UK - Carving out an impressive reputation through the contribution of its graduates inter alia to the games and visual effects industries, Bournemouth University on the UK's south coast expanded its Talbot Campus last year to include new lecture and seminar facilities. Kimmeridge House, as the new building is known, accommodates 300 and 70 seater lecture halls as well as a number of seminar rooms belonging to the university's excellent Media and Design School.

To meet the challenging requirement profile and acoustics above all of the main lecture hall, specialists from GV Multimedia were called in to design and install the audio and video systems, with the company's Exeter branch performing the installation. It was a tricky task, of the kind that end either in plaudits or brickbats, with the interior architecture of the hall posing the first problem. "The main lecture hall

Denmark - Lighting designer Kasper Christiansen of VisuaLies has used Clay Paky Shotlight Washes and Alpha Profile 1500s to delight the fans of pioneering punk band Sort Sol on its recent Danish tour.

"I prefer simple but powerful lighting solutions," says Christiansen. "The backbone of my rig comprised Clay Paky Shotlights and Clay Paky Alpha Profile 1500s and, for a relatively small lamp count, we achieved a really big outcome."

The Clay Paky luminaires were supplied by AED Rent, Belgium to local Denmark rental operation Victory Tour Productions, which then supplied these and the rest of the lighting equipment for the tour.

Christiansen's dynamic concept manipulates almost every characteristic of the Shotlight and Alpha Profile 1500 luminaires to deliver a hard hitting, dramatic design. The striking force of Christiansen's lighting works hand in glove w

France - Approaching 100 years of hosting football matches, Le Stade de la Route de Lorient in Rennes made the decision to install a robust complement of 64 Meyer Sound loudspeakers -making it the first major stadium in France to boast a complete Meyer Sound self-powered audio reinforcement system.

With seating for more than 31,000, the stadium is the home of the top tier league Stade Rennais Football Club. The structure has undergone several renovations since it was inaugurated in 1912, with the last major reconstruction in 2004. Unfortunately, the sound system installed at that time proved difficult to maintain and inadequate for the demands of today's high-energy incidental music and video soundtracks.

Spectaculaires, a diversified event technology company based near Rennes, was called in to consult on a system that would improve coverage and reliability, supply power and b

UK - Black Light has helped commission the lighting for Bradford's City Park, the UK's largest urban water feature. The Park was designed by Gillespies and Arup on behalf of Bradford Council and was officially opened in March. It features a 4,000sq.m mirror pool and the UK's tallest urban fountain which reaches a spectacular 100ft. A wide range of lighting elements has been incorporated into the development to deliver a 'playful' night-time environment and to also aid navigation around the park.

"We were very excited to be involved in this nationally-important project," says Phil Haldane, Black Light's head of development, who explains that the company's technicians programmed the advanced eCue Lighting Control Engine that interfaces between the project's various elements. "This work shows our technical expertise at system programming and the way we can slot in as

UK - Robe LEDWash 600 moving lights were used by lighting designer Tom Kinane to highlight the set of the latest series of the BBC's popular quiz show Pointless, recorded in Studio 8 of the BBC TV Centre in west London, UK.

The 22 LEDWashes - supplied by Kent based rental company Automated - were all located on the floor at the back of the set, and illuminated an eye-catching collection of flown fabric sails, which were an integral part of Dominic Tolfts' set design. They shaped and defined the overall space in which the action took place. This consisted of four teams of two people striving to score the least points to win a daily cash prize!

Kinane switched to using Robe's Robin 600 LEDWash future for this show mid-way through the last series. The results were exactly what he wanted, so he stayed with the same winning formula for this one, which saw three episodes a da

USA - Located in Merrimack, New Hampshire, Prosound Worx is a sound company specialising in live theatre. Owner Rich Loomer found an insightful solution to the uncertainties of traditional wireless with XD-V digital wireless systems by Line 6.

"I had the opportunity to try Line 6 digital wireless last year and never looked back," says Loomer. "I have a rack of 14 bodypack systems - eight V70s and six of the new V75 model - and they've been outstanding. In fact, we just won Best Community Sound Design at the New Hampshire Theatre Awards, for a show called The Dinosaur Musical that we staged with the Peacock Players at the Court Street Theatre in Nashua last fall. Line 6 was a big part of our success."

