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14 March 2016

"Optocore has a first-class pedigree in the distribution of audio, IP Intercom and video," noted Soundware pro audio manager, Kim Johansen, who had personally encountered and used Optocore systems over the years, but felt the brand's potential was not being fully realised.

The German manufacturer also believes it has found the ideal partner. Said international sales & marketing manager, Mark Davidson, "We chose Soundware due to their knowledge of the broadcast, fixed install and live performance markets in Denmark as well as their experience and reputation.&qu

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14 March 2016

"Avolites has recently reorganised and streamlined its distribution network, so we are delighted to have been confirmed as one of only four resellers for the UK," says Phil Haldane, Black Light's head of company development. "This is a real feather in our cap - one that reflects our commitment to the brand and our belief in the merits of its exceptional products."

"Avolites' gear is really versatile and is ideally suited for multi-purpose venues, says Calder Sibbald, Black Light's head of hires and events, who has worked with Avolites extensively including a period of product testing for the company at Edinburgh's Gilded Balloon venue.

"To back up our new role as an Avolites distributor we have increased our hire and sales stock of their products," Sibbal

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14 March 2016

"The Met is all about quality and very particular about the products they buy, and the Robert Juliat name speaks for itself in that regard," says Fred Lindauer, of Robert Juliat. "The Met already has a number of RJ 2.5W Profiles in their inventory so they were very willing to consider Robert Juliat followspots for this new application."

The followspots had to be portable, easy to set up, and fit in the space reserved for them. In addition, they had to be very quiet since they would be located in the audience seating area. "After on-site tests the team at the Met loved the fact that the Victors operat

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14 March 2016

Taking centre stage with show contestants in custom-finished chrome are six Q-Wash 560Z LED moving heads. The fixtures add eye candy to the set and complement the dancer's moves while punctuating performances with powerful beams of coloured light.

Additionally placed throughout the set are 50 COLORdash Batten Tri linear wash lights as well as 32 COLORado 1 Tour static wash lights. These fixtures provide vibrant, saturated washes from the back cyc and signature coloured arc design of the set to downlighting the main dance floor. All the Chauvet fixtures offer flicker-free performances from high-powered LEDs.

"The Q-Wash 560Z LED worked exceptionally well on stage," Mark Kenyon said. "They are extremely bright and at tim

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14 March 2016

The Hilbert Circle Theatre, home to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, was transformed from its 1916 historical splendour to a fully-functioning 21st Century television broadcast studio incorporating miles of cable, cameras, video walls, lighting and state of the art audio systems into its ornate and elegant interior.

"We are very pleased to provide our support to this outstanding production," said Michael Reed, founder and president of Reed Rigging. &quo

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14 March 2016

Theatre and concert technicians - and other performing arts professionals - turned out at this bi-annual fair to see SGM's new suite of low-energy LED solutions, which formed the centrepiece of the Dutch company's sound and light presentation.

Sales-All's Bas van der Heiden, the man responsible for SGM sales, said the decision to exhibit at CUE 2012 for the first time had been well justified. "We dedicated a large part of our stand to SGM and visitors were really excited - particularly about the new X-5 (white LED) strobe and XC-5 (colour strobe). Many customers are now interested in selling these products as part of the full SGM range."

SGM con

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14 March 2016

PLASA 2012 will be first show to take place after the London Olympic and Paralympic Games and it will be a celebration of our industry's contribution to this summer's events. We'll be taking a look back at some of the most spectacular achievements of the summer and presenting special educational events to highlight the best bits of London 2012.

In addition, PLASA 2012 will showcase an all-new Audio Programme packed full of master-classes from the biggest international names in the industry.

We invite everyone to come and enjoy the unique atmosphere in London this September, the home of the Olympics and the

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14 March 2016

With both tours overlapping Jones took his new Vista S1 out on The Hollies, while he called on Lars Kristiansen to operate Cliff Richard and the Shadows on his Vista S3.

Jones bought the Vista S3 some two years ago, and it has been on the road ever since. He has been running the next generation Vista v2 software since its launch and comments, "It's brilliant."

He has worked with The Hollies for the last six years. They tour twice a year for five weeks each, playing to completely sold out audiences in theatres and concert halls nationwide.

