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14 March 2016

"The problem with Pit crews is that even within established companies every manager has a slightly different way of doing something, simply because that's the way they've done it for years," suggests Josh O'Riordan, media manager at TSTS.

Accredited as a level 2 award by NCFE it is the first of its kind in the UK. The Level 2 Spectator Events Pit Operator award, that The Security Training School has created, aims to instigate a new standard of practice into the events industry and develop the learner's knowledge, skills and understanding required for working as part of a functional and safe Pit crew. TSTS state that their "main focus for designing and delivering the course has been to massively improve the existing training and practices found within the

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14 March 2016

The director of photography Massimo Pascucci reports, "The concept of the lighting design stems from the need to strike a fair balance between the purely theatrical setting of the sets designed by Gaetano Castelli and the need to transform them into a sort of concert stage, in order to achieve spectacular effects during dances, acrobatic exhibitions and conjuring tricks."

The lighting consists almost entirely of Clay Paky units. In detail, 70 Alpha Profile 1500s are used for the orchestra, backstage and audience backlighting. Fifty Sharpys have been positioned vertically in mid-air on eight tubular structures behind the orchestra,

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14 March 2016

AVTech, Paxt's distributor for Allen & Heath in Qatar, was given the task to meet and overcome the most complex applications and install a user friendly solution. AVTech decided to opt for Q-Sys developed by QSC, and an Allen & Heath iDR-8 matrix mixer to provide separate audio management and control.

In seven me

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14 March 2016

Kicking off at 2pm, Audient's Luke Baldry will be running a live recording and mix session with local band CrowdedBEATS. The demonstration will include general mixing tips and tricks for analogue in-line recording, whilst highlighting the benefits of working with the Audient flagship console ASP8024 as well as the more compact, recently launched ASP4816. The smaller desk will be connected to a multitrack HD recorder, giving visitors the opportunity to get hands

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14 March 2016

This band competition, famous throughout the world and held for the first time in Athens' Building 56, saw a battle between Greek bands Vegas and Melisses.

With two identical stages installed opposite each other in the same venue the concept of the competition was that the audience would vote vocally for the best group after each of the songs (Melisses recording 124dBA on the decibel meter to emerge as victors).

Sound reinforcement for the event included four arrays of four TTL55-A active line arrays and a TTS36-A flown subwoofer, with four stacked arrays of two TTS-56A subs, divided equally cross the two stag

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14 March 2016

Audiloead director Bruno Ghidionesco comments, "The TiMax SoundHub products seem very powerful and practical, with good pricing for our markets. TiMax Tracker also looks a well advanced system and very interesting to our theatre and event customers."

Out Board director Dave Haydon adds, "We're delighted to have a distributor with Bruno's breadth and reputation handling distribution of our exciting and unique TiMax products in France. Audiolead are highly respected in the territory and their extensive experience both in live productions and installations will be invaluable to growing our diverse new markets fo

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14 March 2016

Dirty Rigger's product manager Steve Marshall says, "We've been talking to the team at SKY for some time. Working with their camera crews we sent over a few samples of our 'camera gloves' for them to test in the field. The Leather Grips really stood out in the testing and the camera guys were apparently really chuffed with the results. SKY are a huge corporation and one that rely on the durability and reliability of its kit, so we feel great pleasure in them choosing the Dirty Rigger gloves."

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

Parmee reports, "It was a truly amazing experience, but probably the hardest thing either of us have ever done. In total we raised just under £7000, and we are absolutely delighted to have achieved such a fantastic result."

The website www.global-adventures.co.uk followed their progress and achievement and still enables donations to be made.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

More than 1,500 friends and fans from around the world packed First Avenue in Minneapolis to see the band play together for the first time in years.

Furthermore, the show brought back many of the original crew - drum tech Brad Marsh, guitar tech Mike Soltys, and respected FOH engineer Rob 'Cubby' Colby, who worked with the band from 1982 to 1989 and mixed the benefit show on a DiGiCo SD7.