Having worked southern New Hampshire's active theatrescene for about six years, Loomer is well acquainted with the critical nature of wireless on stage.

France - Located in the Natural Park of Vercors (France) at the foot of the high Presles cliffs, Grottes de Choranche owe their worldwide reputation to their renowned, extremely beautiful 'soda straws', a kind of very thin and fragile stalactite made of limestone, whose formation is caused by an exceptionally rare phenomenon.

Carved by hydro-chemical and hydraulic erosion, these beautiful caves were cut into a massive karst (limestone outcrop) by underground streams and now offer a breathtaking view made up of natural subterranean rivers and emerald lakes, cascades, caves and cavities, labyrinths of tunnels, primitive rock formations, serpentines and, of course, the many soda straws clusters. During the guided tour it is also possible to see the olm, an early form of amphibian survived since the age of the dinosaurs.

Discovered in 1871, the Chorance caves had been lit up with

UK - Lab.gruppen and Lake have announced details of a new training and certification programme being launched next month.

Taking place initially in the UK in conjunction with Adlib Solutions - with plans to expand the reach to other Lab.gruppen and Lake Centres of Excellence around the world - the programme is designed to introduce key aspects of Lab.gruppen and Lake technologies and develop user familiarity with the companies' industry-leading tour sound hardware and software platforms. The modular course is aimed at freelance engineers, tour/install system designers, theatre sound designers and tour system engineers.

The programme kicks off with the one-day introductory 'Level 1' Certification course, being held at Adlib's facility in Liverpool on 19 and 20 April. Participants will be introduced to the core essentials of Lake & Lab.gruppen technology as well as gaining compl

UK - Experienced end-to-end content and systems providers, tsg Media are increasingly finding the combination of BSS Soundweb London DSP and Crown amplification a winning one, as they seek packaged audio solutions that are both dependable and intuitive for their customers in the bar, restaurant, retail and leisure sectors.

The Midlands based company recently completed a prestigious fit-out, aided by these premium audio tools, supplied by Harman Professional's UK and Eire distributors, Sound Technology.

As part of a £7m redevelopment of the food court at Meadowhall Centre, Sheffield, into the rebranded Oasis Dining Quarter, tsg Media were introduced to help the operators accommodate a greater number of dining experiences tied into a branded integrated design, around the main central circular area.

The brief to tsg media operations director, Ivan Marsden, was to vastly i

UK - Army bands regularly perform for UK troops stationed around the world, and the Royal Military School Of Music (RMSM) has now invested in portable HK Audio Elements PA systems to loan out to groups and accompany them on their travels to some of the world's most inhospitable places.

Elements is compact, lightweight, practically cable-free, sets up in seconds. Using just six individual components, or 'elements', a system for anything from a small conference PA, to a full band stage rig can be configured - ideal for the RMSM's needs in the field.

London-based Just Sound supplied RMSM with the Elements system, which will operate and loan the equipment to the British Army's bands performing around the globe. The rig will be used in dangerous hotspots - such as Helmand province in Afghanistan - where army bands play to military audiences in operating bases all over the area.

J

UAE - High End Systems has confirmed the appointment of TechnoPro LLC as its exclusive Middle East distribution partner. TechnoPro will provide sales, support, service and training for High End Systems' full range of Wholehog lighting consoles, automated and digital lighting products."We are planning for this year to launch a series of training seminars on the Wholehog series consoles, the Axon Media Server, and the new Technospot and intellaspot fixtures," said TechnoPro CEO Nabil Bourgeili. "Our goal is to help professionals and to create more certified technicians in the region as well as assisting customers to understand the finest details of High End Systems technologies."TechnoPro celebrated this year its 10th Anniversary of professional accomplishments in the world of audio, visual, lighting and technical events production. "We have High End System

The Netherlands - White Villa, a leading independent production unit, has recently upgraded its production facilities at its headquarters the Netherlands. The newly refurbished studio features a Genelec DSP system with the 8260A monitor ensuring first class results for the many top acts which use the studios for mixing and recording.

Founded in 1997 by John Dirne, White Villa (part of White Villa Entertainment) began life as a small business but has grown to become a dynamic, successful recording company with many hits to its name in almost every thinkable style. Based atEdein the centre of theNetherlands, White Villa has four control rooms and two studios and a hospitality bar area with private pool. Audio consultant, Jan Morel of Morel Muziek chose the 8260A as the main monitor to complement the SSL duality console and other leading edge equipment.

