provided by Wigwam Acoustics were mounted onto the bridges o

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UK - The charity live event for Cancer Research that PLASA's Ron Bonner and L&SI's technical editor James Eade are currently pulling together for 8 August this year is coming along nicely. Known as Vibes from the Vines, the event was last held in 2006 and raised £32,000 for the charity (if you are wondering about the name, the first event was held in a vineyard!). Offers of help from all around the Industry have been already received with companies and personnel being quick to step up to the plate with huge contributions in time and kit.

Ron Bonner says: "There will be some top quality equipment and expertise on show with Steve Williams of Nippy Industries providing the stage, Martin Hawthorn of Hawthorn Theatrical promising the vast array of Clay Paky lighting and Brian Grant agreeing to provide a top-spec PA from Britannia Row. Ric Salzedo at Avolites is agai

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UK - Organisers of the four-day Glastonbury Festival are introducing a safety passport scheme for contractors setting up this year's event at the end of June.

Between 5,000 and 10,000 workers, including lighting technicians, stage constructors and video and sound specialists, will be asked to complete a training course to gain their safety passport.

The training course is one of several introduced into many business sectors by Safety Pass Alliance (SPA), based in Southam, Warwickshire.

Tim Roberts, health and safety co-ordinator for the Festival, said: "We are keen to promote a pro-active safety culture for the Festival, and we feel the SPA safety passport is an appropriate health and safety qualification for contractors and their employees working at the Festival site.

"We have run trial courses for about 200 core staff, and now we are gearing up to deliver the

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UK - Building on the original visitor experience created 15 years ago, Alien Wars returns to its original home at The Arches in Glasgow with the help of Zero 88 and Scottish distributer Blacklight.

Gary Gillies and John Gorman created Alien Wars in 1992, after watching a double-bill of Alien and Aliens at a local cinema, and wanting to experience the movie rather than just watch it.

Creating the right ambiance and effects for the Alien Wars/i> experience has been key to its success. Having been asked to supply and install the lighting, Phil Haldane of Blacklight needed equipment that could stand the rigours of daily use and handle the variety of lighting fixtures and effects used throughout the experience. He chose Zero 88.

The whole experience is run on Betapack dimmers and a Leap Frog 48 lighting control console. The show is controlled from 1

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UK - Il Divo have embarked on another world tour, their dulcet tones backed by a powerful Meyer Sound system provided by UK-based Capital Sound.

The system comprises left and right arrays of 18 MILO line array loudspeakers each, with side arrays of 12 MICA line array loudspeakers each and a center hang of six M'elodie line array loudspeakers, along with four UPA-1P loudspeakers for fills. Low frequencies are covered by 12 700-HP subwoofers, and a Galileo loudspeaker system with three Galileo 616 processors provides system drive and processing.

Capital Sound's Paul Timmins notes: "Capital Sound has worked with the band on their earlier tours, providing sound for their European shows. But this time around they've asked us to cover the full tour. The consistency factor is quite important for them, and by carrying the Meyer Sound system throughout the tour they're assured of

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UK - London-based 10 out of 10 Productions has been appointed as sole UK distributor for the new TM-125 microphone from Bartlett Mics - a replacement for the popular PCC-160. Designed by Bruce Bartlett, one of the original developers of the PCC for Crown, the TM-125 microphone will be available for sale early June 2009.

(Lee Baldock)

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Belgium - The Belgian national basilica, the Basiliek van Koekelberg, is the country's largest church, (the world's fifth largest basilica) and used for big national ceremonies and services with international acclaim.

Its cross shaped base-form with a 2500 capacity main nave and big side aisles, each with a capacity of some 250 visitors, a depth of 60m. plus the seven seconds reverb made the assignment to provide accurate sound reinforcement a true challenge for audio company Pa-P.A and Alcons' engineer Philip de Haan.

After a first demo-session with Alcons QR36 sets equipped with double RBN1801 pro-ribbon HF drivers: two columns in the main 'national' nave of the Basilica, one column in the 'parish' nave, where it excelled over the existing recently installed beam-steered system in the A/B test, the church management decided to invest in the Alcons system.

"The result

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Sweden - Following the recent acquisition of the Lake brand and associated technology, which was rapidly followed by the announcement of the LM 26, Lab.gruppen's first stand-alone digital processor based on Lake technology, Lab.gruppen has announced a combined training initiative on Lake Controller software and Lab.gruppen PLM Series Powered Loudspeaker Management systems.

"Lab.gruppen's amplifiers and powered loudspeaker management systems are utilised everyday all around the world in all varieties of live productions/concerts and fixed installations," notes Ken Blecher, VP of sales, tour for TC Group Americas. "Due to the diverse technologies employed in these products, we want to make sure all operators, technicians; system and project engineers are completely educated on the Lake Controller software, and the Lab.gruppen PLMs."

The courses aim to provid

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Romania - Romanian production company Five's, a member of the Synco Europe Network, successfully staged the country's third J&B Start A Party event in April in the unconventional location of the roof-top of the Moldova Mall in Iasi, the largest city in the Moldova region of Romania, reuniting more than 1000 guests. The production included a city-wide laser lightshow and the construction of a two-metre-high mirror ball, the symbol of the party whisky brand's promotional campaign.

Five's were first brought in for J&B Start A Party on the event's first appearance in Romania in 2007, by Ogilvy Action Romania, J&B's brand activation agency. The first party was held in the former Senate's headquarters, followed, in 2008, by an open-air party at Caro Hotel on the bank of Tei Lake. As the event has grown, Five's contribution to its success and unique atmosphere has expande

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UK - Pearce hire has continued its ongoing investment programme to improve the range of equipment available for clients.

Health and safety is always a high priority for Pearce Hire and a further investment in cable ramps sees the company grow to become the UK's largest stockist of Adam Hall cable ramp rental stock. The latest addition to its range involves a significant investment in Defender Mini Ramp, adding to the stock of Defender 3 and Defender Midi.

Mark Stimpson, sales manager at Adam Hall said: "Pearce Hire has been our partner for the Defender product for several years now. Their stock portfolio has built up over these years such that they are now able to cater for any size event. We are pleased to further our relationship and the continued investment and expansion of Pearce Hire."

The audio department has taken delivery of a new Digital Yamaha M7CL consol

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UK - When Midge Ure, Warren Cann, Chris Cross and Billy Currie decided to reform Ultravox for a reunion Return to Eden tour this spring, it was the first time the classic line up of the band had performed together since Live Aid in 1985.

As they would be performing exclusively back catalogue material, converting the classical analogue early '80s synth-driven New Romantics sound into digital, it seemed a natural choice for them to use Midge's long-serving FOH engineer Berenice Hardman and production manager/monitor man, Dave Claxton.

In 'switching codes' to digital Claxton and Hardman opted for the Soundcraft Vi6 for FOH after much evaluation, sourcing their requirements - including a JBL VerTec line array system - from Adlib Audio, with whom they have enjoyed a long relationship.

"I've used most of the digital boards on the market and never been overly hap

  1. Pretoria Church goes digital with DiGiCo
  2. Safe and sound at Stage Electrics
  3. grandMA supports Dubai poetry festival
  4. EAW MicroWedges rock Coachella 2009
  5. Arena Seating at Henry VIII anniversary
  6. Robe in the Swiss circus ring
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