The lighting rig, supplied by Blackburn based Lite Alternative, consisted of a front and back truss

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14 March 2016

CEO Bernd Schmitz comments, "I was attracted to the brand in the first instance by Flex Array's acoustical performance - Especially the natural and clear midrange, which was and still is outstanding. After a shoot-out we ordered our first Turbosound Flex Array system because of its outstanding natural sound.

"The following tour was a complete success, and from then until now we did a lot of shows from musicals to rock 'n' roll with a continually growing Turbosound inventory. We do around 800 shows a year - nearly every one of them with Turbosound products - and the results are always outstanding." He has now invested in 112 TFA-600 Flex Array

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14 March 2016

The new engine utilises the latest generation of LED and optics, resulting in over two and a half times the light output - an impressive 750 lumens - of the original Color Block DB4 (290 lumens) with the internal switch set to full power.

Visual Elements is headed by Mike Townsend and is a busy provider of design and equipment rental services to corporate and live events. They have over 300 Color Block DB4s in their inventory, the first of which were purchased five years ago when the product was first launched, and they are still going strong today.

Townsend explains how the replacement engines have made a huge difference. "There is no comparison - it has completely transformed the fixture, giving them a new lease of

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14 March 2016

"We needed a lighting system that was going to hold up to the work load as well as a system that was flexible and would give us the ability to give us multiple design options," he explains. "Once I had the overall design down, we turned to Acoustic Dimensions to carry out the majority of the infrastructure and backbone."

Russelburg found what he was looking for in a large Martin Professional lighting system made up of 12 MAC III Profile, 16 MAC III Performance, six MAC 200

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14 March 2016

"Our partnership with Rational Acoustics serves two purposes. First, we are a professional audio distribution company and many of our clients either use or need the Smaart software to accurately calibrate their PA systems," commented Chicco Hiranandani, business development manager at NMK. "Second, we place a very high emphasis on training and Rational Acoustics have a strong reputation in the market for their Smaart training classes. We are excited with the opportunities that this new partnership will bring to the industry."

"We are very honoured and excited to have NMK Electronics representing Rational

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14 March 2016

Avtek's director, Graham Lowen reports, "Pandoras Box stands out as a unit that approaches the marketplace from a video as opposed to lighting perspective. Coolux is an innovative company in the vanguard of creative product development, setting trends instead of following them. We feel that having the latest version of Pandoras Box will give us the edge in our ever more competitive market."

Avtek received their new Pandoras Box V5 Quad Server late in 2011, along with an AirScan interactive motion-sensor, and have already enjoyed high demand for the system, most recently for Georgian Day in Armagh, Northern Ireland. Celebrating the official beginning of the city's festive season, Avtek created and

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14 March 2016

The process to outfit the venue with a complete audio/visual system took roughly three years from conception to completion, spearheaded by senior project engineer Andrew Prager of New Jersey's Diversified Systems with the aid of BYU-Idaho's audio engineer David Mann. Diversified's commitment encompassed the project's design and implementation, installation, and fin

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14 March 2016

"Radial DI boxes are an industry standard in the touring market, with a lot of international acts visiting the Middle East it is crucial for companies like Talentz to have them in their inventory," commented Dino Drimakis, business development manager at Melody House. "We expect to see the family of Radial users to grow in 2012."

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

The Road Hog Full Boar is in control of up to 16 Showpix pixilation luminaires and 12 Showgun 2.5automated luminaires for its broadcasts on ZDF TV throughout Europe. For Wetten, dass...?, Winkler AG in Switzerland is supplying the Road Hog Full Boars, DP8000s and Road Hog Wings, while Arcus Lighting in Germany is supplying the Showgunss and Showpix.

The show travels to different European cities setting up in a variety of venues from open air theatres to outdoor theme parks for live broadcasts. Celebrity guests, including musical groups, participate in the action, placing their bets on contestants who compete in crazy tasks such as: climbing a tower using toilet paper; flipping coins with a forklift

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14 March 2016

Hosted by JBL UK distributor Sound Technology, the listening session showcased the new flagship Marquis Series dance stack - an unapologetic return to an old-school ground stack system.