DiGiCo national sales manager and Prince crew chief alum Matt Larson was the show's production manager, along with Mike Kranz as assistant PM and stage manager. O

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14 March 2016

The system is supplied by audio rental company Britannia Row, Florence herself uses a customised SKM 5200 with MD 5235 head, with musicians and backing vocalists making use of 2000 Series in-ear monitoring.

"When I inherited the show, we were still doing clubs and Florence was using a wired Neumann KMS 105," says Ian Laughton, Front of House engineer. "When we got bigger, we went for an SKM 5200 with a KK 105 capsule, but then we realised there was too much spill going down the 105."

Laughton still asserts that the 105 is the ideal microphone for Florence, because of its rich bottom end and perfect top. "But we've got a heavy Tom-Tom orientated drummer," he says.. "In fact, it's a very drum orientated band - there's even a song called

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14 March 2016

The venue has an eclectic programme of arts and entertainment including live music of all genres, dance shows, corporate events and parties and is both a producing and a receiving house. The average performance rate is about six shows a week throughout the year.

The venue recently made a large investment in Robe moving lights at the instigation of technical manager Charles Konings. The Robes were supplied by the Dutch office of Benelux distributor Controllux, which has had a healthy and happy working relationship with De Effenaar for some time.

The first delivery of Robes into the venue

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14 March 2016

Lighting designer Baz Halpin added 30 Sharpys tothe US leg of the tour after having used them for Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum shows.

"Katy's tour was very theatrical. It was set in a 'Candyfornia' world that was very colourful and thematically-inspired, very much like Katy herself," he explains. "The show was divided into five acts with different colour schemes for each, ranging from pastel to dark to monochromatic."

Halpin found that he needed "very small but punchy" fixtures on the floor upstage and along the perimeter of the stage. "Since we didn't have rehearsals, I wanted a light I already knew abou

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14 March 2016

Two elements from the d&b productrange were presented, E-Series loudspeakers from the Black range in the form of the teenyweeny E4 and E5; and two comparable models from the White range, namely the 4S and 5S.

Two seminars were also presented, Can you hear me at the back? presented by Oran Burns, which looked at the acoustic signal path from loudspeaker to the listener's ear, and, Combining subwoofers within cardioid distributed arrays delivered by Steve Jones, which explored methods that can be used to achieve even sub bass coverag

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14 March 2016

For paging and platform music at all stations, Metro de Medellín has created the world's largest integrated NetMax networked matrix system, with 57 Electro-Voice N8000 matrix controllers. The system-wide installation also includes more than 250 Electro-Voice EVID series ceiling loudspeakers powered by more that 150 channels of Elect

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14 March 2016

Kurt du Preez, owner of Pan Tilt, admits that he was a little concerned when he saw the size of the fixtures. This soon changed when he turned the VL880s on. "They were so bright," said du Preez. "The size of the beam is incredible."

He finds the gobos refreshingly new and different "for a change" and is loving the effects beam offering rings, multi-rings, lines, dots.

Pan Tilt have used the lights on some corporate gigs to wallpaper the venue with gobo designs and rich colour. The fixtures were also used recently to light an audience. "They were phenomenal," commented Kurt. "What speed, and even at full wide, they were quite bright."

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

"I was really keen to give it a go on this show," he commented. "It allows you to have hard buttons, knobs and faders to control grandMA2 onPC software which is basically grandMA2 on your computer. Now, rather than trying to put in a 'large' console in a control room where there is no space, I've got the compact MA onPC command wing."

Wherever it is physically difficult to use a grandMA2 console, the MA onPC command wing, in conjunction with the grandMA2 onPC software, enables the customer to program or playback within the grandMA2 world.

