USA - On the heels of a solid growth year, Loud Technologies awarded international distributors for outstanding 2010 sales and service performance.The following distributors received an award in these respective categories:

APAC - Distributor of the Year - Musiclink Australia; Ampeg Best Performance - Kanda Shokai Corp, Japan; Mackie Best Performance - Musiclink Australia.

EMEA - Loud Distributor of the Year - A&T Trade, Russia; Ampeg Best Performance - Casale Bauer, Italy; Mackie Best Performance - Music Info, Poland.

Latin America - Loud Distributor of the Year - Hermes Music, Mexico; Ampeg Best Performance - Grupo Romulo Garcia, Argentina; Mackie Best Performance - Casa Musical Nunez & Import Music, Ecuador.

"Our customers responded very strongly to our 2010 new products and programmes, contributing to double-digit sales growth for the Mackie and Ampeg brands,"

The Netherlands - D-Tools has announced that D-Tools has joined the Control4 Solution Provider Programme to provide Control4 dealers worldwide with their l comprehensive system design, documentation and project management software package.

"Control4 is a leading provider of intelligent operating systems, and we are pleased to be selected as a participant in the Solution Provider Programme," says Adam Stone, president and CEO of D-Tools. "We are like-minded in our goal to provide our customers with a platform to fuel their growth, and we look forward to assisting Control4 dealers in expanding their businesses and maximizing their bottom line."

"We are committed to providing Control4 dealers with the best project solutions in the industry and the D-Tools software package is no exception. Their comprehensive software package is an excellent tool for syste

Ukraine - Dnipropetrovsk was the setting on 10 and 11 November for a series of training seminars for dealers organized by Electro-Voice's Ukrainian partner Sound House Pro. The course, conducted by a team led by Andrey Garkaviy, was attended by 70 representatives of the Ukrainian pro audio scene. These included not only the nation's leading dealers but also employees of installation firms and rental companies. As was the case last year, the dealers' meeting was organized in collaboration with Dynacord's's partners in Ukraine, Cortmi.

The Dnipropetrovsk academy focussed mainly on products from the current Electro-Voice range, such as the new ZxA1 loudspeaker family, microphones from the N/DYM, PL and RE series, CPS series amplifiers, the N8000 audio matrix and the Dx46 FIR Drive Sound System Processor, which made a particularly strong impression on attendees.

The course was con

USA - As 2011 begins to take shape, Bandit Lites reports that it has made several strategic investments on a global basis to further the push into GRN technology and to provide their clients with leading edge services. Total expenditures were over five million dollars, says the company.

On the control side of things, Bandit has purchased a large quantity of FPS Road Hog and Full Boar consoles. From the Martin side of things Bandit has purchased several of the new M 1 consoles. Another new addition is the Martin MAC 2000 Beam kit.

Moving into the GRN area, Bandit has double the inventory of GRNLite fixtures from last year. These additions include GRN PAR 3-36, GRN Batten 3-54, GRN Wash 3-36, GRN Moving Wash 3-120 and the newly redesigned GRN 8 Lights 3-96 with RGBW. All fixtures feature 3 watt LEDs and are among the brightest fixtures in the industry.

Finally, Bandit has comm

The Netherlands - TC Group - parent company of TC Electronic, Tannoy, Lab.gruppen, Lake and TC Helicon - announced on Tuesday at the opening of Integrated Systems Europe 2011 that it is to become part of the AVnu Alliance, the industry forum dedicated to the establishment and promotion of the IEEE 802.1 Audio/Video Bridging (AVB) open network standard.

TC Group is fully supportive of the move towards IEEE 802.1, stating that the establishment of AVB as the leading open standard will benefit customers, manufacturers and the industry as a whole by providing a level playing field for future product development while giving end users greater confidence in, and choice of, network-compatible devices.

A statement issued at ISE declares, "TC Group sees networked audio as a critical issue in pro audio - in both the install and tour world - and has already utilized digital audio ne

Austria - The Grosses Festspielhaus (Great Festival Hall), home to the famed Salzburg Festival has revamped its main audio system for the first time in two decades. The upgraded system includes a completely redesigned control room, featuring a Studer Vista 5 digital console. Celebrating the hall's 50th and the festival's 90th anniversaries, the Vista 5 was chosen for its optimum recording capabilities, with performance recordings in demand throughout the year.