Attendees were also able to hear the JBL AE Compact series of premium small format speakers for ancillary club areas, and the sub-compact VerTec line array ideal for clubs hosting live music events as part of a multi-use set-up.

"This was an opportunity to showcase our premium JBL solutions for club sound" commented Ian Cullen, marketing director, Sound Technology. "We were delighted with the event and think people were impressed with what they heard."

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

Under the terms of the agreement, Elation has been granted the rights to use Litepanels' patented LED technology for the primary illumination of subjects for image capturing in film and video. The patented Litepanel technology will be used in Elation lighting fixtures intended for television, film and video production applications such as the TVL2000.

Under the terms of its agreement with Litepanels, Inc., Elation will be able to use the patented technology in the products it sells in all of its markets. Elation maintains a policy of respecting the valid and enforceable intellectual property rights of others.

A Vitec Company, Litepanels Inc. manufa

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14 March 2016

Video director Paul 'Eggy' Eggerton worked closely with engineer Wolfgang 'Wolfie' Schram to produce an original IMAG look for the band, which was rear projected onto two 20 x 11ft side screens, each fed by a single Barco HD20 FLM machine.

The set design was acollaboration between lighting designer Nick Gray and the band's creative director Aitor Throp. It included a striking 20m wide by 10m high structural arch which was raked forward, and rigged with 134 x 1.5m lengths of Barco MiStrip LED.

Eggerton enjoyed his third tour with the band. He used five Sony DXCD 50 cameras with TX7 backs - two at FOH with long lenses, two in the pit and one hand-held onstage - all busy between them

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14 March 2016

The official opening was marked with a ceremony and concert in the presence of HH the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and included the launch of the world-class sculpture '7', by international artist Richard Serra. This 24m high creation is the first work of art produced by Serra to be displayed in the Arab region.

The ceremony was also attended by a number of Their Excellencies sheikhs, ministers and heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Qatar.

A temporary concert shell housed musicians from the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra who performed Hughes de Courson's The Magic Lutes and prior to that a dramatic

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14 March 2016

Headed up by James Ashdown, Automated had never previously purchased Clay Paky products but has recognised that his recent purchase of Sharpys are important additions to his rental stock. "I decided to invest in the Clay Paky Sharpy as it is an increasingly popular and useful tool for my TV designer clients. They like the looks it creates from such a small footprint. We realised we needed to have these fixtures readily available for them, and the team at Ambersphere have made the whole process really easy. I know they will look after me with any product support I need for a long time to come. All in all it has made these products a sound investment for me and for my custo

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14 March 2016

The new company, SGM A/S, which replaces the former SGM Technology for Lighting spa, will be headquartered in Aabyhøj, near Aarhus, Denmark, and will concentrate exclusively on developing LED solutions, while continuing to support SGM's current catalogue of discharge lighting.

For Peter Johansen, the man who originally founded Martin Professional, and who joined SGM in late 2010 as R&D director, the buyout provides the opportunity to spearhead his own company again, dedicated to LED development in the entertainment and architectural segments.

For RCF Group, by divesting themselves of the lighting interest they purchased in April 2009, the company can focus on its core audio brand, and build on

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14 March 2016

PLASA Focus: Leeds 2012 looks forward to welcoming a record number of visitors to the fourth annual PLASA Focus event at the Royal Armouries in Leeds, on Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 April - as PLASA Events confirm that visitor registration to date is already up 100% on 2011. Building on the success of the two-day educational programme from previous years, PLASA Events is delighted to announce the launch of the new PLASA Focus Professional Development Programme: a series of free seminars and demonstrations delivered by some of the industry's leading experts.

Events manager Sophie Atkinson confirmed, "As promised, we are bringing a broad choice of sessions to Leeds, including a look at some exciting regional pr

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14 March 2016

According to Nielsen, the company that tracks TV viewing figures, the football game was the most watched show in US history. However, TV network NBC and the National Football League (NFL) apologised on behalf of rapper M.I.A, who appeared as a featured artist during Madonna's set. The British hip hop musician raised her middle finger whilst facing the camera during the performance. The picture was temporarily scrambled, but it came too l