UK - In one of the biggest comebacks of recent times, the Stone Roses chose to work with lighting designer Paul Normandale to design a light and video show to complement their highly anticipated reunion tour this summer.

Amongst other fixtures sharing the stage with the Mancunian band were Clay Paky Sharpys, with the entire show being controlled by the grandMA2 full-size.

"The Stone Roses are a band that focuses on the impact of the music, rather than big production going on around them, and so our challenge was to create a light show that doesn't overwhelm the music but allows the audience, and the band to 'feel' the lighting design connecting to the music," noted grandMA2 programmer Glen Johnson of Lite Alternative.

"We would describe the Stone Roses show as a 'busk show' - it isn't completely pre-programmed. Using the grandMA2 allowed Paul [Normandale] to r

UK - Devon- based drapes, starcloth, LED and visual effects specialists S+H Technical Support has supplied 8000sq.m of its ShowLED Animation curtain to the new series of Sky's popular dating games show, Love Machine, currently being recorded at Pinewood Studios.

The Animation curtain was specified by set designer Patrick Doherty, for whom S+H have supplied many other projects, including the inaugural series of Love Machine last year.

It is being used to wrap around the entire back of the set and create spectacular patterns, texturing and other ambient effects - for which is it a highly cost effective solution.

S + H is also supplying a substantial quantity of its ShowLED Chameleon RGB Starcloth to the series, which is being utilised to mask around the back of the live audience.

The package is completed with a selection of black drapes.

In combination, all t

Italy - Sting headlined the Italian debut of Adamson's Energia E15 system in Italy at the 2012 Umbria Jazz festival in Perugia.

The system was provided by Lombardi SLR, the first full service hire company in Italy to purchase E15's and join the growing global team of Energia rental companies. Based in Termoli, located on the Adriatic Sea, Lombardi carries a sizable existing Adamson inventory of Y18, Y10, T21 Sub, SpekTrix, Metrix, M15 & M215 monitors.

Historically Lombardi has worked with some of the biggest names in Italian touring including Gigi D'alessio, Anna Tatangelo, and provided sound production for high profile events such as Umbria Jazz & Notte Della Taranta.

Reference Laboratory is in charge of all audio production at Umbria and turned to Cristiano Grassini, Lombardi FOH and systems engineer to take the lead as the head of sound on the main stage - Arena Santa Giu

Spain - With any festival, reliable systems are of paramount importance, but when it's the San Sebastian International Jazz Festival (Jazzaldia), then clarity and power are also big concerns.

This event saw some of the finest musicians in the jazz world take to the various stages, with Spanish company Soinua relying on its collection of Lab.gruppen amplifiers to provide the power and musicality required.

A total of 14 PLM 10000Q's were used on the main PA, which powered a rig featuring Electrovoice X-Line, with a mixture of Xvls, Xvlt and Xsubs. The monitor duties were handled by a further six PLM 10000Q's.

"We have around 30 Lab.gruppen amplifiers in our inventory," said Jorge De La Torre, owner of Soinua. "The reason we chose to invest in that technology is because we wanted to tool to unify all of our systems and improve the overall quality of the audio. Si

Brazil - With the annual TV show Criança Esperança (Child Hope) Brazil's biggest TV channel TV Globo collects funds to support social projects assisting children's development across the whole country. This project started in 1986 and has to date collected over 200m Reals (100m USD).

In the past, lighting for the show - staged in Rio de Janeiro's HSBC Arena this year - was controlled using a grandMA series 1 console. However this moved to two grandMA2 light for 2012 with two MA NPU (Network Processing Unit) and four MA 2Port Node onPC PRO.

Lighting designer and director of Spectrum Design e Iluminaçao Marcos Olivio commented, "The grandMA2 system was chosen a long time ago. As most shows we are working on are DVD shoots, live and corporate events, the system has to be flexible and stable. The real time control, the easy and comfortable programming and overall fu

Denmark - Having recently been awarded a contract to relay 300 Superliga football matches over the next three years, Danish event and television production specialist dbLux has taken delivery of a new outside broadcast truck, complete with a DiGiCo SD10B digital console.

The Superliga is Denmark's top football league, featuring 12 teams who play each other three times during the season. The teams finishing in the top four places at the end of the season gain places in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, so competition between the comparatively small number of clubs is fierce.

