UK - The University of Manchester's new £6 million School of Music and Drama celebrated the opening of its purpose-built concert hall, drama studio and recording studio on 21 October 2004. The Chancellor - broadcaster Anna Ford - presided over a ceremony in which writer and comedian Ben Elton, music scholar and critic Michael Kennedy and internationally renowned soprano Amanda Roocroft received honorary degrees.

The building includes the new Cosmo Rodewald Concert Hall, the John Thaw Studio Theatre, the Lenagan Library, audio/visual facilities, improved performance, workshop and practice spaces, as well as new electro-acoustic music studios run jointly with the Royal Northern College of Music.

Stage Electrics designed and installed the new facilities' sound and lighting systems, created specifically for use by students, with Hills Electrical plc, main contractor - Totty Const

UK / Israel - PA and voice evacuation specialists Millbank Electronics has recently supplied its Israeli distributor Ram-Tel Communications with a fleet of its DSPac power amplifiers. The range is part of Millbank's new directive - to create quality-boxed products, which integrate into the most challenging projects and offer cost effective solutions to installers, architects, consultants and electrical contractors alike.

Long-standing Millbank distributor, Ram-Tel, headed by Zvi Zeif, has deployed the DSPacs as part of a significant upgrade of the public address system in the Al Aqsa Mosque. As one of the world's most famous and oldest Mosques, it is visited by millions of tourists and religious pilgrims every year.

Re-built into its present form in 1033 AD, the Al Aqsa Mosque is situated at the southernmost point of the Noble Sanctuary - Al Haram al Sharif which, comprising o

UK - Chris Gunton & Associates, the specialist sound, lighting and video contractor, has recently completed a new bar/restaurant at 50 Dover Street, opposite the entrance to the famous London Ritz hotel. The venue owner, Whid, chose CGA to create a special environment following recommendations from trade. CGA identified that this installation would require quality, discrete sound - capable of background sound and also live music reproduction. In addition, stage lighting and disco lighting that would not infringe on the detailed interior design but that equally would be reliable and easy to use.

To carry the sound throughout all areas- bar, restaurant, stage, reception and toilet areas, CGA used a combination of EV Evid 4.2 speakers, JBL ceiling bass bins and JBL ceiling speakers. The Sound is controlled by the customer using simple Cloud Electronics RL1 controls which go back to

Germany - Hamburg-based sound consultants Amptown Sound & Communications (ASC) have completed the installation of a Nexo GEO S sound reinforcement system at the Holstenhalle in Neumünster, a 1930s aeroplane hangar which can accommodate audiences of up to 4,000 people for concerts and events.

Holstenhalle Neumünster is used for a wide variety of events, from classical concerts, trade shows, livestock auctions, pop concerts and parties to other attractions including motorcycle shows. This year, the venue's technical director, Walter Rudat, decided to call it a day for the venue's 15-year old 100v line horn-loaded PA system and called in technical consultant Rüdiger Aue from ASC to design a new house rig for the challenging acoustics of the Holstenhalle.

Having worked in the venue on the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Aue was familiar with its characteristics. The Holstenh

USA - Following the success of the PLASA Show in London in September, it began to appear that business was looking up after a tough couple of years; now, with the successful completion of LDI in Orlando, Florida at the weekend, the current of optimism continues to strengthen.

The majority of LDI exhibitors that PLASA Media spoke to at the show expressed their satisfaction with both the quality of visitors and the level of business being done. Exhibitor Michael Bridgman of British Optical, a manufacturer of high quality optical components for the entertainment industry, commented: "It's been very good for us this year - I would say back to the level of business of three years ago."

The 2003 ETS-LDI showcased a number of innovative new products. This year the show's awards were split into two categories - Product of the Year and Debuting Product/Promising Prototype. Th

UK - Scotia UK plc has recently installed a new multimedia teaching facility at The University of Bristol Dental School, using Allen & Heath's DSP iDR system to manage the complex audio requirements. Dr Jeremy Rees from the University's division of Restorative Dentistry visited a recent installation at the University of Leeds Dental School, where he saw the benefits to be gained by upgrading from the old "chalk and talk" facilities to new electronic display systems.

