Installation

Coloram IIs for Costa Atlantica

Details: 14 March 2016

When Kvaerner Masa-Yards, builders of the Costa Atlantica for Costa Cruises, were specifying equipment for both the ship's 1,170-seat main theatre and the 320-seat show lounge, they sourced the entire requirement of colour-changers from Wybron, supplied by Foki Oy of Helsinki. The main Caruso Theatre has Wybron Coloram IIs fitted on to 74 ETC Source Fours and 43 Source Four Par and Wildfire UV fixtures, while the Salone delle Feste Corallo, the smaller show lounge, has another 16 Coloram IIs. The Coloram II offers lighting designers up to 32 colours, which on the 7.5" model will scroll end to end in 2.5 seconds. The Costa Atlantica, which is now the flagship of the Costa line, will initially cruise the Mediterranean, operating weekly cruises from Venice to Greece and Turkey. In November she will transfer to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to begin seven-day cruises in the Caribbean.

Beyer's MCW on Dhow Boat Conference Centre

Details: 14 March 2016

As one of the more bizarre applications for a conference system, it could be argued that the Kuwait SAS hotel has got to feature centre stage! The SAS hotel wanted to provide conference facilities with a difference and decided that a traditional Dow boat would be in keeping with both the Kuwait shoreline and the sailing traditions of the local Marafie family to whom the boat is dedicated. It is the largest Dow boat that has ever been built and has been entered into the Guinness book of records to mark the achievement. Distributor AVC won the competitive tender which was valued in excess of £100,000 to supply the AV and conference facilities with the major part of the contract being the new MCW Wireless Conference System from beyerdynamic.

Top Architects to Create Vision for Icon Stadium

Details: 14 March 2016

Leading UK stadia architects Arup Associates have been appointed to create a world-class design for Hull's £36m Community Super Stadium complex. The London-based architectural practice has already started work on the project and will unveil its vision for the stadium early in September. The company has an impressive track record in stadia design and is the winner of numerous architecture awards, including one for the 38,000 seat Johannesburg athletics stadium, completed in 1995.

Vigil at Homebase Megastore

Details: 14 March 2016

Baldwin Boxall's Vigil voice alarm system has been installed at the Homebase megastore at Braehead - the largest home improvement store in the UK - as part of an extensive fire alarm and evacuation system. This is the first Homebase store to fit the system, although it is already in use by many Sainsbury's stores - owners of the Homebase chain. Fully compatible with BS5839 Pt 8, the Vigil Compact system is a 1U, simple to install voice fire system, capable of operating across four zones. Developed for use in supermarkets and shopping malls, the Vigil Compact provides an ideal solution for applications where larger, multi-zone systems would be unnecessary and more costly.

Möndo, Oban

Details: 14 March 2016

A new nightclub - Möndo - has opened in the town of Oban. This is the first purpose-built club in the Strathclyde town and the technical specification and installation contract for lighting and sound was won by Jools Hodgkinson and his new company Fairway Entertainments Ltd. Hodgkinson is a technical director and resident VJ at The Liquid Rooms in Edinburgh and also one of a new generation of club installers. He compiled the specification in conjunction with Lightfactor's team of Bill Jones, Dave Hartley and Peter Loosemore. This featured High End lighting fixtures for the core of the rig - six Studio Spot 250s and six Technobeams. Control for all dancefloor lighting fixtures is via a LightProcessor QCommander. Lightfactor also supplied the audio rig, consisting of Electro-Voice speakers - MTH mid tops, MTL1 subs, plus SX 300s for infills and the DJ booth; QSC PLX 1602 and 3402 amplifie

Soundcraft in Soho

Details: 14 March 2016

Two famous Soho venues have been supplied with new Soundcraft mixing desks, by Marquee Audio - including one to the site of the former Marquee Club, where the Marquee Audio story began. Top Conran restaurant Mezzo, which now occupies the famous Marquee Club site at 90 Wardour Street, has replaced its 24/4/2 Delta DLX desk in the basement, where in-house sound engineer Jay Garrett will use it with the growing number of soul/funk tribute bands now being staged. From there, Marquee Audio ventured into famous erotic cabaret club, Raymond's Revuebar in Brewer Street, where their stalwart Delta 200 desk has been replaced by a 16-channel K1.

