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14 March 2016

"Established for 22 years and with our strong foundation, we have the distribution power to ensure we are sourcing the best products in commercial sound, lighting, visual and special effects at the best prices, which translates to greater value for our trade customers," says the company.

The Leisuretec name is synonymous with quality products and at this year's PLASA Focus the company will represent over 70 prestigious brands spanning many market sectors including installed sound, presentation and live entertainment.

"We can offer the choice and flexibility essential to your business whether you are an installer, reseller, hire or events company or other trade professional. Since last year we have added several new f

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14 March 2016

Now in its 28th year, it aims to represent the cutting edge of modern audio and acoustics in an informal environment that allows consultants, manufacturers, contractors and end users to mingle and share insights and information.

Conference chairman Paul Malpas said, "Reproduced Sound has firmly established itself as a 'must attend' event for many people from a wide background - and I am certain that this year's event will match the usual high standards.

"As well as providing delegates with invaluable updates on the latest developments across a wide range of specialist sectors, it has also become

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14 March 2016

The architects of the new extension, John McAslan and Partners, worked with Network Rail on the £500m project to create the largest single span structure in Europe, delivering a new station concourse with more than three times the space of its predecessor.

Network Rail brought in Unspun to produce the launch of the spectacular new extension. Unspun's creative team, consisting of Robert Alge as Creative/Executive Director, Glyn Peregrine as lighting designer and Julian Scott as the soundtrack composer, designed a show to highlight the dynamic meeting of the station's original 1852 brick façade, with the striking new curved steel lattice.

Peregrine worked with Dom Sh

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14 March 2016

The project was part of a free of charge city event Lux Helsinki that is organised by City of Helsinki. The event consists of a cluster of individual lighting installations ranging from the spectacle to minimalistic realizations as well as a number of fire circus performances in the centre of the Finnish capital. Energy efficiency and sustainability is a major theme and designers are also encouraged to utilize new and innovate technologies to catch the attention of the public.

Lighting designer Matti Jykylä has been fascinated by Rubik's Cube, the famous 3D mechanical puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian scul

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14 March 2016

The original technical design was prepared by The Centre for Virtual Environments at the University of Salford, and Electrosonic was awarded the contract to engineer and install the complete system, working directly for the University.

MediaCityUK, which is home to over 1,500 students, acts as a creative space designed to encourage creativity, innovation and collaboration between academics, students, professionals and the industry.

The new entrance area of the building is an elliptical space aptly called the Egg, and is described as &qu

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14 March 2016

The three-year old club had never been entirely happy with its original sound system. Brought in with the task of upgrading the system and resiting the DJ console, Cosmic Electronics opted for an RCF dancefloor solution, redeploying the existing system to peripheral bar and lounge infill duties. At the same time they carried out some digital rewiring, and placed the crystal ceiling under computerised lighting control.

"We have worked a lot with RCF over the years and it was only when we became involved in another club project

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14 March 2016

Engineer Mike Gibbard was using the PRO2 to provide monitor mixes for the choir and string section, and to send stem feeds to the band's monitor and FOH desks.

"The PRO2's a natural choice for this really," says Gibbard. "I take a band mix from the monitor desk, a dry vocal mix of Florence and a click, which I then send to the choir and string section. I have nine hardwired mixes for the choir, and I've broken up the string section into cello mix, violin mix and

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14 March 2016

Chief engineer for the SNJO, Mark McKellen, wanted to find a flexible system with a small footprint to replace the heavy desks and cables that they had to constantly move. Glasgow based hire company Sono Vie supplied the M-480, R-1000 and S-1608s on approval during October last year - and they were put to the test at the Music Hall in Aberdeen, the Queens Hall in Edinburgh and the Royal Scott

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14 March 2016

Lighting designer is Davy Sherwin, who has worked closely with Catalyst and live visuals programmer / visuals operator Robin Haddow and video director Blue Leach. The trio are collectively known as 'The Art Department' on the tour, and the ntelligently harmonised show is the result of some serious triumvirate creative chemistry.

HSL's project manager is Mike Oates. He says, "We love working with Davy and Robin and have seen the band's show and their designs take a real journey and evolution over the last few years. Each tour is always fresh in ideas and this is among the best yet."

Just as the band have explored ne

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14 March 2016

Gaetano Castelli's set was immediately christened the 'ark of music'. It consisted of a large 'space ship' that dominated the stage with surprise effects as it moved and opened. The 20m long, 9m high scenic machine was so heavy (20 tons) that preparatory reinforcement work was necessary on the structure of the Ariston Theatre. The 'musical spaceship' took three months to put together and was entirely built in Rome. The work also involved the capital's TV Production Centre. It was then taken apart and reassembled piece by piece on the stage at Sanremo.

Th

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14 March 2016

Maxi Audio technical manager Sandro Monteiro had been impressed by the DiGiCo consoles on show at InfoComm 2009 and, with sound engineers at Brazilian events asking for DiGiCo consoles, he began to investigate what would be the best option for the company.

"As a sound rental company, we need to offer the best products to our clients," he says. "The DiGiCo SD10 has fantastic sound which has the same 'colour' as that of an analogue console. The digital processing has great clarity, the preamplifiers are high quality, the workflow is straightforward and the MADI system is really useful. On top of all that, the console has a great price."

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14 March 2016

Stage Electrics will be showing an array of audio products from EM Acoustics. The company has recently become the UK dealer for this leading independent British loudspeakers manufacturer. EM Acoustics loudspeakers are often found in West End productions and on shows on Broadway. Installation versions can be found in venues as diverse as The National Theatre, Westfield Shopping Centre and The Eisenhower Hall (USA).

