UK - Capital Sound made light of Alexandra Palace's notoriously challenging acoustics at the end of October, when they fielded their Martin Audio MLA Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array at the glazed venue for the first time.

Notorious among the sound community for producing violent reflections inside the venue (and receiving noise complaints from the neighbours), would the Above & Beyond Group Therapy 050 live radio broadcast prove a challenge too far for the award-winning sound system, which promises ultimate pattern control? As for A&B, this was to be one of the biggest events in the dance music trio's calendar.

So just how unforgiving is Ally Pally? In the words of Capital Sound account manager, Martin Connolly, "The Great Hall is a beautiful space; but when it was built i

UK - SSE Audio Group's installation division has returned to the high profile Bunga Bunga in Battersea to augment the original Martin Audio AQ series loudspeakers with more of the architectural range, thereby boosting the venue's functionality.

The installation team originally moved in just over two years ago when operators The Inception Group, run by Duncan Stirling and Charlie Gilkes, first opened the site.

The bar/pizzeria operates on two floors; the ground floor has a dedicated restaurant and bar while upstairs, the larger second floor room is dedicated to the Eurovision Song Contest themed private Lucky Voice karaoke room, with DJ booth and live stage. Here the walls are covered with Eurovision memorabilia.

But it was the need to reinforce the sound reinforcement armoury, brought about by the growing emphasis on live entertainment, that inspired the first floor upgrade.

UK / France - Trilogy Communications has announced the appointment of SAV as Trilogy's exclusive distributor in France.

Of particular note is Trilogy's flagship Gemini intercom system, which combines Trilogy's experience and knowledge into an intercom that can expand as a multi-frame distributed matrix system with full bandwidth/zero latency audio and integral, standards-based IP connectivity. Gemini is the only true IP-based intercom on the market.

Bridging the price/performance gap between two-wire party line systems and full-blown professional broadcast systems is the Messenger Intercom system which Trilogy is also pleased to offer through SAV.

Trilogy's director of business development, Mark Ellis, said, "SAV is well-respected in the markets it serves and has a long-standing reputation for providing quality, reliability and market-leading solutions, which makes them

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OPUS X4 PROFILE – the most powerful LED moving head from Cameo to date

The OPUS® X4 PROFILE is the new flagship model from Cameo and is among the most powerful LED moving heads on the market. Equipped with a 1,400-watt LED white light engine, this spot profile moving head produces an enormous light output of 50,000 lm, providing powerful spot and gobo projections on even the largest stages and much more.
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Martin Audio has announced the next OmniLine half day training programmes. The courses, covering OmniLine software, and correct installation and specification of OmniLine arrays, will take place at Martin Audio's HQ in High Wycombe on both 26 November and 17 December (from 12 midday-5pm).

Participants will need to bring a notebook or laptop running Windows 7 or earlier, and have Matlab components and OmniLine software installed (both of which can be found on the Martin Audio website).

Successful completion of the course will lead to 'OmniLine Certified Installer' status. Those interested in attending can register at: training@martin-audio.com.

(Jim Evans)

UK - LCA - Lights, Camera, Action Ltd - a one stop shop offering a wide range of film, television and broadcast lighting equipment, accessories & consumables, will be showcasing the very latest technology solutions from their extensive portfolio of exclusive and other leading brands, at BVE North 2013, Manchester Central (stand C20 - C10).

As the exclusive European distributor for Filmgear, LCA will demonstrate their PowerLED 160 & 240, LED Fresnel 150 & 250, and Filmgear 1.8kW PAR HMI kit lighting models.

The stand will feature TruColor Lighting's HS and LS remote phosphor LED lighting fixtures, which are also supplied exclusively in Europe by LCA.

From K5600, a UK exclusive - the stand will showcase for the first time at BVE North the Alpha 1600 and Joker 1600W HMI fixtures. Both models come complete with high speed 1,000Hz, flicker free ballast.

