USA - How does one go about putting a wireless microphone transmitter on a desperate housewife? "Quickly and accurately," says to Agamemnon Adrianos, the production sound mixer for the hit series Desperate Housewives. The wireless transmitter adopted by Adrianos for use on the show's lead characters is the recently introduced SM from Lectrosonics. The SM (for 'Super Mini') is a high-powered, cost-effective and compandor-free wireless transmitter in a tiny, splash-proof package, say Lectrosonics.
Adrianos, with 33 years' experience of sound mixing for TV and film, was intrigued with the SM from the first moment he saw the prototype at NAB 2004. "I got very excited about it because of potential production applications due to the very small size," he relates. "On a movie set or on location, speed is important . . . and anything to make our job go fas
UK - HSL Productions has supplied a complete stage lighting and sound system to the high profile nine-week Opera Holland Park season, plus site-wide lighting and electrics, power distribution and full public address and announcement audio. The acclaimed season features a total of six full-scale productions, each running two at a time in repertory, and is promoted by the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea.
HSL has been supplying Opera Holland Park for the last three seasons, project managed for them by James Ewart, and in four weeks, they built a complete 830 capacity theatre and site infrastructure, including all backstage facilities, dressing rooms, stage, auditorium, picnic and public areas and front of house. The stage is built under a custom canopy and has two structural points that are also used to fly the spine of the lighting rig mother grid - a carefully balanced netw
UK - Midas consoles were out in force at this year's Glastonbury festival, triumphing over flood and storm to ensure the thousands of waterlogged music fans were guaranteed the best in sound quality and technical reliability. Once again the abundance of Midas consoles across the festival site confirmed them as the board of choice for large outdoor events.
The Pyramid Stage boasted a veritable moving feast of Midas consoles at FOH including two Heritage 3000s and two XL4s, courtesy of SSE. On stage, two XL3s handled monitor duties for a range of acts across the weekend including The Killers, Brian Wilson, the White Stripes and Coldplay as well as Basement Jaxx, whose show-stopping headline performance was not only a fantastic finale to the strong weekend lineup but also a fitting tribute to Kylie.
Sound for the Other Stage was as usual in the capable hands of Skan PA Hire, whic
USA - Tomcat has announced the dates of its 2006 Hoist & Rigging Workshop. The annual school includes workshops pertaining to hoist, rigging, truss, and fall protection taught by leading industry experts. Workshops will run over four days, from 1-4 March 2006, in Midland, Texas.
Making its second appearance after becoming a huge success among participants in the 2005 Workshop will be the Advanced Workshop. This two-day workshop covers a variety of interesting topics on hoist motors and truss design and is meant for those who have already completed Tomcat's four-day workshop and/or those with extensive experience working with motors and truss in the field. The advanced workshop is scheduled to take place from 3-4 March, also in Midland, Texas. Further information is available from the e-mail address below.
UK - Turbosound has announced the appointment of New Musik Sweden as its Swedish distributor. Based in Stockholm, New Musik Sweden is distributing Turbosound products to the sound reinforcement installation and rental markets, theatre and MI sector. The company reports rapid success with the brand, and has already supplied a Turbosound Aspect touring system to Swedish rental company Scenteknik.
New Musik Sweden was launched earlier this year and distributes a number of premium brands in Sweden, including the UK-built MC2 power amplifier range. Håkan Sjöö, sales manager of New Musik Sweden, says: "I have personal experience of Turbosound products for over eight years, and this is a particularly exciting time to be involved with the company. The product range is now extremely comprehensive, with much to offer all our market sectors. The QLight DP series of digitally-powere
USA - With the help of Stage West Theatre Restaurant and All Suites Hotel in Ontario, Canada, and Horizon Control Inc, Entertainment Technology recently completed a one-year software beta-testing of the Marquee ILC lighting control console. The Marquee ILC began its journey under the supervision of a project team that included Gordon Pearlman, Robert Bell, Alan Martello, Rick King, and Jim Laird. Robert Bell explains: "I needed someone who would take the time to write out notes, instead of simply blowing by potential problems. I also looked for that real-world environment where the system could be operated by talented and knowledgeable technicians. I found all of this at Stage West."
