UK - The Mayflower, Southampton, has chosen to replace much of its existing lighting stock with Philips Selecon SPX luminaires. The purchase follows an exhaustive testing and comparison process, which saw the SPXs benefit from a grueling 'destruction test' and shoot out against a number of other manufacturer profiles.

Neil Daykin, senior lighting technician at the Mayflower says: "We were looking to replace our old Strand Lighting Harmony profiles and had originally planned to replace them with the same fixtures that we already have FOH. When we received the demo SPX units to try out we very quickly changed our minds and ultimately we unanimously agreed that the SPX route was the best solution for us."

Daykin explains the reason for the change of heart: "We were s

Germany - Robe CitySkape 48 and CitySource 96 and Anolis Inground 12 RGB LED fixtures have been specified and installed to illuminate an eye-catching collection of art and sculptural works by Volker-Johannes Trieb in an area including a huge garden, a gallery, an event location and the renovated old Railway Station in Sutthausen near Osnabrück, Germany.

The whole area is called Iktomia and consists of several beautiful and engaging art works in the grounds of the newly refurbished station complex. Many of them are large and constructed from ceramic and rusty metal, including a wall built from 20 tonnes of residue iron.

These are skilfully integrated with the natural attractiveness of the gardens, creating a series of scenes and industrial interventions with which people can interact as they pass through - be it for a meditative wander to appreciate the gardens or to visit the

Denmark - Clay Paky Sharpys have helped Denmark celebrate its finest music with a stunning lighting design for the Danish Music Awards 2012 by Kasper Lange.

Lange specified an army of powerful, pure beam Sharpys to create an array of effects, including a semi-circle surround of bright, red beams to envelope Danish singer Aura as she performed her hit In Love with the World.

"The Sharpy has been my favourite profile fixture ever since it was launched, and has been in my designs for all my TV shows ever since then," says Lange, who has worked on many of Denmark's most high profile music events. "I needed a small profile fixture that was able to cut through the massive number of wash lamps and videoscreens, and the Sharpys are very stable, aggressive little work-horses. They deliver the best beam in the business - every lighting designer's dream."

The

Chile - Club Subterraneo at the heart of Providencia, the entertainment sector of downtown Santiago, Chile, is a place where international acts like DJ Shadow (USA) or Los Amigos Invisibles (Venezuela) rub shoulders with local talent such as Fulano or Villa Carino.

Just 800sq.m, with a capacity for eight hundred people, the club has recently celebrated its tenth anniversary. The celebrations called for a new PA system and owner Sebastián Menichetti knew just who to contact. "I had been hearing good things about Audiomusica, they had some German system everybody was talking about, d&b audiotechnik. I asked Erickson Cardona to come down and give me a demonstration."

"I saw straight away what the Subterraneo needed," said Erickson, head of technical and commercial support in Audiomusica. "The acoustic environment is actually not that bad, even with the l

USA - Clear-Com is sponsoring the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus by supplying the crew with Clear-Com intercoms for its productions and workshops. Clear-Com's HME DX210 Digital Wireless Intercom enables clear communication and quick collaboration between the staff on diverse productions while on the road. The system is also easy to operate, allowing even students to master the system and gain familiarity with real?life productions.

The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is a non-profit, state-of-the-art mobile audio and HD video production facility that travels across the US and Canada, offering songwriting and multimedia production workshops to young people. At each destination, the production setup of the bus changes to accommodate the varying needs, levels of skill and interests of the school and community.

Whether it's handling communications for an intimate acoustic perfo

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ETC Halcyon Silent

High End Systems Halcyon Silent builds on ETC’s legacy of fanless automated fixtures by incorporating features from the highly sought-after Halcyon family. Halcyon Silent perfectly balances silent operation with brilliant output of 18,400 lumens and high-impact features. 

For more information visit us at www.etcconnect.com

UK - The most creative and experimental use of new generation products is often found at the hands of indie/dance production designers. This has been proven recently by Rob Stanley, of ZEROdB Live, who has been using the entire inventory of 44 SGM XC-5 LED strobes newly purchased by Haydn Cruickshank's Colour Sound Experiment (CSE).