Dr. Rees contracted A-Dec Dental to refit the dental laboratory with workstations containing the tools that a dentist would use on a live patient and "phantom heads", mannequins which the students use to practice "drill and fill" techniques. Each student is equipped with their own 15" flat screen multimedia display to view the tutorial and they can hear commentary from the tutors' r

UK - The official launch party for the Hospital in Covent Garden took place last month. Brainchild of artist and producer Dave Stewart and Paul G. Allen co-founder (with Bill Gates) of Microsoft, the Hospital is a multi-million pound music, state-of-the-art television and arts complex located in the heart of London's Covent Garden. Naturally the launch was a star-studded event attended by A-list celebrities from throughout the world of music and media. Sound Division Hire, the rental department of the Sound Division Group, was asked to supply the entire entertainment system for the event, including audio, lighting, staging and DJ equipment.

Sound Division's Chris Baxter confirmed that this was a technically complex event: "We set up a DJ system in the Studio on the lower ground floor with a PA based on EAW KF850s and JBL monitors with a Soundcraft mixing console. We were al

UAE - In mid-September, the annual meetings of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund were held in Dubai. With over 27,000 participants from all over the world, this was an event of huge global significance for which the sound systems were provided by Electro-Voice.

This is the largest and most comprehensive gathering of global financial representatives in the world. In addition to the meetings - of which there were over 250 this year - there are numerous seminars, some conducted by staff members for members of the press. In all, 27,500 participants from 184 countries travelled to Dubai for the event. The hosts, James D. Wolfensohn, president of the bank, and IMF director Horst Köhler, left nothing to chance - certainly in respect of the audio-visual equipment.

In mid-August, a flotilla of cardboard boxes sporting the EV logo set s

UK - Mean Fiddler Music Group has bought the famous Borderline live music venue in London's West End, which has a Public Entertainment Licence until 6a.m. Vince Power, chairman of Mean Fiddler, said: "This valuable addition to the portfolio will further strengthen the Group's position as the country's leading live music venue operator."

(Lee Baldock)

UK - The Royal Society of Medicine is an independent organization founded nearly 200 years ago. Its aim is to provide a range of educational opportunities for doctors, dentists and veterinary surgeons, including students and allied health care professionals. A renowned venue for large scale conferences and meetings, the RSM's facilities are currently undergoing extensive redevelopment. The whole of the ground floor of the Society's house in London has been developed to provide a state of the art meeting and conference space both for members of the Society and its external users.

One of the most exciting areas of the development is the new 300-seat auditorium, which has recently been completed and is now in use. Designed by MJS Architects with Arup Venue Consultancy and the Robin Haddow Partnership, the client's brief involved finding a way to optimize the room design, keeping me

UK - The Safety Focus Group, set up by the International Live Music Conference (ILMC), has won a grant of €160,000 from the European Union to produce a vital safety guide. The guide is intended for use by live music promoters and workers throughout Europe and beyond, and will reflect best practice in a number of European countries. As one of the conditions of this grant, the Safety Focus Group must now raise a further €40,000 funding from the live music industry to secure the project.

The ILMC says that the safety guide will provide a tool for concert and festival organizers to assess and manage risks, and will be useful to everyone from the new event organizer to the most established promoters. Scheduled to be ready by late autumn of 2004, it will primarily be accessible via a specially designed website, although a limited number of hard copies will be produced. With its Euro

UK - The newly re-launched Carling Apollo Hammersmith celebrated its re-opening at the end of October with a one-off special concert by veteran rockers AC/DC - powered by Concert Sound, an EAW PA system and XTA loudspeaker control.

For one night only, on Tuesday 21 October, Carling brought Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Brian Johnson, Phil Rudd and Cliff Williams to London's landmark live venue to thrill a gathering of their most dedicated fans with a live show. The seats were also removed from the venue for the first time in its history, making it the biggest dedicated live music venue in London.

Front-of-house engineer Paul 'Pab' Boothroyd was at the controls of a Midas XL4, while long-time mix partner John Roden mixed monitors. Boothroyd opted for Concert Sound's new EAW KF760 line array system, flown as an impressive 14-a-side rig, "so I could maximize the power and cove

UK - Top London club fabric has made a major lighting investment with Coemar UK and its sister company, Lighting Effects Distribution. Part of a systematic upgrade at the venue, iSpot 575 moving heads, iCyc 250s, ProSpot 250s and a variety of LED-based products will add to the new kinetic energy in Rooms 1, 2 and 3 as a result of a new design from Dave Parry's technology team at the club.