Other products being displayed on Stage Electrics stand this year is a display of Prolyte Trussing, the new ELC Green Go communication systems, the company's custom built Table Top Stage Managers Desk, Interspace Theatre Cue, Altair Wired & Wireless Communication System, DiGiCo's SD11 console, Pulsar's latest model of t

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14 March 2016

To ensure the designer clothing was shown at its best, lighting was given the utmost consideration. Tupac Martir, director of Satore Studio in London lit the runways at the Temperley, Björn Borg, House of Holland and Vivienne Westwood shows, amongst several others, doing all previsualization in wysiwyg.

"We use wysiwyg for all the shows, it helps tremendously when they occur so closely together," says Martir, "We actually run wysiwyg on a gaming machine at our studio with Alien Ware and two v

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14 March 2016

The latest and fourth location of Rigging Services is based at Pinewood Studios. Although supplying its services across the entire event industry, not only within TV & Film, there is a good synergy with Rigging Services and other complimentary services also operating from Pinewood.

"We are really pleased to be a part of the Pinewood community and look forward to working amongst like minded individuals," states Bob Dean - national sales manager.

From this new location Rigging Services can offer a quicker, cost effective and more local service to its clients on the west side of London. This site also allows quicker links to its other locations in the Midlands and Nor

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14 March 2016

Taking place this year on Tuesday 24 April on both sides of the Atlantic, By Design Day focuses attention on the various ways that individuals can support the two organisations that are dedicated solely to helping entertainment technology professionals in need.

Whether you prefer to make a personal donation, hold a collection at your place of work or, if you are a designer, simply support the day by voluntarily giving a day's royalties to one or both of these charities, it's the action (not the thought) that counts.

Light Relief is there for those involved in the UK lighting industry while Behind the Scenes aids professionals based in the US and Canada working in any area of the enterta

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14 March 2016

Another constant was the participation of Weilheim-based production company TC Showtechnik. This was the eighth time the company led by CEOs Martin Schulze and Stefan Rehthaler had been charged with responsibility for the sound reinforcement, both piste-side and in front of the show stage in the Kurpark.

"This year, the variations of the weather were almost beyond belief," reports Schulze. "Whe

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14 March 2016

With crowds like these, the sound reinforcement systems need to pack plenty of punch. That's why on a recent trip between Miami and the Bahamas, several systems drawn from the catalogue of D.A.S. Audio were out in full force.

Miami-based Master Sound Productions, a full service production company providing stage, sound, and lighting plus turnkey logistic management services, handles the technical aspects for Whet Travel's Groove Cruise. Frank Gonzalez, Master Sound's sales and production manager, discussed hi

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14 March 2016

The rig will be used in dangerous hot spots, such as Helmand province in Afghanistan where Army bands will play to military audiences in operating bases all over the area. The system can provide sound reinforcement for up to 600 spectators and is capable of supporting a full popular music band, including drums, bass, two guitars, keys, a horn section, vocals and backing vocals.

"iLive was chosen because it has a high channel count and large amounts of processing in an extremely compact footprint, which is lightweight and easy to

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14 March 2016

And with the push of a button, its permanently installed Meyer Sound Constellation acoustic system instantly optimizes acoustical response for both the current room configuration and the event at hand, whether a concert, conference, play, or opera.

"Constellation's effect is extremely realistic," observes Janne Auvinen, events and venue director for Logomo. "People don't actually notice the system because it is just so natural."

Logomo Hall is the centerpiece of a refurbished industrial c

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14 March 2016

British-born Pilbrow, who now lives in America, is joint founder of the Association of British Theatre Technicians, Society of Theatre Consultants, The Society of British Theatre Designers, and the Association of Lighting Designers. He has won countless awards, including the Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award in Lighting Design from the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, Association of British Theatre Technicians Technician of the Year (2000), Lighting Designer

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14 March 2016

Starting with a backstage visit to the new Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, the conference, held at Rugby School in Warwickshire, included workshops by White Light, Stage Electrics and Charcoalblue Theatre Consultants. Other exhibitors included AC Entertainment Technologies, Theatre-in-a-Box, and Tophex TheatreCom.

The STSG is a small, but established network of professional theatre technicians and managers working in UK school theatres. The biennial conference (with plans to become an annual event from next year) is the main focus of the Group, bringing together its members with suppliers and leading industry practitio

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14 March 2016

The graphics, designed by Justin Southgate of Southgate Design for Media 10, feature both horizontal and vertical 2D architectural detail, so the Unusual Rigging team recommended keeping the printed mesh fabric panels as large as possible.

The central panel is the largest, measuring 30m x 20m and weighing a total of 335kg including accessories, while the side sections are made up of three panels. The outer panels are wrapped tightly round the sides of the building, and sheeted as close to it as possible, with tight guy lines to prevent air pressure getting underneath the facade and stressin

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14 March 2016

Stembridge was asked to present ideas for the influential and critically acclaimed band's live show video early this year after they were impressed with his work on Arcade Fire. He collaborated very closely with Florence's set and lighting designer Chris Bushell, and together they evolved a fresh, interesting live visuality for the show combining both mediums to great effect.

Stembridge comments, "I've always used XL as their level of support is unsurpassable! Their approach to, and their ability to provide for the most unconventional of touring situations puts them way ahead in my opinion."

Stembridge had only a week to create the video element

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14 March 2016

Prior to the move, all staff were located at the company's warehouse facility, but with a 100% increase in staff over the past 12 months, the move ensures not just capacity for existing office staff, but also provides room for further growth.

The subsequent increase in warehouse space allows for increased stock holding of Prolyte truss and Liftket chain hoists, as well as easier test builds of rigs and equipment testing.

The postal address of Unusual Rigging and Engineering LLC remains PO Box 283586, Dubai, UAE; telephone remains +971 (0)4 885 9009, fax changes to +971 (0)4 813 5145.

(Jim Evans)