Formed three and a half years ago, and famed for their work in the Drum 'n' Bass and more experimental corporate sectors, ZEROdB Live have continually been placing SGM's low-profile, high output platform on their "dream kit list" for gigs since they became part of the CSE stock.

The XC-5 RB strobes debuted on ZEROdB Live gigs at Mint Festival, Leeds and award winning Hospitality Brixton in September. "They have not been off our kit list since," confirms Stanley. "We do BIG shows, and the XC-5's are right on the money."

UK - Rackz, the UK based 19" rack specialist designer, manufacturer and supplier, has expanded its range of wood finish Credenza rack units which are being distributed worldwide via the Penn-Elcom network.

This is due to popular demand and the foresight of Rackz' Dave Roberts who spotted a gap appearing in the market led by changes in digital technology and the requirement for elements of home entertainment / smart-home systems to be combined into elegant integrated packages. These are also designed for all commercial applications.

The Credenza range is a simple self-assembly product, designed for quick, efficient and stress-free set up - even for those challenged with DIY skills. Says Roberts: "The idea is that anyone can assemble a Credenza rack even those with little or no practical experience - unlike some 'self-assembly' products which are accompanied by a brick

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Create new traditions – Cameo P6 - High Output Full-Spectrum Ellipsoidal

Cameo's P6 is a future-proof LED profiler with a powerful 600 W RGBACL engine and 16,000 lumens. It’s an energy-efficient replacement for 2.5 kW halogen profile lights in theatres and venues. With excellent light quality and natural colour rendering, it fits perfectly in theatres, musicals, TV studios, congresses, and live events.

With an LED life of 50,000 hours and low power use, the P6 cuts energy costs and supports the EU’s ‘Green Deal’ goals for climate neutrality by 2050. It also meets updated eco-design rules for lighting.

www.cameolight.com/p6profile

The Netherlands - Optocore GmbH will be using ISE 2013 as a platform to launch the first of a revolutionary new range of dedicated MADI switches from its booth (3-A120).

Announcing the series, Optocore director, Tine Helmle, said: "We believe this to be the best solution for the professional AV market, largely because it is now a common standard - with MADI ports frequently used by manufacturers to offer clients a future-proofed, open platform, with price advantages."

On top of that, says Helme, this solution has many advantages over Ethernet. MADI switches are extremely price efficient, with low latency, low power consumption and fast set-up time - since they have been developed specifically for professional audio and video. These attributes are represented in Optocore's new range.

The new devices will eventually develop into a complete MADI series of 16-port and

The Netherlands - Martin Audio will present its flagship product portfolio at this year's ISE2013 at the RAI, which they will exhibit on stand 3-C128. Although pride of place will go to the MLA Compact, which makes its ISE debut, the company will also display its OmniLine micro-array, which returns to the scene where it first picked up a coveted innovation award five years ago.

However, all eyes will be on the MLA Compact. Aimed at a wider range of touring and installed sound applications than the original MLA (Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array), in a smaller and lighter version, the MLA Compact delivers the groundbreaking cellular technology to a wider range of applications that do not require the full power and throw of the full-size MLA, or where a smaller, lighter system is required.

Sharing the same sonic attributes of the flagship MLA the new system's compact size (W: 788

The Netherlands - LED screen specialist displayLED will be exhibiting the latest in LED screen technology at Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), Amsterdam.

From 29-31 January 2013 the stand will be showcasing displayLED's digiLED MC & MK series, available in 5mm, 7mm, 10mm and 15mm. Over 8,000 of these lightweight LED modules have already been ordered by major AV rental companies, with users including Pete's Big TVs, Video Walltronics, CT UK, CT US, Ford Motor Company, Bruce Springsteen, Nike, Super Bowl, MVI Multivision, Kia Motor Company, Moo TV, Bloomberg, Blackberry and Black Entertainment Television (BET).

