Germany - After an extensive test phase and a final shootout between six brands, Nationaltheater Mannheim has decided on a system from Dutch manufacturer Alcons Audio.

Specified was a system with an excellent, natural sound response, with very little compression. The old system did not have a sufficient coverage on and below the balconies.

Tonmeister Christian Stader Stader reports, "In the shootout, Alcons was for all involved in the decision, the clear overall winner. The system is in complete harmony with our room."

Another important aspect for Stader is the support: "The cooperation is very personal and based on trust I rarely experienced a better support. One feels taken care of in the best way with Alcons."

In Mannheim 12 units of LR14 and six units of LR7 were installed, with two BF302 double 15" subwoofers, as well as two VR8 compact monito

USA - North American entertainment lighting specialists, Complete Production Systems, (CPS) has supplied Chroma-Q Color Punch LED fixtures to a leading casino resort for their exclusive show nightclub. Part of the casino's extensive entertainment facilities, the venue features a stylish design reminiscent of the hippest clubs in L.A. and New York. It is also equipped with state of the art lighting and sound systems to cater for the diverse range of musical acts, comedians, amateur nights, karaoke and fashion shows hosted by the venue.

CPS was approached by the casino to provide a new concert stage lighting system for the circular club. With its pie-shaped stage area being located directly behind the service bar and just 12ft below a curved soffit, the venue presented a number of technical challenges for CPS. They needed a lighting rig that would use very little power and be unob

The Show Goes On - Icelandic volcanoes and closed airports have not stood in the way of attending this year's PALME exhibition which closes today, say the organisers. The eighth annual PALME Middle East 2010 was officially opened at the Dubai World Trade Centre by Engineer Hussain Nasser Lootah, director general of Dubai Municipality. "PALME has always been an important show at which to do business and this year is no exception. The exhibition has grown 10 per cent compared to 2009, proving the importance of the date on the international entertainment calendar," said Alex Heuff, exhibition director.

The team from A.C. Entertainment Technologies drove through the night to Nice, France, from London to board a flight to Dubai, arriving at 1am this morning to make the show. "We said we would be at the show and when we say something we mean it, but this is also an impo

Hong Kong - The 2010 Hong Kong Sevens has come to a close, bringing to an end another round of exciting play between some of the world's top rugby clubs for over 110,000 fans from around the world. LED display provider Lighthouse was on hand once again, providing two LED screens at the stadium's North Stand and Sevens Village at the Indian Recreation Club.

Lighthouse ensured every minute of the action was vividly displayed to all Hong Kong Sevens rugby fans. For the North Stadium screen, Lighthouse installed its 7mm R7-ER display, a full 30m² in size. Audiences saw real-time playback, important match details and sponsorship information displayed in exceptionally sharp color and resolution. Meanwhile the screen installed at the Sevens Village, comprising Lighthouse R7-ER 7 mm panels, gave rugby fans that couldn't get tickets plenty to cheer about. The huge 50m² LED screen deliv

USA - Founded in 1910, Radford University celebrates its centennial anniversary this year as one of the state's most vibrant and well-respected colleges. The school's Highlanders basketball team boasts an enviable Division I NCAA record, and the team's potential NBA first-round draft pick has sparked national and local attention, easily filling the 5,000-seat Dedmon Centre.

When it opened its doors in 1981, the Dedmon Center was among the first venues in the United States to boast a then-futuristic air-supported roof. The Centre recently underwent a major renovation that included a new steel-reinforced roof, new basketball court, new LED video scoreboards and broadcast capabilities, and an audio system utilising Community Professional Loudspeakers' Solutions Series loudspeakers.

"It's a great place to see a game, but the sound system was always something of an afterthough

UK - Following Ofcom's recent announcement BEIRG reports that it is pleased and relieved that Ofcom has accepted the Programme Making and Special Event (PMSE) sector's arguments regarding security of tenure.

BEIRG states: "We consequently welcome the fact that they have committed to address the 'cliff edge', which would have otherwise resulted in no guaranteed spectrum access for the sector beyond 2018. We are grateful to our supporters in Parliament, especially Peter Luff MP, who have helped us on this issue. We look forward to continued constructive discussions with Ofcom officials as they move forward with more detailed policy plans and a final decision on how to address that cliff edge.