Working to achieve 5.1-quality sound in the control room, which is fairly small and oddly shaped due to the architectural aspects of the nearly century-old venue, the Vista 5 features a lightweight, high-performance compact operating surface, ideal for the small space. The console is rigged to be mobile and can be easily disconnected and reconnected and transported to areas beyond the hall for performances outside of the f

France - Denon DJ Europe has agreed to supply equipment enabling students to work with the latest media file and DJ software control systems, alongside vinyl and CD. To this end, Denon is supplying UCPA Formation with training systems comprising its top fight DN-X1700 mixer and DN-S3700 digital media player. For its part UCPA Formation is committed to building a new dedicated Denon DJ training room.

The Lyon based UCPS centre, which offers multidisciplinary training in audio, video, lighting and animation, established its DJ school in 2001 with a focus on the professional training and the latest technologies and developing techniques.

A rolling programme of special events and online initiatives is planned by Denon to further enhance the students' experience, both during their training and after they graduate.

Commenting on the inaguartion of the sponsorship initiative, Phili

UK - The fourth Strictly Come Dancing The Live Tour is currently entertaining capacity audiences around UK arenas with lighting designed by Mark Kenyon and run on a grandMA2 control package.

The rig includes over 170 moving light sources plus hundreds of generics and scenic LED sources. The grandMA2 light console - with another grandMA2 light running in full tracking backup - was specified and programmed for the tour by David Bishop, and is being operated on the road by Mike Rothwell.

Kenyon also designs lighting for the popular BBC television series, and Bishop has been involved in programming all the tours to date as have lighting and sound contractors, Sonalyst based in Wales.

The grandMA consoles have been involved from the early days of the Strictly live touring phenomenon, initially with a Series 1 system replacing the original control set up. This was chosen by

Belgium - Sound Inc, based in Roeselare, West Flanders has chosen a Midas PRO6 to spearhead its move into digital, becoming the second Belgian rental company to invest in a Midas large format digital console.

According to Axel Nagtegaal, MD of distributor Midas Consoles Benelux, this marks a milestone in the Belgian market. "Sound Inc chose the Midas PRO6 to support their future growth plans," he says. "With Jan Durant spearheading the Midas digital march in Belgium, I am confident that more PRO Series deliveries will follow soon."

Sound Inc has long experience of Midas consoles, with XL200s, XL3s, Legend 3000s and H3s all featuring in its portfolio over the years. Jan Durant, Sound Inc founder and MD, who had previously rented a number of digital consoles of various brands, says purchasing the PRO6 was the logical step.

"At first we were worried tha

Germany - With Oberstdorf, Innsbruck and Bischofshofen, Garmisch-Partenkirchen has for 59 years been one of the venues for the world famous Four Hills ski-jumping tournament. Traditionally the resort in Upper Bavaria hosts the event - one of the highlights of the winter sports calendar - on 1 January each year. In 2011, no fewer than 25,000 fans provided a motivating backdrop for the competitors.

The task of keeping spirits up in ice cold temperatures fell to the commentator Wolfgang Hostmann partnered by DJ 'Mike'. The pair acquitted themselves with flying colours, helped by the quality of the sound reinforcement, for which the Weilheim-based specialists from TC-Showtechnik were responsible for the fifth year in succession. Once again, the centrepiece of the system was formed by a compact yet powerful XLD line array from Electro-Voice.

"After optimising and adding to the

Oman - The new Multipurpose Hall at Sultan Qaboos University, located in the Sultanate of Oman, features a fully equipped, state-of-the-art sound, lighting and video system. Included in this setup is an extensive Aviom Pro64 audio network which is used to route audio to and from various locations in the space, namely the PA system, control room and production room.

Designed and supplied by Venuetech, LLC, the audio system supports the 5,000-seat auditorium, which hosts live performances such as plays and orchestras, movie screenings and conferences. The facility also features an automated motorised seating system, which allows the chairs to fold back and out of the way so the hall can be converted into a large indoor sports arena. The flexible nature of the Aviom Pro64 audio network allows it to easily support any event that takes place in the hall.

To accommodate the ever-cha

Russia - Moscow-based lighting rental company Light Logic supplied Robe LEDWash 600 and ColorWash 1200 moving lights for the Orthodox Christmas Ceremonial Service held at the Cathedral of Christ The Saviour in Moscow on 7 January. People queued all day for the chance to join the service, which was attended by President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev, and broadcast live by leading TV station Channel One Russia to approximately 140m people nationwide.

Lighting for this high profile event was designed by Light Logic's Dmitry Velikanov, who took the opportunity to utilise some of their newly purchased Robin LEDWash 600 fixtures, along with the workhorse ColorWash 1200E ATs.

