UK - Blackburn-based lighting and visuals rental company HSL is supplying specialist LED light sources to the current series of the popular ITV quiz show, The Chase, in the process renewing its long and fruitful working relationship with leading TV lighting designer Tom Kinane, who has lit the series since it started.

HSL is supplying i-Pix BB4 LED wash lights and Satellite LED 'bricks' plus Pulsar Chroma strips to the show, which is being recorded in Studio Two at The London Studios (TLS) on the South Bank. The schedule is intense, recording three shows a day in batches of five days, and it has a daily broadcast slot on ITV 1 between 5 and 6 p.m. They have also just recorded six 'celebrity specials' - in TLS Studio One with live audiences - that are being aired on Saturdays.

HSL's project manager and TV sector specialist Sean McGlone comments, "It's always a pleas

USA - Rumor, a new destination for nightlife and private events, is taking Philadelphia, Pa. by storm. Featuring two large dance floors, a bar room, and a private VIP 'vault', the 700-capacity nightclub boasts an ample complement of Meyer Sound loudspeakers.

Ian Hoffer, of Aurora Sound and Light Design, designed and installed Rumor's sound system, as well as all lighting and effects. A 20-year veteran of production, club design and integration, Hoffer chose an all-Meyer Sound array for Rumor's main room, using four CQ-2 loudspeakers and six 600-HP subwoofers, and for DJ monitoring, two UPJ-1P VariO loudspeakers and one UMS-1P subwoofer. The bar room features three more UPJ-1P VariO loudspeakers.

Along with the Meyer Sound equipment, the nightclub features the MA Lighting grandMA2 ultra-light system.

(Jim Evans)

USA / UK - The Soundking Group has announced the appointment of John Hornby Skewes & Co as exclusive distributor of Studiomaster and Carlsbro in the UK and Eire, with effect from 1 February 2012. The announcement was made jointly by Soundking Group president Mr Xianggui Wang and JHS managing director Dennis J Drumm, at the NAMM show in Anaheim CA.

With the appointment of JHS as exclusive distributor for the UK and Eire, Studioking and Carlsbro Holdings will be the respective international trading companies for the Studiomaster and Carlsbro brands, responsible for product development and engineering, international distribution and marketing. These two companies will move from their current Leighton Buzzard site to facilities within Cadac Holdings' Luton HQ.

Soundking Group selected JHS after an intensive process of evaluation of all potential UK distributors and on the basis of

UK - Broadcast audio technology specialists HHB Communications will be highlighting a comprehensive range of professional audio loudness tools during the BVE London show at Earls Court 2 on Stand C40 from 14-16 February.

As new loudness standards gain traction in Europe those in the media supply chain are adopting a mix of hardware and software loudness technologies for both linear and non-linear environments. HHB will be focussing on four loudness applications: OB and Live Production, Post Production, Playout and Archive with technologies from DK-Technologies, Dolby, Nugen, RTW, TC Electronic and Wohler. HHB product specialists will be on hand to discuss the latest in loudness technology.

Alongside Scrub, its Soho-based subsidiary specialising in serving the post production industry, HHB will also be demonstrating Avid's new Pro Tools 10 software and HDX hardware. The new Avi

UK - At ISE 2012, Crestron will be running a full schedule of free training programmes to Crestron dealers, including its flagship course, the DigitalMedia Certified Designer.

In addition to this, there will also be a New Technology Showcaseand The Next Generation in Crestron Control Systems and Touch Panels sessions. Alongside the classes - at their stand (#1F6) - the company will be introducing a range of "breakthrough technologies that lay the foundation of AV technology for the future".

The day-long DMC-D course will provide dealers with the best practices of designing, installing and commissioning a DigitalMedia system. DigitalMedia is a complete solution that manages and distributes protected digital content over a single copper wire or fibre.

Also at ISE 2012, Crestron technical and sales specialists, product line managers and engineers will be

USA - At the Winter NAMM show, Audio-Technica marked '50 Years of Passionate Listening' with the start of its year-long 50th Anniversary Celebration in 2012 which will feature several limited edition commemorative products, special events and promotions for customers.

From its early beginnings as a manufacturer of phonograph cartridges, Audio-Technica has expanded over the years to become a leading innovator in the design of microphones, wireless microphone systems, headphones, turntables, phono cartridges and more.

A-T continues to advance the art and technology of electro-acoustic design with the manufacture of products for the professional recording, M.I., live sound, broadcast, fixed installation and consumer audio markets. On this historic occasion, Audio-Technica is taking the opportunity to look back, with a view toward the future, says the company.

