UK - This year the ever-popular Barco Showcase event was held at two locations North and South of the country. The first was at The Three Mills Studios in London and the second held at the Magna Science Museum in Rotherham, Yorkshire. LSI visited the Three Mills Studios, which proved to be an ideal location for showing the huge range of Barco products.

(Jane Cockburn)

UK - Star Vertech is supplying 7,500sq.m of its proprietary Vertech platforms to support temporary ice-rinks through the 2004/2005 festive season. Star Vertech (part of the Star Events Group) is more commonly known for supplying staging at large concerts and festivals; but as the trend to install temporary ice-rinks has grown over recent years, the unique Vertech platforms have been called in to use to create strong, level bases for ice rinks.

Star Vertech crews have installed the large platforms in Newcastle, Dublin, Glasgow and Warwick, with another going into Leeds Millennium Square in January. Phil Addyman has managed the projects, commenting: "The Vertech staging system has proven popular for ice-rinks as it provides a very stable base and as it is designed to be installed quickly it saves time and money over other systems."

In addition to supporting the weigh

UK - Details of the programme of 11 RIBA CPD seminars to take place during the ARC 05 exhibition have been finalized. All seminars taking place during the exhibition (14-15 February, Business Design Centre, Islington, London) will be RIBA-approved CPD and will all be related to lighting topics for architects. There are a number of lighting-related CPD seminars available, ranging from office and retail lighting to LEDs and lighting control. A seminar theatre seating approximately 60 people will be built on the exhibition floor and will be promoted by Mondiale Publishing as well as specifically targeted at RIBA member architects.

Joni Tyler, head of CPD, commented: "RIBA is pleased to be working with Mondiale Publishing on this event. We are delighted to be able to highlight the many excellent lighting CPD seminars from our member companies and to be able to bring their tech

UK - Entec Sound & Light is supplying full lighting and sound production for the Bootleg Beatles' current UK tour, continuing a relationship with the band that has lasted for many years. One of the highlights of this tour was a sold-out performance at London's Royal Albert Hall. On this leg, FOH engineer Marc Langley is using Entec's d&b Q Series line array: Entec believes it has perfected the task of designing d&b systems for this challenging space. The Bootleg's show combined the skills and experience of Entec's systems engineers Stefano Serpagli, Tristan Johnson & Liam Halpin with help from John Taylor of d&b - plus the aid of d&b's Q-Calc line array prediction software - to help calculate the optimum set up.

They opted for a left and right array plus two side arrays instead of the conventional centre cluster for two reasons - because it seemed the most logical way to fit th

USA - Loud Technologies Inc has announced the appointment of Miami-based Tropical Music Export Enterprises Inc as distributor for EAW products in the Caribbean and Central American markets. "Tropical Music has represented our Mackie brand with distinction for many years," commented Dave Christenson, Loud's director of international sales. "We're extremely pleased that they will now be representing EAW in the Caribbean and Central America. Tropical Music is uniquely positioned to offer the product expertise, financial stability and wide dealer network necessary to lead this market."

"Representing the Mackie brand has substantially added to our overall success and we are thrilled to incorporate EAW for distribution," said Frank Peruyera, senior international sales manager for Tropical Music.

(Lee Baldock)

UK - The results of this year's elections for places on the PLASA executive committee have been announced. Seven candidates put their names forward to contest the four available seats which had arisen from the natural rotation of committee members and the resignation of John Jones (then of PCM) earlier in the year.

The 2004 Treasurer David Hopkins OBE (Audio Design Services) and Chairman Diane Grant (DHA Lighting) were joined on the list of candidates by Stuart Gibbons (Le Mark), Iain Price-Smith (Light Engineering - Multiform), Siobhan Hitchen (Rope Assemblies), Linda Moore (Stage Electrics) and Duncan Smith (Roscolab).

Voting closed at 5pm on Monday 6 December with Diane Grant securing the most votes, followed by David Hopkins, Linda Moore and Siobhan Hitchen. Those four will now serve on PLASA's executive body - the first three serving three-year terms, whilst Siobhan Hit

UK - Glasgow Rangers FC has replaced the public address system at its 8,000-capacity Main Stand at Ibrox Stadium with nine of Martin Audio's new AM10 enclosures. The system was requisitioned by the club's head of AV, Stevie Scott of Scotrae Productions, as part of a multimedia upgrade, and purchased from local dealer, John Murdoch of Scotia Sound Services - a long-standing Martin reseller.

