UK - It has been three monumental years for Manchester stalwarts Elbow. Yet whatever their successes, a more unassuming and firmly grounded band you could not wish to meet. This doesn't mean they're averse to the odd risk, as show designer Cate Carter found out on their recent flurry of UK arena dates.

"The tour was to be short, just six dates and we had no production rehearsal. By definition I needed time to have an intricate show pre-programmed on a desk powerful enough to run a complex structure of cues and give me the time and space to be objective: More than anything I wanted time to look at what I was doing and how that affected the way I called the follow spots, the Kinesys movement cues, and how the lighting and video sat together in the show." A taxing self-imposed brief, yet Carter chose this moment to migrate to a new operating system, a grandMA2.

"I'

France - Renkus-Heinz has announced the appointment of a new distributor for France. Renkus-Heinz has signed an agreement with leading French distribution company SoundCo, and from now on they will handle the distribution of Renkus-Heinz products for the French market. They will also cover the North Africa countries Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, on a non-exclusive basis.

With offices in the Paris suburb and a sales agent team, SoundCo offers its customers support throughout the country.

The company works in all of the entertainment technology sectors including the live sound / PA rental market, the MI market (including both online and retail outlets), installation and system integration companies and the broadcast industry, and more besides.

Another string to the company's bow is the direct import and distribution of pro audio products. SoundCo is the exclusive distributor f

Belgium - Audio XL, Nexo's distributor in Belgium, has supplied PS15 and PS10 systems for a high-functioning multimedia environment in The Villa, a new club and restaurant that has opened in Antwerp. The equipment was specified and installed by local systems integrator ASB, the first time the company has worked with Nexo products.

"The client chose Nexo based on listening tests, and we supported his choice because we knew that we would get great service from Pascal Deneef, installation manager at Audio XL," says ASB's Mathias Jansegers.

The venue owners, working on their second project, required a high degree of system integration, with sound, lights, screens and LEDs all under BSS control. Audio is highly programmed, even down to a basic setting for when the cleaning crew are in. "The most important thing was to give my customer something that all of his staff

India - A massive spiritual convention, in which 350,0000 worshippers descended on the Indian city of Jalandhar, in the state of Punjab, over three days, saw the audio relayed over the vast site using an Optocore network, designed and supplied by the production company SOUND.COM.

Using Optocore's 2.14 protocol in a ring topology, and a combination of single- and multi-mode fibre they were able to deliver the signal digitally over the large coverage area.

Warren Dsouza's Mumbai-based live event production company has long been an advanced exponent of Optocore technology, exploiting large systems for events including the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and The Oman Tattoo in Muscat. For this mega peace rally, called the Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan (DSM 2012), SOUND.COM. was selected based on its excellent reputation.

"The organisers first needed the reassurance t

UK - The first of Robe's new Robin DLF LED Wash lights to go on tour in the UK were just ideal for Rob Sinclair's lighting design for The Human League's recent UK tour - which incorporated ten of the PLASA Innovation Award winning fixtures.

The rig also contained several other Robe fixtures, including five DigitalSpot 7000 DTs, which together with the DLF Washes, were used to illuminate and project on to a scenic back wall above and behind the band, constructed from ten Airformance Design 'Waben Blocks'.

The concept of utilising the Blocks originally came from lead vocalist Philip Oakey, who had seen these at a festival during the summer and thought they would look very cool onstage - which they did.

All lighting and digital lighting equipment for the tour was supplied by Blackburn-based HSL - who have the largest stock of Robe fixtures in the UK - and like to ensure that al

Denmark - DPA Microphones' new hand-held d:facto vocal microphone delivered quality results for Sting, who used four of them on his recent Back to Bass tour throughout Europe and the Far East.

Sting's front of house engineer Howard Page says, "The d:facto's definition and clarity was a huge update on our Sting shows and worked just as well for the in-ear monitors that Sting listened to. It is an absolutely unique microphone that has an amazing transient response and just the right amount of proximity without the normal problems of on/off tonal differences."

Page, senior director of engineering at Clair Brothers in the USA, was recommended the DPA d:facto mic by recording engineer Donal Hodgson, who had been using it with great success to record Sting in the studio.

"Donal knew that I had been looking for a later technology microphone for Sting on our li

UK - Richmond Theatre in south-west London has upgraded its dimmers to Sensor3, as part of a major electrical upgrade, including the newest ETC ThruPower power control modules.