Just in time for their busy festive schedule, the company took delivery of 50 LEDWash 600s from Russian distributor, Sofitlight.

The Robes were positioned all around the second level galleries of

Indonesia - Proel participated in November's Audio Pro Expo, held at the Jakarta Expo Centre - a strategic meeting point for all companies developing commercial channels in the region.

Proel Systems also featured on the stage at Japex and attracted the attention of the visitors gathered for the live performance of some of the most famous bands in Indonesia, for the clinics held by local musicians and for a series of dedicated musical events.

In the spotlight were the NEOS15P loudspeakers combined with 4 NEOS118SP subwoofers. Stage monitors and side-fills were 15" passive models and 12" active models from the Flash series.

The whole system was powered by HPD1500 digital amplifiers and mixed on a M20USB console. Proel's connectors, cables, microphones, mic stands and clips completed the set up .

Effendi, Mitra Communications managing director commented, "Our p

USA - The Pasadena Symphony and offer a full spectrum of live symphonic concerts year-round at the historic Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena and Pasadena Rose bowl grounds.

Complete Production Rentals uses Audio-Technica microphones nearly exclusively for their work with the Pasadena Symphony and POPS because of A-T's "ability to accurately and consistently convey the nuances of the broad classical and popular music repertoire of the Symphony".

Jack Haffamier, president and founder of Complete Production Rentals, has specific microphone choices for the entire Symphony. On winds he uses the ATM650 Hypercardioid Dynamic Instrument Microphone. For the cellos and string basses, he chooses the AT4040 Cardioid Condenser Microphone, while the AT4051a Cardioid Condenser Microphone is used to capture woodwinds and percussion.

The AT2020 Cardioid Condenser Microphones are u

USA - After nearly 60 years in the same building, Orlando's Edgewater High School's roof and walls were crumbling. A massive chunk of the school's auditorium ceiling had actually caved in. So in January 2011, Edgewater's students made a long-overdue move to a new $83m building, designed by CT Hsu + Associates (Orlando), on a sprawling 45-acre campus adjacent to the original school. A sharp contrast to the antiquated structure it vacated, Edgewater's new facility encompasses 345,000sq.ft of space and is loaded with modern technology, including a full TV production studio and soundproof practice areas for the band.

Edgewater's 400-seat theatre is outfitted with LED fixtures and DMX moving heads from Elation Professional, which are operated wirelessly via Elation EWDMX wireless DMX transmitters and receivers. The lighting system, which includes some 170 fixtures, was sold and insta

Finland - Martin Professional Scandinavia has appointed Finnish company Studiotec as its new distributor in Finland. Effective 1 February 2011, Studiotec will serve as the exclusive representative of Martin Professional products across the country.

Located just outside Helsinki in the city of Espoo, and founded 30 years ago, Studiotec is one of Finland's leading distributors of lighting and sound equipment to the entertainment industry.

"We are pleased to have Studiotec as our new representative in Finland," commented Jonas Stenvinkel, head sales manager at Martin Scandinavia. "Studiotec is a well-established company in this industry and is devoted to supplying the highest quality lighting equipment available. We are confident that they will provide a solid partnership for Martin in Finland."

Studiotec CEO Peter Stråhlman added, "We are thrilled to

World - PLASA is pleased to announce the launch of its Facebook pages. Visitors to PLASA Focus, The PLASA Show, members of PLASA and anyone interested in the industry can join (or "like") the Facebook pages from today.

Members of the pages will be the first to find out about industry news, PLASA news and show news and content Plus, PLASA 2011 is offering the first 1000 members the chance to win a pair of Sennheiser HD 380 Pro collapsible high end headphones! To be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is "like" the PLASA 2011 page, then a winner will be picked at random.

To view the PLASA Facebook page, click here.

For the PLASA Focus page,

UK - Bandit Lites was lighting vendor for Squeeze's 2010 tour dates. Production manager Steve Martin and lighting designer Daniel Bocking worked with Bandit C.E. Lester Cobrin in 2010 to assure the quality of the lighting was "the highest possible".

Bocking chose VL 3000 spots, VL 3500 washes, Clay Paky Alpha Beam's, Thomas Pixellines, PARs, 4 lights, 8 lights and the usual array of support equipment to paint the visual pictures that Squeeze vocalize about. Video screens in the rear featured historical band footage as Bocking crafted the show on a FPS Full Boar console speaking to a Catalyst Media System.