"The 8260A was the pe

USA - Mankin Media Systems (MMS) of Franklin, Tennessee helped Chattanooga's Silverdale Baptist Church find a cost-effective lighting solution for the renovation of existing space into a 2,000-seat auditorium, which includes integration of 15 Aledin 85-watt LED profile spots from Robert Juliat.

Initially, the church planned a new auditorium, but when funding shortfalls required significant budget cutbacks MMS was tasked with figuring out how to retrofit its lighting design into a room that could be renovated. MMS worked with structural engineers to design a catwalk to add lighting capabilities to the pre-existing space while lowering the ceiling for a more intimate feel. The main challenge remained, however: a limit on the electrical supply to the facility since the cost of increasing power capacity to the room would be enormous. Power consumption therefore became a major consid

USA - Woodberry Forest School, situated on the banks of the Rapidan River near Charlottesville, Virginia, is an historic boy's prep school situated on 1200 acres of land that once belonged to General William Madison, the brother of President James Madison.

Using Technomad advanced audio solutions, the school has upgraded sound systems in two athletic facilities in alignment with campus-wide building preservation efforts.

Onyx Audio Visual, a Virginia-based IT consulting company with expertise in audio/video, network infrastructure and lighting, designed and integrated the new sound systems. The company chose a Technomad Turnkey PA System to bring multiple loudspeakers and all required signal processing systems together into a single, integrated solution.

The complete system, deployed in a 70-volt configuration to accommodate lengthy cable runs across four zones, reproduces i

Nigeria - Until recently, most TV channels across Africa were run by underfunded national broadcasters who aired only low quality programming. But things are slowly changing. Increasingly wealthy citizens are experiencing far better TV standards when they travel abroad and then demanding better when they get home. Many are investing in wide screen TVs and personal video recorders; and are wondering why they can't also have HD.

None of the free to air broadcasters transmit in HD, so, along with a few other subscription based stations, Supersport Africa - part of a continent-wide subscription TV network owned by a division of Multichoice International Holdings (MIH) - decided to fill the vacuum.

Multichoice converted a warehouse in Lagos, Nigera, into three TV studios as part of a 'fast-track' project to create an HD broadcast facility using a range of ETC lighting, dimming and

Germany / UAE - For more than 25 years German company LOBO has been delivering stunning laser shows - and wowing visitors to PALME Middle East since its inception in 2003.

As technology has improved these spectaculars have become increasingly advanced, and this year the specialists will present one of their most advanced showcases yet.

CREOS is the name of their eight-minute long sci-fi multimedia show, which will integrate multi-layered video and water screens with LOBO's award winning Sparks lasers and many special effects.

"This show production is a technological milestone in multimedia entertainment due to its sophisticated combination of real video, computer-generated imagery and lasers," promises LOBO creative director, Alexander Hennig.

Hennig himself directed the LOBO creative team, incorporating laser animations, laser 3D effects, green screen stu

UK - Impact, the trade distribution company for sound, lighting and staging, has opened six new UK branches to cope with countrywide demand for the brands it represents. The new branches, in Park Royal (north London), Belvedere (south London), Glasgow, Edinburgh, Preston and Poole, were rolled out in quick succession from late 2011, allowing Impact, headquartered in Northampton, to easily cover the entire country.

"We are demonstrating an unprecedented level of service to the industry by providing a high level of stock holding and customer support, which together have driven a rapid growth in sales," says Impact MD Grant Lester. "Installers, hire companies and retailers now realise it's possible to have low prices and great service, both from the same trade distributor. We're looking forward to an exciting period ahead, for Impact and its customers."

Each n

UK - To promote the UK launch of the new VR-3 Audio Mixer and Video Switcher at the recent Broadcast Video Expo (Earls Court, Feb 2012), Roland Systems Group gave away a brand new VR-3 at the show. All of the visitors to the stand who requested a personal demonstration of the VR-3 were entered into a prize draw - and the winner was Tony Miles, video producer at the Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU).

After spotting the VR-3 in action on the RSG stand, 'a light went on' in Tony's mind as he realised this looked like the perfect web streaming solution for the university, and particularly for use in its new £75m Business School. The Business School will play a key part in the university, hosting a number of high profile lectures and seminars which the university would like to share with a wider audience by streaming live to the internet. After a demonstration of the cap

USA - Flightcase and loudspeaker solutions specialist Penn-Elcom continued its support of the Breast Cancer Awareness fundraising initiative started by Janal Cases - a Case for the Cure - at the NAMM 2012 trade convention in Anaheim, southern California.