The theatre had already received a new Eos control desk and RPU (Remote Processor Unit) through ETC dealer White Light; the latest upgrade, installed by Bradbrook Electrical, saw the old dimming units - which were installed in 1996 - taken out and exchanged for the latest power control from ETC.

"We've been so impressed by the new dimming," explains chief electrician Pete Coxall. "We used to have very poor dimming curves, with lights snapping on and off, but the new dimming system provides much smoother fades. We follow the old playhouse production format, with our own rig and lighting control desks, and incoming companies load their show onto the desk. They used to have to make extensive

Saudi Arabia - Sennheiser Group has announced that its Middle East regional office has partnered with Modern Lifestyles to set up a state-of-the-art audio system for Souk Okaz public theatre in Taif, Saudi Arabia.

The historic Souk Okaz was was established 12 centuries ago and has been revived as a tourist resort in Taif. Now celebrating its sixth anniversary year, Souk Okaz which was re-established by Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal is an annual event featuring a variety of cultural events including seminars, poetic evenings and folk performances. At the heart of Souk Okaz is the public theatre which boasts a seating capacity for over 3000 people. The modern day auditorium which is built in the historic marketplace is the venue for the poetry and storytelling competitions which are the highlight of the deeply cultural event.

Eager to ensure the very best listening experie

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) Ltd. recently supplied a full audio system solution upgrade - including Traction Sound loudspeakers and an Allen & Heath mixing console - to the prestigious Roedean School in Brighton, UK.

Founded in 1898, Roedean is regarded as one of the UK's leading girls' schools, catering for day, weekly boarding and full boarding pupils between the ages of 11 and 18.

Ben Losh, Roedean Theatre's technical manager first approached AC-ET's Glen Thompson shortly after visiting their stand at PLASA. Impressed with their access to a wide selection of leading audio brands, Ben came to Glen looking for a new, discreet audio system that would provide even coverage, sufficient low end and vocal clarity for their performance theatre.

After hearing Ben's system requirements, Glen recommended Brighton-based loudspeaker manufacturer, Traction Sound for th

US Invasion - Adele has been named Billboard's top artist of 2012, while her hit record 21 was named top album of the year in the music magazine's annual review.The 24-year-old is the first to receive both accolades two years in a row. Londoner Adele was also named top female artist, with hip hop star Drake named top male artist. Former X Factor contestants One Direction rounded off a successful year of US invasion after being named top new artist and Maroon 5 were top group.

The honours for Adele come in a year which saw her win six Grammy awards and dominate the US charts. Her second album 21 went straight to number one when it was released in March 2011 and did not leave the top 10 until the beginning of September this year. During that time, it spent 24 weeks at the top spot.

Play It Again - A piano that features in the classic 1940s film

UK - Following the high profile launch of EM Acoustics new HALO Compact line array system at the Royal Albert Hall, the company reports the first ever installation into an equally historic, if lesser known venue in east London.

Located in the heart of London's East End, the People's Palace was inaugurated in 1886 to provide cultural activities to the local population. Now owned by Queen Mary, University of London, the Grade-II listed Queen's Building (as it is known today) is home to the 750-seat Great Hall. The theatre has just undergone a £5.7m facelift in order to restore it to its former 1930's art deco glory. The finishing touch to the restoration was a new PA system; the new HALO Compact from EM Acoustics, with Stage Electrics' own Jamie Gosney providing the design and Martin Woodage project managing the installation.

Stage Electrics' Jamie Gosney takes up the stor

Denmark - Schouw & Co., parent company of Martin Professional, has entered into an agreement with the global 'infotainment' and audio company Harman International Industries to sell Martin to Harman. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in Q1 2013.

Through this new combination of two worldwide industry leaders, Harman and Martin believe that their comprehensive offering of audio, lighting and video solutions for the live stage and events, as well as permanent venues and installations, will 'provide new, exciting opportunities and will take customer satisfaction to even higher levels'.

This transaction will create a one-stop-shop for the professional entertainment market. Adding Martin to Harman's USD $4.4 billion organization and combining two of the largest R&D budgets in the audio and entertainme

UK - Today Scala, Inc. has announced the installation of more than 350 digital signage screens at Britain's third largest shopping centre, Westfield Stratford City. The installation was carried out by Scala-partner Esprit Digital.