(Jim Evans)

USA - When the Boston Conservatory began the Hemenway Project, a $30m renovation and expansion of its instructional and performance space at 31 Hemenway Street, one directive was clear - The theatre would be equipped with motorised rigging.

"Students usually operate the rigging during performances by the Dance, Theatre, and Music Divisions throughout the private college's academic year," said Richard Parks, senior project manager for the theatrical dealer I. Weiss. "Until the renovation began, the Conservatory's theatre had a counterweight rigging system that required students to have considerable training to use it safely.

"Motorised rigging gives the college the ability to have all the students work on various aspects of the show. Not only can the students be trained quickly on how motorized systems work, but they will be ready for the rigging they will f

Germany - Newly purchased Robe Robin LEDWash 600 moving lights were one of the attractions for the seventh Circus Roncalli Christmas season, staged at the Tempodrom Möckernstraße, Berlin. The venue becomes one of the largest circus arenas in Europe for the 17-date run of seasonal performances by the famous German circus in a show directed by Paul Bernhard.

The Circus already owns its own lighting equipment including eight Robe ColorWash 575E AT Zooms and eight ColorSpot 700E ATs which were purchased earlier in 2010 from Robe's Germany distributor LMP.

Robe was specified by the Circus's lighting designer Markus Weitkamp and the fixtures integrated into their ongoing touring show. For the Festive Season shows in Berlin, he wanted some additional magic in the lightshow, so checked out the LEDWash 600s. Almost immediately after the demo from LMP, he took the decision to purchase

UK - French sound designer and foley artist Nicolas Becker has used a quantity of DPA microphones for the Philippe Parreno exhibition at London's Serpentine Gallery. Parreno, an Algerian artist and film maker, has created a space in which a series of filmed events are projected in different galleries. Sound, which plays a major part in the exhibition, can be heard inside the gallery, as though the outside environment of Kensington Gardens and the surrounding streets is leaking in.

To facilitate this, Becker has positioned three DPA SMK4060 stereo mic kits, which each include a pair of 4060 omnidirectional miniature mics, around the space. As a film ends in one gallery, the blinds at the windows rise and the DPA mics transmit the sounds from outside into the gallery, while in the next space the blinds descend and the lights go off.

"I chose the 4060s because they provide i

Brazil - W-DMX from Wireless Solution Sweden made Christmas a colourful event for the Caixa Econômica Federal Bank in Brazil during a special installation running 10 December, 2010 through 10 January, 2011.

The challenge: to send a reliable DMX signal to three different buildings at a distance of more than 300m. The solution: Two W-DMX BlackBox S-1 transmitters, one BlackBox R-512 receiver and one BlackBox Micro. The lighting installation included 24 Martin MAC 2000 Beam XB, eight PR Lighting XL 700 Spot, 32 PR Lighting Design 150, 3200 Micro Strobes, 64 Canais DMX dimmers, 24 Martin 3000 Atomic Strobes, 24 PAR 64 #1 and four Fine Art Outdoor Moving V2033 4K fixtures. The lighting rig was supplied by Veritas from Sao Paulo.

Lighting Bits, the Wireless Solution distributor for Brazil based in Sao Paulo, supplied all W-DMX equipment. Daniel Ridano of Lighting Bits said, "T

Germany - On 14 January, the 32nd Bavarian Film Awards (Bayerischer Filmpreis) ceremony was held at Prinzregententheater in Munich. The highly glamorous event, one of the biggest live productions carried out by the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation, featured lighting and visuals from Martin Professional, including Martin EC-20and LC Plus LED displays.

Media Resource Group of Crailsheim implemented the lighting concept designed by Markus Müller (BR). As in previous years, the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation placed its trust in LED technology manufactured by Martin Professional. In addition to extensive special effect lighting, the event gave Martin the opportunity to show off its new EC-20 LED panels, as well as the LC Plus Series LED panels.

For the Awards show, the LED panels were divided into eight mobile segments, each operating independently of one another. During the p

UK - Security and crowd management company, AP Security has attained approved contractor status from the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and the Contactors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme (CHAS).

The approvals follow a period of rigorous updating of the companies administrative processes for both door supervisors and manned guarding, this updating also incorporates AP working towards ISO 9001:2008 and OHSAS 18001 accreditation and a number of other British standards. During this period, roles have been redefined across the company, putting a heavier emphasis on planning and client liaison as well as a comprehensive general management process.

"Our watchword is 'quality'," says Andrew Stevens, AP's general manager, "and that runs through every part of the company, with particular importance placed on staff training, and human resourcing in general."

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