Janal cases - a long term and highly valued Penn Elcom customer - raised over $1150.00 with special signed T-shirts.

The Case For The Cure T-Shirts were signed on the Penn Elcom booth at NAMM by a selection of stars who were lined up by Janal Cases, including legendary funk bassist Bootsy Collins, Kelly Hansen of rockers Foreigner, drum addict Ya'el Biz, pop-rock band Hero's Last Mission and Canadian alternative actress and performer Molly Parker.

For a two hour slot on the second day of the exhibition, these T's were available from the stand for a donation to the Case for the Cure campaign of $10.00 .

A crew of Janal Case

Beatlemania - Let it Be, a tribute show to The Beatles, will open in the West End this September. The show - a new version of Rain, which ran on Broadway in 2010/11 - will run at the Prince of Wales Theatre for a limited season from 14 September 2012 until 19 January. The Prince of Wales is where The Beatles played a Royal Variety Performance in 1963 and the show will mark 50 years since the band's first single Love Me Do. It is the first time that the grand theatrical rights to The Beatles' back catalogue have been granted by Sony/ATV for a West End production.

No Show - The Sonisphere rock festival has been cancelled, organisers have confirmed. A web statement said they had fought hard to keep it going but that "a very challenging year" meant the event wouldn't have satisfied fans and the artists. The event was to take place at Knebworth P

UK - Entertainment lighting specialist White Light supplied equipment and support services to Mr Dickens and the Actors, the recent production marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens held at London's Guildhall and attended by The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

The event featured some of Britain's leading actors - including Sir Derek Jacobi, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Bond, Stephanie Cole, Matthew Kelly and Samantha Spiro as well as performers from the Chicken Shed theatre company - performing some of Dickens' most memorable characters, from novels including Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby. The event was held in support of the Royal Theatrical Fund, of which the Queen is patron.

White Light was brought in to help with the project by Peter Roberts and lighting designer Alistair Grant, to provide both a lighting rig to transform

USA - Following the outstanding response from Le Mark's recent LDI exhibition, export manager Matt Every returned to even more success on his follow up visit to the States this month. Set to gain eight new distributors in the little over two months with more imminently expected, the US is a rapidly growing market for Le Mark's export team.

"From first stop at the Total Structures training and event day in L.A. through to the final visit in NYC, the welcome I received was far beyond my expectations," says Le Mark's Matt Every. "All our distributors have been working so effectively to promote our range and have provided excellent feedback for our US research and development team.

"The combination of LDI and my return visit has created a huge leap in our attempts to make Le Mark Group and our range of products better known in the US. It's been our Dirty Rigger

UK - Italian acoustic specialist dBTechnologies will present its new UK sales team at the forthcoming PLASA Focus in Leeds. Products to be exhibited are the highlights of the DVA series, including its largest line array module DVA T12 and the active subwoofer DVA S30N, alongside the three Flexsys FM stage monitors and the brand new Cromo 15+ from the recently launched Cromo+ range.

The dBTechnologies team will be welcoming visitors at S-D29 this year with the help of newest recruits, David Finlay and Reuben McCartney. Finlay is responsible for the north of England having gained many years of valuable experience in retail and pro audio business. McCartney is based in the south of England, and has a wide knowledge in retail, pro audio and the recording industry.

A step up the evolutionary ladder from the successful T4 module, DVA T12 is special in its class, providing more power

UK - Production Lighting, training and safety services supplier MattLX has announced a new website at www.mattlx.com. Launched to coincide with the release of the company's new lighting services brochure, the complimentary web design is easier to navigate and reaffirms an ongoing commitment to provide customers with relevant and accurate information.

Creative and managing director, Matt Clutterham said, "Since the company was formed in 2006, we have been lighting some of the biggest and brightest shows and events in the UK and abroad and we thought it was about time we reflected that in our web site. We are sure it provides a better insight into what we do, how we approach it and how our design focus, work ethics, attention to detail and theatrical flair make us stand out from the crowd.

"Apart from lighting one of the key features of the site is the extensive traini

Latest Issue. . .