Included are 12 double-sided wafers, four inside and six out, four wall mounted 55in digital posters, ten 12 screen bulkhead video walls above each of the main concourses, a 5x5 screen array in the Vue Cinema foyer and two, 27 screen walls, one above the other outside Marks & Spencer. Crowning glory is the centrepiece, 5 tonne, 102 screen double sided video wall outside the John Lewis store. And it's the largest LCD video wall in Europe and probably the world.

All the Westfield Stratford City screens, predominantly Samsung, are used to display in-house interactive marketing messages and centre and store information, as well as information about event

UK - Scene transitions as Snow White flees the evil clutches of the Wicked Queen are smoother than ever at Portsmouth's Kings Theatre this Christmas thanks to Triple E's pioneering SDRIVE system.

Magical track solutions specialist Triple E launched the SDRIVE motorised curtain track system - a simple, lightweight, 'plug and play' motor for ERAIL - in the wonderland surroundings of the Kings Theatre in September and generously donated the first SDRIVE off the production line to the historical theatre as part of the restoration efforts.

"With Snow White keen to keep up her pace to escape the Wicked Queen, we knew the SDRIVE system would be a great help," says Triple E's managing director David Edelstein. "SDRIVE is fast, practically silent, and almost invisible - a winning combination that every heroine needs to survive. As she moves from scene to scene, SDRIVE en

USA - The Bethel Baptist Church in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, recently added a new Vision Centre that houses additional Sunday school rooms, office space, as well as a large kitchen and multi-purpose fellowship area and stage.

The church leadership tapped Tony Parker, co-owner of Parkers Productions located in Statesville, NC, to design and install a sound system for the Vision Centre.

Because the room hosts everything from theatrical performances on a large recessed stage to basketball games, the new system needed to be able to accommodate an assortment of live events. In addition, the room was typical of a gymnasium with a 28-foot ceiling, metal roof, tile floors, plenty of hard surfaces and no acoustic treatment to speak of.

"Bethel Baptist Church has been a customer for seven years," explains Parker. "When they started construction on the new facili

UK - PRG has supplied the British Comedy Awards, the premier accolade for all comedy programmes, performers and producers across the UK television industry since 1990. Hosted by Jonathan Ross, the results of the British Comedy Awards 2012 were announced live on Channel 4 during a ceremony on Wednesday 12 December at Fountain Studios, Wembley.

For the second consecutive year, PRG's Jeff Bailey and Andrew Strachan worked with Peter Pearson, line producer at Unique TV and CPL Productions, to provide a comprehensive screen, lighting and rigging package.

Working with the production set designer Richard Drew, PRG's Jeff Bailey supplied two 3.2m x 2m Barco C5 5mm LED screens, a 4m x 4m PRG P30 LED screen and five plasma screens.

The two 5mm LED screens are a key feature of the production design and are used for awards graphics and video play outs. These screens are new to the PRG r

UK - The APRS, in association with PLASA and the MIA, has made great progress in stimulating interest in exploring the Brazilian market since their scoping visit with the UKTI trade Mission in September. 15 UK companies have expressed interest in participating in a joint, national stand to create the best possible impression for their first time appearance in Brazil. The combined Booth/APRS/UKTI trade 'Embassy' could offer an opportunity to gain vital experience of the Brazilian market place, meet importers and distributors and make informed decisions about how to establish a foothold in this exciting country at a particularly auspicious time.

In addition to the 10 £1,800 grants available to eligible companies, the APRS is hoping that there will also be some additional funding for what UKTI call 'enhanced activity' during the event which will offer a Consular event to intr

UK - XL Events, working with Premier PR, specified and supplied Pixled FX-11 LED for the World premiere of the movie adaptation of Les Miserables.

Following XL's work on the Total Recall premiere earlier this year, Premier PR once again called upon XL Events' technical expertise to provide a suitable outdoor LED solution for the event in London's Leicester Square.

In addition to the requirement for a 'weather-proof' product, the event needed LED which allowed access through the LED tiles for rigging of the lightbox letters forming the glowing Les Miserables logo.

XL Events supplied 60 tiles of Pixled's lightweight FX-11 to fill the rear upright of the stage where the stars were interviewed by Michael Ball and Emma Willis before the film screening.

The FX-11's easy maintenance allowed removal of the rear shutters and IMs so that the letters could be att

UK - RCF's powerful Acustica series, especially tuned for nightclubs, has been specified throughout No Saints' new flagship nightclub, Wonderland in Maidstone.

