UK - The Birmingham based Cloud One Group who provide complete packaged solutions to the events industry and in addition have their own manufacturing operation have just reinforced it's already extensive Lab.gruppen stock with the addition of ten PLM10000QBPs.

Cloud One is no stranger to the Lab.gruppen brand and already has an extensive inventory of FP6000s and FP3400s. Their latest addition will give them another 100,000 watts of power at only 13.5kg per amplifier.

Paul Stratford, Cloud One MD, commented: "We are very pleased to have invested in the PLMs and to have strengthened our relationship with Lab.gruppen and John Hornby Skewes". He added: "Apart from the obvious power-to-weight ratio and reduced job preparation time we are very much looking forward to having a one amplifier solution that will be as much at home powering a double 18" sub as it is c

Qatar - Samsung was one of the official partners of the IAAF World Indoor Championships held in Doha, Qatar on 12-14 March. A Samsung Fan Zone was created in the Sports City outside the Aspire Stadium: part of this zone was the Samsung Cuboid, provided by UK-based LM Productions for client Cityneon.

The Cuboid was split into two areas - the Lounge and Promo area where nine plasma screens played promo videos and live feed of the Championships, plus camera demos.

The Visual Multimedia Area consisted of video projection, via three Sanyo DLP projectors, on three of the walls including two Wii gaming screens for visitors to play the new Summer Athletics 2009 Wii games. The other two walls showed Samsung sponsorship, sports advertising and archive footage. On the fourth wall were simple Samsung gobo projections. At night the Cuboid was lit up in an array of colours from LED batons p

Cyprus - Nicolas Kyvernitis Electronics Enterprises have sold the first Midas PRO6 Live Audio System in Cyprus to the Pavilion.

The mixed-use venue serves as a bar, a nightclub and also a corporate venue depending on the time of the year. In addition to its resident band, the Pavilion is host to many concerts from Greece with star attractions that require a mixing console that not only meets the demanding technical riders but which also provides the venue a flexible host of options and features.

"Currently, the Pavilion's equipment manifest includes a line array system and monitoring system representing a calculated investment for the future," says Richie Hiranandani, marketing manager. "The purchase of the PRO6 system is another step in this direction. The Pavilion can rest assured that they have invested in a mixing console that has the heritage of pedigree co

USA - Four of Renkus-Heinz's IC Live steerable line array systems are being used to create a natural ambience in the famed Mormon Tabernacle choir's main performance space in Salt Lake City.

Called one of the world's architectural masterpieces by none other than Frank Lloyd Wright, the Tabernacle has a domed roof that creates a remarkable acoustical environment that is arguably as much a part of the Choir's sound as the voices of the men and women themselves.

As their audience has grown, the Tabernacle's 6,000-plus capacity could no longer accommodate its legions of fans, and in 2000 the LDS Church opened the doors to its new 21,000-seat Conference Centre. But as Poll Sound's Deward Timothy explains, as majestic as the Conference Centre may be, for the singers themselves it cannot match the intimate acoustics of the original Tabernacle's dome. The situation is further complica

UK - Osram's COINlight-OSTAR LED modules and control gear have been specified by consulting mechanical and electrical engineers Michael Popper Associates and included in luminaires produced by lighting manufacturer Metro, to illuminate the f Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

The modules were specified to provide a high level of light output as well as long lamp life. It was essential that the modules come equipped with a long lifetime as the fittings are in an awkward location which makes re-lamping difficult.

The Crucible Theatre is a 980 seat auditorium that is renowned for its innovative theatrical productions and also hosts the annual World Snooker Championships. Over 750 Osram COINlight-OSTAR LED modules were installed in the main auditorium as part of a massive renovation project and overhaul of the complete Crucible site.

The original lighting for the auditorium starry s

UK/South Africa - Reporting in football parlance, GearSource Europe has scored three times in the run-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup this summer. The first, a slow build-up with some interesting interplay, resulted in the sale of $200,000 of EAW speakers sourced from four prominent UK suppliers and sold to one of South Africa's premier rental companies. The recipients of this first strike are now the owners of even more KF760, SB850, and SB1000.

The second was a fast paced affair involving many KF730 speakers lobbed over the top to another of South Africa's finest - Strike two!

The third used a mixture of tactics involving yet more UK and European suppliers to provide a complete JBL rig, roof system and decking to another South African company. Strike three. Hat-trick. Match ball.