Scott said: "We had experienced difficulty projecting to the back of the stand with the existing system. We knew Martin had brought out a stadium speaker that was more directional, and when we contacted John he confirmed that the AM Series offered a superior reach." Stevie Scott undertook the installation himself - a simple replacement into the roof of the stand, facilitated by hardwired cable through grommet holes.

The AM10 uses a 300W 10" LF driver with a 1" exit HF c

UK - Howard Payne and his newly created company, SPL Distribution Europe Ltd, has completed a high-profile installation of Sound Physics Labs SPL-runt loudspeakers at the 606 Club in London, just in time for the recent London Jazz Festival. The 30-year-old club, located in Chelsea, has long been the favourite club for top artists on the London jazz scene. The loudspeakers, designed by Tom Danley, are manufactured in Glenview, Illinois.

Payne says: "The SPL-runts were just amazing, and exceeded everybody's expectations. The guy who runs the place, Steve Rubie, who is a musician himself and has owned the club for almost all of its 30 years, was skeptical about whether two small speakers would cover what is basically a very wide room. It's about 65ft wide by only 20ft deep, with the stage area in the centre on one side."

Indeed, the 606 Club's small size belies its hu

UK - As part of a significant expansion for 2005, Cheltenham Stage Services has purchased a Meyer MSL-4 system from Marquee Audio. For the last year, CSS has been operating a sub-hired MSL-4 system, building up a roster of festival and touring clients, and moving beyond its local Cheltenham circuit. After a busy summer, the company, which covers the whole of the Midlands, Wales and the West Country, has taken the decision to make a permanent investment. As a result, Marquee Audio has supplied eight MSL-4s, four 650-Ps, four UPA-1Ps, and a 48-channel Allen & Heath ML4000 mixing console.

"Our sister company, Event & Management Services, was instrumental in specifying the Meyer M1D line array system that has been installed here at The Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse. This is the biggest venue in this region," explains Steve Roskilly of CSS. "It therefore made great

Poland - A recent special concert for the Pope, the 40th anniversary of the Student Song Festival and Poland's International Percussion Festival all relied on Audio-Technica microphones to deliver high quality sound reproduction, supplied by Polish distributor, Konsbud-Audio.

At the special concert for the Pope, held at the Castle Square in Warsaw, and broadcast live by TVP 1 Polish Public Television and TV Polonia international, four channels of Audio-Technica 5000 Artist Elite Series wireless microphone systems were used on stage. These operated seamlessly, without interference, in parallel with other wireless systems, thanks to the unique IntelliScan tuning system automatically searching out interference-free frequencies.

At the 40th jubilee of the Student Song Festival on the 13-17 October, Audio-Technica 5000 Artist Elite Series wireless microphone systems again perform

UK - Compulite's Vector Red and Blue consoles were launched at PLASA 2003, with the system officially available from March 2004, when it was immediately put into service on a number of major TV productions such as Top of the Pops and Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. Vector Green, the smallest in the Vector family, was already in demand way before its launch at PLASA 2004, as many programmers could see the potential of having so much power and flexibility in such a compact console: Stagetec Distribution reports that it has just delivered six Vector Green systems to customers, one of the first to TV lighting director, Bernie Davis.

Davis is one of Britain's most successful TV lighting directors, with a long string of credits to his name. From Robot Wars to The Proms, Royal Variety Performance to the Royal Wedding and many, many more in between, he has a vast

A Flying Pig Systems Wholehog 3 console was put into play in a big way in the newly-released film, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, starring Jim Carrey and Meryl Streep. Scott Barnes, California-based lighting programmer, purchased a Wholehog 3 last year and has kept it working steady ever since. Filming for Lemony Snicket began in summer of 2003 and ran through until May 2004. Barnes used the Hog 3 to control everything from the lighting of interiors and exteriors of the sets, to close-ups of the actors. He also created the daylight, dusk and nighttime looks as well.

