Germany - Bosch Security Systems has added a visual notification appliance to its range of 420 Series fire-detector accessories. The Strobe 420 Series is compatible with Bosch's base sounder to provide optimal visible and audible fire alarm warning in a wide range of applications. The strobe has a new LED design that produces synchronised, high-visibility flashes at 1Hz. Light flashing in the 1 to 3 Hz frequency range avoids possible blinding effects or disturbance to persons with photosensitivity. The 420 series strobe is an addressable device with the advantage that it is loop powered, freely configurable and determining which strobe is switched on and in which event.

When used with a Bosch 420 Series detector base, the strobe can be used as a stand-alone device. It also allows automatic component identification, address assignment support and functional security in the event

UK - Academy Music Group (AMG) has confirmed a further capacity increase for its newest venue, Carling Academy Oxford. The new total building capacity is now 1,350. The site of the former Zodiac on Cowley Road is currently in development to create three separate, flexible performance spaces for live music and club events.

The £2m project will be completed in September, with state of the art facilities both front of house and backstage. "We have been working closely with the local authorities to increase the overall site capacity and we're delighted with this new offering for touring artists and promoters. We plan to operate up to three separate rooms if required, and can increase the auditorium of Carling Academy Oxford for larger touring acts, utilising the maximum lower floor space. The upstairs 'Zodiac' room can also run at the same time with a flexible capacity fo

UK - Litestructures Studios celebrated its second anniversary with the announcement that the studio has surpassed occupancy targets with a steady string of concert tours making use of the facility.

Two years ago, Litestructures Studios opened its doors to host production rehearsals for Coldplay's Twisted Logic tour. Since, the Studio has hosted rehearsals for Cirque de Soleil, Franz Ferdinand, Prodigy, Scissor Sisters, Pussycat Dolls, Muse, George Michael, Basement Jaxx, Robbie Williams, Kaiser Chiefs, Massive Attack, Beautiful South, Westlife, Journey, Australian Pink Floyd Show, Faithless, Meat Loaf and many others.

"The Litestructures Studio has exceeded our expectations during its first two years," said Brent Woods, Litestructures Studios' general manager. "The unbeatable combination of the studio's high specification, support services and Lite

UK - At-Bristol, one of the UK's leading science and discovery centres, has recently completed a major overhaul of the audio and video facilities at the various exhibition and conference spaces on its Bristol site.

The installation involved equipping the Science and Exhibition centres with AMX automation systems to control the AV facilities. All of the cabling was provided by VDC Trading, which supplied a range of Van Damme cables.

Ed Williams, At-Bristol's technical director, says: "This project was very extensive and has taken us nearly three years to complete. Although we were working to a tight budget, we insisted on using Van Damme cable because it is of such high quality and we wanted products that were going to be reliable and easy to maintain."

At-Bristol offers a world of hands-on discovery where exploration and education go hand in hand with a fun day out

Spain - Góngora Gran Café in Cordoba opened its doors in December 2006, Situated in the historical heart of the city, the Café's new owners have overseen a meticulous conversion of the premises from bingo hall to café-bar during the day, live music venue in the evening and discotheque at night, and have adapted to suit the needs of a diverse and increasingly demanding public.

Lighting was the responsibility of company In-Out Soluciones Audiovisuales. The long-term friendship between the manager of the bar, Abelardo Cárdenas, and the director of In-Out, Antonio Solvas, as well as the motivation to create something spectacular yet elegant, led to the installation of a complete Martin package: 8 MAC 250 Entours, 6 MAC 250 Kryptons, 4 MAC 250 Washes, 2 MX-10 Extreme scanners, 10 Mania SCX 600 effect lights, 30 Cyclo 03 DMX fluorescent linear luminaires with a

UK - Beginning July 2007, Strand Lighting Europe will officially open for business as a member of the Genlyte Group, LLC. The new office, near Gatwick airport, is located at:

Unit 2 Royce Road,
Fleming Way,
Crawley,
West Sussex
RH10 9JY

The contact telephone number is +44 (0) 129 355 0280.

"We are delighted to return to Europe with our new UK-based operation," said Steve Carson, Genlyte Controls vice president. "We are building a strong team and putting our resources behind them to deliver great products and services to our existing and potential clientele."

Key personnel in the new office will be Alan Luxford, general manager; Ken Berreen, sales manager for the UK, Spain, Portugal, and South Africa; Bill Richards, marketing manager; Tracy Downes, customer service manager, and Victor Mikheev, service and engineering Manager.