TMB Supplies to LG Centre

Details: 14 March 2016

LG Corporation's new performing arts centre in South Korea is one Asia's most technically-advanced performance facilities, and features a state-of-the-art ETC dimming and control system supplied by ETC Asia, through Samhwa Yang Heng Co, ETC's Korean distributor. Much of the remaining performance lighting equipment was supplied by TMB Associates. This included a load distribution system, using over 2,000 metres of ProCable PC1214 six-circuit, 20A cable, plus 76 breakouts and break-ins, as well as various ProPlex control cables, including 1,000m of PCCCT colour-changer cable. TMB also supplied 400 ETC Source Four luminaires, 68 Wybron Coloram II colour-changers, 500 assorted City Theatrical Source Four accessories and an Aquafog 3300 CO2 fogger, two Altman 703 Blacklight fixtures, 70 ProCan Par 64 fixtures and various atmospheric effects from Le Maitre.

Information Highlighted at Euston Station

Details: 14 March 2016

Leading systems integrator Integrated Circles has installed an outdoor rear projection display screen for Railtrack. Situated on the main square at London's Euston Station, the screen forms the focal point for the information window display seen by tens of thousands of commuters every day. Simon Beer, MD of Integrated Circles, was concerned about the ambient light levels in the station, and after carrying out tests, opted for a combination of the dnp 84" Black Stripe screen with Sanyo XF 10N LCD projector, offering 3000 ANSI Lumens. Beer told us: "It's all about delivering contrast, because a washed-out image is often quite bright enough - it's just that the ambient light is overpowering the dark parts of the picture. So the combination of contrast enhancement filter systems from dnp and good contrast from the Sanyo has made this very successful." The system was provided b

DJ Willrich Turns Back the Clock

Details: 14 March 2016

English Heritage has recently employed the services of audio-visual specialist DJ Willrich to recreate the atmosphere of a 17th Century riding school at Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire, through the use of sound. By using a 10-channel sound system and a Maris Stinger to synchronise all the events, including lighting, DJ Willrich has risen to the task, so that visitors to the Castle can now close their eyes and imagine themselves standing in the middle of the riding school as it was more than 300 years ago. A host of sounds, including the horses moving about the school, the voice of the riding instructor, the tack and the onlookers, including Lord and Lady Cavendish themselves, combine to recreate the highly-realistic atmosphere which, according to the Chairman of English Heritage, is "a triumph".

DAS Audio for Revolution Vodka Bars

Details: 14 March 2016

Sennheiser UK is supplying alarge and on-going number of DAS Audio sound systems for installation by Eclipse Lighting & Sound in the rapidly-growing chain of Revolution Vodka Bars openign across the country, operated by Manchester-based Inventive Leisure. Eclipse's John Fearon said that the DAS speakers fitted the bill perfectly: "We essentially use white DAS DS8 and DS12 full-range speakers, with SUB18 bass reflex enclosures and the CT-1 system controller. DAS is perfect for this type of install. The build quality is very good and the sound is exceptional."

ARC Lighting Shines in Dome

Details: 14 March 2016

Chichester-based new product patenting and development company Patent Plan has seen an idea it protected in 1998 evolve into a product that now plays an integral role in the structure of the Millennium Dome. Kit Grundy, MD of Patent Plan was approached in 1998 by Michael Russell, MD of Arc Lighting, a lighting design and development company on the Isle of Wight, to protect the intellectual property of Arc's illuminated flooring system. Once the illuminated flooring system's patent protection was in place, Arc Lighting was approached by Dome architects who wished to use it to form the Money Zone's Investment Bridge. After the architects had seen the potential of the flooring system in greater detail, Arc was asked if the system could also be used for the exterior of the Money Zone. The company manufactured and installed 630sq.m of slim light boxes which weighed in excess of 25 tonnes and

Het MuziekTheater - Final Phase Completed

Details: 14 March 2016

Amsterdam's Het Muziektheatre, home of the Dutch National Ballet and the Netherlands Opera, recently completed the final phase of a major new sound system installation. Last summer, a full FOH system was installed using Apogee ALA-3s, FH-2s, SSMs and AE-12s. This summer, a complete refurbishment of the ambient surround system was on the docket. A total of 60 Apogee SSMs and 15 custom-built subwoofers were installed at the rear of the seating areas. The five-channel ambient system is used to reproduce sound effects for opera and ballet, and it doubles as the speaker system for 'LARES,' an artificial reverberation enhancement system. Audio director, Hans-Willem de Haan, says: "The change out to the SSMs radically improved the sound quality and believability of the electronically generated reverberation field. And the wide frequency response and power handling of the SSMs let's us pro