These modules bring a host of USPs and enable users to mix and match pixel pitches in the same screen. As well as being available in solid or mesh form (apart from the MK5), there are two mechanical versions, one which can produce curved screens and the standard straight s

UK / The Netherlands - Artistic Licence Engineering is set to launch sunDial, a range of modular lighting controllers for smart illumination, at ISE 2013 (stand 8-R232). The display will highlight the mix-and-match versatility of the sunDial range, using DMX and DALI controllers to drive various sources, including mains-powered lighting and the latest in LED technology.

The landscape of lighting is evolving towards a greener future, but the introduction of more eco-friendly sources such as LED is just part of the story. Only by using and controlling fixtures in a more intelligent manner can we harness the full potential of the smart approach to lighting, says the company.

Artistic Licence Engineering's sunDial range provides the technology to make this happen. To ensure maximum versatility, the MC80-DMX and MC64-DALI controllers respectively accept DMX512 and DALI input data.

UK / The Netherlands - MilTec (UK) Ltd will be exhibiting at the ISE exhibition in Amsterdam. On show will be a selection of LED stage lighting and professional audio products, all designed by Miltec at their headquarters in Kent, England.

On the stand will be the highly successful LEDHead Batten2 which has become a major hit with installation and rental companies in the UK and Ireland. Fitted with 18 x 8W quad-colour LEDs it can be used as a conventional batten, pixel-mapped for stunning visual effects or employed as a cyclorama wash using the 'Cycwash' diffuser option.

Making its debut will be the LEDHead 3DPixelTube. This is a three-dimensional LED matrix system made up of LED tubes hung from a ceiling or truss. Each LED can be pixel-mapped to allow spectacular 3D effects.

Also featured on the stand will be a multi-function speaker cabinet which can be used as a single so

Germany / France - Audio-Technica Germany, the exclusive German distributor for French loudspeaker manufacturer APG, has announced the appointment of Andreas Rimroth to the position of in-house APG product manager for Audio-Technica. Rimroth will be responsible for all APG business development and technical support throughout Germany. The news comes hard on the heels of APG's own recent announcement of the employment of Eve Redero who will be heading up the electronics R&D projects division at APG headquarters in Paris.

Rimroth is well placed to take on the role of APG product manager: having worked for several years as a live sound engineer, he has spent the last nine years at Avid Technology in the UK as a field service engineer, and latterly as a field service manager responsible for the live sound sector.

"Audio-Technica has offered me exactly the kind of position I w

USA - NAMM sees the reintroduction of the Soundtracs brand by digital solutions manufacturer, DiGiCo. Soundtracs has a long history in both music recording and postproduction studios and is set to preview arange of new products that are designed to take advantage of DiGiCo's advancements in digital FPGA designs and Stealth Digital Processing. The last significant launch for Soundtracs was the DS-00 production console in 2003 and the reintroduction has been a long planned project.

"Moving back to studio market with Soundtracs was always something we planned to do," says James Gordon, DiGiCo's managing director. "The challenge was developing products with the right technology that would offer something revolutionary.

"There have been lots of technology shifts in the last few years and we saw this as a great opportunity, but we needed to partner with the right

- Alan Titchmarsh is back with a new series of his ITV tea-time chat show. Roger Williams designs the lighting show, with equipment provided by Richard Martin Lighting (RML).

To enhance the warm and homely feel of the set, Williams' specification consists of Alpha Spot 575, Alpha Spot 300, Martin MAC Aura, James Thomas PixelPar 90s and LED Par cans.

In each daily episode, Alan approaches topical news and debates. He also cooks meals with resident and celebrity chefs, chats to celebrity guests and enjoys music numbers.

(Jim Evans)

China - Located at number nine Yuancun Yiheng Road in the Tianhe district of Guangzhou, the Higher People's Court of Guangdong Province is one of the highest appellate courts in China. A typical commercial case heard here would sit in judgement over disputes in excess of three hundred million Renmimbi (approximately €3.70m). It also presides over cases from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau; most famously being the venue for the renowned Apple and Shenzhen Proview iPad trademark dispute.