"We've been supplying several South African companies for a few years now, but these were t

Portugal - Coemar and Audium, a major Portuguese distributor of professional audio, video and scenic lighting equipment, consolidated their 10-year partnership at the annual presentation held at the Estoril Casino in Lisbon in February. Present at the exhibition were leading Portuguese lighting designers and rental companies.

Lighting designer Josè Rosado decked out the stage at the Casino using the new Infinity moving head fixtures.

For the Infinity range Portugal marked the last leg of a European presentation tour which concluded at ProLight&Sound in Frankfurt.

Co-starring on the stage at the Casino were the ParLite, StripLite, StageLite and CycLite units, part of the LiteLed range of projectors. Coemar used these to create a spectacular six-hour show.

(Jim Evans)

Thailand - Proel Group has announced the appointment of Kamol Sukosol Electric Co (KEC) to handle the exclusive distribution of all Proel products and accessories for Thailand.

Founded in 1974, KEC have been a pioneer in the Thai professional and consumer Audio field and have brought many well know international brands to Thai consumers over the years.

KEC foresees significant growth in Thailand's recording and broadcasting industry. This growth will ultimately require the support of quality audio equipment which KEC is positioned to offer. KEC's audio broadcasting group is divided into two subdivisions, each targeting different customer segments. Consumer Audio is focused on servicing the needs of individual consumer and small business users. The Kamol Pro Audio subdivision targets semi-pro and professional users.

KEC has built a solid network of over 100 provincial dealers

UAE - Tannoy has announced the opening of a dedicated regional office serving the needs of the Middle East market, to be headed up by Graham Lawton. The new office, operating as Tannoy Middle East, is based in the heart of Dubai's Media City development, a major hub for broadcast, music, marketing and creative industries throughout the UAE.

Establishing the new office represents a significant and highly visible step for Tannoy in developing its already expansive operations in the Middle East loudspeaker market, says the company.

Tannoy says it has experienced steady and continued growth in the installed sound market throughout the region in recent years. Many of the recent high profile developments, particularly in the UAE, feature Tannoy loudspeakers as an integral part of their AV systems. Prestigious projects such as the Burj Khalifa, Atlantis Resort, Mall of the Emirates,

Italy - The latest attraction for amusement fans in Southern Italy is called Miragica, Terra di Giganti, a large theme park open eight months a year and covering an area of 100,000sq.m.

Miragica boasts 19 attractions, which are a combination of shows and rides - some of which are 'firsts' - including a Launch Coaster and a 4D cinema, which are the largest in Italy.

The permanently installed sound reinforcement systems at Miragica are by Outline, whose staff also provided direct consultancy for the audio project's design.

Starting with the theatre, the main loudspeaker system consists of eight Outline Mini-COM.P.A.S.S. (four per side) and two Subtech 218 SP subwoofers (all self-powered enclosures). Four compact (self-powered) Micra II SP cover the front rows of the audience and four (self-powered) H.A.R.D. 115 SP are used as stage monitors.

For the Launch Coas

USA - With a never-ending schedule of gigs spanning the classic rock of Neal Schon, the progressive stylings of Todd Rundgren, and the artful excess of The Tubes, drummer Prairie Prince is seldom without a gig. This veteran percussionist and acclaimed visual artist is a founding member of both Journey and The Tubes, so his services are always in demand. And wherever he goes, his collection of beyerdynamic microphones go with him.

"I've been using beyerdynamic microphones for the past six or seven years," Prince says. "It started on tour with Todd Rundgren, who has an endorsement with beyerdynamic. It was hard not to notice how good my kit sounded, and everyone I talked to said they sound great out in the house as well. We used again last year on the New Cars tour, and I heard the same comments. Getting that kind of consistency when you're playing on a lot of diffe

USA / UK - By Design Day 2010, which is set to raise money for Behind the Scenes in the US and Light Relief in the UK, is nearly here. To date over 30 of the industry's top designers have pledged a day's royalties to the two charities and their shows are a real indication of the global aspect of our industry. Although the majority are UK or US specific, several are international - in fact raoyalties are coming from shows in some 15 countries. But even if you are not in a royalty situation, you can still contribute by making a donation to show that you care. Businesses too - particularly scenic, audio and lighting rental companies - can show their support with a day's rental fee or single donation.