Alan Luxford a

UK - One of London's most authentically-designed bars has opened in the east wing of The Cumberland Hotel at London's Marble Arch. The industrially-themed Carbon has been developed at a cost of £2.5m on the site of the Cumberland's former Callaghan's Irish Bar (which was closed three years ago).

Interior designer Mark Bithrey of B3 Designers has immersed the 450-capacity venue in a world of concrete, brick, steel, mesh and leather (peppered with industrial artefacts and extremely rare champagnes) to achieve a low-key, sultry Shoreditch style vibe.

Having worked with the Sound Division Group on a previous bar project he again tasked the A/V specialists with creating the aural ambience in the four-zoned venue. This is divided between the main ground floor bar, lounge, the separate bookable Chain Room and the suspended Mezzanine Bar upstairs.

Under the project management

Norway - Massteknik, one of Scandinavia's leading AV rental and installations integrators has installed two digiLED LED video screens at FC Start's new stadium in Kristiansand.

Two widescreen displays each measuring 7m high x 4m wide have been installed at either end of the stadium using digiLED's latest effective resolution digiLED d12 modules which offer a 25mm physical, 12.5mm effective, pixel pitch.

The bespoke modules were specifically designed to suit FC Start's stadium, maximising the screen size in the available space. Measuring 1m wide x 1m high x 0.140m deep, the 7 x 4 module configuration provides a screen with an effective resolution of 560 x 320 pixels.

The digiLED d12 screens are controlled by an Omnivex Director feeding live camera, graphics and other sources to the screens. The Ominvex system, located in the control room, connects to the screens via fibre opt

USA - In an unusual project, dB Audio and Video's system advisor Keith Armstrong oversaw the conversion of a gym to a sanctuary at Meadowbrook Baptist Church in Gadsden, Alabama.

The gymnasium was a large 120ft x 80ft x 22ft box covered with reflective surfaces, and Armstrong measured its reverb time at 7.5 seconds. However, the church had determined that they could place a generous stage along one of the long walls and still accommodate 900 church members.

"Diffusion panels would help kill the rather extreme flutter echo," Armstrong explained, "but there was still a massive slap-back echo from the back wall to the stage." To combat the problem, dB Audio and Video designed a regiment of two-inch absorption panels and installed them along the back wall. They soaked up most of the energy above 1kHz and a good deal below that frequency.

"Although we did

USA - A high power Renkus-Heinz line array PA has been installed at the OC Pavilion in Santa Ana, CA, a multipurpose 500-seat entertainment venue that hosts a wide range of events - theatre, concerts, private functions, corporate events and film shoots.

Owner, architect and developer Michael Harrah purchased the property in 2001 and has invested over $21 million in developing it. And as its website proudly proclaims, it offers "intimate seating for 500 and a state-of-the-art sound system that is second to none," adding, "patrons can experience artists in a setting that is reminiscent of days gone by, when the artist's performance wasn't just something to witness, but rather, experience."

The sound system in question is a Renkus-Heinz STLA/9, the company's most powerful line array product, augmented by PN81 two-way down-fill loudspeakers, all self-powered.

UK - Carling Academy Oxford has confirmed the first four shows for the Autumn season, with the Happy Mondays, Madina Lake, The Bluetones and Nick Harper headlining.

The venue is set to open in September 2007 following a major £2,000,000 refurbishment which will see the former Zodiac venue transformed into three separate, flexible performance spaces for live music and club events.

(Jim Evans)

USA - Six Flags recently approached Tomcat USA to provide a fixed grid system to be permanently installed at its Music Mill Amphitheatre in Six Flags over Texas. The project was completed just in time for the busy summer season and is now installed in its new home. This extra equipment will be utilised in the Coobrila show by Cirque Dreams which will run from 16 June through 19 August as part of the Late Nights Six Flags series at the famous theme parks.

Although the entire system is made of medium duty and heavy duty trusses (approximately 65' deep and 100' wide at its widest point) the equipment is not the typical standard product. To achieve the desired look, no guide cables were used to secure the system. In light of this design consideration, Tomcat came up with a solution utilising eight 34ft medium duty spigoted towers with diagonals on all four faces of the

UK - Reading-based BITS Ltd recently installed JBL Control 24CT speakers in Sony Ericsson's flagship Kensington store. "We installed 10 Control 24CTs within the shop area, and four in each of the two conference rooms in the basement," explains BITS's Paul Childerhouse. "The white models were a perfect fit for the shop's sound system requirements."