"The extension of guaranteed access to channel 69 until at lea

UK - PLASA Events, organisers of PLASA Focus: Leeds 2010 - which takes place next week on Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 April at the Royal Armouries in Leeds - report that the event looks set to break records this year, as visitor pre-registrations have topped 2,500 - an increase of some 20% on last year's inaugural show. PLASA Events has also announced the availability online of the Digital Edition of this year's PLASA Focus: Leeds 2010 Show Guide - click here to view the Guide in advance of the event.

The exhibition space itself sold out long ago, as last year's returning exhibitors were joined by 33 new names, filling both The Royal Armouries & Saviles Halls. Dozens of new product launches have been announced, many making their first UK appearance following international launches at Prolight&Sound in

Angola - Robe moving lights took centre stage in the 11th November Stadium, Luanda, Angola, for both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations football tournament.

Lighting for the events was designed by Carlos Silva and Pedro Leston, from the live show and event design practice, A Fundição, based in Lisbon, Portugal, and it was they who specified the 160 Robes, which were supplied along with other lighting equipment by Angolan based rental company, Puromix.

A Fundição is well known for its innovative and imaginative approach to design and communication at live events, utilising a variety of visual mediums including lighting, and they have also worked before on several occasions with Puromix. The themes for both shows focussed on the significant cultural and political events in Angola's recent history, and its vision for the future.

The 94 Robe

UK - Following recent Ofcom announcements concerning Channel 38 (606-614MHz) as the replacement for UK radio microphone Channel 69, Hand Held Audio has added dedicated Channel 38 radio mics to its hire stock. The versatile Trantec S5.5 system covers Channels 38, 39, 40 and 41 (606-638MHz) and provides a lower cost rental option.

Following a thorough testing and assessment process the S5.5 proved itself to have the quality and durability to "cut the mustard" in the hire department, say Hand Held Audio. Features include easy set-up and operation, intuitive controls and infra-red synching for fast set-up of multiple systems.

Hand Held Audio's current stock includes 16 x S5.5-RX diversity receivers (capable of running as a 16-way system) with relevant antenna distribution and cabling. Transmitters are the compact S5.5-LTX belt pack and the S5.5-HDX hand held with dynamic

Ireland - The Convention Centre Dublin (The CCD) has selected Martin Professional as its visual solutions provider. The CCD has purchased a selection of industry leading moving lights from Martin Professional's range, which will be installed throughout the new Dublin-based venue as it prepares to open for business in September 2010.

"As a world-class conference facility, we want to ensure that we use only the best products and services. So when it came to choosing a partner for our mobile lighting needs, we went straight to the best in the industry - Martin Professional - who have an outstanding track record in providing quality and reliable lighting to the entire events industry," said Lee Forde, head of technical at The Convention Centre Dublin.

"In keeping with our goal of running The CCD as a sustainable business, we are delighted to be able to use Martin Pr

USA - The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that Seattle City Light has been selected to lead a national effort to guide municipalities in evaluating light emitting diode (LED) street lights. Edward Smalley of Seattle City Light will lead the Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium, which will collect, analyse, and share information and lessons learned related to LED street lighting demonstrations.

Interest in LED street lighting is growing rapidly across the country, fuelled in part by cities looking to use American Recovery and Reinvestment Act/Block Grant funding to replace existing street lighting with energy-efficient LEDs.

Starting this week, cities and power providers and others who invest in street and area lighting are invited to join the Consortium and share their experiences through national and regional meetings, webcasts, web-based discussion fo

Italy - Proel amplifiers have been chosen by Hollywood Service, responsible for the outfitting of a real piano keyboard built on the stairs leading out of Milan's subway station of Piazza Duomo for LiveMi.

LiveMi is a major initiative aimed at relaunching Italian emergent music, under the artistic direction of Italian Music TV personality Red Ronnie and supported by the Municipality of Milan and by ATM (Milan's public transportation company).

It offers artists and bands having their own repertoire a series of important and free opportunities for their career. Among the various opportunities available are a chance to perform on a professional stage at the Milan Metro, a video broadcast of the concerts on maxi-screens and on YouTube, and participation to the web community.

