USA - Cirque du Soleil has announced that review performances begin at The Mirage in Las Vegas on 2 June for The Beatles LOVE, the company's latest production, which celebrates the musical legacy of The Beatles. The Gala Premiere will be held Friday, 30 June, 2006. This joint artistic venture, born out of a personal friendship and mutual admiration between the late George Harrison and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté, marks the first time that The Beatles company, Apple Corps Ltd, has agreed to a major theatrical partnership.

Sir George Martin, The Beatles original producer, and his son Giles Martin have been working with the entire archive of Beatles recordings to create the musical component for LOVE. The result is an unprecedented approach to the music for a stage production. "After spending more than 40 years of my life working with The Beatle

Hungary - Eleven audio professionals gathered in Budapest early this year for Hungary's first Meyer Sound training seminar on source independent measurement and the SIM 3 audio analyzer system. The intensive five-day course was taught by Mauricio "Magu" Ramirez, Meyer Sound's senior technical seminar instructor, with logistical support of the event entrusted to Makkay Imre of Chromatica, Meyer Sound's Hungarian distributor.

"After finishing this seminar, I felt like the proverbial blind man who has his sight restored," says Komjáthy Árpád, chief engineer for Expander 2000 Ltd., one of Hungary's largest rental companies. "Now I can see what I hear!"

Imre adds: "Attending a seminar led by Mauricio is always a great pleasure. He has an exceptional talent for helping his students learn quickly and in a practical manner."

The course mate

Esca-3000, distributed by Profi Trade in Germany is basically a steerable tallescope. "Mobility in every height, without a motor!" says the brochure. As we observed from the ground, a volunteer was tasked with the mission of driving himself around in the dark haze of the lighting hall, at height . . . check it out for yourself.

USA - BSR E.19, Recommended Practice for the use of Class A Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) intended for personnel protection in the Entertainment Industry, is available for public review. The draft standard gives advice on where, when, and how to use GFCIs rated for 100A and less in the entertainment industry. These devices are used for personnel protection in entertainment applications encompassing places of assembly, the production of film, video and broadcast, theatrical productions, carnivals, circuses, fairs and similar events in North America. The official ANSI 45-day public review period starts on May 26, but the draft standard is available now at http://www.esta.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php. The public review runs through until the end of 10 July 2006.

Reviewer

UK - Three innovative products, 11 stand-out projects and a UK lighting designer were the outstanding winners at the Lighting Design Awards at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London, on 30 March.

PLASA and the PLASA Show played a key role in the evening, sponsoring the new Entertainment Lighting Award, designed to give lighting designers recognition for their creative work. Following a rigorous judging process, the Award went to the Old Man of Storr in Trotternish on the Isle of Skye, which became the centrepiece for an extraordinary night-time event as an average of 200 people nightly took the midnight walk to the spectacular rock pinnacle. The Storr forest, cliffs and corrie provided the backdrop for a subtle and imaginative light and sound installation by Dave Bryant.

Peterborough Cathedral, which dates to 1118, won the Heritage Lighting Award for a scheme,

The Netherlands - With the delivery of a complete Alcons LR16 pro-ribbon line-array system, Amsterdam-based Focus Showequipment has chosen Alcons as main sound system brand for their rental inventory. The system consists of 18 pcs. LR16 ribbon line-array modules, 6 pcs. LR16B line-array bass complete with accompanying ALC4 2x 2kW controller-amplifiers and processing.

The choice for Alcons was made on basis of a number of comparison tests and on basis of their experience with a large number of brands from Focus' own rental inventory. Most important decision criteria were performance, logistics, but also a wide acceptance of the brand throughout the different application areas.

Paul Lassooij, co-owner, and responsible for the rental equipment, says: "Important for a large organisation as Focus, is to serve a largest possible range of applications with a smallest number of d

Hungary - DiGiCo's ongoing worldwide sales expansion has recently enjoyed a significant boost with the appointment of Chromatica as the brand's distributor in Hungary.

Chromatica is a relatively young but fast-growing company, with founder Makkay Imre setting himself the challenge of bringing the very best audio brands to the eastern European country.

