Meyer Sound, showing examples of its own installation speaker products as well as its Galileo loudspeaker management system (its first time live and functioning in Europe), reported much the same thing as Martin in terms of visitor interest in their installation products: the two reports taken together are perhaps an indication that on the installed audio front, ISE hasn't made the ground with visitors that it has in other areas, such as home entertainment or industrial display solutions, for example.

Spain - Vieta Pro's commercial loudspeaker business has increased more than 10-fold since the company's last visit to the ProLight+Sound Expo, a dramatic rise which is all the more impressive when it is revealed that the company is still looking out for new distributors in many international territories.

Most of the growth has been delivered by the popular Do Line of compact full-range installation speakers. Two new additions to this range will be unveiled in Frankfurt, packing even more punch into small weather-proof cabinets that are ideal for use in challenging environmental conditions.

But the main draw will undoubtedly be the launch of Vieta's radical new So Line, a range of uniquely-styled speakers and accessories which use Garwood-specified wireless technology and state-of-the-art battery power to provide clear, controllable sound in situations where conventional speake

USA - Allen & Heath's American distributor, American Music & Sound, chose therecent NAMM show in California to announce the winner of their 'Great UK Giveaway' competition.

Unprecedented for a pro audio promotional campaign, the coveted grand prize was a brand new Mini Cooper, awarded for U.S. sales of Allen & Heath's ML Series of VCA mixing consoles - the ML3000, ML4000, and ML5000.

The lucky winner was Dave Kenagy of Hoffman Music, Spokane, WA, who exclaimed:"The ML Series consoles have incredible sound and offer tremendous value. It has been a pleasure to be responsible for so many successful installs; and WOW, I can't believe it, a Mini Cooper! Thanks Allen & Heath!"

Second place went to Tim Huff of Entertainment Arts, who was presented with an Allen & Heath MixWizard3 16:2, whilst third and fourth place winners - Paul Simms from AMtech Pro Audio, and Kent Laab

UK - Celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2006, the annual JHS Event, to be held over four days this year from 18-21 June inclusive, offers the first opportunity for music dealers and the music press to assess the many new product additions being introduced to the JHS catalogue, the company says.

Dealers and press can also take the opportunity to discuss these items with representatives of the suppliers who will be on site to assist with such queries and information. The JHS Event 2006 will again offer its informal mix of business, including attractive show-only offers, and socialising on this 10th anniversary year. Held at the JHS Garforth head office site, Event is easily accessible at literally two minutes' journey from M1 Junction 47, and already confirmed trade attendance figures are starting to multiply, say JHS.

Product demonstrations and musical entertainment will again

UK - The 1995 Disability Discrimination Act was designed to enhance communication for the hard of hearing in public places - something normally achieved either through induction loop or infra-red systems. Both of these require specialised engineering techniques in the planning and installation, to ensure complete coverage of the area in question as well as intelligibility.

However, according to the Institute of Sound and Communications Engineers' president, David Hopkins OBE: "This has been a charter for the opportunist to install ineffectual systems - a little like the Emperor's new clothes, but in this case it is only those with impaired hearing that can tell the difference. By the time that such inadequacies have been discovered it is usually too late."

At the Institute's ISCEx2006 Conference and Exhibition at the Park Inn Hotel in Watford on 28 February, this is

UK - Delegate booking is now open for the second Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference (June 11-13 2006, London). According to the organizers, this Conference provides a structured review and discussion about historic, recent and planned performing arts projects, while at the same time allowing those new to planning or constructing such buildings an opportunity to learn from the experts.

Successful design and completion of drama studios, dance venues, recital halls, theatres and opera houses requires specialist knowledge and skill and there are many failures, as well as successes, to be seen in the UK and around the world. A number of these projects will be analysed by experienced theatre architects, consultants and engineers in order to provide a perspective on the vital aspects of planning, designing and equipping buildings for performances. In addition to speakers f

Indochina - Thailand will play host to the inaugural professional audio, visual and lighting international trade exhibition, AVL Thailand 2006, from 28-30 June. Taking place in Impact - the largest exhibition centre in Thailand - AVL Thailand 2006 will showcase a wide array of the latest equipment in professional audio, visual, lighting, staging, and entertainment technology to a targeted buyer audience from the emerging market of Thailand and its surrounding Indochina region, according to organizer Singex Exhibitions.

Steady economic growth in Indochina is fuelling continuous new build and refurbishments of commercial buildings, theme parks, sports facilities, performance centres, cinemas, casinos and shopping malls across the region, while the "phenomenal growth" in Indochina's club scene looks set to continue - offering huge opportunities for entertainment technolog

UK - The annual BRIT Awards are the highlight of the British recording industry's year, and the 2006 show reflected the impressive health of the current music scene by moving to a much larger London venue.