Other stand highlights i

UK - Nottinghamshire-based technical production specialist One Big Star boosted their stock of Robe moving lights to help realise Rod Clay's lighting design for the current UK leg of Bryan Ferry's The Jazz Age tour, which plays a variety of venues including London's Royal Albert Hall.

The style and tone of the tour is a vibey mix of jazz and classic hits from the 1970s and early 80s when Roxy Music permeated the art house and alternative music scene with a stylish mix of unique sounds, modern art and fashion

Clay has worked as Bryan Ferry's LD since 2011. This tour kicked off earlier in the year with a floor specials package for the initial gigs, which segued into a slightly enlarged festival version of the rig and in turn evolved into this full production section which is utilizing 18 x Robe MMX spots, 28 x LEDWash 600s and 12 x LEDBeam 100s, together with other moving

South Africa - It was party night as the reggae sounds of Undivided Roots floated through the warehouse of Big Beat Productions. October marked Big Beat's first year in their new premises in Pietermaritzburg, and invited clients celebrated the occasion with them.

This was also an opportunity to demonstrate their latest purchase, a d&b medium-format line-array system, which they used at a recent Lira concert. There are only two of these d&b systems in KwaZulu Natal at the moment. An Avolites Titan Mobile controlled the lighting for the evening. "The guys love it," said Kevin Liddell, owner of Big Beat Productions. "I buy gear based on what the operators want and everyone always wants an Avolites." The company also has an Avolites Pearl Tiger, a Titan 1 and a Martin Light Jockey.

Liddell, like many successful business owners in the industry, started his caree

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Case Study: Hans Zimmer Live

When award winning film composer Hans Zimmer brought his smash-hit tour Hans Zimmer Live to North America fall 2024, the show's audio team sought out to bring infrafrequency bass to the show to add new depth to the show's audio experience. The team chose Danley Sound Labs.

Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur's bustling clubbing scene revealed a new, definitive standard in VIP party experiences, catered exclusively for Malaysia's elite. Providence KL as it is fittingly named is set to deliver a decadent and luxurious premium nightlife experience with its "plush interiors, the finest table service and bottle-popping culture".

The concept of Providence is in line with Massive Goliath's portfolio of prestigious VIP club venues and celebrity hotspots; Filter Members Club and Mink, which took Singapore by storm two years ago.

Opening in July 2013 at KL's Intermark, Providence brought a taste of Vegas to Malaysia - a premium hotspot for night-out in town that's a class of its own, tailored for tastemakers and aficionados of style and a new generation of elite partygoers and A-listers.

Fast becoming Kuala Lumpur's ultimate lifestyle party destination, P

Sweden - Sweden's cold October was warmed up this year by the lecture Patrick Woodroffe held in Stockholm. It saw the participation of trade professionals, students and enthusiasts from Sweden, other Scandinavian countries and the Baltic States.

In the Södra Teatern in the Swedish capital, one of the most prestigious venues in the city, famous for hosting musical and theatrical events of international importance, over 150 people avidly followed Patrick Woodroffe as he recounted the most exciting moments of his career, focusing in particular on the preparation for the last Michael Jackson tour, which did not take place owing to the singer's untimely death.

The event was organised by Interlite, one of the most important Swedish companies in the lighting industry. Its CEO, Niclas Ardvisson, owns the Wireless Solution brand name, which is particularly well-known among trade profe

The Netherlands - Switch Concepts, a subsidiary company of the Ampco Flashlight Group in Holland, has purchased an ASL Digital system to address the ever-increasing demand for Intercom communication systems during major events. Switch Concepts' business is the design and execution of entertainment events including sound, light and video.

"We were looking at many different intercom systems, but there are several reasons we decided to go for ASL digital intercom," says Frank Verbeek from Switch Concepts.

"We were very impressed with the sound quality of the system and that it can actually produce the required listen levels in environments with high SPL background noise. Many other intercom systems are not able to do that.