"The company has been established for four years and our aim is to provide superb audio quality and the world's best support to our customers," says Imre . "And with brands like Meyer Sound, Audix, Furman and Avalon already in our inventory, we knew that we needed to be able to supply very high class digital mixing consoles.

"The truth is that it didn't take long to find the best choice," he continues. "We had so much good feedback about DiGiCo consoles from system techs and sound engineers from ri

UK - In celebration of the Betapack's 16th birthday Zero 88 are launching an updated version at ABTT this year.

All the best features of the Betapack have been retained so users can be assured that the Betapack 3 will offer the same reliability and durability as the current version. A number of new features have been added to improve the dimmers functionality. These have all been added with no extra cost, ensuring the Betapack 3 continues to offer fantastic value for money.

The new features include: MCB protection as standard; isolated DMX input; patchable per channel; preheat, topset and dimmer law selectable per channel; 12 programmable backup memories; three programmable 99-step sequences with adjustable times; auto DMX termination when loop-through plug is removed; temperature monitoring and progressive overheat shutdown.

The versatility of the Betapack means it can be i

USA - Just in case you couldn't be on the scene for NAB 2006, the videohounds at b-roll.net have got you covered. As one of the web's leading resources for TV news photographers, b-roll.net expert shooters made the leap this year from writing about NAB tocapturing the highlights on video. To make sure the sound was as crisp as the images and editing, they hit the Las Vegas Convention Centre equipped with Lectrosonics wireless microphones.

"NAB 2006 was the ultimate test for a wireless system," reports Kevin Johnson, founder of b-roll.net. "Even with so much RF running around the building, we never had a problem with losing the signal from our Lectrosonics mics. In all my experiences with Lectrosonics they've been a solid performer, and that held true in the challenging environment that ashow the size of NAB presents." The b-roll team set out with highly porta

Aisia - Singapore-based distribution company Peak Fusion Audio Design has become the new exclusive distribution partner for HK Audio products in Singapore and Malaysia.

For several years, Peak Fusion has been active on the market as a distribution and installation company both in the professional audio and the AV segment and is also working exclusively with other German manufacturers as well.

Managing director Daniel Ng says: "With HK Audio, we have been able to add another premiere German manufacturer to the fold. Both the Portable Sound products with the active LUCAS systems and the high-end Cohedra and Cohedra Compact line array systems are the final touch in rounding out our product portfolio."

HK Audio international sales manager Christian Stumpp adds: "By working together with Peak Fusion, we are taking another major step in establishing our brand throug

UK - Electronic ballast manufacturer Harvard Engineering has appointed LichtFocus as its sole Netherlands agent. LichtFocus is part of the specialist lighting group Lichtned and has been in business for five years. Harvard's range of electronic ballasts will complementLichtFocus' existing agencies for professional lighting brands including We-ef, Antares, Martini, Rossetti and Uni-Q.

Michael McDonnell, commercial director at Harvard Engineering says: "LichtFocusimpressed us with their technical knowledge and enthusiasm. Their sales operation combines a network of professional lighting planners with direct customer accounts, so I am confident that our range of compact, high performance, ballasts will be made available to the widest possible audience."

Rick ter Wee of Lichtfocus adds: "The Harvard brand is growing fast across Europe and I am delighted to have secu

Two-and-a-half years on from its re-entry onto the international pro audio manufacturing stage, RCF has made some serious ground. Lee Baldock visited the company's headquarters in northern Italy to find out more . . .

Italy - When Arturo Vicari bought his old company RCF back from the receivers in December 2003, there were no guarantees that it could be successfully re-established.

The veteran manufacturer which had existed prior to its sale to Mackie in 1999 was no more; Vicari and his reassembled team were faced with the task of regenerating a successful manufacturing concern with the quality product, the global distribution network and, more importantly the goodwill necessary for survival in a highly competitive marketplace.

