Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025
Doughty - Banner - 9-14 May 2025

Business

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Italy / Singapore - Italian Audio Manufacturer dB Technologies has appointed Sajeev Nair as director of sales for the Asian region. Sajeev, who will be based in Singapore brings a wealth of experience to the position. He first started work in the music & audio industry in 1985 as a freelance musician and moved on to work as a sales and marketing manager for a number of well-established pro-audio distributors, representing such brands as Electro Voice, JBL, Shure, Klark Teknik, Tascam, Canare, Mackie, etc. Subsequently he worked as a manager for manufacturers based in Singapore, including Sennheiser, Behringer, Numark and Alesis, overseeing their operations in the Asia Pacific region, the Middle East and Africa. Nair commented on his appointment: "With almost 20 years of experience the industry, I have had the opportunity to build up an extensive database of customers, not onl

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USA - Kenny Chesney, US chart-topping country and crossover artist is using Audio-Technica microphones on tour, and is the latest high-profile touring artist to join the growing roster of Audio-Technica endorsees. "Kenny never endorses anything, so that tells you a lot about how we've all come to rely on A-T microphones on this tour," says Phillip Robinson, monitor mixer with Chesney and his band for the last four years. "These microphones are as road-worthy as we all are, and they prove it every night."

The band is using a wide array of A-T microphones, including the company's Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless System (AEW-5233) that Robinson says Chesney has found to be his vocal soul mate. "We have never, ever had a dropout with that microphone system, and the audio quality is pristine," he says. Other A-T microphones on the tour include an AE

Renkus-Heinz - Banner - May 2025

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The Netherlands - Rijnweek 2004 held in Rhenen earlier this month is a big event on the Dutch national music calendar. A week-long multicultural festival in which disabled people play a central role, Rijnweek attracts a broad range of artists from rock groups to folk bands. Established nearly a decade ago, the festival attracts more people each year, with the recent 2004 event boasting attendance figures of over 120,000. Audio contractor for the festival was ST Sound based in Tiel who opted for a 48-channel Midas Heritage 1000 for FOH on the main stage running an ElectroVoice XLC rig with EV X-Subs. Klark Teknik DN9848 processors handled system control.

ST Sound is well known in the Dutch market for supplying festival equipment, and Rijnweek represents one of the larger festivals on their summer schedule. "I like this festival for a number of reasons," says ST's propri

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USA / UK - Ray Malpocher, CEO of Telex Communications, has made the journey to Mitcham in south London for the official opening of Shuttlesound's new demo room. The new facilities provide 800sq.m. of space and is more than six metres high. Designed to host demonstrations of ElectroVoice and Dynacord line-array systems, a Midas Legend control desk and racks of Klark-Teknik outboard are permanently installed. All of the sound reinforcement products distributed by Shuttlesound are available for demo here, from the successful Dynacord Powermate and Midas Venice consoles to the sophisticated EV Precision Series of remote amplifiers and IRIS management software.

Paul Barretta, MD of Shuttlesound, describes the new demo hall as "a rare treat for specifiers and installers of sound systems, giving them a realistic opportunity to evaluate the performance of high-end sound reinforceme

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UK - LiteStructures, the company that was instrumental in putting together the first set for the revolutionary music programme The Tube, has recently provided the set to the newest music channel, the Musicians Channel, a free-to-air channel aimed at budding musicians.

The Musicians Channel's set designer Shaun Burley wanted a versatile adaptable stage set that could be changed according to the segment being featured. LiteStructures' solution was an effective combination of AstraLite and LiteDeck, both of which are ideal for creating interest in a variety of configurations. Adrian Brooks, managing director of LiteStructures explained: "We used LiteDeck and AstraLite because they are both light enough to manoeuvre easily and flexible enough to set up in a variety of combinations. They are also quick and easy to put together - which is, after all, the point!"

Jonathan M

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Belgium - Many of the world's top performing artists are touring through North America and Europe supported by Barco equipment this summer. For Barco's worldwide rental partners, this is the busiest time of the year. Bob Brigham of Nocturne Vidicon says: "No doubt this is one of our busiest summers to date. Our entire LED fleet is on the road as part of concerts and tours by Paul McCartney, Cher, Madonna, Van Halen, Simon & Garfunkel, The Eagles, KISS, Bare Naked Ladies & Alanis Morrisette and many others. Luckily, all Barco's LED screens are cross-rentable with tiles from other batches and run-time ages, which allows us to rent in LED tiles from other Barco Rental Partners to help satisfy the demand."