The new equipment is predominantly for Room 2. "The room is essentially a black box, but I wanted to put a bit more focus onto the lasers," explained Parry. "The room contains a massive block of colour and we have used Coemar iCyc 250s as an architectural backdrop." At the same time the club has used six Thomas Pixel Par 87s from Lighting Effects Distribution to highlight the structural arches and create an extra dimension, along with a pair of Coemar iSpot 575s and CF as a

UK - One of London's most famed buildings, the Royal Institution of Great Britain, has installed QSC amplifiers and loudspeakers into its revered 18th century Faraday Theater. For over 200 years, the Royal Institution has been at the centre of scientific research in England. The Faraday Theater still hosts the famous Friday Evening Lectures, begun by Faraday in 1826.

The steeply raked theatre's impressive architecture seats 430 on two tiers, with a dedicated projection room and 6m screen. Sensitive to the English Heritage listing of the building, Surrey-based Harpers AV installed three pairs of QSC's AcousticDesign AD-S82 loudspeakers in strategic locations within the theater and gallery areas.

Harpers AV project manager Steve Baker also specified a pair of QSC ISA 280 amplifiers and a 24-channel Phonic mixer, with the networked system under Crestron control. "QSC produc

UK - The date for the trial of Simon Brophy - the former head of lighting at the Millennium Dome charged with conspiracy to defraud the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) - has been set for 4 October 2004.

In total, nine individuals have been charged as a result of the investigation, including David Gordon, a former company director of Prodesign, and Brophy's wife Margaret Bragg. Of the other six individuals, we understand that three represented a well-known lighting company in its involvement with the Millennium Dome.

The Fraud Squad arrested Brophy, Gordon and Bragg in October 2000, following scrutiny into the awarding of contracts at the Millennium Dome.

(Lee Baldock)

Hong Kong - In August 2002, The Hong Kong Tourism Commission engaged Laservision to develop the idea of creating a permanent light show based on the illumination of significant buildings in Hong Kong and Kowloon, which overlook Victoria Harbour.

Laservision's objectives included the selection of suitable buildings and key viewing areas. A draft design for each chosen structure was completed, taking account of energy efficiency and light pollution issues. A series of reports was then sent to the Hong Kong Government and Laservision was invited to showcase techniques incorporated into the Harbour Lighting Plan during Chinese New Year of 2003. The demonstration consisted of illumination of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and the creation of a multi-media show, attracting a public audience of up to 45,000 per night.

The Hong Kong Government engaged Laservision to prepare a launch e

UK - Marquee Audio recently supplied Bristol Old Vic with a digital theatre playback system, featuring a Yamaha DM1000 console and Stage Research SFX show control software, which has radically improved the operational experience of the theatre's in-house sound designer.

"Although the price tag is very cost-effective for this kind of functionality, it is a lot of money to a regional theatre," says Jason Barnes, head of sound at the Old Vic. "However, it's bought us an immense improvement. Putting a show together is now far less stressful and we can do it a lot quicker."

Jason Barnes' own ideas and research took him in the direction of the SFX software programme, rapidly becoming an industry-standard, and, with the input of Andy Huffer from Marquee Audio, a complete system was designed: the Yamaha DM1000 digital console, with the SFX sound playback software p

UK - Stage Electrics has announced the launch of its new website, which combines information on all the services offered by the company, with key data on products in their extensive hire and sales inventory. David Whitehead, Stage Electrics' managing director said: "The new website is the first phase of an ongoing plan to provide customers with a 'one stop' approach to gaining knowledge on the technical equipment and services we can provide."

An added feature for the technicians in the industry is the incorporation in the Hire section with useful information on some of the equipment, such as weight, lamp, power rating, number of DMX channels etc. There is also a facility for technical manuals to be downloaded.

Linda Moore Stage Electrics sales and marketing manager said: "We believe the site is easier to navigate, we wanted it to be bold and dynamic, providing o

UK - Stagecraft has made a major investment in new hire equipment to enable organizations to use cutting-edge sound and lighting technology in their performances. The company has seen a significant increase in the demand for professional lighting, sound and staging equipment during 2003 and is currently working on installations in schools, event management for music and drama festivals, and on conferences in South Africa.