For the initial core of workers who returned to the factory in the northern Italian town of Reggio Emilia to start again from scratch, the future mus

UK - Digidesign has launched a complete redesign of its corporate website located at www.digidesign.com. Built using the latest web technologies, the new site features an improved navigation system and media-rich content - including My Digi profiles, 360° product views, Icon Empowered Studios, interactive console overviews and more.

By signing up for a free My Digi profile, users can customize some content of Digidesign.com based on preferences they control. For example, users can filter press releases to get the latest information on products of interest, manage subscriptions to newsletters and e-mail blasts, keep track of Digidesign events, retrieve DigiStore order history, and even register hardware and software online. In the future, My Digi will offer alerts when new software is released, media 'Quick Links' for tabbing a user's favourite media content, plus the ability

UK - The PLASA Show (Earls Court, London, 10-13 September 2006) is now welcoming nominations for the popular PLASA Awards for Innovation, which will once again form a major attraction at the event this year. At last year's show, no less than 68 nominated products covering various product areas within lighting, audio, staging and AV, were displayed on the Innovation Gallery, which is sponsored by Lighting&Sound International magazine and situated right at the entrance to Earls Court's ground floor.

Judged on the grounds of their 'Innovation' alone, the nominated products are closely assessed by a panel of expert industry practitioners, chaired by L&SI magazine's Technical Editor, James Eade. There are nine awards available in total - eight Awards for Innovation of equal standing, plus an Award for Environmental Impact, which

UK - With just hours to go before the controversial RoHS (Restrictions of Hazardous Substances) Directive passes into UK law on 1 July, the Professional Lighting and Sound Association (PLASA) has issued a warning to its members about the forthcoming EuP (Energy-using Products) Directive, which may have the potential to hit manufacturers even harder than RoHS. The Association is urging members to familiarise themselves with the new regulations well before they come into effect next year.

Passed by the European Parliament in 2005 and due to be implemented into UK law on 11 August 2007, the EuP Directive aims to improve the environmental performance of all products that use any form of energy, throughout their entire life cycle of manufacturing, use and disposal. It will do so by enforcing systematic integration of environmental aspects at the earliest stage of product design.

Li

UK In the last couple of years, Midlands-based Central Presentations Ltd (CPL) has gone from strength to strength, and its rapid expansion has meant they have had to rethink their whole business processes. Keeping tabs on its kit was paramount, and in this rental management solution inspHire played a key role.

Specialising in conference and live event production, as well as AV equipment hire and sales, CPL has seen massive growth recently. During this frenetic period, they were forced to consider all the facets of their business; from office and warehouse space to the modernisation of the old paperwork systems used to track and invoice its kit.

Increased investment in equipment meant the manual paperwork system began encountering problems - items were mislaid or left on site with no obvious way to trace them, as manual administration systems became time-consuming and laborious

UK - National WiseUp2Work Day will be held on Wednesday 30 August 2006. WiseUp2Work is a major initiative by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) to address head-on the issue of safety for the under 21s when they are starting work, apprenticeships or work experience. On average, 10 young people are killed and 2,500 badly injured every year.

The aim is to make employers, trainers, youth workers and teachers, and young people themselves, aware of the risks they face in the workplace and what they should be doing to mitigate them. WiseUp2Work is sponsored by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and supported by the National Youth Agency and the British Chambers of Commerce.

National WiseUp2Work Day is being staged at a time when many young people are embarking upon their careers or starting work experience placements, and are at the highe

UK - The Professional Lighting and Sound Association (PLASA) was one of the main bodies representing the architectural, creative and live events sectors at the recent Olympics Business Summit, held in Leeds on Wednesday 19 July.

During the course of the Summit, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) - the body responsible for delivering the new venues and infrastructure for the Games, launched a draft version of its Procurement Policy - which outlines how it will manage the whole procurement process, including its selection and award criteria.

With the UK Government spending £3bn on the physical infrastructure for the Games, PLASA is keen to profile the creative and technical expertise of its membership and is preparing a guidance note for members to help them maximise their chances of winning key contracts. It will also be working with them to ensure they are fully aware

UK - PLASA is organising a group of UK exhibitors to the first presentation of PALA India, which takes place from 5-7 October 2006. This international exhibition will be held at the NSE Exhibition Complex in Mumbai and will focus on the professional sound, light, audio visual, music, broadcast and project installations markets.