Located in Mississauga, Ontario, Stage West is a Las Vegas style dinner theatre with around 500 performances each year - generally three musicals and two plays. The productions are changed
USA - The Wolf Trap Foundation's Filene Centre has completed a distribution infrastructure upgrade that included the installation of six Lake Mesa Quad EQ digital matrix processors, which are handling loudspeaker optimization for the 12-zone system at the Filene Centre, a 7,000-seat performing arts amphitheatre. "Our Mesas sound amazing and we love the interface," says audio department head, Jens McVoy. "I envision us eventually going to Contour, but we're taking incremental steps with the capital improvement of the sound system . . . It was amazing how easy it was to install the Lakes and it's been a very intuitive process."
The centre accommodates nearly 3,500 people inside an open-sided opera house-like structure, with the remainder of the audience seated on a sloping lawn outside. As part of the infrastructure overhaul, Henry Parks, the venue's master ele
UK - Designing the lighting for the biggest ever gig in the UK, a design which will be copied at nine other huge gigs worldwide and seen by up to five billion viewers on TV and online, is no mean feat. But talk to Peter Barnes, lighting designer for the phenomenally successful Live 8 concerts, and it all seems like a walk in the park.
Originally scheduled to finish at 8pm, then 9.30pm, London's Hyde Park concert was widely expected to over run. "There's a massive difference between running a show that finishes at 8pm, when it's still light, and one scheduled to finish after dark," said Barnes. "So the day before, we got a team to go and rig six VL2416s on each of 16 delay towers in the park. Not only did they provide light on the crowd at night, but during the day they also gave a sparkle for the cameras when they filmed from the back of the stage.
UK - Stage Electrics supplied and built the staging, lighting, audio, video, power and provided full technical infrastructure for the Trafalgar Square announcement event for London's successful 2012 Olympic bid.
The announcement was beamed live from the IOC meeting in Singapore to Trafalgar Square, where the event was hosted by Margherita Taylor and Katy Hill. The event's format was 'open ended', reports Stage Electrics' project manager John Radford, with a number of scenarios possible depending on the result. The excitement was electric as the moment approached for the IOC to pronounce . . . with the momentous result followed by worldwide images on screen and jubilation on stage and the thousands who packed the square. Stage Electrics was asked to work on the event by GDF Diversivents which was the 2012 announcement event producers for London 2012.
UK - Coldplay's lighting designer Nick Whitehouse and show designer Bryan Leitch specified a Diamond 4 Vision console to control all lighting, video and visual effects for the current Coldplay Twisted Logic world tour which is now in full swing on its summer UK and European outdoor leg.
Rental company Siyan in partnership with Dutch company Flashlight is supplying all lighting equipment and Siyan ordered the two brand new consoles for the occasion. Whitehouse, who is also operating, says: "The D4 is my console of choice now - I use it for all my work, it's a massive step forward for integrated lighting and video control but retains all Avo's trademark hands-on features."
The D4 is running eight universes of DMX to lighting and assorted video sources triggered via the new Radical Lighting NG1 high definition digital media server. Avolites worked closely with Wh
UK - Mojo Barriers has supplied the crowd barriers for all of the dates of U2's sold-out Vertigo World tour.
Mojo Barriers MD Patrick Jordan liaised with U2's Jake Berry from its Netherlands head office, to ensure the barrier design integrated into the U2 stage set to create a safe environment for both the band and their audiences. The tour started in San Diego (USA) where the Mojo Barriers US office supplied them with 130m of black powder-coated aluminium Mojo Barriers to go around the 'egg'-shaped walkway and to create a pen inside the 'egg'.
In Europe, Mojo Barriers supplied a total of 300m of its proprietary aluminium stage barriers for the outdoor shows. The U2 Vertigo outdoor stage has two 'bull horn' like thrusts on stage left and stage right and the Mojo Barriers followed the contour of these with its front of stage barrier. The company also provided a large curved sec
UK - Experienced sound engineer Robbie Barrow sees it as his mission to introduce the new generation of DJ's to the Urei 1620LE rotary sound mixer.
"Even before I heard it I knew of its reputation at Studio 54 in New York, and as part of the famous Richard Long system at Paradise Garage 25 years ago," he said. Barrow has been technician in residence at Shoreditch's Herbal dance venue - pretty much since Spencer Carroll and Chris Michaels first opened the place five years ago.
By the time Bobby & Steve's Zoo Groove arrived at the club with a Urei 1620LE, the engineer had already introduced his Watt.co dance system to the House/Drum and Bass emporium. The former Kiss FM DJ's told Barrow how they believed the 1620LE could enhance the sound system, believing it to be the ideal tool to create their classic House mix. "Since then I've been hooked," says Ba
GermanyThe Jazz an der Donau ('Jazz on the Danube') festival is not just one of the world's biggest jazz festivals, but also, thanks to its intimate atmosphere, one of the most attractive. With appearances by stars of the calibre of Diana Ross, Al Jarreau and David Sanborn, this year's festival can only enhance the popularity and prestige of the event.