Established in 2007 as Light Relief Day and now renamed By Design Day, 24 April, is the day that, each year, people in the professional entertainment design busine

USA / Canada - Audinate reports that its high performance Dante digital networking connected the sound system during the recent Olympics. A network of more than 100 Dante-enabled devices transported the audio signals throughout the opening and closing ceremonies, at the BC Place Stadium located in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The 2010 Olympics was the first Olympics to have its opening ceremony held indoors. Dante was used in six Lab.gruppen PLM10000Qs as Dante transmitters, three transmitting the six main audio signals, three others transmitting the same six signals for redundancy. The signals were distributed via Dante to 104 Lab.gruppen PLM10000Q/PLM14000 amplifiers mounted on trusses in the air, all receiving the Dante signals via a fibre optic Ethernet network.

Featured acts at the opening ceremony included K.D Lang, Bryan Adams and Nelly Furtado. Audinate's Dante network

UK - Tindersticks, recently embarked on a European tour to promote their ninth studio album, Falling Down a Mountain, with FOH engineer, David 'Milky' Millward, selecting an Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing system as the FOH console.

"I've used almost all of the pro digital consoles around, and although a very familiar name to me since I started in the industry, I hadn't encountered Allen & Heath's iLive system until now," says Millward. "Faced with a European tour of varying size venues - including clubs, theatres and a cathedral - I was looking for a console that not only sounded excellent but was very small, light and flexible in its interconnections to different house PA systems, and could easily be configured for the various local support acts, without compromising the Tindersticks' show."

Millward, who is sound engineer for artists including

UK - Orbital Sound ran the ninth Sound Fundamentals Training Course for theatre sound technicians last week (6-9 April 2010), to a full house of 24 students. Orbital's training week is designed specifically to prepare theatre sound and more advanced technical theatre students for careers in the live entertainment industry, with the training held at the company's dedicated seminar facility in Brixton, south London.

Highlights of this year's course included backstage tours at West End shows Chicago and Grease, giving the students the opportunity to see the theory in action and get a first-hand insight into the sound behind a successful show. The students were able to quiz the operators on the day-to-day challenges of running a West-End sound department, and picked up invaluable tips for giving their careers in sound a kick-start.

The course's focus is on pre

USA - After more than 20 years' of troubleshooting, the rigging control system challenges are over in the showroom at Trump Plaza Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, thanks to the new control system and the complete makeover provided by J.R. Clancy.

The software specialists and engineers at J. R. Clancy replaced the troublesome rigging controller with its own SceneControl 500 automated motion control system.

The new system ends an odyssey that began as far back as 1984, said Scott Mahrer, entertainment technician for Trump Plaza, who arrived at the hotel and casino in 1985 and immediately began troubleshooting the control system in place. "The console was accurate to within two inches or so," he remembered. "If you wanted to move something in another quarter-inch, you had to run it back a couple of feet and reset the target."

Trump Plaza replaced this system i

UK - With In This Light And On This Evening being their second successive album to enter the UK charts at No.1, indie band Editors are riding the crest of a wave. With the band spending much of 2010 touring Europe, Sennheiser is on hand to help to make the live shows a success.

Band members Tom Smith, Ed Lay and Russell Leetch all use Sennheiser ew 300 G2 in-ear monitors.

Front of house engineer Nick Ingram reports: "We have been using Sennheiser IEMs for over four years. Tom showed an interest very early on, from the band's first tour in fact, and has never looked back. Ed soon followed and Russ has very recently moved onto them.

"The band has always been happy with them. They deliver a very clear, full range sound and are very simple to use. The packs are small, neat and, once set up, can be safely 'locked' for peace of mind - which always goes down well w

Italy For its outstanding contribution to the CRN (Congress Rental Network) and its excellent performance at the 2009 International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) meeting in Florence, Italy, Bosch partner Tecnoconference has been selected as the CRN Agent of the Year for 2009.

Tecnoconference was responsible for installing all the A/V equipment in the ICCA meeting rooms, including the DCN (Digital Congress Network) wireless system installed in a special Bosch sponsored room. As a business partner of the ICCA, Bosch sponsored this room to demonstrate to delegates at the meeting the performance and flexibility of the DCN Wireless system, especially for temporary venues, where easy changes of unit positions and quick set up and break down are essential.

