UK - It was 1978 when Jeff Wayne released the epic Musical Version of The War of the Worlds, and the Martians caught a cold on Primrose Hill and had their eyes pecked out by hungry crows. This year they decided to have another go at our fragile planet - in arenas around the UK and Europe in The War of The Worlds - Alive on Stage.

With RG Jones supplying a complex Synco by Martin Audio based sound system, the touring production was as grand a concept as the original record. Creating the spectacle were a 10-piece band, 36-piece string orchestra, five singers, a flying bridge, an 80' wide video screen, a 3D holographic projection of narrator Richard Burton and a 10m high Martian fighting machine with pneumatic legs, all supported by nine trucks and 44 crew.

Mixing front of house was RG Jones engineer Simon Honywill, who comments: "I've been attempting to convey

USA - Technomad LLC, reports that Chattanooga Sound, a sound contractor based in Chattanooga, Tenn., has installed two Berlin weatherproof loudspeakers on a new soccer field for the Tennessee State Soccer Association in the nearby town of Cleveland.

The Berlin is the most powerful loudspeaker Technomad offers. According to Charlie Rhodes, president of Chattanooga Sound, the soccer association approached him to procure and design the end-to-end system after discovering Technomad online. The Berlins are mounted on opposite sideline poles, one pointing in each direction toward the field to cover the entire venue.

"The Berlins offer a very high SPL and a two-inch driver that makes a world of difference when projecting spoken word over long distances," said Rhodes. "These are full-range loudspeakers that reproduce lows, mids and highs very well, and the two-inch driv

Belgium - Rental company Photonics took delivery of the first trailer built by Element Labs. The award winning Cobra 16 display of 17sq.m is Europe's largest display on a trailer.

Bart Van der Beken of Element Labs says, "Thanks to the features of the Cobra platform, we were able to build such a large LED surface in 16:9 layout on such a small trailer. Cobra is ultra thin - ultra light - and has extreme low power consumption, which are all helping in designing our Cobra trailer. In addition, we offer a four LED pixel product (RGBC) to improve the picture quality which delivers a true virtual 8 mm resolution in combination with our Vizomo processor."

Pieter Lambert of Photonics says: "We are very proud to be Element Labs' first mobile trailer customer. The Cobra 16 display looks stunning and we bring a new quality standard and display size to the market of LED tr

USA - Rat Sound recently installed a new sound system at West Hollywood's Whisky a Go Go, which comprises Xi loudspeakers, TG amplifiers and an N8000 controller from Electro-Voice. At one time or another over the last 45 years, virtually every major rock act has appeared there, including The Who, The Byrds, The Police, as well as Frank Zappa, who recorded a live album at the club.

The centrepiece of the installation are the four Xi-1153s and Xi1122MHA loudspeakers from Electro-Voice, driven by two TG7 and 10 TG5 power amplifiers with integrated RCM-26 DSP modules. System control is via a NetMax N8000 matrix controller running under IRIS-Net.

Whisky a Go Go's Leonard Contreras and Jason Hines originally favoured a line-array solution, but after numerous test runs, none of the solutions demonstrated convinced the duo. It was David Brown of Electro-Voice who then suggested removi

UK - The Youngman Group has launched a division dedicated to the specialised needs of the events industry. The new division will be targeting sporting and media events, outdoor concerts, exhibitions and product launches. Youngman Event Solutions has developed a range of crowd barriers, staging, and tower products specifically designed for performance and durability.

Jason Carlton, head of business development (events division), says that the new division is concentrated on developing a range of innovatively designed products to meet customer requirements coupled with working in partnership with a small number of key distribution partners. "We are not simply modifying scaffolding equipment, but are focused on providing bespoke products for technically demanding clients", declared Carlton. "At the same time we aim to provide the best possible after-sales service. Th

USA - In an effort to ensure the safety of guests, exhibitors, contractors and employees of the Washington State Convention & Trade Centre (WSCTC), a rigging installation and inspection programme is being implemented. Effective 1 October 2009, any rigging, either ground support or aerial, which falls within specified categories must be installed by an ETCP Certified rigger. In addition, rigging supervisors, who must be ETCP Certified, are required to submit inspection and approval documentation to the WSCTC of all rigging installations.