As in previous years, the organizers are relying exclusively on systems from EVI Audio; but this isn't simply a case of favouring the home team, as Heinz Huber makes clear: "The sound reinforcement equipment last year was absolutely sensational. All the musicians said so. In fact, B.B. King's European manager described the Jazz on the Danube festival as one of the best organized and - from the standpoint of sound quality - the most perfect that he had ever attended."
UK - Pro Audio Systems' hire division recently managed the sound for one of Europe's largest Mela festivals, selecting an Allen & Heath ML5000 live sound VCA console as the monitor mixer for the main stage.
The 2005 Bradford Mela attracted 300,000 visitors over the two days. From the Sanskrit 'to meet', the Mela originates from the Indian subcontinent and is now a worldwide celebration of the art, craft, culture and community of South Asia, both traditional and modern.
Entertainment ranged from workshops on cookery, dancing and meditation, to a spectrum of musical acts from traditional artists to DJ's.
The main stage hosted fourteen acts over the two days, including the Indie-Bhangra band, Cassava Music; Bollywood-style, Orchestra Music World; Asian-rock band, Trick Baby; pop singer, Faakhir; and the Mercury Prize winning, Talvin Singh Trio.
UK - Summit Steel is supplying a 45-way Kinesys Elevation 1+ vari-speed automation and control system to the current Oasis stadium tour - as specified by lighting designer Andi Watson. It is the largest ever Kinesys Elevation variable speed chain hoist system used to date.
Lighting contractor PRG Birmingham, and account handler Robin Wain contracted Summit to supply the system which is being used to move 12 lighting 'Quads' customised frames each holding 4 MAC 2000 moving lights and lined with PixelLine LED battens on the top rail and DJ Flash rope. There are two motors per quad, and these glide seamlessly in and out and up and down to create different patterns and configurations - effectively making a constantly moving stage set.
There are four further moving trusses taking up thirteen points, each of varying lengths and containing a total of 12 Syncrolite SX 3KW moving light
The Netherlands - Recently commissioned and based in Amsterdam, the Pure Liner is a floating presentation venue capable of accommodating up to 650 guests for a daylong product launch. Equipped with state of the art lighting, sound and audio facilities, the boat is aimed at companies in Holland, Belgium and Germany who want to make product presentations in a novel environment and is fully equipped to sail to any of those countries.
Included in the facilities is a d&b sound system comprising compact E3 and E0 loudspeakers with Qsubwoofers, all colour co-ordinated to match the black and white theme of the surroundings.
In the main presentation area, a giant screen is surrounded by E3s to provide a T0 point for the sound with E0s front and back in a circular configuration to provide the delays. The system was supplied by d&b's Dutch partner Audio Pro Nederland and was designed by
The Netherlands - Showcasing some of Africa's leading artists, a last-minute Africa Calling concert was held on two stages at the Eden Project in Cornwall on July 2 as part of the worldwide Live8 event. Sound for the main stage, Eden Project's outdoor arena, was provided by Holland's Ampco Pro Rent (APR) and backline by sister company Protone.
The concert was presented in association with WOMAD and its co-founder Peter Gabriel, together with Senegalese superstar Youssou N'Dour. WOMAD's involvement, and that of the African artists, had originally been suggested by Midge Ure, while Eden chief executive Tim Smit provided the venue and helped galvanise backing and financial support for the show.
Featured artists included Youssou N'Dour, Ayub Ogada & Uno, Mariza, Thomas Mapfumo, Coco Mbassi, Modou Diouf and O Fogum, Geoffrey Oryema, Angelique Kidjo, Tinariwen, Kanda Bongo ma
UK - Andrew Lloyd Webber has sold four of his West End theatres - the Apollo, the Duchess, the Lyric and the Garrick - to Max Weitzenhoffer, who is joined in a new partnership with producer Nica Burns. They will take over the four theatres on October 1 this year. The sale leaves Lloyd Webber with eight West End theatres - the Adelphi, the Cambridge, the Gielgud, Her Majesty's, the London Palladium, the New London, the Palace and the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
Announcing the sale Lord Lloyd Webber said, "Because the company's borrowings will be reduced, we will be able to spend a minimum of £10 million over the next five years in improving and refurbishing the remaining eight theatres in our portfolio which comprises some of the world's most famous music houses, including the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, the Palace and the London Palladium.
