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UK - London-based rehearsal facility Music Bank has added a DiGiCo SD9 mixing console to its portfolio.

"When an engineer steps into one of our rooms, they know they will have a familiar rig that they can step up to and use straight away," says manager Jimmy Mac. "Most importantly, it has to have the most up to date features. With so many different makes and models of digital mixing desk in the industry, having a powerful machine like the SD9 and a name like DiGiCo providing support is a winning combination."

Following a training session for Music Bank's studio technicians, run by DiGiCo's Tim Shaxson, the SD9 has been used on a number of sessions, receiving a universal thumbs up from engineers.

"Everyone has commented on the desk's logical use and the freedom to fully customise the layout to fit an individual's needs," says Mac. "Being abl

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Russia - On the last day of Prolight & Sound NAMM Russia in Moscow, Artem Sagaidak from Naberezhnye, Chelny was awarded a Martin M2GO lighting console as winner of Martin's second annual Russian Lighting Designer Contest.

More than 40 participants competed in this year's contest, prompting organisers to split the competition into two rounds. During round one, participants created a light show from a music track, after which six finalists were selected. Round two was then held live at the Prolight & Sound NAMM Russia.

Contestants had at their disposal Martin MAC 101, MAC Aura and MAC Viper Profile moving heads, as well as Atomic 3000 strobes with an M1 lighting console for control. Contest rules were the same for all participants: one rig, one music track and unlimited latitude for creativity. A panel consisting of Martin executives and Russia-based Martin personnel judged the

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Israel - Completed in 1934, the synagogue of Hod HaSharon is located right in the centre of the elliptical main square of Magdiel, one of the four suburbs that merged in 1964 to establish Hod HaSharon. Since its foundation, the synagogue was considered not only the centre of Magdiel religious life, but it also housed firstly the local committee, and, subsequently, the local council. During the British mandate, the synagogue served as headquarters to the Jewish Settlement Police.

The exterior architectural structure of Magdiel synagogue is simple and square in its shape, severe and austere in its appearance, with no ostentatious decoration. Built like a fortress, the two-storey structure presents, above the entrance door, five narrow and tall windows designed in the typical Israeli international style. Above these windows there is a small gable fitted with a menorah, a nine-branc

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UK - Stage Technologies has provided an automation system for The Backstage Centre, which opened in Purfleet's High House Production Park in the spring of 2013. The Backstage Centre is to be used not only for rock and roll tour rehearsals, TV and film productions, and other professional projects, but it will also provide high calibre training for students working towards a career in technical theatre and the live music sector.

Stage Technologies has installed a fully integrated powered flying system including four flybar winches, a two line performer flying winch and four moveable point hoists with re-configurable rigging hardware for setting up complex 3D flying applications. Equipment is controlled using the latest Au:Tour equipment as well as an array of desks running eChameleon software.

Nikki Scott, managing director of Stage Technologies commented,"We are delighted

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UK - Technical solutions and rental specialist Adlib is supplying lighting, sound, rigging equipment and crew for the current Elvis Costello and The Imposters Revolver UK and European tour. It's the first time that the Liverpool based company has worked with the artist.

Adlib's account handler Phil Stoker states, "Working with someone of Elvis's stature is fantastic and production manager Milo Lewis and engineers Fern and Nathan have been great to deal with all along the way."

The format of the show is that there's no formal set list. Songs are chosen - enough to fill nearly three hours of performance - largely by audience members invited up onstage to spin a giant wheel bearing different song titles. There is a pool of over 100 potential numbers in total.

This concept of spontaneity and anticipation has been a massive hit and keeps everyone on their toes.

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Europe - Working alongside designers Mark Fisher, Ric Lipson and Willie Williams and production manager Wob Roberts, Tait created an immense LED integrated backdrop for Robbie Williams' European stadium tour, which opened in Dublin, Ireland earlier this month.

A 40.8m by 23.1m back wall was created, which was finished with screen-printed, gold polycarbonate panels. The back wall was made from 700 panels incorporating 20 different custom shapes. 18,000 Tait pixel tablet were inserted into these panels, to create a LED wall. With a focus on sustainability, the pixel tablets were from the system that was used during the London 2012 Olympic ceremonies, and packaged within a new and unique design.

These LED-integrated polycarbonate panels formed a video back wall around an immense three dimensional model head of the artist himself. The LED back wall has a door on either side, allow

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Ireland - Sound Technology has announced a two-day BSS Soundweb London Certified Level 1 Training Course in Dublin on 24-25 July 2013. Alongside the official training there will also be a showcase of all the latest install products from JBL, Crown, dbx, BSS, AKG and Soundcraft in conjunction with Irish sub-distributor Reynolds.