Ed Barnes, WSCTC vice president of operations, stated, "We began the process to certify all riggers working in our facility for the safety of the centre's guests and everyone working behind the scenes. Having rigging installed by ETCP Certified personnel provides the most reliable and efficient way for us to verify the level of knowledge and

UK - The prestigious Gottelier Award will be presented for the third time at this year's PLASA Show.

Named in honour of the late designer, developer and commentator Tony Gottelier, this award aims to recognise the product developers who have made a significant contribution to the development of the equipment and tools that enable our entertainment technology practitioners to continually push the boundaries of event production, presentation and installation.

The process of identifying the winner by peer voting will again consist of two distinct phases, but with a few subtle changes.

In the Nomination Phase, industry professionals will again be asked for their choices, but will also be asked to identify the specific product contributions that make that nominee a worthy contender. Based on the nominations received, a panel of industry expert judges will then be asked to decide

Iceland - Compared with the Pop Idol franchises in larger countries, the viewing figures for Icelandic Idol may not seem high. Yet this year's competition received over 70,000 votes from a population of just 300,000.

Once again it fell to Alfred Sturla Bodvarsson, head of set & lighting for the Icelandic TV company Luxor, to look after the design. As usual, he turned to his trusty stock of Maltbury Steeldeck to build something both practical and a bit funky.

The stage is made up of about 60 Steeldeck units with LED tubes inserted between them at intervals. The decks were covered in chipboard which was then given a gloss black finish.

Bodvarsson has also supplied Maltbury Metrodecks and Metrodeck Ultra to numerous other Icelandic venues.

(Jim Evans)

France - L-Acoustics Rental Network agent Arpege has deployed its K1 system on Jean-Michel Jarre's World Arena Tour. With branches in Paris and Nice, the rental company joined the K1 pilot programme in March.

Jarre's current spectacle has been created for arenas and stadiums, featuring his greatest hits in a show merging analogue synthesisers with huge video projections. As the K1 system is behind the video screen used for the projections, experiments have been carried out on the left-centre-right system in unusual configurations.

For example, in the Vorst national forest in Brussels, the system comprised three clusters of eight K1 cabinets and four K1-SB, with eight SB28 subs flown behind the centre cluster. The K1 system is being driven by LA8 amplified controllers mounted in LA-RAK touring racks.

The K1 pilot programme will carry on into 2009 in collaboration with

UK - Kave Theatre Services supplied all lighting, sound, AV, set and crew requirements on a large scale production for a dance school client. The show was choreographed around some of the most famous movie soundtracks in history. The set design brief was to deliver something "unusual and exciting" for the dancers to interact with.

Kave project manager Dave Singleton created a dynamic design utilising the company's Alistage Staging System. The visible set frontage was covered with Pulsar Chroma Panels with Thomas Pixelline 1044 battens placed in between them and lined with several strips of Colour Kinetics I-cove.

The client had a requirement for large staircases that could be moved on and off with relative ease. The solution was to once again use the company's Alistage products which produced a lightweight, easy to manoeuvre end result. Each tread was then lined with

Azerbaijan - Resplendent underneath a massive crystal chandelier, the MTN Theatre in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, is an intimate 400-seat venue that exudes the luxury of a bygone era, yet it also offers advanced 21st century AV technology, including a discreet Meyer Sound system based around M'elodie line array loudspeakers, custom-painted to match the decor.

Alas, for the casual tourist, this architectural jewel is not open to the public. Built more than a half-century ago during the Soviet era, the deteriorating theatre was painstakingly refurbished before it was turned over to the MTN, Azerbaijan's national intelligence agency. (MTN's closest English alphabet transliteration is Milli Tehlukesizlik Nazirliyi.) MTN now uses the venue for hosting high-level government conferences and for entertaining foreign dignitaries on state visits.

"With such important audiences

UK - At the recent Wakefield district business awards, Litestructures was awarded The Innovation in Business Award 2009. The Awards celebrate the individuals and companies who are helping to make the district one of the most dynamic in the region.

Adrian Brooks, managing director of Litestructures comments: "We are obviously delighted to win and gain recognition for our innovation. We feel that it was well deserved because as a company, we continually strive to move forward and develop new products and ideas."