"When you do a film, you never know what you're going to have thrown at you: whether it's adding last minute lights or creating spur of the moment effects, as the movie changes from one set to another," Barnes explains. "Hog III makes me prepared for anything. It's the better

UK - The Picture Works, one of the world's most comprehensive and pioneering video services companies, has placed an order for two Barco XLM H25 projectors. Established in 1996, and with offices in Wales and London, The Picture Works will add the 27000 lumen projectors to its rapidly growing range of specialized hire equipment, making it the first company in the UK to have the XLM H25s on its fleet - a move which the company believes will place it firmly on the map of heavyweight events companies.

Barco's impressive XLM H25 projector, the first DLP projector with a native wide-screen aspect ratio, native 2048x1080 resolution and 27000 lumen light output, is ideally suited to ultra wide screen projections. Robin Wealleans, managing director of The Picture Works, explained his decision to choose Barco: "The XLM H25 offers a functional design, fully sealed DMD engine and an a

UK - The legendary Cavern Club in Liverpool's Mathew Street has purchased two Soundcraft mixing consoles as part of a major equipment upgrade. Cavern director Bill Heckle opted for a large-frame 48-channel MH3 to mix monitors from the FOH position. Heckle explained: "With the improvement of the club's infrastructure we needed to give the place a boost with the standard of equipment we could offer visiting production crews and our own LIPA engineers. We initially spoke to two companies but were more comfortable with Soundcraft as their desks convert theory into practice and I know I will get the after-sales service."

But with limited available space, he was advised by Soundcraft's live sound sales manager, James Baker and Adlib Audio's Andy Dockerty - who has a long relationship with both the club and Soundcraft - that the better solution would be to opt for the smalle

UK - In September 2004, London's legendary music venue, The Camden Palace, was re-launched as KOKO following a multi-million pound refurbishment. KOKO's traditional focus on live music influenced its re-design: an 80sq.m stage is available for live bands, while a new DJ booth, which extends over the dance area from the first floor of the club, features London's first installation of two Pioneer DVJ-X1 DVD turntables that enable DJs to manipulate video in exactly the same way as if they were using CD decks. Synchronized digital audio and video can be mixed so that real-time digital video scratches, loops, tempo control and instant cues are all possible.

KOKO wanted to design an exceptional audio experience for performers and customers. Technical manager Santi Arribas was intrigued by the visual possibilities presented by the DVJ-X1. He says, as a technical person I was not sure

UK - London-based wireless specialist Hand Held Audio has expanded its hire stock with the purchase of 16 channels of Sennheiser 1046 system. The system, favoured by broadcasters and West End theatre, is part of Hand Held's planned expansion for their rental operation, say the company. The chosen format was two of the 1046 receiver racks with eight modules in each, 16 of the SK3063 belt pack transmitters and 20 MKE2 Gold lavalier microphones. Hand Held's existing stock of SKM5000N hand-held transmitters with the Neumann K105 capsule and their SK5012 miniature belt pack transmitters will be integrated into the system to provide broadcast clients with a comprehensive choice of favoured kit.

First job for the new equipment was at the Royal Variety Performance at the Coliseum Theatre, broadcast on Wednesday 15 December. As part of a huge radio microphone system put together by the

UK - The growing influence of musician, writer and producer Tony Moore in breaking new talent at The Bedford in Balham - where the Shakespearean Globe Theatre is now packed four nights a week - has led to a radical overhaul of the performance infrastructure, including the live sound mix. "We've always tried to work with the best gear that's available at the time," says Moore, "but the shows at The Globe can be quite complex in their line-ups." However, the new Soundcraft GB Series, he says, is sufficiently flexible to mix any line-up - from a solo acoustic singer-songwriter to a full band ensemble.

"We have 32 channels of line or mic input plus four stereo channels, so instead of using channel returns for FX we can dedicate four stereo channel returns for four stereo FX returns without losing any of the 32 channel inputs. Having that number of channels

USA - Considered to be the world's largest "reggaeton" event, the Megatón 2004 concert brought together some of the biggest names of this musical genre, which originated in Puerto Rico. The four-hour concert was held in October in New York's Madison Square Garden; D.A.S. Aero line array systems provided the sound reinforcement for reggaeton's leading artists such as Tego Calderon, Daddy Yankee and Don Omar, to name but a few.

The New York-based sound reinforcement specialist Abe, V Systems Inc headed by Abraham Viera, used 24 Aero 48 large format line arrays, flown 12 per side from a height of 65 ft. Flown beneath each of the main arrays by means of the AX-Combo rigging adapter, were four Aero CA-28A powered compact line array systems, used as down-fills to cover the rows closest to the stage.