The training and showcase will be held at the Bewley's Hotel at Dublin Airport and is free to attend although registration is required for both.

BSS Certified Training Level 1 is a two-day course designed to balance practical applications of the powerful Soundweb London platform with in-depth technical knowledge of its capabilities. Attendees will leave understanding the core features of the system and be fully capable of system specification, design, programming and troubleshooting. At the end of the course attendees have the option of taking the Level

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UK - Following a successful UK cathedral project earlier this year, the installation division of Wigwam Acoustics has once again turned to Fohhn Audio for a project at the Church of St. Peter in Eastgate, Lincoln. The church specified a replacement sound system that would be capable of generating excellent levels of speech intelligibility, yet be flexible enough to meet a range of worship requirements and allow operation by untrained staff or congregation.

For main sound coverage, Fohhn Audio Linea Series AL100 and AL150 loudspeakers were selected. The two-way line source systems with integral line array technology are popular for fixed installation use, particularly in venues with difficult acoustics or long reverberation times..

With a distributed loudspeaker system considered essential for this reverberant venue, the Wigwam installation team mounted AL100 loudspeakers on th

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UK - Alongside working for a number of new clients and some high profile one-off's that have taken place over recent weeks, Pearce Hire is in the midst of producing a series of events for some long standing and loyal customers.

Earlier in the year, Shaun Pearce and his team were involved in an extensive tender process to secure long-term contracts with a number of key clients including the Forestry Commission, the Cambridge Folk Festival, and Warners Group Publications Plc. Pearce Hire's connections with these organisations stretch back many years and the tender process has led to contract renewals all round. And it is the resulting events which are in part responsible for the busy weeks ahead.

Forest Live is a series of concerts run at seven different Forestry Commission sites around the country over nine weekends in June and July. The events take place with a backdrop of bea

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UK - Until just a few years ago, the concrete walkways of London's Southbank Centre were empty, bleak areas. Despite being part of the UK's largest arts centre and surrounding some of London's most iconic venues, including Royal Festival Hall, the surrounding passageways led nowhere useful for most people. But then new management realised that with a little forethought, the long passageways could become destinations in themselves.

They began to commission art installations, and this year, Southbank Centre teamed up with Cornwall-based environmental education charity, the Eden Project, to create a woodland garden for the summer-long Festival of Neighbourhood with MasterCard - part of which is lit with ETC Source Four Mini luminaires.

Southbank Centre's technical manager Roger Hennigan explains, "I needed a fixture which would be able to project a powerful, focusable

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Germany - ProSieben and SAT.1 launched The Voice of Germany talent show in November 2011. The show is based on the The Voice TV format, which was broadcast for the first time in Holland with the title The Voice of Holland at the end of 2010. The German edition is produced by Talpa Media and Schwartzkopff TV Productions. The new series was recently broadcast from Studio Berlin Adlershof.

Lighting designer Manuel da Costa used about 300 moving lights, including 50 Clay Paky Sharpys and the new Elidy LED system made by the French manufacturer Chromlech, which Lightpower has recently begun distributing.

Da Costa had plenty of praise for the Sharpys - "They were a great help: their light weight was perfect for the set, since we couldn't fit heavy loads. I was particularly pleased by their dominant punch and the unique characteristics of their light. As has

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France - The Institut National de L'audiovisuel (Ina) is one of the most influential multimedia and training organisations in France. For nearly 40 years it has been one of the top European training centres for AV and, more recently, the digital media professions. Ina has recently added Yamaha's Nuage to its training portfolio.

Ina has a wide remit, including custodianship of France's radio and television archives and co-productions with broadcasters throughout the world. One of its most important facilities is Ina EXPERT, which trains 5500 students and professionals every year using the latest production technology.

Yamaha and Ina EXPERT have enjoyed a close relationship as education partners since 2005. The announcement that the latter has been appointed as Yamaha France's official training partner for Nuage was made at a jointly-organised Pro Audio Forum, attended by over 1

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USA - The 42nd annual CMA Music Festival, the world's largest country music festival and broadcast, recently stomped all previous attendance records at its 2013 event, which took place in Nashville from 6-9 June. As usual, the highlights of the festivities this year were the main stage concerts at LP Field, which nightly drew more than 45,000 spectators to cheer and sing along with dozens of the genre's top artists.