Brooks invented the world's first aluminium truss system, AstraLite. Since then, many have followed: LiteDeck is now an industry standard staging system, the Litestructures rehearsal arena is the only facility of its kind in Europe, DigiTruss, and LiteSwitch are new lighting developments. Last but not least, the Backstage Academy is well on its way to training

USA - When downtown Charlotte, North Carolina's popular Cosmos restaurant opened a second branch in suburban Ballantyne, the owners were counting on the reputation of their French fusion-style cuisine to jump-start the new location. What they didn't expect was that after the anticipated dinner rush cleared around 9 pm, the new Cosmos Café would get a second wind, transmuting into a wildly popular, energised nightspot.

One reason for Cosmos' spontaneous splash into the area's bar/nightlife scene is its highly animated atmosphere, capped off by colour-changing LED lighting effects from Acclaim Lighting. A local food reviewer was compelled to write: "Even the lighting is neat - the lights fade from green, to blue, to red. When you go to visit, be sure to ask about the décor."

Jack Kelly of Eye Dialogue Lighting & Sound (Charlotte, NC) used 235 Acclaim X-St

Australia - Show Technology, MA Lighting's Australian distributor, recently took the grandMA2 on an Australian tour with special launches held in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane. Over 300 industry professionals came to see the new grandMA2.

"We're particularly excited by the new grandMA2 in Australia as grandMA is definitely the preferred control system for serious work here," commented Emmanuel Ziino, managing director of Show Technology. "The commitment and support offered by the team back in Germany is second to none and we are proud to distribute such acclaimed and respected products."

"The actual size of the grandMA2 is what interests me the most as we are often limited by space at events," commented Stavros Hatzipantelis from Pro Light & Sound in Melbourne. "We don't want huge format lighting consoles but we still need to control

UK - After three years and 954 sell out performances at the London Palladium, The Sound of Music is moving from its former West End home to embark on a new national tour. Stage Electrics has won a contract to supply all lighting for the production which starts its run on 26 July at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff.

The tour once again brings together Stage Electrics with the original creative and production team from the West End version including lighting design by Mark Henderson and production electrician Fraser Hall. Stage Electrics was also the lighting supplier for the original production of The Sound of Music until the show ended its West End run in February this year.

Henderson's lighting design features over 74 moving lights including Martin MAC 700s and VariLite VL1000 arc units, 60 ETC Source Fours and two Ivanhoe follow spots. The complete rig is c

India - Since Dhanashree Electronics took on distribution of HK Audio in India, the German pro audio brand has been gaining in popularity there. As HK product specialist with Dhanashree, Calvin Baker reports that rental firm Aeros Sonic in the coastal city of Goa recently acquired two HK Audio Projector systems and four F.A.S.T. active monitors.

"We were looking for a new system that could be set up in minutes and managed by a crew of just two men," say Oswin Vas and Andre Paul Sousa, the owners of Aeros Sonic. "Dhanashree Electronics suggested the Projector systems and the F.A.S.T. monitors to us, and they were exactly what we were looking for. We're really happy with our new systems, as they have solved all our problems. We can set them up very quickly and the sound is outstanding."

(Jim Evans)

UK - Electronics distributor CPC is throwing open the doors at its Fulwood, Preston, headquarters this coming weekend (Sunday 26 July) and hosting a trade show of its own.

Established in 1967, CPC has over 40 years experience of serving a large and diverse customer base. The company stocks more than 100,000 products from over 1,200 manufacturers. A growing percentage of this stock includes sound and light equipment and this has recently led to the addition of musical instruments

Chris Beesley, product manager for AV and installation, explains, "We pretty much cover all markets, but at the moment we're playing a big role in the sound and light markets and that extends into the musical instrument sector.

The open day/trade show is aimed at the sound and light sector in general. "For us it's about being better known in the industry," notes Beesley. "We cross

The Netherlands - Distributing high quality audio over an outdoor area covering more than 2200m by 118m is a massive challenge, but one which has been made a great deal less problematic by the advent of digital audio. And recently the need to replace the 20 year old audio system at Amsterdam's Bosbaan rowing lake has seen a comprehensive Yamaha installation.

Bosbaan (meaning Woods Course) is the oldest artificial rowing course in the world, built in 1936, enlarged in 1954 and again in 2001. Owned by Amsterdam City Council's Dienst Maatschappelijke Ontwikkeling (Social Services department), the facility hosts a wide range of rowing events, from local to international competitions.