MAVCO Installs Audio Equipment for Costa Atlantica

Details: 14 March 2016

Costa Cruises' newest and largest ship, the 2,680 passenger Costa Atlantica, became the company's flagship after joining the fleet at the inaugural ceremony in Venice last month. Built at the Kvaerner Masa yard in Helsinki, the Costa Atlantica is as tall as a 20-storey building, with a surface area 20 times the size of the Olympic stadium in Rome. It has seven bars, a two-level restaurant, café, gym, beauty salon, spa, casino, conference room and three swimming pools. The audio equipment for all public areas, including the 1,000 seat Caruso Theatre, was supplied and installed by MAVCO. The main theatre uses a Midas XL4 fully-automated audio mixer, together with a Midas XL3 side-wing mixer. 90 EAW loudspeakers, together with another 60 Renkus-Heinz and Macpherson loudspeakers provide sound to the audience of 1,170 guests, in an auditorium consisting of both stalls and an upper circle. P

L-Acoustics in Center Parcs

Details: 14 March 2016

L-Acoustics, distributor for The Netherlands Ogip Audio & Lights, has provided leading European leisure park operator CenterParcs with an SMPTE-controlled audio and light show. Ogip Audio & Lights BV has provided the complete technical package for the spectacular Market Dome entertainment show. Michiel Illy, head of Center Parcs' special products and development department, commented: "The overall idea of the new show is to create a theatrical show programme throughout the whole area, with the audience becoming part of the show."L-Acoustics EX-112 processor-controlled 12" coaxial full-range loudspeakers are installed with L-Acoustics SB-115 bass extensions. The recently launched L-A17 power amplifier powers the total sound system. Ashly's new Protea equaliser is used for tonal balance adjustments and time alignment. The complete system is controlled by a Akai 4-track hard-

Commonwealth Pool Contract for Federal Signal

Details: 14 March 2016

Federal Signal has completed a major £100,000 contract to supply the prestigious Commonwealth Pool in Manchester. The company was contracted to supply and install a combined public address and voice alarm system on behalf of electrical contractors NG Bailey at the complex which, alongside the athletics stadium, will take centre stage in 2002 when Manchester hosts the Commonwealth Games. The contract included products from its Millbank public address brand and elements of data communications from its Akusta range. The facility features an Olympic-size swimming pool, a diving and training pool and a leisure area.

Sadlers Wells Refutes Mirror's Claims

Details: 14 March 2016

Sadler's Wells has issued a press statement following the Daily Mirror's claims this week that the theatre is in trouble. The newspaper claimed to have seen leaked documents which suggested that the theatre was close to going bust and that lawyers were in discussion about declaring the venue insolvent. Sadlers Wells' statement says that the article published in the Mirror was apparently referring to correspondence between the Arts Council's capital services department and its professional advisors. The correspondence concerned was taken out of context and arises from prospective litigation concerning some contractors and others. No public monies are being used in this prospective litigation, but the Arts Council and Sadler's Wells consider that the public interest requires that monies are recovered from those responsible for the overspending. Ian Albery, Chief Executive told PLASA Publis

Marine Hall Fleetwood

Details: 14 March 2016

A major sound installation has just been completed at the Marine Hall in Fleetwood, Lancashire. The Hall was first opened in 1935 and provides a range of arts and entertainment for locals and visitors to the area from live music to dance and drama, comedy workshops, festivals and pantomimes. After extensive system evaluation, technical manager Tony Mitchell chose a Turbosound system supplied and installed by Stagetec consisting of a pair of TQ440 mid/high speakers flown either side of the stage, a pair of TQ440s as delay fills and four THL818.2 single 18" sub-bass speakers ground stacked either side of the stage.

Getting a Life in AV

Details: 14 March 2016

Creative Technical Services has installed a dnp-fronted AV environment, supplied by exclusive UK distributor, Paradigm AV Ltd, into Cardiff's Life nightclub - the latest in a string of Luminar Leisure ventures. The installation by CTS is part of an ongoing commitment by Luminar Leisure to embrace leading edge technology and develop an AV policy throughout its establishments. The installation featured four 6ft x 4ft dnp wide-angle rear projection screens, in conjunction with Sony S900projectors.