The show provides the ideal opportunity to enter one of the world's fastest growing economies. Growth of around 9% over the next decade is forecasted for the tourism market with strong support from the Indian government to support this development. The media and entertainment industry includes film, music, television, radio, and live entertainment and is considered one of the fastest growing business sectors. Entertainment parks and visual effects are emerging as significant contributors to the economy and will make a significant impact within the enterta

UK - UK mixer manufacturer, Allen & Heath, has introduced a new finance scheme for its UK operation, whereby the company is able to offer finance to UK dealers and customers.

"As technology becomes more sophisticated, many of the small and medium sized PA and installation companies are finding it financially difficult to adopt this new technology," explains sales director, Bob Goleniowski. "We have devised a flexible scheme in partnership with Barclays Asset Finance, which is open to any of our UK dealers or their customers. Barclays can assist companies undertaking large projects, and can help to finance the entire venture, not just the Allen & Heath part."

Customers will be offered competitive rates for projects worth over £5000, and finance packages can be tailored to meet customers' individual requirements. Barclays Asset Finance is already active

UK - After much anticipation, Earls Court One finally opened its doors to the eager crowds queueing for the first day of PLASA '06. With pre-registration visitor levels at a record high, PLASA is bracing itself for record attendance.

New features opening today at the show include the new Integrated Systems Area; a greatly expanded PLASA Seminar Programme with a dedicated Technologies for Worship programme; and the first PLASA appearance of NEET (the National Exhibition of Entertainment Technology).

Traditionally 'DJ Day', day one of the show attracts a large DJ following, to participate in the heats and final of the Gemini 'Extreme V' DJ Competition.

Among today's other special features and events will be the ever-popular Talkzones, where music industry experts talk about different aspects of DJ'ing and dance music, including technical skills, online music and the business o

UK - EtherSound has announced the signing of two significant new licensees - pro audio manufacturers Peavey Electronics Corporation and Yamaha.

Peavey has licensed EtherSound networking technology for use in Peavey, MediaMatrix, Architectural Acoustics and Crest Audio professional audio and communications products. Peavey will take advantage of EtherSound's rapid implementation support to introduce EtherSound-enabled products at PLASA 2006: Crest Audio amplifiers and mixing consoles are likely to be among the first Peavey products with EtherSound capability, say the company.

"We have monitored the development and growing acceptance of EtherSound technology, and we're impressed by its rapid implementation and evolution," said Hartley Peavey, Founder and CEO of Peavey Electronics and CEO of Crest Audio.

"As the networked audio market grows, EtherSound will enabl

UK - Tomorrow's Awards for Innovation ceremony will also include a series of charity presentations, as the money raised from entry fees to the Awards is donated to a number of deserving causes. The ceremony will also include a personal appearance by a true entertainment industry legend - Sir George Martin.

In supporting Sir George's Music Foundation, PLASA will purchase a limited edition reproduction lithograph of the original score for Yesterday - the most performed song in history - signed by both Sir George Martin and Sir Paul McCartney. The lithograph will be auctioned during the course of the show to raise further money for the Music Foundation.

The Awards ceremony takes place tomorrow evening at 6.00pm, at the Central Bar area in the centre of Earls Court 1.

(Lee Baldock)

UK - As the PLASA Show's visitors began to fill Earls Court 1, the Innovation Gallery was naturally proving a big draw. Situated at the front of the main floor of Earls Court, the Innovation Gallery, sponsored by Lighting&Sound International magazine, forms a striking focal point for everyone coming to PLASA, as it is here that the 60 nominated products vying for this year's PLASA Awards for Innovation are prominently displayed.

The judging panel, consisting of an array of industry experts, is hard at work viewing, questioning and debating throughout today, and will draw a line under their deliberations by around lunchtime tomorrow. As well as the eight Innovation Awards, the judges will also have at their disposal an Award for Environmental Impact to reward any product that makes a significant contribution to environmental issues. The winners will be revealed to the industry to

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