"Then we also noticed how easily you can configure an event. It is so quickly done, that you can take the system even for a one day produ

Australia - Achieving the very first projection onto both sides of the epic proportions of Australia's iconic Sydney Opera House as well as onto the pylons of Sydney Harbour Bridge was by no means a small challenge for any technology company.

Australia was celebrating the first entry of the national Australian fleet into Sydney Harbour one hundred years ago and re-telling the story for The Royal Australian Navy's International Fleet Review. Imagination Australia was the Creative team and Producer of the event, who engaged Technical Direction Company (TDC) as their video technology partner.

An evening spectacular involved video projection that was combined with stunning fireworks launched from seven warships. There was lighting from 28 land and ship locations plus live action on board ships culminating in an aerial fly past from the Royal Australian Air Force that was enjoyed b

Australia - In the continuing expansion of its international distributor network, CADAC has appointed newly formed Australian distributor, Entertainment Technology Australia (ETA), for the region.

Founded in July this year by David Croxton, ETA has offices and warehousing in Sydney and Melbourne. ETA adds the legendary console brand to a specialist portfolio that notably includes KV2 Audio, a brand with which Croxton has a long association: "I have been working globally for KV2 Audio since 2011 and prior to that, held the line in my previous distribution company Australian Audio Supplies which I sold in 2006. Having secured a group of willing brand partners early in 2013, ETA was born and officially launched at this year's Entech trade show in Sydney.

"ETA is only focusing on high quality innovative brands and currently our portfolio consists of SGM Lighting, KV2 Aud

Australia - A 48-channel ASP8024 console has been installed in each of the Brisbane and Melbourne SAE Institutes, and after a very straight-forward and painless set-up, they were set to work playing a central role in the audio engineering teaching programmes.

Each of the two Antipodean educational facilities had a definite idea of what they wanted. Senior studio technician in Brisbane, Louisa Lachi says, "When we were looking for a replacement, we needed a console that was future-proof, sturdy, looked sexy and sounded great."

Brad Toan, studio technician in Melbourne was of the same mind. "We needed a console that will be able to withstand almost constant use all year round, along with being stable and built with quality components that will last. As audio engineers we also want something that sounds fantastic and was easy for students to use and get their heads

Finland - Airing on MTV3, Idols is a Finnish reality-television singing competition that debuted in the summer of 2003 and went on to become one of the most popular shows on Finnish television. Part of the Idol franchise, it originated from the reality programme Pop Idol created by British entertainment executive Simon Fuller, which was first aired in 2001 in the UK.

Lighting, set and video designer Mikki Kunttu once again created a stunning design for the TV show that seeks to discover the best unsigned singer in Finland. To achieve this task, Kunttu relied on one grandMA2 light and one MA onPC command wing as backup for lighting control and stated, "grandMA2 is the only choice for me. As we are working on one of the most popular TV formats we had to use the best equipment on the market. The grandMA2 has never let me down."

Kunttu continued, "This

UK - PRG has added the following products to their offering.

The GLP Impression X4 fixtures bring power, flexibility and practicality in a new breakthrough design. Behind the front lens, the X4 offers 19 RGBW LED's, each rated at 15W providing a homogenized beam with high output and individually controllable "allowing you to programme unique looks and animations".

SGM's P-5 Wash Light, IP65, low-profile fixed, rectangular, full-colour LED wash light and just 408W power consumption. Wide angle lens fitted as standard.

Philips Colorblaze TRX, versatile, feature-packed linear RGBAW LED fixture with industry-leading light output, native 10° beam angle.

MA Lighting's most powerful console, Grand MA2. Offering the control of conventional light, moving lights, LED fixtures and media from one platform.

Look Solutions Viper S, a low power and fluid consumption, but

USA - ETC has announced the students who have been selected to attend the LDI 2013 tradeshow as part of ETC's LDI Student Sponsorship programme.