The Hire and Live Events department was recently responsible for the creative design and technical management of seven major events over three weeks. One of these included a 1920s themed event for a 60th birthday celebration. "Centred around the art deco period, this was a great event to work on," commented technical director Mike Naish. "Our team was involved from the very start of the planning stages. We designed the invitations, set, lighting

UK - Trilogy, Doncaster's latest nightspot, features an interesting lighting scheme, with equipment supplied by Robe UK to installers Willpower to kit out three rooms - The Crest, The Temple and The Chamber - at the new 2,100-capacity venue. The lighting design was created by Robe UK's Nathan Wan, working closely with Trilogy's owner, Gary Hunt of Brook Leisure.

In each room, the lighting needed to complement the room themeing, and also had to be flexible and eye-catching: "It was great to get onboard with and work alongside the interior design team from the early stages," says Wan. The club's overall design was led by Hunt, who adopted a hands-on role throughout the project.

This interesting medieval-styled Chamber is also the main dancefloor. The lighting had to be dynamic to cater for a wide range of musical styles. They took a completely customised approach in t

UK, University of Manchester - The University of Manchester's new £6 million School of Music and Drama includes the new Cosmo Rodewald Concert Hall, the John Thaw Studio Theatre, the Lenagan Library, audio/visual facilities, improved performance, workshop and practice spaces and new electro-acoustic music studios.

Stage Electrics designed and installed the new facilities' sound and lighting systems, with Hills Electrical plc, main contractor Totty Construction, architects Cruickshank & Seward and acoustic consultants Arup.

The Music Department boasts a 350-seat concert hall (pictured right), while the Drama Department is equipped with a studio theatre. The concert hall has been designed primarily for orchestral performances, with stage space for up to 90-piece orchestras. Four lighting trusses are fitted with Strand Cantata and SL lanterns, while the Concert Hall control roo

Norway - Visual act has been awarded the contract to modernize the flying system for the Norwegian Theatre in Oslo. The work involves replacing the drive electronics for 109 fly bars and point hoists. The Visual act Stage Control System to be installed will include three operator desks and redundant servers and positioning computers. One of the operator desks will be wireless for use on the stage during set-up and in the house during rehearsals.

In selecting a supplier, the theatre referred to Visual act's flexibility and forward-looking technical features. The system is open and can easily be expanded to control under stage machinery or other elements. The user inteface will be specially adapted to fit the theatre's working routines.

The current computer system, installed in 1985, is still effective even by modern standards. It allows for the simultaneous operation of any num

Germany - With origins dating back to the early 17th century and almost 40,000 students, the University of Hamburg is Germany's fifth largest University, and prides itself as Germany's "gateway to the world of Science."

As part of the University's ongoing refurbishment programme, ShowService GmbH, the German distributor for Australian pro audio manufacturer ARX Systems, has now completed the supply and installation of two new audio systems for the University's ESA B and AS auditoriums.

The 5.1 audio system in the cavernous ESA B auditorium comprises five SPL 12 self-powered loudspeakers providing Left-Centre-Right and stereo surround program and a single SPL 18 self-powered subwoofer for low frequency reinforcement. A single SPL 8H compact self-powered loudspeaker was installed in the lecturer's desk as a listen monitor/foldback monitor.

In the not-so-cavernous AS

UK - Lucorum in Barnsley, England, saw the world's first installation of the small and powerful EX series of speakers from KV2 Audio. A series of refurbished 18th century warehouse buildings, Lucorum is an interesting concept - a shopping centre and café by day, restaurant and bar by mid week night, and a full-on nightclub at weekends. Briefed to provide a discreet speaker system that would not look out of place in the afternoon tea-room setting, but have the necessary power to satisfy several hundred clubbers on a weekend, Yorkshire-based installer 52nd Street - having heard the KV2 system at PLASA - opted for the EX Series.

With its glass roof and stone walls, the venue presented challenging acoustics, but by carefully positioning four EX 10 speakers and adding the weight of two EX 2.5 double 15" active subs, reflections and subsequent issues of poor intelligibility were

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