Collison used a grandMA2 light to programme the show, switching to the MA onPC command wing for replay. "It's not too dissimilar to using an actual console and I was surpri

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14 March 2016

Twice the size of the old galleries, the recently-opened 14,000sq.ft Dinosaur Hall displays specimens - including the world's only T. rex growth series of baby, juvenile and adult skeletons - mounted on platforms and preserved and articulated using modern methods. The skylit L-shaped Hall is flooded with natural light; a glass-sided mezzanine runs along the short side of the L where additional wall-mounted exhibits reveal more about the amazing creatures and show what it's like to find fossils in the field and study them in the lab. Electrosonic was responsible for the design, engineering, fabrication, installation and programming of the Hal

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14 March 2016

Fort Lee, N.J.-based JD Audio & Video Design (JDAV Design) handled design and installation of an A/V package that also includes four three-by-three video wall arrays - each measuring 165 inches - and over thirty 55-inch LED flat-panel HD monitors.

According to JDAV Design president Gabriel Karlis, 40/40 Club's proprietors had previously installed a sound system that featured equipment from various manufacturers. "I kept telling them that Meyer is a much clearer-sounding system," he recalls. "You can't come close to

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14 March 2016

DB has bought the Sharp LED screens due to demand from clients and because it is this year phasing out its LCD and plasma screen stock. This latest investment takes DB's current screen inventory to over 1,500 screens of various sizes, from 22" up to these 80" models.

The Sharp screens are True HD 1920x1080 screen and, despite their size, weigh just 65kg, which is half the weight of an equivalent plasma version.

Oliver Richardson, DB's sales & marketing director, said, "LED technology is definitely the way forward for 2012. LED screens are lighter and thinner than the standard LCD and plasma screens, and have the added advantage of being more energy efficient. We expect this product to be in the 'what's hot' list for 2012.

"Our clients

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14 March 2016

Pacific Lighting director Hugh Chinnick comments, "GLP is a growing company, with a track record for innovation and quality. We have been very cautious in entering the moving LED fixture market, but are confident that GLP will successfully fit into our existing bespoke product range."

Michael Münz, general manager GLP Asia, adds, "I am very happy to have Pacific Lighting on board with us. They are a very experienced and well known player throughout Asia and the perfect match for GLP. Together with them we are looking forward to maintaining our rapid growing in Asia."

Since the opening of GLP's Asian Office little under two years ago, sales in the region have increased dramatically. "Recent

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14 March 2016

Although the construction cost was set at £2.4m, it was a tight budget for a project of this scale. Set within London's green belt, the new building required the demolition of the previous school hall theatre. Theatreplan devised an unusual compact polygonal auditorium for a capacity of up to 400. The geometry reflects the galleried space of an Elizabethan playhouse where the actor or singer is paramount, and also adapts for an end stage presentation when required

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14 March 2016

When it comes to protecting workers at height, Gravitec knows the value of education. Curriculum is designed to prepare workers and empower them to use available equipment and implement systems to protect themselves. Fall protection training provides riggers with the knowledge they need to perform their job safely. Gravitec offers a full range of fall protection and rescue courses, from basic fall hazard awareness to advanced climbing and rescue techniques, designed to address safety issues commonly faced by riggers and entertainment technicians in the field.

Participants enrolled in Gravitec courses will lea

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14 March 2016

Managing director Simon Blackwood said, "The design team has come up with two truly innovative concepts - the Polyhorn and Dendritic waveguides - deployed across three product ranges which contribute towards the ever-increasing quality of sound reproduction at live concerts and in permanent installations, and which are set to earn the company significant income both at home and in our 45-plus export markets."

The company has recently launched

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14 March 2016

The one day course focuses on how - and why - the IET Wiring regulations and BS 7909 apply to temporary events and delves a little into why they are relevant and more importantly how compliance is not necessarily difficult. As well as looking at how to implement them correctly it also examples where current practice is not always best practice, showing where potential dangers exist in a typical event. It will also be of particular use to rental companies as the course gives the delegate a sound understanding of the importance of portable appliance testing.

The content is aimed at those with a reasonable appreciation of electrical systems and covers areas such as multiple sources of supply, RCDs, earthing and bonding, i