Now in its 14th year, the programme awards exceptional lighting design and stage technology students an all expenses paid trip to the LDI tradeshow in Las Vegas, 22-24 November, to get a behind the scenes look at new technology and to network with industry professionals. The sponsorship recipients are also matched with industry luminaries, who offer individual support, advice and encouragement to the students as they launch their careers. The 2013 recipients of the LDI Student Sponsorship are:

Brandon J. Clark holds a bachelor of arts in theatre through the design/technical track from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Under the mentorship of Professor Victor En Yu Tan, he designed the lighting for a number of theatre, ope

USA - Harman Professional has announced the appointment of Jonas Stenvinkel as head, Martin Professional Asia Pacific with permanent base in Singapore. Stenvinkel, who previously served as sales director of EMEA North, will lead Martin Professional's sales and service staff in the Singapore and Asia region. He will report directly to Thomas Marcher, director of sales at the Harman Professional Regional sales office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

"Jonas has demonstrated a strong commitment to comprehensive customer service and support over his 10 year career with Martin Professional. Jonas is a strong addition to the Asia team and I'm confident his strong leadership and experience will be an asset for our customers in the Asia region," says Marcher.

Before joining Martin Professional, Stenvinkel owned and operated a sound and lighting rental house. Commenting on his appoin

Oman - Sir Tom Jones recently performed live at Shangri-La's Barr al Jissah Resort & Spa, Muscat, as part of his world tour.

The concert was held at the resort's amphitheatre, with an audience of more than 3,000 people. Having last performed there three years ago, Tom requested a return. Aged 73, the performer sang his classics including It's Not Unusual, Delilah, and What's New Pussycat, all aiming to rock the local and international expatriate audience.

Production was provided by the Muscat-based Talentz Centre LLC, the largest production operation in Oman and whose expertise in large-scale events takes them all over the region, including the UAE. The company has invested significantly in Outline Butterfly systems with the MD, Baltazar Fernandes, quoting the products' consistency, quality and flexibility as key factors in his company's ability to handle

Belgium - The Belgian organisation CAP48 aims to change society's view about the question of handicap (be it physical, mental or social) with enhanced integration. It strives to raise funds for the disabled in Belgium via activities such as an annual TV show, produced in cooperation with Belgian TV channel RTBF.

The charity appeal - in the shape of a special show featuring top national and international artists - is broadcast live, and as such the TV set calls for an exceptional stage design.

Belgian lighting designer, Jean-Jacques Marotte, was tasked with delivering this, and his vision for achieving it hinged around the SGM LT-200 LED tubes.

"We wanted the audience to be very close to the stage, with an illuminated centrepiece creating an intimate effect during the dialogue, but also deliver a bright set, as you would expect on prime time TV," explains Marotte. &

France - A pyrotechnic blast during a rehearsal for French Revolution musical 1789, the Lovers of the Bastille at the Palais des Sports auditorium in southwest Paris has killed one and left around 15 people injured - five of them seriously.

According to reports, the accidental blast occurred on Friday 8 November shortly after 6pm when pyrotechnics under the musical's stage exploded, possibly due to a faulty power tool.

"An initial investigation determined that the explosion had been caused by the disc of a circular saw breaking away and igniting fireworks to be used in the show," reports the BBC.

A second explosion then caused a wall of the Palais des Sports arena to collapse. Technical director Marcus Toledano, one of many who rushed to the scene of the incident, is believed to have suffered a heart attack as a result of the explosions. When rescue workers

Italy - Luciano Ligabue held six concerts in the evocative setting of the Verona Arena in the second half of September. They were a great audience success. Fans rushed from all over Italy in order not to miss the chance to attend the only live events planned by the Correggio-born singer in 2013. The six evenings sold out in advance in one morning, during which all 72,000 tickets were bought. Besides the usual band, a real seventy-piece classical orchestra enhanced the concerts. Its contribution made the type of music the singer-songwriter performed highly unusual.

The show was split into three distinct parts. During the first part, Ligabue was accompanied by the orchestra. He performed some of his most famous pieces rearranged for the occasion by Maestro Marco Sabiu. Next came a part extended to electric musical instruments, followed by a section with a decidedly more rock feel,

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