The system showcased comprised 20 wireless discussion units positioned around the room with automatic camera control

Colombia - The Gaira Café is located in Barrio Chico part of town in Bogota, Colombia. Owned and operated by brothers Guillermo and Carlos Vives since August 1998. Carlos Vives is a Grammy award, and a triple Latin Grammy award winning Colombian singer and composer. He is a national superstar who also tours with an Adamson Y-Axis PA, and has just finished his latest Arena/Stadium tour. Guillermo Vives is in the restaurant industry, and based on the brothers love for music and food , the concept of the Gaira Cafe was born.

The Café differs from the traditional restaurant concept in Colombia. Its space of 2585sq.ft is divided into two open floors and a third housing the FOH engineer and an office. Laid out more like a performance venue, with room for approximately 300 guests, Gaira Cafe offers live Latin, pop and vallenato - a musical style of Colombian Caribbean pop

UK - Showsec achieved a record rating in retaining its status as a member of the Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) with the Security Industry Authority (SIA). Following rigorous fourth year checks, the company was awarded its highest ever score by the inspector, who praised all aspects of the company that fell under his scrutiny.

The SIA is an independent organisation that was set up by the government with the aim of providing an effective, fair and efficient regulation of the private security industry. To create a recognised hallmark of quality for companies looking to engage security providers, the SIA created the Approved Contractor Scheme. Showsec was one of the first to adopt the scheme upon its introduction, encouraging and driving the progression of standards across the wider industry.

Since being awarded ACS accreditation in the categories of door supervision and man gu

China - Acoustic specialist dBTechnologies beat rival import brands to pick up a trophy at the National Sound and Light Awards in China last month.

Area sales manager for dBTechnologies in the Asian Pacific region, Martin Capp accepted the award at the event hosted by HC INTL, and commends the work of the Chinese distributor. "The enormous marketing and sales effort put in by Sharp Dragon since 2008 has been instrumental in dBTechnologies winning this award. Gaining solid recognition in the Chinese market during this relatively short period is to be applauded."

Shelly Xiao, general manager of Sharp Dragon added, "It is a great honour to win this award and I thank HC INTL for this chance to compete. This encourages us to develop the brands we represent further, giving our customers the best of support."

Fast becoming a 'must-attend' event on the Chinese pr

UK - Hari Atwal, training centre manager at the West Midlands Fire Service emailed Maltbury Staging just before Christmas. Atwal needed a lightweight but durable portable stage with a canopy and step. It had to hold five people with seats and was going to be mainly used outdoors.

Moments later she received a detailed quote from a member of Maltbury's sales team who advised that Steeldeck Ultra with a phenolic coated finish would be ideal for her requirements. The aluminium frame was chosen to keep the weight down, but the deep frame maintains a very impressive loading.

The addition of the weatherproof phenolic plywood created the solution for a portable outdoor platform. It's also non-slip and long-lasting. A customised canopy with WMFS logo completed the package and a trolley was made to transport everything efficiently.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Located literally a stone's throw from London's Abbey Road studios, the church of St Mary in Kilburn has recently joined its illustrious near-neighbour in providing audio excellence, thanks to a Yamaha DME-based audio system.

Built in 1856, St Mary's is typical of Victorian churches, sporting a tall nave, side aisles and many reflective stone and wood surfaces. The resulting, highly reverberant, acoustics were fine for the first century and a half of its existence. However, nowadays people are used to high quality audio in all aspects of their lives, so Yamaha technology has been harnessed to deliver sound which meets modern expectations.

As well as the central nave and side aisles, the church features a chancel and narthex (entrance lobby). Designed and installed by Keith Monks Sound Systems, the audio installation division of London-based Cunnings Recording Associates,

UK - Ofcom has delayed its plans to appoint a new Band Manager responsible for managing the spectrum used by the PMSE (Programme Making and Special Events) sector post the digital switchover.

Following an extensive consultation process which began in 2007, Ofcom had been due to make the appointment this spring, but earlier this year announced its intention to defer any decisions until after a third consultation. In a statement posted on the Ofcom website on 15 April, it announced that it would now fully defer any decisions until after London2012.

"In the light of our consultations and the responses we received, we have decided to defer the band-manager award until after the Olympics. This is in part because of the outstanding complexities of the award itself. But it is particularly because we consider there would be insufficient time to develop, test and implement the nec

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