The former 1800-capacity Liquid has been reshaped, from a circular into square dancefloor in the vast main room (called 'Tomorrow') with four pairs of the new H1312 throwing tightly dispersed, directional energy onto the dancefloor from their position high up on the lighting rig.

Says the club's head of promotions, Richie Carrera, "The sound system competes with anything you will find in a UK nightclub. It's as close to a Ministry of Sound experience as you will get."

The three-way system, run in biamped mode, incorporate a 12" woofer, a 8" cone midrange and a 1" exit titanium compression driver for long throw applications, and is complemented by four floor-standing TTS28 subs - two in front o

Czech Republic - "Showlight 2009 was a superbly organised event which inspired me from the first minute until the very last. To hear so many diverse approaches to solving innumerable problems reminded me of why I first entered this industry." This comment, from Simon Stuart, Managing Director of HSL, refers to the last Showlight, held in Scotland in 2009, but it could equally apply to any Showlight, including the upcoming event in 2013 . . .

A four day event, Showlight is unique for many reasons, not least of which is that everyone - speakers, exhibitors and delegates - are present for the duration, so there's plenty of time for discussion and exchange of ideas. Hence the high regard in which Showlight is held as being one of the best networking events in the business.

There is also a unique wanderlust attached to Showlight: a different location is found every time,

USA - Carnival, the wildly festive celebration popular in areas with sizeable Catholic and, to a lesser extent, Eastern Orthodox populations, has its roots among most of the islands in the Caribbean. While the largest and most well-known celebrations are held in Trinidad and Tobago, these festivals are also common here in the United States. Toward the close of the summer season, Carnival celebrations occurred in Atlantic City, NJ, Brooklyn, NY, and Miami, FL. At all three events, loudspeaker systems drawn from the Aero and Aero Series 2 catalogues of D.A.S. Audio played a major role in the music heavy celebrations.

Advanced Audio of NY, NY, a live sound services company that specialises in the pro touring and special events markets, was contracted to provide audio systems at both the Atlantic City, NJ and Brooklyn, NY Carnival celebrations. At each event, D.A.S. Aero Series 2 lo

UK - Located in central Leeds, the West Yorkshire Playhouse provides top-class theatrical performance facilities for audiences throughout the region and beyond. It is a producing theatre which creates its own shows for both in-house production and national touring, whilst also collaborating frequently with other major regional theatres. Numerous shows have transferred to the West End from Leeds, the most recent being Loserville which premiered at London's Garrick Theatre in October 2012.

The Playhouse also provides one of the country's most comprehensive arts education programmes, working with schools and young people in addition to offering a range of initiatives for adults and community groups. It is also a significant local employer with in excess of 200 staff representing every working discipline necessary to operate a contemporary theatre.

The West Yorkshire Playho

USA - Pro sound, lighting and staging professionals from around the world will converge with the music instrument and product industry at the 2013 NAMM Show, which runs 24-27 January at the Anaheim Convention Center. Hundreds of pro sound and lighting brands including Harman, Avid, Chauvet, Bosch, Sennheiser, Shure, Korg, Tascam, Yamaha, American DJ and Behringer will be debuting products at the show.

"The massive changes in the recorded music industry have made live performance more important than ever for artists. And the industry that supports these live events continues to innovate, using technology to create a better, closer and more intimate experience for both performers and their audiences. It's a natural progression for NAMM to provide business-to-business platforms for these growing markets," said Joe Lamond, president and CEO of NAMM.

Pro sound and lightin

UK - West Street Live, Sheffield's only venue to offer live music seven nights a week, has taken delivery of an HK Audio ConTour Series PA system, supplied and installed by Sheffield-based Audio Engineering Services.

The front of house system comprises two CT115 tops and four CT118 subs (with two subs and a top stacked each side of the stage) - all driven by a Lab.gruppen C88:4 four channel amplifier - and is supplemented by four L5 112XA active monitors from HK's recently introduced Linear 5 range.

When the venue decided it was time for a new sound system, they turned to Andy Fisher of Audio Engineering Services. Being a long-time HK Audio user, with an extensive inventory of the ConTour Series and other HK systems, Fisher knew a ConTour rig would be the right choice. To prove the proposed system would be capable of handling the eclectic mix of bands featured at WSL, he arran

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