Because of its high profile, often involving television and radio broadcasts, Bosbaan's audio system is required to fulfil a wide range of uses, including crowd and commercial announcements, live repo

Portugal - The Casino de Vilamoura on the Algarve has undergone complete refurbishment, including the installation of a spectacular projection feature in its entranceway, created with eight Robe DigitalSpot 7000 DTs - the first DigitalSpots in the country.

The projection onto a domed ceiling was the brainchild of Vilamoura's resident engineer Joel Pais and entertainment technical director Jorge Sousa. The DigitalSpots - all running the new 2.0 version software - were supplied by Robe's Portuguese distributor NAN, for whom the project was co-ordinated by technical specialist Luis Vidigal.

NAN initially arranged a demo of the DigitalSpots to Joel Pais and Jorge Sousa who at the time were deciding between two brands of digital moving light. The DigitalSpot 7000 DT fixture was chosen as the most flexible option, and also because of its two onboard LED modules. Pais & Sousa also wa

USA - D-Tools has announced the seventh annual D-Tools Design Awards call for entries. The 2009 D-Tools Design Awards showcase residential and commercial system integration projects created with D-Tools' System Integrator software. Winners will be announced during D-Tools University, D-Tools & Consumer Technology Publishing Group's first ever virtual training and EXPO event. This blend of online training, networking and a virtual trade show environment is scheduled for 1-3 December 2009.

Winning projects designed by some of most distinguished System Integrators will be selected from the following categories for this year's Design Awards: Best Residential System, Best Commercial System, Most Unique System - residential or commercial - and Best Overall System.

Winners will be selected by the D-Tools product team and D-Tools certified partners. The winning entries will be judged

UK - Midas and Klark Teknik have appointed a new distribution company, Quad Professional, for Singapore and Malaysia, with immediate effect.

"The Singapore market is strategically very important in the Asian concert sound business and it is vital that our distribution channel has the right people in place to service and support our customers there," says Midas and Klark Teknik's sales and marketing director, David Cooper.

"The team which have set up this new company, Vincent Tan, Chung Wah Khiew and their new product manager have over five decades of pro audio experience between them, which includes many years of working with the Midas and KT brands already. I am really happy that these talented people will be working with us to support present and future Midas and Klark Teknik customers in Singapore and Malaysia."

"Quad Professional was set up with

USA - Cooper Controls, a subsidiary of Cooper Industries has entered into a technology and marketing agreement with Electronics Diversified (EDI). Full terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

EDI is a manufacturer of high performance theatrical lighting and controls products including high density dimmer racks, protocol devices, and a complete line of power distribution for live performance, religious and performing arts facilities, and other applications. Under the terms of the agreement, Cooper Controls has acquired various IP and technology assets and will be the exclusive distributor for all EDI products in North America.

The EDI product range will continue to be manufactured at the EDI facility in Hillsboro, Oregon. All sales and marketing will be handled by Cooper Controls from its offices in Peachtree City, Georgia.

"Cooper Controls has provided theatrical sol

UK - XL Video supplied a completely integrated video package to the 2009 Download Festival at Donnington Park, Derby.

This year XL's brief included 72 hours of live internet streaming, a broadcast spec, HD camera system and screens package for Stage 1. Other services facilitated by XL included an HD record for Live Nation TV and VH1, MMS/SMS relay to screen, plus a standard definition camera/PPU package for Stage 2.

XL's project manager Chris Saunders - working on his sixth Download - led the video crew of 34. In recent years, Download's requirement for video/IT entertainment services has expanded voraciously - in line with the demands of its info-hungry audience.

The Live simultaneous web cast was a first for Download. XL's IMAG camera relays from stage 1 flash encoded and sent footage via satellite to the data serverfeeding promoter Live Nation's websi

France - The municipality of Berre l'Étang, 30k northwest of Marseilles, is dominated by a a 155 sqm lake, and was once home to an important naval air station. Occupying the air station site is a contemporary urban park that hosts a lighting project aimed at recreating the area's bygone era. The large public space encompasses the banks of the pond, walking paths, roads and a large open field.

Pierre Nègre of L'Atelier Lumière has created the special lighting concept for the shores of the park. The concept, which proposes various lighting perspectives that are 'readable' from multiple vantage points, is meant to impart a feeling of comfort and guidance. Discrete lighting gently exposes the pathways and road areas while more dynamic illumination washes the esplanade in colour according to the speed and direction of the wind.

At the heart of the new public space is a squ

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