UK / USA - HHB and Sennheiser Electronic Corporation (SEC) have reached an agreement whereby SEC will handle the distribution of all HHB professional audio products in the USA, Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. This agreement goes into effect on October 1 this year, with SEC responsible for the distribution of HHB's Portadisc and Portadrive location sound recorders, CDR830 BurnIT and BurnIT Plus CD recorders and HHB Professional Recording Media, along with other new products currently in development. Distribution arrangements for HHB products in Canada remain unchanged.

"With a staff of more than 100, regional branch offices and an in-house technical service facility, SEC will give more coverage to HHB products and a better service to our customers than we could ever hope to achieve working independently," commented HHB managing director Ian Jon

USA - The Venetian Resort hotel and casino in Las Vegas has chosen Digigram Audio Manager and NCX Networked audio terminals to distribute background music over the existing Ethernet network throughout the casino. "We were looking for a system that worked operationally, allowed flexibility and was cost-effective," said Paul Vella, engineering supervisor at the Venetian Resort.

The flexibility of Digigram Audio Manager allows the hotel to control the background music to reflect situations and demographics that change by the day or by the hour in the various locations of the $1.5billion complex. Digigram Audio Manager is a software suite for A-to-Z management of multi-zone audio installations, including play list creation, sound library management and signal routing. NCX Networked audio terminals, which are hooked into the Venetian's existing Ethernet, are used as I/O ha

Norway - The Norwegian Theater in Oslo has taken delivery of a Visual Act Analog wagon system. The system includes two modular drive units which can power wagons of over 2000kg. The drive units are easily bolted to different constructions and will be used by the theatre both to move sets in repertory and automate scenic elements. The first use of the system will be a 9m revolve for the new musical Frendelaus by Øystein Wiik.

The system uses a dependable analogue radio system which is certified for the transportation of people. Servo-motors guarantee constant speed, independent of load, so that the motion of dancers on the Frendelaus revolve will not affect the movement of the floor.

(Lee Baldock)

Germany - The world premiere of Versa Lightguide was provided by CT Creative Technology Germany at the IFA in Berlin and IAA (Frankfurt Auto Show) recently. At IFA, the world's largest consumer electronics show, the revolutionary LED-based tiles featured on the Deutsche Telekom booth, in co-operation with q-bus Mediatekur, while in Frankfurt the Swedish car manufacturer SAAB used Versa Lightguide in the VIP area of its booth in Hall 8. (It should be pointed out that Lightguide is exactly the same product as Element Labs' 'Versa Tile' - the name under which the product was launched at this year's PLASA Show, and collected a Product Excellence Award; CT simply prefers to call it Lightguide.)

The Versa Tile, or Lightguide, modules represent a milestone in electronic design. Edge-lit by LEDs these can be built up to create large ambient displays with dynamic video effects. CT German

UK - Wayne Barker's WE Audio were busy shoppers at this year's PLASA Show, as they boosted their inventory in preparation for several key events for which they will be providing the audio reinforcement. Among several items purchased from their preferred suppliers, Marquee Audio, were two 52-channel Yamaha PM5000 desks.

A long-time customer of both Marquee and Yamaha, Wayne Barker has created a niche for himself in the industry for servicing one-off specialist projects, musical theatre tours (including Dionne Warwick and Elaine Paige), and corporate events. All this activity has necessitated he purchase of the new Yamaha desks, which he will be debuting on two upcoming West End events.

The shows in this case will be a Tribute To Richard Harris at the Strand Theatre and a corporate event surrounding the Rat Pack West End show, at the Hilton Hotel. The Sunday night Richard Harris

UK - A new table dancing bar in Rotherham has been fitted out with Wharfedale loudspeakers. Eight Programme 60s were supplied to Blue Minx owner Tim Naylor by Doncaster dealers Electromusic. Naylor has a long relationship with the retailer through his other venues in the town, Mazeppa Bar and Millennium Bar.

When he allocated the £200,000 necessary to refit the former Traveller's Rest, Naylor confessed he had his eyes fixed on another speaker brand. That was until he experienced a demo of the Programme 60s. "After listening to them, I realized they offered outstanding reproduction." There were other attributes of the Programme 60, including the long rectangular, trapezoidal geometrics of the enclosure. As he was fitting the venue out to a high standard, he admits aesthetics was an important consideration. "I expected to have to spray paint the speakers to match t

USA - Bandit Lites has once again lent its support to Farm Aid, a benefit concert staged every year since 1985 by John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Willie Nelson to raise both money and awareness about the increasingly dire plight of American farming. Bandit Lites has been a part of Farm Aid for 12 years.