In order to fulfil this, along with other outside broadcast and music production tasks, a new 10 camera HD truck was built by Avit Systems A/S, who also installed all the technical equipment and infrastructure. Built to conform with EBU R128 loudness standards, the truck's SD10B was supplied by D

UK - displayLED will open their inaugural showroom this September, featuring the latest in innovative LED displays from leading manufacturers.

The Pixel Depot; a state of the art showroom and industry resource designed to be 'Europe's most comprehensive collection of LED video displays', will be launched pre-PLASA. Open days are being held on 4 and 5 September from 10am-4pm at the company's headquarters near Dorking, Surrey (UK), with anyone interested in finding out more about LED technology welcome.

"Our experts have scoured the world and tested products, including the latest technology from China, to find the most innovative, effective and user-friendly options currently on the market," explains Managing Director Graham Burgess. "Recognising the growth of LED technology and the wide choice available to customers, The Pixel Depot will provide a unique opportun

Chile - Stampede Presentation Products, Inc. recently helped Lumina Motion construct a stunning 10,000sq.ft video display on the facade of a round building in Santiago, Chile by providing the ideal equipment and precise development insight needed.

The AV team at Lumina Motion was tasked with creating an exciting and memorable product launch for Nokia's new Lumia 800 smartphone, and they succeeded by "working with Stampede to utilise the best technology, share industry know-how and ensure patient attention to every technical detail."

According to Lumina Motion owner Gonzalo de la Barra: "We at Lumina Motion know that when you're producing a live event, everything has to be perfect. Stampede knows this too, which is why they recommended the eight Christie Full HD projectors and Geffen Fiber Optic cables to produce over 10,000 square feet of HD video display with p

Australia - As part of the new Darling Quarter precinct and in a collaborative effort between Lend Lease and Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA), a new state of the art children's theatre and performance space has been created. Lend Lease and SHFA jointly selected Monkey Baa Theatre Company as the resident company for the new Lend Lease Darling Quarter Theatre. The venue houses the company's office, as well as facilitating rehearsals and performances.

The theatre is the only purpose-built performance space for children in Australia and the first major addition to Sydney's arts infrastructure since Carriageworks, which opened in Redfern in 2007.

The technical fit out of the theatre is a turnkey project Jands completed in partnership with The PA People. Rob Mitchell of RTM International was the theatre consultant engaged by Lend Lease.

An ETC Ion 1000 console with radio

UK / Spain - LS-Live has created a custom triple size DJ booth to boost the visual performance of A-list DJs for live music/dance hotel brand Ibiza Rocks.

Unveiled at new electronic dance night We Are Rockstars (W.A.R!), which kicked of the summer season of events on 8 June, the performance platform is a pioneering adaptation of the LiteConsole product which is used by Zane Lowe and Magnetic Man, who said it would "work perfectly". Example & DJ Wire, Major Lazer and Doorly also enjoyed playing on the console on the opening night.

The 3m long DJ booth features a front wall of LED panels, which from an audience perspective, merges visually with the big LED screen behind the DJ meaning the artist become immersed in the show.

Said Ibiza Rocks group director of live events, Mike Darling, "The custom console gives DJs at the two venues a great visual presence

UK - CarFest South, the motoring and music festival organised by DJ Chris Evans and former Formula One World Champion Jody Scheckter was a sell-out success raising an estimated £750,000 for BBC Children in Need.

Organisers approached Steve Gosling of 24 Acoustics to give guidance on noise control at the event. Gosling created noise prediction models for the site and drafted in entertainment noise specialist Richard Vivian of Big Sky Acoustics to assist with real-time event monitoring. Together they co-ordinated the noise monitoring and control activities over the two day event ensuring offsite noise levels complied with the strict limits stipulated in the licence.

The main music stage hosted an impressive line up of live music performances including The Feeling, Texas, The Magic Numbers and Razorlight as well as regular DJ slots from Chris Evans and the final of the all

Sweden - Ranking among the coolest venues in the world, Dalhalla is located in a 60m deep former limestone quarry, seven kilometres north of beautiful Lake Siljan and the town of Rättvik in central Sweden.

The 4000 capacity open air theatre was opened in 1995 and presents a summer season of around 30 performances - from operatic and choral works to full on rock 'n' roll.

This year's festival production lighting design by Anders 'Hebbe' Herbertzon from High Voltage Designs includes Robe MMXs and LEDWash 600s which were recently purchased by locally based lighting rental company Park Brothers, and delivered by Robe's Swedish distributor, Bellalite.