Audio-Technica was

USA - With the opening of the Parker Arts, Culture and Events Centre (PACE) in Parker, Colo. late in 2011, audiences looked forward to an exciting season of more than 60 performances of 28 different shows.

The inaugural season includes productions of A Christmas Story and Annie, the premier of an original musical, a custom light show created by Luma, the Irish dance troupe direct from Ireland-Celtic Nights, and an interpreted production of Stuart Little for hearing and deaf audiences.

The new facility's 536-seat theatre - one of two performance spaces in the extensive centre - can host this diverse series of events because of the easy-to-use automated rigging system provided by J. R. Clancy, Inc., and installed by Barbizon Light of the Rockies. Barbizon's Rick Loudenburg was on the design team as the theatrical rigging and lighting integrator with Semple B

UK - London- based lighting rental company Colour Sound Experiment (CSE) has designed and is supplying contract rental lighting systems to four popular clubs in popular seaside destination Brighton for Inn Brighton Ltd. The operations are all being project managed by Colour Sound's Fletch.

He comments, "The key is to assess each space and design and deliver something appropriate and specific for the size and the entertainment being staged, and also offer a cost-effective solution to the client". All the systems have been programmed and set up for straightforward operation by the venue's lighting crew or DJs.

Life is a 700 capacity nightclub right on the seafront with three arched spaces towards the back forming the main dance floor, which are lit dynamically with a rig including Robe Scan 575 XTs as the central moving light system. These are joined by 48 x LEDJ Spect

USA - When faced with the prospect of putting on 58 rock performances over four days on board a cruise ship heading to The Bahamas, Bauder Audio Systems knew that they needed audio systems that were up to the job. With bands such as ZZ Top, George Thorogood and the Destroyers and John Kay and Steppenwolf in attendance, they added Lake and Lab.gruppen to their audio inventory.

Bauder Audio, based out of Horsham, Pennsylvania, was hired by the organisers of the Rock Legends Cruise to provide the sound for all four stages being used on the ship, The Liberty of the Seas from Royal Caribbean.

Brian Naab, production manager at Bauder Audio, said, "It was a challenging job in a sense. We brought a PA into the main theatre, and we had a stage that was built out on the pool deck, and the PA had to cope with 20-40mph winds. The ship also has an ice rink that they convert into a 600

Austria - In a major technical upgrade, the ORF center in Vienna has changed all its grandMA series 1 consoles to grandMA2 consoles. The MA NSPs (Network Signal Processors) were also replaced by MA NPUs (Network Processing Units), and additionally, the ORF has invested in new grandMA2 fader wings.

Altogether the Austrian national public service broadcaster now owns four grandMA2 full-size consoles, 17 grandMA2 light consoles, 15 MA NPU, nine grandMA2 fader wings as well as six versions of the grandMA onPC software solution.

Engineer and project manager for the upgrade Manfred Wagner explains why the grandMA2 was chosen, "We had plenty of good experiences with the grandMA series 1, so for this reason the grandMA2 was a pretty logical choice. The grandMA2 is not only extremely reliable but also offers powerful backup solutions and is a perfect option for TV projects, becaus

UK - When the construction of a northern bypass for Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester, meant the compulsory purchase and demolition of the town's longest-established mosque, a new facility was constructed in its place. Built in less than a year, Yamaha amplifiers and digital networking are a central feature of its audio specification.

Ashton Central Mosque(formerly the Markazi Jamia Mosque), was located in a converted school building and, with the site required for the new bypass, a site for a replacement was identified a few hundred metres away. The foundation stone was laid in October2010 and, less than a year later, a new mosque and community centre stood on the site, carefully designed to complement the surrounding buildings while incorporating all the essential elements of Islamic architecture.

Divided in two by a large glass atrium, the two-level mosque, large prayer hall, t

Japan - Some 33 years after forming, blues rockers-turned-Stateside superstars Whitesnake continue to record and tour. A recent six-date tour of Japan saw the band inviting fans from across the country to 'Come An' Get It', with Apex Intelli-X2 processors ensuring that the sound gave no trouble.

Promoting their latest album Forevermore, the six-piece played dates in Osaka, Okayama, Miyuzaki, Nagoys and two in Tokyo. Four Apex Intelli-X2 processors were supplied by Apex's Japanese distributor Audiobrains to sound rental company MSI Japan, a fellow member of the MSI Japan Holdings group.