This year the concert line-up was as impressive as ever, and included Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Sheryl Crow, Brooks & Dunn and Trick Pony, Vanessa Carlton, Hootie and the Blowfish, Emmylou Harris, Daniel Lanois, Los Lonely Boys, Aaron Brotherton, Titty Bingo and Billy Bob Thornton.

Using a variety of moving fixtures, lighting designer Michael Dalton was able to create an impressive stage experience for the event. The rig was made up of five main trusses: a circular truss at mid-stage, two serpentine trusses at downstage left and right, and a rec

UK - Allen & Heath recently hosted an awards ceremony at London's Globe Theatre, with over 60 guests from its network of UK dealers and overseas distributors. Held during PLASA, the purpose of the evening was to recognize individual achievements behind Allen & Heath's most successful year to date.

In the UK, Musicland was awarded 'Best Retailer of the Year', Batmink was presented with the 'Best Reseller of the Year' award, and Sapphires Sound & Light was decorated with 'Best DJ Retailer of the Year'. International distributors were also acknowledged, with Pro Audio Marketing in Germany, PT Santika Multi Jaya in Indonesia and Distribuidora Gonher S.A. de C.V. in Mexico, receiving awards for 'Most Improved Territory'. Korean distributor, Dai Kyung was credited for 'Best Technical Support'.

However, the most prestigious award of the evening went to Italy, as Grisby Music Srl was

Russia - The Kremlin in Moscow has ordered 35 BGV-C1 chain hoists in the 500kg weight class from German manufacturer ChainMaster. The lifts are equipped with a position encoder and a ChainMaster control system comprising three switch servers combined with two operation desks. Parallel redundancy is assured by the presence of an additional manual controller, also from ChainMaster. The Kremlin order was placed by the Arlecchino Business Center in Moscow and the installation of the high-tech system is scheduled for the beginning of October.

For nine years, ChainMaster has been developing and manufacturing stage chain hoists and chain hoist controllers. The firm's current range covers chain hoists for weights ranging from 125kg to 12 tons. ChainMaster's most successful product worldwide is the VarioLift (which includes models for loads ranging from 125kg to 6,300kg) which was introd

UK - The first order for Martin Audio's new W8LM Line Array was confirmed during this month's PLASA Show - and a major order it was too. Martin Audio confirmed that they had sold a 64-enclosure Synco W8LM system to Synco Europe, for distribution among the Synco Network partners in Europe. Ampco Pro Rent in Holland will be one of the first network partners to use the new system on its theatre projects. Synco Europe also purchased all necessary flying hardware, along with 16 Synco MA2.8S amplifiers.

Fred Heuves, MD of Synco Europe, commented: "The Synco Network of PA companies will now have all three of Martin Audio's proprietary Line Array systems in their inventories - the Synco W8L, Synco W8LC and now the Synco W8LM. They not only match perfectly together, but will serve independently in their own market segments as well. With these three Synco Line Array systems, combined

UK - After three years and £540m, Birmingham's new Bullring retail development has opened. Boasting 150 shops - principally department stores and high street names, plus smaller specialist boutiques and restaurants, the development adds weight to Birmingham's claim that it is fast becoming Europe's new shopping capital. At the centre of the development is the new Selfridges store, designed by architects Future Systems, who reportedly based their designs on a chainmail dress by Paco Rabanne. The curvy new store is covered with over 15,000 spun aluminium discs. With each interior level designed by individual interior designers, the store is as striking inside as it is from the exterior.

Following on from the success of The Gate in Newcastle (see L&SI June 2003), the same creative team came together to deliver the high-tech elements: Immedia Systems looked after the installation a

UK - Lighting and AV and installation company Metropolis AV & FX is the first UK specifier and installer of the new wireless sound systems from Cardio Theatre. The first EU-approved systems have been supplied to several venues, including LA Fitness venues in Leeds, Tunbridge Wells and Purley. The Meadowside Leisure Centre in Whitley - a high profile independent facility - has also benefited from the new wireless system.