Hong Kong - Lighthouse LED video screens featured strongly at the recent Monaco Grand Prix. The demand for giant screens within Formula One has steadily increased and this year saw three more added to Monaco's already substantial compliment.
The action on the track was relayed by a number of strategically positioned screens supplied to the Automobile Club de Monaco by French audiovisual company Lumison, allowing race-goers a clear view of Kimi Raikkonen's convincing win for McLaren-Mercedes.
Two Lighthouse 20mm pixel pitch LED screens, one of 120 and one of 16 panels were placed 30m above ground level on the roof of the Hotel Palace - the larger of the two screens for spectators viewing from the port and the smaller for VIPs viewing from the terrace of the hotel Hermitage, with a 16 panel screen placed, as in previous years, at the swimming pool.
USA - With six stages hosting over 100 major and emerging musical acts, the Music Midtown Festival boasts one of the most diverse lineups of any festival in the world. This June, for the 12th year in a row, the Atlanta, Georgia, event rolled out the best in southern comfort and hospitality, in addition to a lot of music, to entertain more than 300,000 guests on the 40-plus-acre festival site.
Rock 'n' Road Audio of Tucker, Georgia, supplied the sound for the event. Rock 'n' Road's Roy Drukenmiller and on-site production manager James (Jid) O'Brien worked with Nashville's Spectrum Sound and Blackhawk Audio to ensure there would be enough powerful hardware to guarantee a splendid time for all.
On the Miller Lite/99X/Comcast Stage, alt-rock ruled with a lineup that included the Pixies, Lemonheads, White Stripes, DEVO and Keane performing through a substantial array featuring 34 M
UK - Bandit Lites is supplying lighting production for Brian McFadden's first solo UK tour, during which he is promoting his Walking Disaster album. Bandit's Lester Cobrin is working with Production North and lighting designer Arturo Ollandini.
McFadden's musical direction has changed considerably following his move from Westlife and Ollandini's lighting brief was left wide open, apart from the fact that he was asked to make it a bit rocky and raw, to suit McFadden's gritty new style and his dynamics as a solo performer. "There's plenty of creative scope," he says. "The set really rocks out one minute, gets bluesey and ballady the next and also gets stripped right back at times to just him and his acoustic guitar."
Ollandini and lighting technician Martin Garnish are using a two truss rig. The front one features Martin MAC 2K performances to light an
Turkey - Safak Studios, a video and film post production complex, has become the first facility in Turkey to invest in a Solid State Logic C200 digital production console.
Safak, which means 'dawn' in Turkish, was established 28 years ago by the Ustun family and attracts the majority of its work from the Turkish film and video community. It also undertakes post production projects for a number of national television channels and has a thriving rental business supplying audio and video equipment to the local film industry.
The decision to invest in a new digital console indicates Safak's wider intention to attract more work from other European countries. The company has built a new audio post production studio to house the desk and has equipped this with state of the art Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound facilities. It also has facilities for 35mm and HD (High Definition) film p
World - Martin Professional gear, including the Maxedia Digital Media Composer, MAC fixtures and Atomic strobes were integral factors in the production of several of the Live8 shows.
All lighting equipment for the Hyde Park concert was supplied by PRG London and included 50 MAC 2000 Wash, 35 MAC 2000 Profiles, 20 Atomic strobes with Atomic Colours, LEDs and conventionals.
In Philadelphia, lighting designer Thomas Beck had MAC 2000 Wash, MAC 2000 Profiles and Atomic strobes at his disposal while a Martin Maxedia digital server provided wallpaper and animation effects onto multiple screens in combination with IMAG and other pre-built content. Maxedia effects were controlled from a Martin Xciter off a touchscreen with 60+ songs programmed in two days. Lighting gear was supplied by Light Action of Delaware.
At the Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown, Johannesburg, Gearhouse South
UK - DiGiCo has licensed the open standard EtherSound protocol for digital audio distribution and will utilise EtherSound Authorised Implementor AuviTran to accelerate the development of EtherSound-enabled digital consoles.
"DiGiCo is proud to become an addition to the EtherSound family, utilising this superb data transmission protocol to provide yet another solution to DiGiCo's customers in this ever-changing digital world," says DiGiCo managing director Bob Doyle. Marketing director David Webster explains further, "We wanted to expand our connectivity with other devices. We've already got analogue, optical, AES/EBU, T/DIF/ADAT and others, so regardless of what you want to plug into - you can. EtherSound is appearing on enough devices to make it a strategic addition to DiGiCo consoles in any signal chain."