"The shows used Martin Audio's MLA system as the main house PA, together with MLX subs and W8LM cabinets for fills," says Yusuke Karato of Audiobrains. "We controlled the system using two laptops, one for the MLA and the other for the rest of the system."

The Intelli

UK - Evans Audio of Bristol has joined the UK Nexo rental network with its purchase of a Geo S12 line array system. This follows hard on the heels of a prestigious installation project for the company, equipping the well-known Colston Hall venue with a Nexo S12 system in its main auditorium and Nexo PS Series for its secondary performance areas.

The people of Bristol have been enjoying music at Colston Hall for almost 140 years. One of the largest performance venues in SW England, this concert hall venue caters for a variety of different concerts and entertainment by major names in pop and rock music, classical music, stand-up comedy and light entertainment, as well as local choirs, orchestras and schools. The venue has spent over £20m on improvements, most recently installing a new Nexo PA system in its main auditorium where audiences of just over 2000 will be able to hea

UK - The spectacular pyrotechnic and lighting show for the Mayor of London's New Year's Eve festivities, produced by Jack Morton Worldwide, is an extraordinary collaborative effort involving multiple control systems at multiple locations incorporating multiple disciplines - all synchronised for this most time-centric event.

In Durham Marenghi's stunning lighting design, temporary Arena Color fixtures and high power searchlights installed by Stage Electrics and supplied by ELP/Syncrolite are integrated with the permanent lighting installations on the London Eye and County Hall. At the climax of the event, the lighting is synchronised with the midnight firework display, designed by Darryl Fleming of Kimbolton Fireworks.

Year-round, 640 Philips Color Kinetics ColorCasts illuminate the Eye, supplied by Architainment Lighting and controlled by two Pharos LPC 2s. The façade of Coun

Qatar - Production company Qatar Vision recently produced the Qatar Football Association Award Ceremony using 150 moving lights from Clay Paky. The design of the show was conceived and created by Qvision with less than a month's production time.

"We received a call from Qatar Stars League Organization three weeks before the event, and we had to come up with the most creative show that can be produced in a completely empty space," said Sharif Hashisho, managing director of Qvision and the show director. "We spent four days on the creation of a 3D simulation in our creative department and presented to the client for approval. The client immediately approved the project and we had one week for the actual production."

Mr Hashisho puts the success of the event down to the level of staff and equipment the company has. "In three days we managed to have the fu

Poland - New Year's Eve 2012 was celebrated in style in Wroclaw. ARAM, one of the biggest event engineering company in Poland, participated in this show, organized by Polish Television providing latest LED multimedia .

The set contained 120msq.m of Fourlight FlexLED LED curtain installed as a main screen and side screens. Additionally, ARAM also delivered more than 50m ² LED screens (SMD 10mm) also from Fourlight.

One of the LED screens with an area of 35sq.m was set to the side of the stage, a second smaller one stand 200m from stage. The sets also featured Barco Mitrix and MiStrips.

Lighting gear included Pulsar Chroma batten's, Sharpy's from ClayPacky and many others. Multimedia was driven by two Catalyst HD media servers , operated jointly with lighting by three WholeHogs III.

The show was directed by Konrad Smuga , set design by Radoslaw D?bniak , and lighting design

Bahrain - Melody House, distributors of DPA microphones and HK Audio speakers have recently supplied a range of microphones and speakers to Bahrain based rental firm Art Home Production.

The deal includes four sets of PR:O10XA from HK Audio and five sets of IMK4061 from DPA microphones. Art Home Productions, mainly involved with Arabic artists and events across the Kingdom of Bahrain, provides audiovisual services for numerous events that include weddings, parties and other occasions.

"Like most rental companies, Art Home approached us for a solution for the challenges they face every day. Most of their events have high SPL instruments where the musician needs to hear himself from the monitor and the stage is too small for a large wedge," commented Amrith Verghese, DPA and HK Audio product specialist at Melody House.

"The combination of the 4061s with the PR:O

South Africa - For the second consecutive year, Dreamsets provided the full technical for Miss South Africa and Miss Teen held at Sun City's Superbowl during December 2011. Lighting designer from the company, Mauritz Jacobs, has worked on the show at least five other times.

The set and show was designed by De Wet Meyer and probably the largest challenge was having 96 LED screens to work with. However, this very obstacle was also Mauritz's highlight. He was very satisfied with the VPU, saying: "It's like having an added fixture, changing colours, shapes, images - all at the touch of a button."

