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14 March 2016

When DR Quinton W Simpson was assigned CEO in May 2012, he was open to new ideas to further enhance the theatre including the request to transform the theatre to LED. "I asked if we could start changing to LED due to the power, gel and weight of conventional fixtures," said Simon King, senior lighting technician at the State Theatre.

Soon thereafter, the work began with the two smaller venues first. Robin DLX fixtures and LED parcans were purchased. "We realised that we could not buy LED fixtures alone, we also had to change

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14 March 2016

The First Night Riders - organised by entertainment equipment engineering experts David and Brenda Edelstein from Triple E - will this year be sponsored to tour Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire and the Midlands on motorcycles and in vintage vehicles from 21 to 24 June enabling the First Night Riders to spread The Theatrical Guild word to theatre staff across Great Britain. Their mission includes raising much-needed funds for TTG - the only charity dedicated to looking after the interests of backstage and Front of House personnel.

"The First Night Riders' aim is to provide a fun way to get onto the open road for a good cause," says Bre

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14 March 2016

Once again Le Mark's high gloss StudioTak studio vinyl was selected for both the beautifully curvaceous cat walk running out into the audience and also used in the after show broadcasts.

With some of the biggest names in the music industry attending and collecting their awards, the set design and production was as seamless and stunning as ever before. StudioTak high gloss floor provided a water-like shimmering reflection, enhancing the set and stage on which it's laid.

Le Mark's Sharon Marshall commented, "So far this year, Le Mark floors have been used on some of the most prestigious award events in the world: the BAFTA's, the NTA's and now the Brit Awards - an incredible achievement for all the team here.

"StudioTak itself is such a f

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14 March 2016

The lighting design reflects the band's persona; direct, clean, sharp and uncompromising. Rob Sinclair, designer of both set and design sums it up succinctly, "Set, light and lasers exist as a whole, unified visual force." A designer with names such as the Kaiser Chiefs, Peter Gabriel and Pulp under his belt, Sinclair is straightforward about his choice of lights for the show: "I've been using Clay Paky products on a regular basis since I first programmed a show with four Golden Scan Mk1s in 1992!&q

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14 March 2016

Founded 20 years ago, Wala Wala started hosting live music acts 10 years later following the refurbishment of its first floor storage area. A relatively small live room, the original sound reinforcement system suffered from poor sound quality when the levels were increased so Wala Wala's management appointed an audio technician to mix the 11 weekly acts.

"Having decided to recruit an engineer in Mark Jason, we then realised that the club needed a sound system," commented operations manager Maniam Krishnan. "Bands previously mixed themselves, which was a little inconsistent as some would be too loud and others were inexperienced."

"Wala Wala previously h

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14 March 2016

Based in Central London, and suitably placed to serve the broadcast, theatre, install and touring segments of the market, Sound Network see the move as a logical fit. "The Optocore product line dovetails perfectly with our existing product mix and we look forward to introducing customers to the benefits of this impressive solution," stated director Ralph Dunlop.

Optocore sales & marketing director, Tine Helmle, agreed. "With our growing penetration of both large scale events and the permanent installation market we are delighted to be partnering with such an experienced and well qualified company."

Dunlop added that his company had held an interest in the Optocore product line for several years. "In 2012 we felt we had the

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14 March 2016

Three days of papers from renowned international lighting designers, an afternoon of visits, which includes the castle's very own baroque theatre, and discussion with manufacturers of the highest quality lighting equipment are included. There's also the opportunity to visit the Robe factory after the close of Showlight.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

VH-1 and the NFL joined forces to celebrate the Super Bowl with Train headlining on Friday night. CMT and the NFL partnered the following evening on a Crossroads special starring superstar country band Rascal Flatts and iconic rock band Journey. Both concerts were held at The Sugar Mill in New Orleans, which seats 4,000-5,000 fans.

Atomic Lighting of Lititz, Pennsylvania provided 40 Clay Paky Alpha Spot QWO 800s and a pair of grandMA2 light systems with wings for the concert series. PEDG was the production design team collaborating. Bob Pederson was acting lighting designer on the broadcast truck.

"Atomic had suggested u

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14 March 2016

The Jarag-L provides the performance of a conventional lighting array with the ability to create unlimited lighting effects. All the electronics required (dimmers and controls systems) are built in, making it simple and easy to use.

It provides a complete range of originally shaped lighting instruments and accessories specially conceived to give a broad spectrum of visual effects with unlimited scope for setting up designs. The system is modular and is made of units with individually controlled lamps. This fully integrated, programmable multiple light source system is a simple means of producing lighting effects.

The controller is built into the unit ready to use. Patterns and video textures can be programmed into the system and videos can

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14 March 2016

The STSG is a small, but established network of professional theatre technicians, designers and managers working in UK school theatres. The annual conference is the main focus of the Group, bringing together its members with suppliers and leading industry practitioners. The next conference is planned for February 2014 at The Leys School in Cambridge.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

Staged at One Marylebone in London, CSE was working in conjunction with Insight Lighting and production company Swim Productions.