Reggaeton's characteristic predominance of heavy bass, made the low fr

UK - The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has published a consultation document in order to elicit views about the fee levels to be established under the Licensing Act 2003. The consultation period ends this Thursday, 23 December. The fees relate in part to applications for authorisations to provide regulated entertainment, and also include fees for notices for temporary events. Before finalizing the fee levels, the DCMS aims to consult as widely as possible on the appropriate level for these fees. The consultation document can be viewed here.

Local Authorities are lobbying the secretary of state claiming that the proposed fees s

Sweden - Leading Swedish PA supplier Music & Lights A/B has added a new Nexo GEO T tangent array system to its inventory: the company now carries the entire range of Nexo sound reinforcement products. Music & Lights has invested in 24 T4805 full-range and four T2815 down-fill cabinets, with four CD18 subbass systems. This order can, if required, be mixed and matched with their existing GEO S array system, providing exceptional flexibility and versatility.

Peter Kallio of Music & Lights explains: "We wanted to wait until we had the right clients, even though we took the decision to buy GEO T in spring 2003, the day we attended the launch of the system in Frankfurt."

Based in Västeras, about 100km from Stockholm, Music & Lights has grown steadily since it invested in its first major league sound reinforcement system, buying Nexo Alpha in 2001. Most recently, it has

Finland - Robe ColorWash 1200 fixtures demonstrated their cool at a recent gig in Lapland which saw them exposed to temperatures as low as -31°C - excluding wind chill. The fixtures were run for three-and-a-half days, and worked continuously, say the company.

UK-based lighting rental company Siyan was asked to design a lighting scheme for Lynx Base 24-7, "the ultimate dating challenge", a surprise 24-hour party staged at Kiruna in the Arctic Circle, Northern Sweden for 300 lucky Lynx competition winners. Bryan Leitch devised the lighting scheme and Siyan supplied equipment and crew to production company Cake and also worked closely with TV Production Company Done & Dusted, who recorded it for a Channel 4 broadcast. Live performances included Faithless, The Thrills and Shaznay Lewis, plus an assortment of DJs, and Leitch was lighting it for the live event as well as f

UK - The world-famous Sadlers Wells Theatre, London's premier ballet and dance venue, has installed a new 40-channel Midas Legend audio mixing console, supplied by Marquee Audio. The desk will not have a fixed location, being installed in the upper-level sound control room or at the back of the stalls, depending on the requirements of the production. Sound engineer Tom Hares is part of the technical services team that selected the Midas console. "We looked at three or four different makes of desk, either analogue or analogue with snapshot automation. It is important that the technology should be accessible: we have a lot of visiting engineers coming into Sadlers Wells, so they need to see an operating system that they can pick up in just a few minutes. Midas is a name we felt we could trust, and we had the budget to choose the Legend, which ensures that we'll have the operati

Liechtenstein - Neutrik AG, the leading manufacturer of connectors and instruments for the audio and music industries, in conjunction with its subsidiary Neutrik UK Ltd, have announced the appointment of Paxt Ltd as its main distributor for both Equatorial and North Africa. "Paxt are just the type of distributor and management partner we seek as a partner for this area of developing markets' said Heinrich Zant, director international sales. Jeff Fishel, sales and marketing at Neutrik UK, added: "Paxt have built a reputation over the past 15 years as a solid company who understand the many diverse markets in this geographic region. As our penetration of the global market continues, we at Neutrik look to companies such as Paxt to assist us in our marketing efforts. The fact that we already sell to companies known to both of us makes the relationship stronger and therefore

USA - Super Vision International recently announced that it has signed license agreements with Illumination Management Solutions (IMS) and LED Power, both of Irvine, California, for its Variable Colour Lighting System patent # 4,962,687 and its recently acquired Laidman Technology. Illumination Management Solutions is known for it advanced applications of LED technology for the production of LED light engines for industrial and commercial applications. LED Power produces LED lighting systems for commercial applications including aerospace, automotive, commercial signage, marine, traffic control and utility control systems.

Greg Rhoads, IMS's chief technology officer, said: "It is clear to us that the Super Vision "687" Patent provides the earliest and broadest coverage in the industry for networking multiple colour changing lighting fixtures using addressable and

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