JBL's Control 24C and Control 24CT ceiling-mount speakers (the latter models featuring built-in transformers) are part of the company's Control Contractor range of loudspeakers for installed sound applications. The two-way speakers comprise a four-inch woofer and a three-quarter inch titanium tweeter, and are capable of dispersing sound uniformly over a 130° conical area.

(Jim Evans)

UK - One of Chelsea's best-known private members club - and a landmark on the King's Road for more than 40 years - Raffles has entered its latest manifestation with a complete makeover from the ground up.

The team of leisure consultants behind the new venture include Piers Adam, who has joined forces with Patrice Gouty, one of the co-founders of Chinawhite, Jeanette Calliva, party planner for Woodhead Calliva, and interior designer Tara Bernerd, of Target Living. It was Bernerd who masterminded the interior conversion, working in conjunction with main contractors, Du Boulay Contracts and The Sound Division Group.

Under the stewardship of the experienced Jon Carey (JLC Contracts) and SDG installations manager Elliot Patterson, the installers deployed the same highly-qualified team of programming and project professionals that had delivered the complex Tamarai in Covent Garden a

UK - Since 1951, London's Royal Festival Hall (RFH) has attracted one of the most diverse audiences of any UK venue. For over 50 years it has hosted a wide-ranging programme of classical and world music, rock, pop, jazz and dance. Designed and built in just three years, the Royal Festival Hall is part of the iconic South Bank Centre, which grew from the post war Festival of Britain Exhibition that celebrated the wonders of British design and technology.

The RFH closed for a £91m refurbishment two years ago and finally reopened in June this year. An essential element of this transformation has been the total overhaul of the lighting system. With a brief from theatre consultants Carr and Angier to increase flexibility and efficiency while maintaining low ambient noise, specialist installation contractor Northern Light has installed the latest ETC dimming, networking and ligh

Turkey - Professional audio specialists, SF Dis Ticaret AS, recently carried out installations in three of Istanbul's high-profile retail stores, using ZonePRO 1260 devices from dbx Professional Products as their digital processing solution.

The projects have taken them to the commercial hub of Taksim, where the Levi's Store is based, across to Bagdat Street (on the Anatolian side) to the Nike Store, and finally to Levent, and the prestigious new Kanyon Shopping Mall which houses Harvey Nichols.

SF and its dealer companies maintain regular contact with the leading architectural and consulting companies in Turkey, such as Yalin Tan & Jeyan Ülkü, who handled the Levi's and Nike store projects. The Harvey Nichols project came via SF's dealer, S&S Music Company, with whom they have enjoyed an association extending back more than a decade.

While all the stores required a high-q

UK - Shoreditch operators The Cantaloupe Group, have opened an authentic Spanish Bar/Restaurant in the new Regent Quarter development at London's Kings Cross.

As with all three of their venues - including the influential Cargo in Shoreditch - the company has turned again to Marquee Audio to deliver their sound reinforcement requirements. Their solution has been to provide a discreet background music system in the new building to meet the eclectic tastes of directors Richard Bigg, Nigel Foster and Chris Greenwood.

It is the company's music guru Chris Greenwood - the man responsible for programming the music at several of London's top Cuban and Latin bars - who has drawn on his huge library of Latin American grooves to create the playlist. "I have tried to make the music much more contemporary and wide-ranging than just the usual Gypsy Kings soundtrack," he said.

Thi

UK - Vanguardia Consulting is in the final stages of commissioning the sound, noise management and acoustical aspects of The 02, London's largest purpose-built music arena, with 22,000 seats, which opens under the roof of the former Millennium Dome in Greenwich on 24 June with a sold-out concert by Bon Jovi.

The consultants of Vanguardia, which specialises in acoustics, sound system design and noise control consultancy, have been involved in the prestige project since its inception. The team, headed by Jim Griffiths, was brought in by owners AEG Worldwide to ensure The 02 would set a new world standard for stadium acoustics.

The team's task was threefold - completely acoustically insulating The 02 to minimise any noise spill into the environment, specifying an internal acoustic design to control reverberation time (RT) to a remarkable two seconds in the mid frequencies, and sp

UK - Sound, lighting and AV integration specialists The PAI Group has completed an innovative contemporary audio/visual and lighting installation at the Gwernllwyn Country Club, Carmarthenshire. The 700 capacity venue - owned by local independent entrepreneur Will James - features a split level design with a function room on the first floor and a nightclub below.