Hebbe has lit the Dalhalla Summer Season for Park Brothers for the last three years - also using Robes - including ColorWash 1200E ATs and ColorSpot 2500 and 700E ATs.

The Dalhalla design is based on two 17.6m long trusses hung u

World - Lady Gaga's Born This Way Ball world tour is the third concert tour supporting her second studio album, Born This Way. The show clocks in at two and a half hours with 23 songs split into five acts. The stage is modelled on a medieval Gothic castle featuring viewing towers, intricate carvings and a large catwalk allowing audience interaction.

The lighting design is by Patrick Woodroffe with Mac Mosier out on tour as lighting director. The rig is a self-contained Upstaging production that includes about 270 moving lights and multiple LED fixtures - all controlled by a grandMA2 full-size. "There's quite an assortment of fixtures in the rig, many of them dictated by the amount of space we have," explains Mac Mosier.

Using the grandMA2 on this tour has been quite a learning curve for Mosier who particularly likes the way the console is laid out. &quo

South Africa - Proaudio, a leading supplier of professional audio and DJ products has been nominated as the new distributor for RCF in South Africa.

"We are immensely proud that RCF chose Proaudio todistribute its product in South Africa" says Proaudio CEO Joss Pack."RCF has pioneered many of the innovations now recognised and used in professional audio products, and the distribution network with Proaudio will continue to offer customers complete support and technical back up in South Africa.

We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship both with RCF and its loyal dealer base in South Africa."

Notable products for the South African market include the NXSeries, D-Line, TT Touring and Theatre as well as their Art Series - a multi-purpose active speaker range.

(Jim Evans)

Precis of Subject:

This session will discuss which methodologies are best suited to ensure that the mixes we hear before giving the "thumbs up" are appropriate to the various media, including radio, CDs, compressed music file web-outlets (i.e. iTunes and BandCamp). We promise that you will leave this one hour presentation with some fine food for thought, and the urge to get back to your rigs and to experiment!

Speaker(s):

Elliott Randall (Steely Dan; producer & musician), Wes Maebe (recording/mastering engineer), Andy Munro (acoustician, studio monitor design), and Dave Harries (studio designer - for Sir George Martin's Air Studios and Mark Knopfler's British Grove Studios)

presented by: APRS
Sunday 9 September, 12.30pm - 1.30pm

To book this session and check out other session in the programme,

If you want to grab a piece of Olympic memorabilia, make your way to the PLASA Bar from 6pm on Monday 10 September. Robe, who are having their own tenth birthday party this year are continuing to celebrate the popular 'Working With Winners' theme by hosting the auction of an Olympic torch during the PLASA Awards for Innovation. All the proceeds will be donated to Light Relief, the charity established to support, either practically or financially, those in the entertainment lighting industry who experience extreme hardship through no fault of their own - don't miss this once in a lifetime opportunity!

The torch, 800mm high with a stylish conical design and featuring an attractive shiny gold finish, will be on display on the Robe Stand Hall 1 F47 on Sunday and Monday of the exhibition for all to admire.

A professional auctioneer will be on hand to conduct the proceedings and help find

UK - Black Light has been part of the team that has been working on the new Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow. This building, named in tribute to the athlete, is one of the most significant new sports venues in the UK.

"The project highlights our ability to work on high-profile projects that demand exceptional levels of performance," says Phil Haldane, Black Light's head of business development. "It also demonstrates our ability to work with consultants to deliver projects to strict cost specifications."

Black Light was commissioned by the building's electrical contractor FES to deliver and install an LED architectural lighting system to illuminate the building's facade. This lighting scheme was designed by Arup, the consultant for the project, and utlises 60 Traxon Technologies Wall Wash LED fittings and eCue control systems. It allows the exterior of the

UK - German manufacturer of loudspeaker systems and electronics for sound reinforcement, AD-Systems, has entered into an agreement with pro audio distributor POLARaudio.

POLARaudio has been appointed to handle the full range of AD-Systems products in the UK and will be responsible for sales, technical support and service for both existing and new customers. AD-Systems is mainly known as manufacturer of loudspeakers, but is expanding its field of amplifier technology, with developments to be announced in the near future.

AD-Systems will launch the new Impulse NT-4 system amplifier at the PLASA show, comprising "groundbreaking DSP, control and matrix opportunities including remote options via iPad, iPhone or laptop".