For sound reinforcement duties, the Country Music Association (CMA) awarded the contract to Sound Image, which supplied a large-scale L-Acoustics K1 system for the headlining concert each night--all four of which sold out more than six weeks in advance.

Project manager Curt Jenkins and his crew deployed a system comprised of 72 K1, 12 Kara and 16 Kudo line source elements, 16 K1-SB and 32 SB28 low frequency enclosures, and 78 LA8 amplified controllers. Also current

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Spain - Málaga, one of Europe's most historic cities, is building a much-needed new metro / subway rail network. And with the expertise of PA / VA integrators LDA AudioTech, Iconyx beam steering systems will make individual station announcements crystal clear.

Now dubbed the capital of the Costa del Sol, Málaga - whose 2,800 year history makes the port city one of Europe's oldest - has a profusion of excellent tourist destinations including the world famous Picasso Museum, a pedestrianised shopping centre, sea port, innovative restaurants and stylish hotels - many featuring trendy rooftop terraces with bars, pools and stunning views. And with its subtropical-Mediterranean climate, Málaga enjoys one of the warmest winters in Europe.

The main economic and financial centre of southern Spain, Málaga thrives on tourism, construction and technology services, while other sectors

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Greece - YOLO (You Only Live Once) is a newly established club/restaurant in Porto Rafti, a seaside town just outside Athens.

With its seaside terrace, stylish restaurant café and lounge as well as its own beach front, Y O L O offers "non-stop fun, starting with breakfast all the way through dancing in the wee hours of the morning". Lighting such a venue calls for products that are not only versatile, but also deliver the intensity, brightness and colour needed to compliment the club's dramatic setting. Lighting designer Omikron Pro Lighting selected a large a varied mix of Elation and ADJ fixtures installed by Andreas Baltzis.

Razor sharp hard-edged beams from 12 ADJ Inno Color Beam moving heads and eight Elation E Spot LEDs, along with crazily intense flashes from 4 ADJ FREQ 5 LED Strobe (each with five zones) and six ADJ Fun Factor LED combination moonflowe

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Italy - Iconic Italian rock singer Vasco Rossi played seven sold out stadium shows, making an impressive live 'come-back' to mark the latest episode of his colourful 35 year career. A stunning lighting design was by Giovanni Pinna which included a special back wall feature, created using 76 Robe Robin 100 LEDBeams.

Pinna - who has lit Rossi's shows since 1993 - also seized the opportunity to debut live the first Robe's new RobinPointe fixtures in Italy.

The triangular shaped upstage LEDBeam 100 matrix was revealed eight songs into the set and used for around 80% of the lighting 'specials' thereafter. For maximum impact, Pinna applied the effects sparingly and very precisely during the superstar's epic two and a half hour performance. Each time he did, the matrix looked refreshingly different.

(Jim Evans)

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Denmark - NorthSide in Denmark recently held its fourth successful festival - this year bigger than ever before. With nearly 27,500 visitors each day, the three-day event has a high focus on sustainability.

With an LED vision in mind, NorthSide's production manager, Jesper Philbert, approached SGM to discuss his ideas. Says Philbert, "Being neighbours with SGM [in Aarhus], it was obvious for us to present our initial ideas and outline sketches to SGM CEO, Peter Johansen. He immediately replied 'Yes' ... such is his innovative personality."

The cooperation caused much media coverage, as one of the outline ideas brought to reality consisted of an impressive 18m wide NorthSide sign (inspired by the famous Hollywood sign) designed for the main entrance, which was made from no fewer than 820 LD-5 LED domes. Philbert comments, "We were looking for the 'wow-factor' in

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China - Hong Kong's Space Museum has reinvigorated its visitor offering through Omnimax planetarium system film experiences. The museum's Lecture Hall has not only benefitted from the visual elements of cinematic styling, the audio system is also state-of-the-art - with the help of a TiMax2 SoundHub16 multi-channel delay matrix installed as surround system management and spatialisation processor.

The new d&b audiotechnik 7.1-channel surround sound system comprises a total of three E12D screen channels with two S18 subwoofers, with left and left-rear surround - mirrored on the right - distributed via a total of four E8s. All driven by d&b D12 and D6 amplification, with two d&b M6s for mobile stage foldback support.