The company says: "Robe lighting fixtures were scattered across the set and many areas had to be backlit, but the end result was a stunning picture for the live broadcast."

Dreamsets moved in on 27 November and had two days to set up for the Miss Teen competition, wh

Oman - Nicolas Kyvernitis Electronics Enterprises, distributors of Midas and Klark Teknik in the Middle East have recently supplied a new Midas PRO2 digital live audio system to Business International Group's AV Production Department. Based in Muscat, Oman BIG Rentals provides technical expertise and equipment to numerous corporate events taking place across the Sultanate.

"BIG Rentals are continuously growing due to their high level of service in the market, their reputation precedes them and they have reinvested in themselves by purchasing a mixing solution that fits one of their core values which is quality," commented Chicco Hiranandani, business development manager at NMK.

(Jim Evans)

UK - PA/VA specialist Ateis reports that its new IDA8 networked public address-voice alarm system has been embraced by Fourway Communications at the hub of a number of up-coming projects in the rail sector, including Kings Cross St Pancreas, Reading Station and most recently Transport for London's new Paddington underground station.

The IDA8 will complement Ateis' long track record working in the rail sector offering innovative, yet reliably solutions where installations worldwide include the TGV railway line from Paris to Marseille, the Haupbahnhof station in Zurich, and the underground rail network in Nurenburg.

After years of development to provide a VA system that is infinitely configurable, easy to install and fully compliant, the IDA8 is taking voice alarm systems design to new heights as a 'one-box' solution. Thoughtfully designed it is suited to a host of 'safety criti

Europe - The lead up to Christmas 2011 saw Coldplay, undertake a 12-date European arena tour with their album Mylo Xyloto, taking with them a set designed by Misty Buckley and Paul Normandale which featured specialist pieces by UK-based Brilliant Stages.

Chris Martin's inspiration was of the tour as a ball of energy with a warm nucleus reaching out into the audience to provide an inclusive, intimate atmosphere despite the size of the arenas toured.

The design incorporated a crescent stage which spanned the main stage, and a cross-shaped B stage both of which were built by Brilliant Stages and delivered to Park Royal's LH2 studios for rehearsals prior to the tour's launch. The arc'd stage was low enough for Martin to run across and not obscure the sightlines of audience seated behind it, yet angled enough for those at ground-level to gain clear sight of the stunning artw

USA - While many concert tours rely on large lighting rigs that showcase extreme lighting displays, some are more about the experience of the music than the production behind it. Such was the case for lighting designer Rich Locklin and lighting director Steve Fallon who have recently completed work on the latest Paul Simon tour.

Tasked with creating a design that worked in harmony with the music instead of overpowering it, Locklin and Fallon teamed with authorized dealer TMS who supplied them with Vari*Lite luminaires from Philips Vari-Lite.

"This show is not about lighting," began Locklin. "You close your eyes and listen to the music and when you open them again you're not looking to be shocked into the moment, lighting has to be about supporting the artist and the music."

With a stage set up that consisted of four risers with nine key lighting areas, an

USA - Now settled into its new purpose-built theatre, the Improv Comedy Club in Houston, Tex., has cemented its reputation as one of the country's premier showcases for uproarious talent. A fan-shaped room with raked seating ensures that everyone gets a clear view of both the stage and the 16ft wide projection surface by Stewart Filmscreen, while a potent Meyer Sound system delivers all the punch lines with crisp intelligibility to all 510 seats.

"It's a great sounding room," asserts Houston Improv general manager Raymond Cook. "The sound is so much more crisp and clear than what we had at the old location. Performers love it, and we've had more than one say, 'I want to come back and film my special here.'"

Designed by Bill Schuermann of HFP Acoustical Consultants and installed by the Whitlock Group (both Houston-based), the main system comprises two UPQ-1P

The Netherlands - InfoComm International is to present the STEP (Sustainable Technology Environments Program) initiative for the encouragement of green technology projects for the first time in Europe at ISE 2012.

InfoComm's sustainability officer, Allen Weidman, who also serves as the executive director of the STEP Foundation, will be on-hand throughout the show to advise manufacturers, distributors, integrators, consultants and end-customers as to what role they can play in the advancement of the STEP initiative, and in the design of pilot projects that implement the STEP rating system.

While there are a number of industry schemes that rate the energy efficiency of individual products and a variety of ways in which architects and site owners can measure and ratify the 'greenness' of their building designs, prior to STEP there was no industry programme that rated the sustaina

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