The musical staircase was installed last December for the inauguration of LiveMi. Pa

China - ShowTex fabrics are always on the move, even when the planes are on the ground: With the recent travel crisis in Europe, deadlines for building the pavilions at the upcoming Expo in Shanghai are being pushed to the limit.

Says ShowTex: "Luckily for many stand builders awaiting deliveries from Europe that could never clear customs by the 1 May Expo opening date, ShowTex warehouses in the region had more than enough display fabric to go round. Offices in the Middle East and Hong Kong, like all ShowTex locations have a huge stock of stage drape fabrics, curtain track, and motion control systems.

"The local warehouses keep a huge stock of fabric rolls on hand so ShowTex customers don't have to rely on airfreight for their orders."

(Jim Evans)

UK - The 128th Convention of the Audio Engineering Society, the international audio technology organisation and standards body, takes place in London this year, from 22-25 May at the Novotel Convention Centre, Hammersmith.

The Convention consists of technical presentations and discussion sessions, workshops, and student-orientated activities. The associated equipment exhibition takes place in the neighbouring Novotel Exhibition Hall.

An international mix of speakers is lined up for the Convention, in sessions ranging from white-paper presentations on the latest developments in psychoacoustic research, forensic audio restoration techniques and surround sound, to practical discussion sessions on the future of running commercial studios and producing audio soundtracks for console and computer games.

Roger Furness, executive director of the AES, comments: "We're delighted t

USA - Audio-Technica provided wireless solutions for the 45th Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards, broadcast live on the CBS Television Network from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday 18 April 18.

Several performers used Audio-Technica's Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless System during the course of the show. Country/pop singer-songwriter Taylor Swift paired the 5000 Series system with the AEW-T4100 Cardioid Dynamic Handheld Transmitter for her lead vocals. Audio-Technica endorser Jason Aldean performed with the 5000 Series and the AEW-T6100 Hypercardioid Dynamic Handheld Transmitter. Darius Rucker and A-T endorser Kenny Chesney each performed with the AEW-T5400 Cardioid Condenser Handheld Transmitter.

"Some of the best ears in the business choose Audio-Technica every day," said Soundtronics Wireless's Dave Bellamy, wireless engineer for the ACM A

USA - In preparing for the 2010 summer tour season, Rat Sound knew it would be adding some new equipment to its inventory. Starting the season doing five stages at the Coachella festival in April and with several arena tours booked, the company is poised for a big summer. "We're seeing demand we haven't seen in several years," notes company president Dave Rat. "This will definitely be our strongest year ever."

One area of need was a new digital mixing console. Rat says: "Knowing our client requirements, we tested several consoles. There were two different angles I look at in evaluating a board - me personally as an engineer, and of course, the company as a sound vendor. Basically, we found that the Midas PRO6 has features and usability that I have not been able to find in other digital consoles."

From a business perspective, Rat Sound's needs were

UK - Prog rock band Aeon Zen is the first band in the UK to embrace fully the system functionality and interconnectivity of the Roland Systems Group suite of sound and video control products, investing in a portable digital mixing and stage monitoring package put together for them by Wigwam Sales. This compact system, contained in just two custom flightcases, includes a six-way stage monitoring system using RSS M-48 individual mixers, and a RSS M-400 digital mixing console with Digital Snake for use at front-of-house.

The band is now trying to ramp up its live touring schedule ahead of the release of a second album. "The only way this music will work live is if we recreate the studio sound with the right gear," explains Aeon Zen's founder and songwriter Rich Hinks. "It's too technical to sound good in a normal set-up so we take advantage of MIDI triggers and effec

USA - Celtic Woman merges modern elements with Celtic tunes through the voices of five female soloists backed by a full band and an eight-member choir. Since its formation in 2004, the group has sold over 50m albums and has played to sold-out arenas throughout the world. The current 75 city tour, Songs From the Heart supports the latest release of the same name and made its way in late February through New York City.