The ove to Earls Court One meant that sound designer Derrick Zieba and regular PA supplier Britannia Row had to re-think the sound system. Once again using the Electro-Voice X-Line array system, Zieba chose to manage the larger rectangular auditorium by effectively splitting the room into two halves and "making sure that the delay system worked as a substantial primary system."

Half way down the venue, three delay hangs each comprising eight Xls boxes, were spread in a L/C/R configuration right across the room. The main PA system featured left and right hangs, each using 12 EV Xls plus six Xlt cabinets and a downfill; additionally there was a centre hang of six Xlc

France - One of the highlights of the recent SIEL expo in Paris was the presence of dance station radio FG, where among the presenters making guest appearances in their makeshift studio was Paris-based producer and electro/house exponent, Patrice Strike.

With a string of production credits (and top club residencies) to his name the station's Saturday night presenter played an hour-long set to a packed house.

Patrice Strike now uses exclusively Denon DJ equipment as a result of a new sponsorship agreement set up this month with D&M Professional France.

When he returns to Ibiza this summer it will be with the new DN-S3500 CD/MP3 player and DN-X1500 mixer package - a combination which he says has revolutionised his art. For monitoring he is using Denon's HP1000 high performance headphones, which utilise a dynamic, closed back design for better isolation and large 53mm speaker d

UK - Vertigo Rigging last week pulled off the daunting task of flying five giant LED video screens in heavy winds and rain, high up on the famous façade of the Odeon, Leicester Square as part of the star-studded BAFTA Film Awards gala night. The company also rigged a number of temporary structures to accommodate the media and their equipment in Leicester Square.

Designer / producer Lucy Smail of production company West Design and Production was contracted by BAFTA (the British Academy of Film and Television Arts) to turn the exterior of the Odeon, the red-carpeted scene of many a film première, into a high-visibility showcase for the awards night. She and production manager Andy Cheeseman brought in Vertigo to handle the multi-screen installation on behalf of video supplier PSL.

Project manager Paddy Burnside was in charge of a job that took a team of up to 14 riggers at a t

UK - Working with West Design & Production, PSL, the London-based events services company, has provided one of the most visible elements of this year's Orange British Academy Film Awards in Leicester Square, central London - a massive Lighthouse LED screen hanging from the front of the Odeon Cinema, the first time such a large screen has been featured in such a way.

LED screens played a vital role in the concept of West Design & Production, the agency responsible for conceiving the design and overseeing the production of the exterior areas of the BAFTA Awards ceremony. Director Lucy Smail explains that she wanted to: "Include moving imagery rather than a static backdrop on the theatre, so we've mixed elements of the nominated films which, as you pull back, give way to more and more images. Eventually, the thousands of tiny images reveal the BAFTA mask."

UK - Mojo Barriers joined the cream of the UK's music industry at the prestigious Brit Awards, held in Earls Court, London. Production manager Mick Kluzcynski assembled the team of leading supply companies to create a set that looked great for the live audience and the millions who watched on TV.

Mojo Barriers UK office, delighted to be part of that supply team, installed their aluminium front of stage barrier system to keep the stage and camera runs separate from the exuberant fans.

February proved a busy month for the UK office of Mojo Barriers supplying at range of shows. Managing UK operations, Jim Gaffney has overseen barrier systems being supplied to gigs by Oasis, The Darkness, Kelly Clarkson, Jack Johnson in UK Arena's in Sheffield, Newcastle and Cardiff, along with numerous smaller shows at Portsmouth Guildhall and Leas Cliff Hall, Folkstone, to promotional shows in V

UK - Harlequin's Reversible dance floor played a key role at British Dance Edition 2006 when nearly 500 guests from 37 countries gathered in Leeds from 9-11 February to attend the UK's prestigious dance showcase.

Supplied by British Harlequin plc for the event, Reversible provided the dance floor surface in two main venues - The Courtyard Theatre at the West Yorkshire Playhouse and at The Carriageworks.

The organisers of the event, Yorkshire Dance and the Association of National Dance Agencies, explained: "British Dance Edition 2006 featured the latest choreography from 41 different dance companies. British Dance Edition occurs every two years, taking place in 2006 in the Yorkshire region for the very first time to fantastic reviews. Over the last decade, BDE has become one of the biggest dance events in the UK, and a main focus of any dance company's tour plans. British

UK - Blackout will reveal their complete range of starcloth (coloured fibre optic, colour RGB LED, white LED and peabulb) and pipe & drape on stand G58 at this year's RSVP exhibition between 29 - 30 March, 2006 at Olympia, London.

"We literally do thousands of corporate events and parties each year and each one of them requires that special touch. The RSVP show, with over 5,000 visitors, provides the perfect platform for us to show and inspire ideas for parties and special events," comments Steve Tuck, managing director at Blackout Ltd.

Visitors and guests will be treated to a video presentation highlighting major exhibitions, parties, productions and events over the past year and will also be entertained by a surprise guest performer.