The advantages of wireless cardio vascular sound equipment are numerous. Practical considerations such as trailing wires and messy cables are eliminated, and the clarity and quality of the audio is greatly enhanced. Added to which, the systems are highly reliable and low maintenance - all key considerations for an operator.

The wireless system is also easy to install. Metropolis's sales & marketing manager Neil Solanki explains that clients wanting to upgrade t

USA - Shure Incorporated and Middle Atlantic Products have become the latest manufacturers to endorse Stardraw Weblink, the new service from Stardraw unveiled at InfoComm this year that allows linkage of Stardraw product symbols to any online data. The two companies join other industry leaders including Audio-Technica US, BSS and TOA as early adopters of this program, which enables manufacturers to exploit the power of the internet to better serve their customers.

Manufacturers enrolling in the Weblink program can embed custom data within the symbols that represent their products across the range of Stardraw design and documentation applications, including Stardraw.net, the world's first online CAD application. The custom links can point to simple web pages, or retrieve sophisticated parameter-driven information. Using Weblink, manufacturers can deliver any kind of resource to c

UK - With the summer festivals fixed in their schedule, Coldplay did not want to take any risks with the equipment they might encounter, so - they decided to take their own! XTA signal processing was in command of the extensive front of house control system, supplied by Tourtech, that accompanied Coldplay's UK and European tour, and the round of summer festivals that followed it - culminating in their double-headlining appearances at the V Festivals 2003 at Chelmsford and Weston Park, Stafford.

For the tour, four XTA GEQ600 equalizers provided system EQ for the complex main, bleacher and underhung arrays of V-Dosc and DV-Dosc PA. Six XTA DP226 units handled the PA processing for the left/right system and ground stacks, with another time-aligning the subs.

Continuing their role from the tour to the festivals, four XTA SiDDs at front of house provided dynamics processing for the

UK - London's Covent Garden was the place to be in September, when the West Piazza was taken over by everyone from buskers to Fame Academy stars. Stage Electrics was asked to provide the staging, sound, lighting and power generation for the series of events running from the 7-13 September.

Stage Electrics' production manager John Radford used the company's Arc Roof system to provide all the key elements required for an event of this type - wide viewing angles and good platform height. Since the events ran during the daytime, the lighting element was minimal, with just eight Sunfloods used to lift the general light and brighten the stage with open white. For the PA system, Radford worked with Stage Electrics' sound designer Glen Beckley to specify a multi-event system with the required wide degree of dispersion. Based around EAW KF850 cabinets, with SB1000 subs, the system was dr

USA - VTG Audio has unveiled its new application, NetCAD. Based on the Stardraw.net engine, NetCAD is a web service that allows users to design, configure and order custom connection and control panels. The application will be delivered through the websites of VTG's daughter companies Horizon Music and Rapco, two of the largest suppliers of cables, connectors, custom panels and metalwork in the US, with outlets in the UK and Europe.

Tthe new service is delivered by a web server and works from within a browser so there is nothing to download or install in the conventional sense. It comprises a drag-and-drop interface linked to a complete library of all of Rapco's and Horizon Music's panel products so the user simply selects the panel he or she wants, drags on the connectors that are needed, and sets engraving, finishes, artwork and so on. The resultant design is linked in real ti

Algeria - Dynacord's Cobra - one of the world's first compact line-array system is making its mark on the pro audio world, according to the manufacturer. Already the winner of numerous awards, the Dynacord Cobra has impressed engineers in Europe, Australia, America and Asia with its combination of unproblematic, time-saving handling and high quality sound, and this year's Raï Festival in Tabarka gave technicians in Africa, too, a chance to hear the system in action.

Perhaps the most important festival of African pop music, the Raï Festival celebrates the music of the plains and mountains of Algeria. With names like Cheb Sahraoui, Hakim Salhi, Cheb Fati and Cheb Tarik, this year's line-up featured many of the leading exponents of the genre, and the six thousand enthusiasts who made the trip from all over North Africa cannot have been disappointed either with the music or with t

UK - London-based installation specialist, Sound Division, has enjoyed a fruitful year so far with a number of prestigious installations to its name. Recent projects include Dunes nightclub in Kensington on the site of the old Po Na Na venue, which has been taken over by an independent operator and completely refurbished. Sound Division specified and installed a Crown-powered JBL sound system, a sophisticated DJ set-up and a lighting rig based on a selected range of Abstract VRX scanners, positioned over the dancefloor.