Hong Kong's Largest Club Chooses Nexo

Details: 14 March 2016

The largest nightclub ever to open in Hong Kong will feature a powerful Nexo sound system. The 348 Discotheque opens in Kowloon at the end of August, complete with a Nexo Alpha E rig and the first Nexo PS8 compact cabinets to be installed in the territory. Built in the former Tai Wah movie house, the 3000-capacity club has the advantage of a theatre's high ceilings. Much of the million-dollar audio budget has been spent on the Alpha E speakers, with 10 Alpha E-F cabinets used around the dancefloor; four of the full-range boxes flown left and right of the DJ console, and another two boxes mounted facing the club entrance to provide maximum impact as people walk in. A total of 14 Alpha B1-18 folded horn high-power bass enclosures are being installed.Sound designer Benny Cheng of Creative Engineering Company is the first installer in China to buy NEXO's E Series: "I hadn't even heard t

LDI 2000 in Las Vegas

Details: 14 March 2016

Las Vegas, the city famous for creating spectacular illusions will host Lighting Dimensions International 2000 on October 20-22. The show has assembled a major programme of exhibits, conferences and technical training, covering the entire spectrum of entertainment technology. This year's LDI capitalises on its Las Vegas location by offering Backstage Las Vegas - a four-day event for those who want to see behind the scenes of the city's major entertainment venues.

Grand Ole Opry House Replaces Lighting System

Details: 14 March 2016

It's probably the world's most famous radio studio and visitors from around the world flock to the Grand Ole Opry House every weekend to get a glimpse of their favorite country music stars. The facility also frequently houses general meeting sessions and multimedia shows, as well as concerts, business conference, and nationally televised awards shows (such as the Country Music Association's annual awards). The 45,000sq.ft building features pew-style seating for 4,400 people, and a 110ft-wide by 68ft deep stage, floored with beechwood imported from Denmark, save a circle in the centre of the stage lifted from the stage of the Opry's original home at the Ryman Auditorium. Lucas W. Hendrickson Management wanted a replacement for the dimming system and looked to Bandit Lites to provide handle the installation. Jeff Goetsch (regional sales manager at Bandit Lites), worked out the system spec,

Martin Audio's C516s Taken to TASC

Details: 14 March 2016

Audio installer TASC Ltd has completed the latest in a line of Parisa Café Bars using Martin Audio's Contractor Series ceiling speakers. The development of the Newcastle Quayside venue for Nader Haghighi's Warrington-based Parisa Group follows an audio conception and design instigated by Arron Smith's company 14 venues earlier. "In the majority we have used Martin C516s, fed by our GAGA hard-drive music system," Arron explained. The design brief was for the sound source to be invisible, and so once again Arron opted for 38 of the flush-mount C516 ceiling speakers, arranged in a five zone system (across four separate feature areas), using two Cloud CX133s to route the sound, powered by Crown and QSC amplifiers. The highest profile area in the ground-floor venue is around the bar and dining area, where the low-end is reinforced with three of Martin compact CS265 twin 6.5" s

Police Launch Fraud Inquiry at Dome

Details: 14 March 2016

The fuel crisis must have come as a blessed relief to the Dome, but it hasn't taken the attraction long to be back in the media spotlight. Just a week after Nomura withdrew from its bid, the police are currently carrying out an investigation into fraud allegations. Apparently these centre around "irregularities" in connection with the procurement of contracts, and media reports are suggesting that the firm under investigation was one of the contractors working for the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC). Nomura of course pulled out on the basis that they had been misled over the Dome's finances.

London Astoria Refits Under New Management

Details: 14 March 2016

One of London's most famous live music venues, The Astoria, is currently undergoing an extensive technical refit, having been acquired by The Mean Fiddler Organisation, a dominant force in the British entertainment scene. In addition to raising the specification for visiting sound crews, the objective was to make the Astoria's infrastructure more broadcast and TV-friendly, including the addition of a new 48-way patchbay, according to long-time resident technician Erik Sanderson-Evans. Tarsin Entertainments was awarded the contract after a competitive tender, with the new inventory of kit mostly supplied by Marquee Audio. LA 1, the main performance venue which has a capacity of nearly 2,500, takes delivery of a Soundcraft Series FIVE (48 channel plus 4 stereo groups) plus a Soundcraft 324 digital mixer for returning the effects, an ASS loudspeaker system, as well as a substantial batch of

Page 55 of 179

Installation

Latest Issue. . .