"When the authorities to the Judiciary determined the court's PA system required renovation they set higher definition and intelligibility as immutable goals," said Mr. Long Po of integrators Acejet (Group) Technology Co. Ltd.

This was to be no easy task, the floor and walls of the courtroom are marble clad and reverberation is high; multiple gooseneck microphones with high input gain mak

UK - Night arrivals at Edinburgh airport over the festive season will have seen a stunning example of Black Light's capabilities. To help kick-start the recent re-branding of the airport, the company's technicians installed an array of LED luminaires to colour the control tower purple, turning it into a striking new night-time landmark for the city.

"The project was designed for the airport's recent re-branding and was carried out on behalf of the award-winning design company Speirs + Major," explains Dave Moffat, one of Black Light's event project managers who oversaw the temporary installation. "We used an array of equipment from Robe's CitySkape range to create the stunning effect the airport wanted. It was a great project to work on and its success highlights our expertise with LED technology and our dedication to deliver the artistic vision of our clients.&qu

UK - Point Source Productions Ltd, the London-based hire company, has started the new year by investing in over £250,000 of new hire stock, expanding its inventory with equipment from manufacturers such as Chroma Q, Clay Paky, ETC, GDS and Selecon.

The investment comes on the back of an extremely successful year in 2012 for the company as it supplied events surrounding the multiple celebrations in and around the capital.

"The high-profile sporting and royal events - and the various spin-offs generated by them - during the summer kept us busy and has enabled us to expand our stock in readiness for what is promising to be a very busy 2013," says Point Source Productions' MD, Stephen Capel.

"We decided to increase our moving light stock by delving into the impressive Clay Paky catalogue and have invested in the Alpha Spot HPE 700 profiles and A.Leda K10 was

UK - West Midlands-based video and production specialist Central Presentations Ltd (CPL) designed and built a high-impact interactive walk-in video effect for a large company party in Bristol at Motion nightclub - and also supplied video, media servers, content and projection equipment.

CPL was working for the event producers Bright Productions who commissioned the walk-in effect which was designed and engineered by CPL's project manager Nick Diacre.

It utilised 60 VersaTube LED battens, a Pandora's Box media server with customised html5 code and an iPad. The brief was based on the idea that the event became more energised as it filled up with guests, each one contributing to the 'full power' needed to get the party started.

People walked into a raw, stripped-back industrial style area, where each guest placed their hand on one of four iPad stations. A red scanner beam cased

Norway - This year's electrifying Nobel Peace Prize Concert saw Philips Vari-Lite VL3000 Spot luminaires, supplied by Norway's AVAB CAC, star as the power luminaire of choice for respected lighting director Nick Collier.

"The main challenge in lighting this particular show is the variety of performers," explains Collier, who took over lighting design duties from original designer, Al Gurdon. "The design has to bring out the best in Peter Bingemann's excellent set, and allow us the ability to deliver a unique look to each of the tracks. To this end, the VL3000 Spot is the obvious candidate. It has a very bright lamp, with excellent zoom optics."

American actress Sarah Jessica Parker and Scottish actor Gerard Butler hosted the annual event held at the Spektrum Arena, Oslo while performances came from Kylie Minogue, Jennifer Hudson and Seal amongst others.

T

UK - US-based company Williams Sound, a global designer and manufacturer of wireless communications, has appointed POLARaudio as its exclusive UK distributor. 'Helping People Hear' has been Williams Sound's motto since its formation in 1976 and its success in achieving this aim is manifested in its strong presence in markets from government to houses of worship; from the military to healthcare and entertainment to tour-guiding.

Specialists in radio, audio, infra-red, microprocessor and mechanical design, Williams Sound continue to develop new products that meet the technical requirements of many different countries.

John Midgley, POLARaudio MD comments: "This is an exciting development for POLARaudio as it significantly expands our offer in what is a growing marketplace. Williams Sound is without doubt a heavyweight player in this sector and I foresee a mutually bright fu

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