The group invited the Internet phenomenon P.S. 22 Chorus to share the stage at Radio City Music Hall. Under the direction of Gregg Breinberg, the P.S. 22 Chorus is a school chorus from Staten Island, New York, whose performances have "gone viral" on YouTube.com, inspiring over 13m views. In addition to the large amount of Sennheiser wireless and wired microphones and personal monitors that Celtic Woman normally travels with, FOH engineer Wayne Paule

Russia - The premiere of Vladimir Khotinenko's new film Pop (aka The Priest) which took place on Easter Sunday in the Church Council's Hall of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, was a landmark event in the history of the Russian motion picture industry. Kinoproekt Company provided the technical support and installed the digital projection system, which was supplied by Christie.

Pop had become a phenomenon amongst the Russian motion picture industry even before its official release. It is the first to be blessed by the Russian Orthodox Church. The production was sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.

Alexander Rubin, general director of Kinoproekt, commented on the venue for the premiere, "The hall is intended for church assemblies. It is a rather large hall with an amphitheatre and side balconies, but it is not fit for mo

UK - Fifty Nine Productions (War Horse, Waves, Satyagraha) has teamed up with Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi to create a spectacular new live show combining theatre, film, animation, art installation and live music. The production opened in Vancouver in early April and is now touring the world with London performances on 26 and 27 May at the HMV Forum, Kentish Town, plus numerous festival appearances throughout the year.

Fifty Nine has previously designed sets, video and film projection for a variety of theatrical and operatic production companies including the National Theatre, ENO, Royal Opera House and Metropolitan Opera New York. The company is now making its first foray into the world of rock music.

Jónsi's live show has been conceived of as a collision of two worlds - the immediacy and energy of rock and roll with the sophisticated production values of a theatrical s

UK - On 5 June, Charcoalblue projects director and motorbike enthusiast Jack Tilbury accompanied by pillion riding, camera wielding journalist Sarah Rushton-Read, will join The First Night Riders - a group of motorbike riding entertainment and theatre professionals - for a seven-day, tour of new, interesting and historically significant UK theatres.

The trip will take riders to venues up and down the UK and raise much needed funds for The Theatrical Guild (TTG) - a charity dedicated to supporting individuals who have been or are currently employed in professional theatre - backstage and front of house.

The First Night Riders will depart from outside London's National Theatre on 5 June and return in time for the start of the International Theatre Engineering & Architecture Conference on 13 June. In all, riders will cover 1400 miles in eight days and finish up at Hampstead Theat

China - KV2 Audio has announced the appointment of Aivin Audio as its new distribution partner in China. Having a wealth of experience in audio installations as well as the thriving Karaoke market, Aivin is well positioned to build on the success of the KV2 brand in the rest of the world.

Currently working towards the forthcoming PALME show in Beijing next month where KV2 will have a demonstration room for the first time, as well as increased exposure on the floor, a new purpose built club demonstration facility is also being constructed for customers to experience the KV2 systems at their Guangzhou facility.

Commenting on the appointment, whilst attending a training seminar for KV2 dealers in China, CEO Jonathan Reece-Farren says: "2010 looks like an exciting year for both companies and we look forward to reporting back on their mutual success over the coming months.&quo

Israel - L-Acoustics has announced the appointment of Lightone as its new distributor for Israel. Lightone has extensive experience of the Israeli sound reinforcement market, and boasts a knowledgeable sales and technical team.

"Having previously worked with Lightone I am excited to renew my contact with them," says Tim McCall, L-Acoustics sales manager. "I anticipate that their appointment will open up new possibilities and markets to further strengthen the L-Acoustics brand name in Israel."

(Jim Evans)

UAE - Al Laith Events Services - Dubai's new specialist event staging and roofing company - supplied a 25m, three-bay Space Roof, complete with full stage decking system and two 12mhigh goalposts flanking the stage for Il Divo's concert at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi.

It is the first time that the Space Roof design from Serious Stages and goalposts have been used in combination together in the UAE.

Al Laith Events Services was again working for Flash Events, a regular Abu Dhabi based client. Al Laith's project manager was Jacques Smalberger, and he and his crew - numbering of up to 80 people - worked closely with site manager Jean-Carl Saliba, and Flash Events production manager Lee Charteris.

In addition to providing the stage and roof, Al Laith also supplied the gig with a 2500 seater grandstand, two VIP platforms and assorted other structures, including a FOH platfor

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