CSE's Project Manager Fletch collaborated with creative director Brendan Clarke from Insight Lighting to create the lighting and production design for the much anticipated event, which saw several live performances from Cerys Matthews, Carleen Anderson, Ahmad Jamal among others.

The main room featured a stage and seated a capacity audience of 268 for dinner, and there was also a reception area that needed lighting.

The CSE team started with the installation of the four legged ground support system - meas

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14 March 2016

Ashton was commissioned to produce the piece by production company Strange Cargo and collaborated with sound artist Karen Monid who produced a special accompanying soundscape.

All Souls, which stands at the end of the High Street and was consecrated in 1895, is a fairly conventional parish church of its era, however it has the unusual feature of four stained glass windows depicting the four Archangels - Gabriel, Michael, Uriel and Raphael.

Ashton and Monid took these windows and the vivid colours of the peacock feathers making up their wings as the starting point of their concept.

The idea was to produce a two centre piece which worked bo

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14 March 2016

Nexo will present three new products at the PL+S show this year, as well as ongoing refinements to the STM Series and its accessories.

With the launch of the LS18 subbass cabinet, Nexo brings new versatility to two of its best-selling product ranges. The LS18 is compatible with both the Geo S12 line array and the PS Series cabinets, and will please Nexo customers with its agreeable price:dB ratio, says the company.

As the order book for the STM Seri

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14 March 2016

The Baxter Theatre at the University of Cape Town purchased their new Philips Strand Wallrack Dimmer units from DWR Distribution. "As time allowed and as the venue became available, the old dimmers were steadily replaced," commented Dave Whitehouse from DWR.

"We chose Strand because it is a trusted name in theatre lighting," said Patrick Curtis from The Baxter. "The linkage to Philips is a positive development, but mostly we chose the product because we are assured of 100% backup from DWR."

"We would like to thank Patrick Curtis from The Baxter for the opportunity to work on this installation," ended Whitehouse.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

"I instantly liked DiGiCo the minute I used one of their consoles," Richards admits, during soundcheck at London's Hammersmith Apollo. "Whatever the model, you're getting real value. Be it the great EQ, the excellent pre-amps - the list goes on - everything you're working with is always the same quality as the flagship SD7, which you really can't argue with."

Richards likes the SD10 for its functionality, user interface, and overall sound quality. "DiGiCo is always great for channel count; I'm running 54 channels here on my SD10, and what's also really handy is having 12 faders in each fader bank rather th

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14 March 2016

In preparation for Euro 2012, which saw a sizeable portion of the UEFA delegation staying at the Victoria, the hotel was thoroughly refurbished and all of its audio systems were renewed throughout. Odessa-based installer Real Music, who are also the QSC distributor for Ukraine, were responsible for installing all of the PA/VA speakers and systems.

A QSC ILA line array comprising 16 WL2082-i elements (eight left, eight right) and four WL118-sw subwoofers was used in the main conference hall at the Victoria, where all of the pre- and post-match press conf

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14 March 2016

Located hundreds of feet above east London's Shoe Lane, the venue provided the audience of competition winners with a suitably Gotham City-esque setting, although the unpredictability of the British winter weather meant that the screening's date had to be postponed a couple of times.

Access to the helipad was very tight - through the front door of the building, up 16 floors in a conventional lift and then two further floors via an exterior sta

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14 March 2016

Located on the southern edge of the state - a five-hour drive southeast of Seattle - Ford Audio is well positioned to service corporate clients, venues, festivals and regional tours throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

"We've had several rigs in our 17-year history, and this time we wanted the best modular array that money could buy to move our company forward," says owner Gary Ford. "We looked at other systems, of course, but ultimately felt that L-Acoustics offered the best package, not to mention a longstanding history

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14 March 2016

Lighting was designed by Richard G Jones, who was asked on-board by show director (and judge) Craig Revel Horwood last year.

Jones ensured that no-one was disappointed, creating a show awash with colour, movement, drama and pizzazz to match all the dancefloor action, energy and high jinks!

All lighting, sound & rigging equipment was supplied by south Wales based rental and production company, Sonalyst.

The 14 x MMX WashBeams together with 23 x Robe Robin MMX Spots are newly purchased by Sonalyst for their hire stock - which now contains g

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14 March 2016

Blake Augsburger, Harman executive vice-president and president Harman Professional Division, said: "As we move forward together and institute Martin Professional as a business unit within Harman Professional, our customers from both the lighting and AV disciplines will soon be able to capitalize on joint innovations, efficiencies and access to our systems portfolios. In doing so, I am confident we'll also drive growth into emerging markets and vertical markets where digital technologies are increasingly central to the commercial enterprise - specifically transportation, hospitality, retail, communications and education."

Martin is in the process of launching new products across all of its product lines including new models in the award-winning MAC Viper family