IMAG, another of Barco's leading North American rental partners, is taking to the road with Barco Dlite 7 and R18 projectors, which can be seen on shows by Three Doors

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UK - Guests and VIPs of Rolls-Royce motor cars were treated to a visual feast when lighting designer Durham Marenghi turned the outside walls of the Goodwood plant into a canvas for a large format slide projection of 18 high colour, high contrast images as part of celebrations for the 100th anniversary year of Rolls-Royce.

Working on behalf of the event management company Smyle, onsite crew chief Ross Corbett of Fourth Phase London and his six man team battled with sheet rain and winds of 50mph while setting up a Pani BP6 Gold projector, Martin Mac 2000 profiles and washes housed in weatherproof domes and Studio Due City Colours. Both the projector and the moving lights were controlled from a WholeHog 2, programmed by John Sinden.

The weather cleared up in time for the exclusive cocktail party on 25 June at the Rolls-Royce Chichester plant. The evening was just one of a range

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Germany - This summer, DJ Sven Väth has opened a new dance venue, CocoonClub, in Frankfurt, creating an international meeting point for the music avant-garde, with an impressive interior design, and high-end sound, video and lighting systems throughout.Located in Frankfurt's Ostend district, the club has a total area of 2.664sq.m. Design agency 3deluxe created four zones, differing in atmosphere and function. The main floor, with its moving light installation, is the heart of the club: this is surrounded with a 'stroll' area from all sides and has an integrated lounge - the so called 'InBetween' - which connects the club with two restaurants - 'Micro' and 'Silk'.

A striking feature of the Club's interior design is a 100m long white membrane wall enclosing the main floor. Here some comfortable Cocoons - soft padded seats - offer some temporary relaxation. The structure of the me

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UK - SSE hire has had a busy summer supplying main stage systems at many major festivals, including Glastonbury, T in the Park, Oxegen and Download, with more to follow in August. It is therefore easy to overlook the fact that SSE are equally comfortable in smaller venues and can supply systems for a variety of applications.

A recent in-store appearance by up and coming UK act The Honeymoon at HMV's Birmingham store provided an opportunity for SSE to showcase one of its compact systems. The Honeymoon performed in the new releases section and a Midas Venice 160 was used with Nexo PS15 speakers, ideal for working in the limited space available but maintaining flexibility and quality of output.

The Venice 160 represents one of a number of compact Midas consoles, which SSE has invested in over the summer. Stocks now include a 40ch Verona, Venice 240 and two Venice 160s. Emma Barwe

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Korea - Proel Korea Co Ltd has recently purchased 280 units of PRL power amplifiers from the Italian sound reinforcement manufacturer Proel SpA. The sale came after several installation contracts achieved by the Korean branch of Proel Italy, scheduled to come to effect within the next four months of 2004.

The purchase included the following products: the PRL1400 (2 x 700W RMS/4ohm) the PRL950 (2 x 475W RMS/4ohm) and the PRL600 (2 x 300W RMS/4 ohm). Features include bipolar power transistors, toroidal transformers, OSC - Output Sense Clipping (switchable), thermal/short circuit/overload protection, DC voltage protection, Electronic crossover 24dB/oct, bridge output, aluminium heatsinks and variable-speed fans.

In addition to the above sale, 60 units of the company's new EDGE 8CXP (2-way 8" coaxial, 225W AES) installation speaker have been purchased for a forthcoming instal

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UK - A.C. Lighting has recently supplied the first Jands Vista lighting console for the launch of the new MINI Convertible at this year's UK Motor Show Live event. The console provided lighting for the 'MINI Open Air Theatre' stunt show, which was produced by Glyn Davies of corporate events company The Russell Organisation, and was on a scale comparable with a large west end production.

Amazingly, the shows used only standard production cars to demonstrate the MINI's impressive handling capabilities via a series of stunts. Martin Locket, the show's Lighting Designer and MD of London based live events specialists Essential Lighting, decided to use the revolutionary new Jands Vista console after seeing a preview of the desk at PLASA 2003. Locket was keen to try the console as an LD and also investigate it as a potential new rental product. Working with Jands exclusive European and

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Germany - Three years ago, as Showlight 2001 drew to a close in Edinburgh, members of the organizing committee were left wondering how they were going to better that event. However speakers promised for Showlight 2005 so far include at least three award-winning lighting designers and speakers from Holland, Germany, Australia, North America, Austria and, of course, the UK.

In a slight change of format, Showlight 2005 will feature several discussion groups: lighting education will be reviewed by a panel of students, lecturers and employers under the eye of England's Ian Dow; developments in light sources affecting lighting designers will be discussed by a small panel of senior engineers from the international lamp industry; and a discussion between international lighting designers will be chaired by the inimitable Mark Jonathan, previously with the UK's National Theatre.