This upgrade is a significant departure from the previous simpler left/right channels of speakers and subs, and goes a bit further than just a conventional and cinem

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Licensing Laws - Performers and producers will no longer have to obtain an entertainment licence to stage shows during the day with an audience of up to 500 people after regulations were relaxed. Following an amendment to the Licensing Act, entertainers can now present plays or dance shows, which includes street performances, between 8am and 11pm without a licence. Performances outside of these hours and for larger audiences will still require a licence, as will dance shows of a "sufficiently adult nature" according to Hugh Robertson, minister for sport and tourism.

Previously, groups had to apply to individual local authorities to secure a licence before they could stage these shows. Louise McMullan, head of Equity's general secretary's department, said, "This change is intended in the first instance to free up places like community halls and venues in your local

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UK - Marl International this year celebrates its 40th anniversary. The company has now supplied more than 500 million LEDs, many in assemblies designed and manufactured by its 100-strong British engineering and manufacturing team based in Ulverston.

Commenting, Adrian Rawlinson, managing director at Marl International, said, "Marl, a pioneer in the technology, is ideally positioned to ride the crest of the LED wave. The secret of our success is that our products are designed, assembled, tested and shipped from one manufacturing complex in Ulverston. Marl continues to invest in its business, recently spending £270,000 to double manufacturing output and speed up the delivery of prototypes. Our manufacturing strength is such that customers are now asking us to design and build other electronic systems for them that don't include an LED light." The company directly a

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UK / Italy - Outline, the Italian manufacturer of professional loudspeaker systems and associated products, has confirmed the formation of a new distribution partnership with CUK Audio. Effective immediately, CUK Audio assumes exclusive UK distribution rights for all Outline products.

Outline's sales director Chris Hinds said, "2013 is our 40th anniversary year and our business is expanding globally with year-on-year sales up significantly across our product range, which is especially encouraging given the economic situation around the world right now. Much of this growth is due to the new products we've introduced, but they are taken to market by our distribution network, and in this respect we are continually refining and expanding our worldwide partnerships. Bringing CUK on board as our UK partner is part of this on-going process, and we're fortunate to have found a comp

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Germany - XL Video has streamlined and optimised its corporate structure in Germany. Previously the enterprise was represented in Germany by two separate companies: XL Video of Hamburg and XL Solutions of Düsseldorf. It also had offices in Munich, Berlin and Nürtingen. On 1 July, XL Solutions and XL Video merged. The main office, with 25 employees, is now on the Hamburg site, whilst Düsseldorf, with 18 employees, is home to the branch office. From now on, Denis Papin, formerly managing director (CEO) of XL Video of Hamburg, and Thorsten Lipp, who held the equivalent post with XL Solutions, will share responsibility for the merged company, which will trade under the name "XL Video".

XL Video of Hamburg was founded in 1998 by René de Keyser and Denis Papin, with the latter at that time assuming the role of Managing Director. Under his leadership, XL Video grew

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UK - Pioneer is set to enter the professional audio market with the launch of its flagship club sound system. Drawing on the company's rich heritage in sound reproduction, deep understanding of the club industry, and close collaboration with Gary Stewart Audio (GSA) and Powersoft, this exciting arrival promises to make waves in Ibiza this season and, with Pioneer returning to the PLASA Show this year, will be available to hear at PLASA London (6-9 October, ExCeL, London) as Pioneer is set to demo the system in the show's exciting new AudioLab Arena.

"Pioneer and sub-brand TAD's expert sound engineers have been creating high-quality audio for many decades and, with Pioneer DJ's unrivalled expertise in the pro-DJ market, the move into club sound systems is a natural progression," says the company.

To create 'the ultimate club sound system', Pioneer partnered wit

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The Netherlands - Dutch PA company, Decibel 111 Audio, recently invested in an Allen & Heath iLive-T80 digital mixing system and ME-1 personal monitor mixers to supplement its hire stock and specifically manage the summer tour dates of top pop band, Hike.

Decibel purchased the new A&H equipment following a demo and training day for engineers and musicians at pro audio dealer, Aptronics.

"Decibel has supplied equipment and engineers to Hike for years, and GL Series analogue desks used to be our weapons of choice," explains Decibel's owner Eric Egging. "However, the launch of the ME-1 mixers, and their compatibility with the iLive T-series, meant we could take the tech spec to the next level. The timing was perfect to coincide with summer festival dates."

Hike is celebrating its 15 year anniversary in 2013. The band is a popular choice at many of the summer

  1. Starlight Express updates with MLA Compact
  2. Britannia Row training up and running
  3. Orbital Sound Mixing Musicals course set
  4. XL Events video for smartphone launch
  5. GDS solutions for new west Wales theatre
  6. CDC8 public debut hits the high notes
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