PAI Group's general manager Keith Elms led the project, taking Thomas Parry Architects' interior design as an aesthetic starting point for the design, specification and supply of a complimentary, avant-garde technical infrastructure. Elms comments: "We know that the fusion between interior design, AV and lighting systems is intrinsic to delivering the most cutting-edge results for the client."

The club's peripheral features utilise state-of-the-art LED architectural lighting. These architectural elements are

Ireland - For the third time in a row Dublin's National Concert Hall (NCH) has opted for a Sound Projects sound reinforcement system. The new configuration, primarily Linex line array, gives the venue access possibilities to wider programming elements. It is the first such installation of its kind in Ireland.

Sound Projects entered the NCH in 1997, when the Dutch audio manufacturer built and supplied a custom made centre cluster which was later replaced by eight Sound Projects SP-2 active cabinets.

The newly installed configuration consists of a Sound Projects Linex clustered 10-cabinet line array facing forward, with four SP-4 Linex speakers facing the rear balcony and one facing each of the side balconies.

Stereo imaging is made possible by the addition of eight SP-2 and four X-Act active loudspeakers. A remotely controlled LCR configuration is also possible. The system is

UK - When Jamaican-born Patrick Marché set out to establish an authentic Caribbean restaurant in London's east end, his sights were initially set on the high footfall cultural area of Stratford - rather than in the shadow of the ExCeL Exhibition & Conference Centre in the fast developing Docklands.

But when council red tape delayed the proposed Stratford project - which will now open towards the end of this year - Patrick and his investors instead launched the 3,400sq.ft Caribbean Scene concept at the Western Gateway overlooking ExCel Marina.

Inside the building the owners tasked The Sound Division Group with creating a vibrant and versatile cross-cultural mix in which audio and video signals can be patched randomly through the building's four zones (including toilets), to change the mood, atmosphere and operating base at will.

Under the project management of Jon Care

Germany - Klotz Digital has announced that it will supply a Varizone system to the Opera in Halle, the city on the Saale, Germany.

Varizone will be the core technology of the PA system and is included in the opera's central stagecraft/stage management application. Product supply comprises V888 Matrix Controllers and the digital multi channel amplifier modules, I-PAM, which was recently introduced at ProLight & Sound in Frankfurt.

The contract has been awarded to Klotz Digital's German sales and service partner FG-Elektronik, who will be responsible for the complete system integration.

(Jim Evans)

Malaysia - With its strategic location at the hub of the central business district and its purpose-built facilities, the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (the Centre) has become one of the Malaysian capital's competitive assets. It raises the city and Malaysia's profile by providing a world-class venue to both major international conferences and trade fairs plus the colorful entertainment sector for international concerts, musicals and family stage shows.

Realising a gap in the market for high-end sound systems, Orange Events, a preferred supplier for sound, lighting and AV systems of the Centre, aimed to enhance the existing sound system by improving overall sound quality, coverage and capacity to handle events in large venues such as the 3,000-seat auditorium, Plenary Hall.

After thorough research and technical consideration regarding the exact requirements of the Centre, Oran

UK - - Last year, Butlins Holiday Resort in Minehead carried out a major sound and lighting refurbishment, with a view to rolling the model out at their other Resorts in Skegness and Bognor Regis. This aim has now been realised, and the new technology infrastructure was completed at both sites this Spring by the Birmingham-based Cloud One Group.

The pro audio specialists have enjoyed a close relationship with Butlins Resorts over a 15-year period, and during this time they have regularly specified Martin Audio sound reinforcement systems on their projects.

In addition to the new W8LM Mini Line Array installations in Skegness and Bognor Regis, Cloud One also made some enhancements to the original W8LM installation in Minehead - initiated by Martin Audio's Brad Watson and Butlins' Technical Manager Dirk Peace.

This has resulted in all of Minehead's premium entertainment venues

Latest Issue. . .

Save
Cookies user preferences
We use cookies to ensure you to get the best experience on our website. If you decline the use of cookies, this website may not function as expected.
Accept all
Decline all
Analytics
Tools used to analyze the data to measure the effectiveness of a website and to understand how it works.
Google Analytics
Accept
Decline
Advertisement
If you accept, the ads on the page will be adapted to your preferences.
Google Ad
Accept
Decline