Keynote

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USA - LA-based Video artist Vello Virkhaus and his team of animators at V-Squared Labs produced some of their best work to date for the Red Hot Chili Peppers' summer European tour. The company produced 11 separate pieces for the tour, designed to complement the highlights of the Chili Peppers' show including 'Suck My Kiss,' 'Can't Stop,' 'Californication,' 'Purple Stain' and 'Parallel Universe.'

Production designer for the show, Grier Govorko, gave V-Squared Labs a free hand to design what they thought would be most appropriate based on their work with other artists such as Sting, Beyoncé, Blink-182 and Korn. "I sat down with Vello and a list of possible songs, I think there were 23 possibilities at the time," said Govorko. "I had in my head a list of ideas in terms of basic visual concepts. Vello and I went over these ideas, elaborated where possible, and I wh

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UK - Rosco has scheduled two free Professional Development Workshops at venues in Bristol & Birmingham. The workshops, designed for lighting and scenic professionals, teachers and technicians, regularly attract large audiences throughout Europe. The workshop leaders, all Rosco Staff, show participants how to create stage pictures and effects with lighting or scenery, generally using equipment and products likely to be in their theatres or paint shops.

For example, the morning session, devoted to lighting, explains how you can simulate raging or smoldering fire, still or rushing water, rain, snow, etc., simply using gobos and modern spotlights. Some advanced techniques for simulating stained glass effects, reflected lightning bolts and other frequently requested effects are also demonstrated.

The afternoon session on finishing and treating sets and scenic pieces shows how scene

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UK - Universal Events recently designed, produced and supplied all necessary technical infrastructure for the high profile Association of Event Organisers Awards at ExCeL, London's Exhibition and Convention Centre. The technical elements included sound, lighting, lasers, video, stage sets and hydraulics, room dressing and rigging. The client was ExCeL itself, and the show was one of the most challenging of this year for Hertforshire-based Universal Events, as event producer Steve Butcher says: "The eyes of the whole events industry were on us to produce spectacular results."

Universal did not disappoint. They prepared two areas - a reception and main dining room - for 1200 guests and VIPs to enjoy themselves for an afternoon of fun and enjoyment that also honoured the very best talent in the UK Exhibition industry. The main room consisted of a traditional dinner table

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UK - Performances at The Congress Theatre in Cwmbran, Gwent are now in the spotlight after the recent completion of a £30,000 lighting refurbishment project managed by Stagecraft. Equipment installed by Stagecraft included two of Selecon's new Pacific followspots - some of the first to be installed in the UK.

Martin Palmer from Stagecraft commented: "When working on all new projects it's important to assess the individual needs of a venue. The new lighting system at The Congress Theatre has been created to make maximum use of the performance space, whilst also being extremely versatile to fit with the many different productions at the theatre."

The new followspot has been designed to incorporate the unique cooling system created by Selecon. This produces a cool beam of light and also directs the heat away from operational controls and lighting components. Palmer con

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UK - PA Installations has been nominated as 'Installer of the Year' for the Scottish Regional BEDA Awards, for its technically daring lighting, sound and AV project at City nightclub in Edinburgh.The 1,800-capacity sports bar/club/restaurant for Paul and Stephen Smith's Castle Leisure Group is located in the former Scotsman newspaper printworks behind Edinburgh's Waverley Station. Set within a 30,000sq.ft space, the £4.2 million refurbishment features innovative applications of technology including a digital 'backbone' for lighting sound, video and CCTV, which also integrates the cash tills under Crestron touch-screen control, and enables Wales-based PA Installations to remotely access, interrogate and troubleshoot the system online.

Other technicals include a 16-zone, 7.1 sound environment in the Sportsters Bar, also linked to the digital network, which handles routing from e

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Germany - One of Europe¹s most popular Jazz festivals, 'Jazz on the Danube', now established as one of the ten largest jazz festivals in the world, took place in Straubing, the home of EVI Audio in Germany, in mid-July. Some 8,000 music lovers came to Straubing to hear performances from jazz legends such as BB King, Till Brönner and Die Söhne Mannheims. Based on the success of last year's festival, organizers Heinz and Ralph Huber turned once again to Telex EVI for their sound reinforcement needs.