POLARaudio CEO John Midgley commented, "After meeting the AD-Systems team at their very impressive demonstration and logistics centre on the German

Web News - The long-running legal dispute between the producers of the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark and the show's director Julie Taymor has been tentatively settled, it has been announced.

After winding its way through the courts for almost a year, and with a trial date set for early 2013, the case, currently in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, was ordered terminated by Judge Katherine B. Forrest, with each side to pay its own legal costs.

However, any of the litigating parties has the option of reopening the matter with written notice to the court within the next 60 days. Specific terms of the settlement have not yet been disclosed.

Spider-Man had been plagued by numerous production problems since it opened, including cost overruns, injuries to performers, a continually extended preview period, and wide

Poland - A recent company restructure by the Polish manufacturer of Preceptor and Compactor (analogue Zener compressor/limiters) has resulted in the emergence of Gem Audio Labs, a new company/brand name that replaces the former Generic Audio.

The Wroclaw-based company first released its pure analogue, two-channel stereo/dual mono Preceptor during 2010. Nominated for several awards by industry publications, Preceptor was joined by a smaller sibling, Compactor, in 2011. All the company's products are assembled and calibrated by hand using the highest quality components, a factor that has led to rapid recognition of their sonic performance and build quality. The units are also equipped with classic user interfaces designed for intuitive and convenient operation. The series currently comprises the 3U Preceptor A and Preceptor T and the 2U Compactor.

In addition to re-branding, the

UK - Community continued the successful track record of its high power R-Series loudspeakers with around 230 systems installed at multiple venues for the London 2012 Olympics, including the Handball Arena, Basketball Arena, Water Polo Centre, Aquatic Centre, Outdoor Water Sports Centre and the Main Olympic Stadium.

The 22 models in the R-Series range provide a comprehensive choice of throw distances and coverage patterns and are used outdoors, from theme parks like Disneyland to the flood warning system of the city of Venice, and indoors at large convention centres and airports.

The five models deployed at the London 2012 Olympic venues were the R2, R1, R.5, R.5COAX and R.25, configured with a variety of dispersion patterns to provide the coverage each location required. The long-throw R2 is a powerful three-way system, comprising dual 12-inch LF drivers, 2-inch M200 midrange

Thailand - Bangkok-based JSS Production Company has become the first L-Acoustics K1/Kudo rental network agent in South East Asia. JSS is one of Thailand's largest live event production companies, founded more than 25 years ago by industry expert Jack Jesada Pattanatabut.

The system purchased by JSS consists of 48 K1 WST line source loudspeakers, 24 K1-SB and 24 SB28 subwoofers, 36 Kudo and 12 Kara cabinets and 18 LA-RAKs. Members of JSS' audio team underwent a training session for the systems in August 2012 with certified trainer, Alvin Koh.

"We are very pleased to have this new system," says JSS director Bob Samithisawad. "Our team is very excited and can't wait to get it out on the road once the training is over. We are confident that this new system will be very much appreciated by our clients, not only in Thailand, but also around South East Asia, since we a

UK - Always up for a party, Artistic Licence will be getting out its glad rags on 9 September 2012, when it sponsors the Knight of Illumination Awards at Battersea Evolution, London.

Initiated in 2008, the Awards recognise the most remarkable achievements in lighting design across a range of UK productions, encompassing the general categories of Television, Rock and Theatre. Emphasis is placed on the individuality of the lighting designer, a 'Knight' demonstrating the shining qualities of integrity and professionalism. Selection of the Awards recipients falls to a panel of experts from the British associations of lighting designers, STLD and ALD.

Artistic Licence owner, Wayne Howell, explains the company's decision to sponsor the event. "As both manufacturer and projects integrator, our involvement with lighting design is unusually broad. From custom-building state-of-the

UK - Three years ago, entertainment lighting specialist White Light supplied lighting equipment to an innovative new production of the timeless classic Peter Pan, staged in a giant tent in London's Kensington Gardens. This summer, White Light has once again returned to the majestic Kensington Gardens, supplying lighting to a new production of another timeless classic - CS Lewis' The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

The Threesixty° production, playing until 9 September, takes the audience on the fantastical and complex journey of siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy.

Directors Rupert Goold & Michael Fentiman worked with scenic, costume, and puppetry designer Tom Scutt and lighting designer Tim Mitchell to create the magical and encompassing world of Narnia. The production, staged in the round, required versatile and powerful equipment to solve challenges u

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