Sound Division has also put JBL sound systems into some of the capital's hottest celebrity hang-outs, in particular the Philippe Starck-designed Light Bar in St Martin's Lane hotel. A total of 16 JBL Control 25AV monitor speakers have been installed in a distributed system throughout the space. Sound Division's Elliot Patterson commented: "The client needed

Ireland - The Irish town of Naas, located just 15 miles outside of Dublin, has recently become the setting for a modern dance hall revolution with the opening of Time, a night-club with a difference. Times' commercial director and architect, Sean Condon says: "Time is as an attempt to bridge generations, a modern theatre offering high energy entertainment from ballet to high-wire dare devil performances, music from across the world, DJs, live bands and dancers!"

With such a wide a scope, Time called for a rather more complex sound system, one that could function in a variety of situations and that could be controlled at a touch of a button. For this the installation team, AVL, and Time production manager, Mike Warner, chose a complete EAW sound system.

"Sound systems for clubs are usually very easy to absorb because you're dealing with main dance floor sound so

UK - Earlier this year, lighting designer Mark Ridler suffered a devastating road accident that left him paralysed from the waist down. Light Relief, the charity set up to help lighting industry people in emergency situations, recognised Mark's situation and in addition to providing immediate assistance, set up a dedicated bank account so people could be sure that their donations would go straight to Mark and his immediate family. Although he spent over three months in hospital, Mark, who is now in a wheelchair, was determined not to miss PLASA where, on the White Light stand, lighting designer Andrew Bridge presented him with cheques for £3,000 from the charity, and £700 raised specifically for him. White Light had been one of the prime movers in Mark's cause, asking participants of its Open Day in May to contribute to the special fund.

Mark will be putting the bulk of the mo

UK - Allen & Heath has forged ahead with its customer service initiatives with the launch of a new website, which not only boasts a slick, new layout but provides even more concise information, features, news and downloads within a sophisticated graphic architecture and intuitive navigation. "We intend to keep the site as 'live' as possible and therefore, continued maintenance of news and product information, as well as lots of dynamic visual presentations of our products in action, will make the user experience a more valuable one," commented Allen & Heath's new media manager, David Haughton.

Over the coming weeks, Allen & Heath will introduce new features to the website including; 360 degree product views, video features of products in action and user areas such as Active FAQs and Product Feedback.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

UK - Macclesfield-based manufacturer Millbank Electronics (owned by Ampekko Ltd) recently supplied its distributor in Kuwait - Specialised Security Systems Co (SSSC) - with a sophisticated public address and voice alarm system, which has been installed into Kuwait's Interior Ministries Complex. As a challenging installation comprising 18 interconnected buildings and over 81 evacuation zones, SSSC, headed by managing partner Jacob Philip, was awarded the prestigious contract against much local competition.

The VA system designed and specified by SSSC centres on the new Millbank DSPac high efficiency amplifier mainframe. Pivotal to the installation's success, the DSPac enables enormous space saving potential as well as 84% Class 'D' amplifier efficiency. Offering extremely high power-density VA compliant solutions, the DSPac is a flexible 3U modular amplifier mainframe that will a

UK - Marry Me A Little is musical comprising of cuts from what have often been referred to as Stephen Sondheim's golden period. Craig Lucas and Norman Rene originally penned the show in the 1980s as a review. In August, the Gas Monkey Theatre Company brought the show to the Landor Theatre in North Clapham for a three week run. As a small theatre group, the cast and crew were preparing to perform using the theatre's existing lighting rig, but ETC's Richard Lambert stepped in to help make the show look as good as it sounds.

Lambert was originally asked to design the lighting by Ben Yates, who stars in the show. As part of ETC's outreach programme, Lambert offered a selection of ETC equipment for use on the show. The outreach programme provides equipment, technical skills and design services to performers who would not otherwise have the opportunity to enhance their work wit

UK - Light Relief, the charity established to support lighting industry people who find themselves in emergency situations, will benefit from the 'open house' that was White Light's 2003 PLASA Show stand. Without a stand of his own this year, Howard Eaton spent most of the show holding court on the White Light stand with its popular bar. Howard did manage to combine work with socialising, since the LED colour changing starcloths which formed the backdrop to the White Light stand were built by Howard Eaton Lighting Limited for drapes specialist Blackout. However, as a thank you for providing him with a base during the show, he has offered a donation to Light Relief.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

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