The equipment list was comprehensive, with an ElectroVoice Xlc system as the main PA run from a Midas Heritage 3000 mixing console at FoH. An impressive 20 channels of Klark Teknik Helix handled system EQ, while no less than 48 channels of KT DN1248 were available for the microphone splits, as jazz bands often place heavier demands on the splitter system than traditional rock bands

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USA - An InnovaSON Sy40 digital console was the recent choice of Ryan Cecil, monitor engineer for singer, songwriter and musician Aimee Mann, for a string of US dates. Playing at 1,000-2000-capacity theatres and clubs across the USA meant that the mini-tour could only carry the essentials, with sonic clarity, flexibility and consistency being of top priority. With racks, stacks and wedges supplied at the venues, only backline for a five-piece band plus microphones and personal monitor systems feeding the compact InnovaSON Sy40 needed to be transported.

Mann's Neumann KMS 105 mic goes directly into the InnovaSON Sy40 digital console without any outboard processing. "Aimee sings centre stage for the whole show and at one point she sings a new song called King of the Jailhouse, where she moves over to the piano player's position and plays and sings using her Sennheiser

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Germany - The next Cohedra Operator Training Courses at HK Audio in St. Wendel, Germany, are scheduled for late summer. Over the course of the three-day training session, participants are introduced to the theoretical basis of the Coherent Dynamic Response Array and are given hands-on operational experience with the system. System owners and their staff, prospective system owners, and freelance technicians are invited to attend.

The training will include the fundamental physics of line arrays; the developmental background behind Cohedra; using the Cohedra manual; CAPS - Cohedra Acoustic Prediction Software; the Digital Field Controller and the DFC software for the PC; Cohedra rigging and ground-stacking; listening tests, with multiple configurations; live troubleshooting and servicing. The course concludes with a 60-minute proficiency test, enabling participants to earn the Cohe

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UK - Hertfordshire-based RK Sound Engineering, recently installed Allen & Heath's programmable DSP system as part of a new audio system for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club's main ticket office. The company was asked to install an improved 'talk through' system covering eight ticket booths, replacing the existing system, which needed regular maintenance, and provided poor 'gain-before-feedback'.

RK Sound selected Allen & Heath's iDR fixed installation/live sound system, specifying an iDR-8 digital processing unit and the expansion units iDR-In and iDR-Out, providing a 16x16 matrix. The system can be set up, managed and controlled by PC and includes sophisticated digital processing features such as paging, delays, EQ, gates, compressors, limiters and remote pre-amp control.

Eight Shure MX412D/N microphones feed the iDR on the cashiers' side, which drives eight Work Studio 3 loud

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New Zealand - Selecon has reached an agreement with High End Systems (HES) of Austin, Texas to acquire a patent relating to optical dimming technology. Under the agreement, Selecon has purchased U.S. Patent 6,241,366 titled 'Lighting System with Diffusing Dimmer' for an undisclosed amount. The acquired technology is likely to be employed in Selecon's advanced technology Pacific profile spotlights.

HES chief technology officer Richard Belliveau said: "We are very pleased to form this agreement with Selecon Lighting. Selecon is an innovator in the field of theatrical instruments and we believe that the acquired technology is a perfect match for their new products."

Jeremy Collins, managing director for Selecon Lighting, adds: "High End's IP will allow us to deliver an improved dimming solution for our Pacific MSR line at an affordable cost. Combining the highly

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UK - Contrary to popular belief, smaller companies are not being forced out of the market by their larger counterparts. In fact the larger companies are fighting each other, leaving the smaller companies to prosper. So say the results of a new analysis by Plimsoll Publishing, which focuses precisely on the top 39 companies in the UK sound equipment industry. These companies should be the pinnacles of financial performance. With the overall market showing a healthy turnaround, why have so many of these major players failed to exploit such favourable conditions?

David Pattison, senior analyst at Plimsoll Publishing Ltd, commented: "There is clear evidence of stagnation at the top of the market: 12 of these Top 39 companies failed to increase sales above inflation compared to 17 last year. With many also experiencing rising costs, their future direction now looks uncertain.&qu

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Italy - During the summer, Rome gives free rein to its calling as a city of art and culture. Last year, ten million people attended over 4,000 events, exhibitions and performances that took place across Rome as part of the Roman Summer billboard. Naturally, an important part of this program is the opera, which takes place in the Baths of Caracalla. Built in about 217 AD, the Baths of Caracalla were a later and grander example of a culture already well established in Rome by the middle of the 4th century BC. The huge, vaulted interior, which contained space for 1600 bathers, offered baths, swimming pools, lecture halls, lounges, and exercise facilities. Once lined in marble, the ruins of the Baths of Caracalla now provide a majestic open-air setting for opera performances.

Madema SpA, one of Italy's premier rental companies, was contracted to provide a sophisticated EAW sound rei

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PLASA Leeds 2025 - Large MPU - April 2025
Showlight (Tickets) - MPU - Jan 2025

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