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

USA - St Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church (presently known as St Paul's United Methodist Church) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa is listed on the United State's National Register of Historic Places and is essentially the work of architect Louis Sullivan, the so called 'father of skyscrapers'. Sullivan's aspirations however, were high, beyond what the church's congregation could reasonably afford back in 1912.

The restraint exercised back then by architect W.C. Jones, when he re-drew Sullivan's plans under instruction from the church, meant that two years later Bishop William Quayle was able to dedicate the freshly completed St Paul's. The church building remains true to Sullivan's clean modernist design, sacrificing only his more elaborate ornamentation. In the intervening 97 years just the lightest of touches has been required to keep this building aligned to purpose, not least a new or

UK - Officially launched in September 2011, and representing the powerful partnership of MA Lighting and Clay Paky products, Ambersphere Solutions offers quality products combined with a superior support network dedicated to the UK market.

In its first few months of trading, the company has reported the addition of an impressive number of new customers whilst continuing business with long term customers of the MA and Clay Paky brands.

"We want to remind our existing customers of the commitment we have to ensuring they maximise their investment in our products by offering excellent after sales service, training and support from our base here in the UK," states Glyn O'Donoghue, Ambersphere's managing director.

"At the same time, we want to reach out to those rental and production companies who may never have thought MA and Clay Paky products were accessible to t

UK - Audio visual specialist QAV has announced its purchase of an L-Acoustics Kiva Kilo line array system to add to its rental department's already substantial stock.

The company, based in a custom built HQ in Cambridgeshire, works with clients in the UK, Europe and worldwide, primarily in the corporate events and conferences market, with audiences ranging from 100 to 2000 attendees. Co-founder and director Ed Noble comments,"We were looking for a modular line source system capable of handling larger corporate events. The fact that Kiva Kilo is modular means we can use the system in a wide range of event situations."

The L-Acoustics system, he adds, was chosen after trialling several similar line array products. "We were very impressed with the overall quality of the Kiva Kilo system. Its clarity of sound as well as the quick and efficient rigging system were th

The Netherlands - TM Audio has completed a major audio upgrade at the GelreDome arena in Arnhem, the Netherlands, replacing the original amplification and control network. Nearly 70 Powersoft 3904 two-channel 1U amplifiers now drive the GelreDome's main audio system, with a new MediaMatrix NION system in control.

In the 13 years since it opened as one of the Netherlands' premiere multipurpose venues, GelreDome has hosted events from the Euro 2000 tournament to the annual Symphonica in Ross. Seating up to 35,000 for concerts, this versatile arena's dual design as a football arena also makes it the 26,000-capacity home of Dutch premier league football club Vitesse. Event specialists The Production Factory act as technical consultants for shows playing in the GelreDome, as they did during its original design phase.

Those 13 years had taken their toll on the original PA sys

UK - LEE Filters has announced that its new website is now live. "The site is the result of extensive research undertaken with lighting professionals to find out exactly what our customers want from our website," the company says. "The feedback we got played a crucial part in the design, navigation and content of the site. We hope you like the improvements that we have made and that the site becomes an invaluable working tool for you."

(Lee Baldock)

UK - "Kids are used to the high production values of Lady Gaga. You can't fob them off with something else." So says Suzi Digby, internationally renowned choral director and conductor explaining her innovative new scheme, Vocal Futures, which she hopes will prove that youngsters from any background can form a life-long bond with classical music.

To prove the point, Vocal Futures recently created their first production, a staged version of Bach's St Matthew Passion performed in Ambika P3 - an old concrete laboratory in the University of Westminster on the Marylebone Road in Central London - featuring actors, singers including opera star Sir Willard White, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment plus 300 young Londoners aged between 16 and 22 who not only attended performances but also recorded a 'virtual choir' for the production.

Tasked with br

UK - London's Harold Pinter Theatre, formerly the Comedy Theatre, had retained its original wooden grid and manual hemp flying system for over a century. The intervening years had taken their toll on the grid, with heavy steel-framed sets and moving lights causing major operational challenges for the theatre staff.

In 2009, the theatre's owners, Ambassador Theatre Group, commissioned Theatreplan consultants to prepare a detailed report on the existing flying system, and to suggest a new support arrangement to accommodate modern scenery loads. The task was complicated because of the presence of six large early wooden drum and shaft mechanisms, which had been listed; English Heritage and Westminster City Council wanted them to be retained.

Theatreplan produced a comprehensive 'heritage' report, a service in which Theatreplan's partner Roger Fox specialises. He said: "We stu

UK - When Brixton Academy was built in art deco style during the cinema boom of the late 1920s, it never expected to be hosting high-octane rock bands like American supergroup, Chickenfoot (led by former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar).

Within this Grade II-listed building ghosts of its cinema past remain, and the bulging balcony fascia has proved the downfall of many a sound system, returning the fire power off the stage, and bouncing the sound waves back at the band.

But Martin Audio was able to pull off a rare feat when their Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array (MLA) made its debut there (via Capital Sound). To the amazement of FOH engineer Michael 'Ace' Baker, Martin Audio's Jason Baird and system tech, Mark Edwards, simply notched out this chunk of the coverage pattern in the dedicated optimisation software.

"Chickenfoot is one of the loudest bands that have played th

UK - When the Royal Opera House installed Unison architectural lighting control for the stage and side stage areas as part of the original 1999 refurbishment, it was recognised that lighting control systems will be eventually replaced as new and better products are developed. When senior lighting manager Nick Ware and his team members decided it was due for replacement, they looked first at the updated version of the product: Unison Paradigm.

Lighting systems Manager Paul Hornsby explains, "The system has remained on 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the last 11 years, and has served us well. But it was time to consider replacing it.

"We talked to colleagues at other venues across the country, doing extensive research into the systems they were using and discussing whether a different system might serve our needs better, but always came back to ETC's updated arch

Reasons To Be Cheerful - The UK music industry is celebrating after the Live Music Bill passed its third reading and report stage in the House Of Commons. The Bill, introduced by Lib Dem Peer Tim Clement-Jones and promoted in the Commons by Bath MP Don Foster, should now proceed to Royal Assent.

As a result, small venues wanting to host live music events will no longer need a local authority entertainment licence - cutting bureaucracy and expense, and making it easier for pubs and clubs to host live performances.

Jo Dipple, acting chief executive of UK Music, the UK commercial music industry's umbrella body, said, "This is a great day for music. The Live Music Bill will make a real and positive difference to lives of musicians. There is no doubt that the current Licensing Act has created needless layers of bureaucracy - making it complicated and expensive for pubs and oth

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