(Chris Henry)

Germany - In its combined roles as one of the world's leading 'boutique' amplifier manufacturers and as German distributor for Nexo, Camco GmbH is anticipating more traffic than ever before on its stand at the ProLight&Sound expo in Frankfurt in March, the company reports.

Alongside its successful Vortex Series and Tecton Series of amplifiers, Camco will be showing its new DSP Module, which allows both Tecton and Vortex models to become a UCA, or Universal Controller Amp. Full parametric EQs, delays, IIR-filters, X-over and limiters are naturally selected and controlled via the multithreading Camco WinCai remote control application. The new UCA module is fully integrated with Camco's amplifiers, and data exchange is achieved via internal interfaces, say the company.

In addition to freely programmable controller software, 'parameter sets' can be downloaded into the UCA from an

Italy - Outline's products have been increasingly used at events of worldwide importance - including the Rome and London Live 8 concerts last summer. Now, the Northern Italian manufacturer's loudspeaker systems have made a considerable contribution to the sound reinforcement for the Winter Olympic Games in Turin.

Outline provided 40 Butterfly CDH 483 Hi-Pack systems flown on either side of a maxi-screen in the Piazza San Carlo, backed up by 18 floor-stacked Victor Live subwoofers. Amplification and control hardware consisted of 36 Outline T6.5 digital power amps and 2 Genius 26 processors respectively.

In the famous Piazza Castello - re-christened 'Medal Plaza' for the occasion - 18 Outline HARD 212 SP stage monitors were chosen for the large rotating stage - one of the largest ever seen - which hosted artists including Whitney Houston, Andrea Bocelli, Lou Reed, Duran Duran, J

UK - For the second year running Stage Electrics supplied staging and lighting for the Laurence Olivier Awards, the highlight of the West End calendar, presented annually by the Society of London Theatre.

Stage Electrics provided crew together with 36 Source 4 lanterns, four MAC 250 Entours, a MAC 250+, 15 MAC 500's and 13 MAC 600's for the awards held on Sunday 26th February. Lighting design was by Matt Evered, the awards were project managed by Stage Electrics' Andrew Loveday.

Stage Electrics would like to congratulate all the Olivier winners especially Paule Constable for Best Lighting Design and Paul Arditti for Best Sound Design.

Stage Electrics have strong links to the awards and winners, especially so in the case of Guys and Dolls who were successful in securing the award for Outstanding Musical Production, Stage Electrics supply lig

UK - In late February, Community UK held an outdoor demonstration and seminar at Love Street Stadium, home of St Mirren FC in Paisley. The stadium was hired for the day to enable Community to effectively demonstrate the company's range of high power and long-throw, all-weather systems, and is part of a series of such days being held at various locations throughout the year for the benefit of installers and audio consultants.

Community UK staff were on hand, not only for presenting the product and answering questions, but also advising on system design and projects.

Commenting on the day, Stuart Cunningham, general manager of Community UK Said: "The human ear remains the most critical instrument in evaluating how a loudspeaker performs, and hearing it in an appropriate environment is essential. Half way through the event, the Scottish weather also obliged with a hail-storm

UK - Cadac's flagship analogue console scores a full house in the Best SoundDesign category. All the nominations for the 2006 Olivier Award for Best Sound Designfeatured a Cadac J-Type Live Sound Production Console, reports Cadac Electronics Plc, demonstrating the J-Type's enduring position as the console of choice for leading sound designers around the world for major productions.

The nominees included Paul Arditti for Billy Elliot The Musical, Christopher Shutt for Coram Boy and, on Guys and Dolls, Terry Jardine and Chris Full, with Paul Arditti scooping up the Best Sound Design Award at yesterday's gala presentation.

Managing director Bob Thomas believes that more than 75% of the current Broadway and West End shows feature a Cadac analogue console, reflecting Cadac's continuing supremacy in sound quality, reliability and bullet-proof performance,

France - Kinesys' new K2 automation control system was used to fly an impressive 16 metre high spiral staircase reveal, which was the centrepiece for Karl Lagerfeld's highly visual Ice Princesses show for Chanel during Paris Fashion Week. This was staged in the elegant, newly renovated Grand Palais, just off the Champs Elysees.

Flemish rental company EML supplied sound, lighting and rigging equipment for the event which was production managed by Alain Van Isacker. The stage was a Stageco structure and the show's technical aspects - including the staircase - was conceived by Hans Willems of Stageco. The staircase was constructed by French company Devineau, with the truss tower and all the load bearing mechanical elements supplied by Stageco

The highly versatile K2 system - which EML purchased last year and debuted on the Clouseau show in Antwerp (see the January i

UK - The Theatrical Guild (TTG) is delighted to announce that it is exhibiting for the second year running at the forthcoming ABTT Theatre Show 14th-15th June 2006.

The Theatrical Guild is the only registered charity in the UK providing help and support to anyone who works or has worked Backstage or Front of House, be it general staff or management.

Offering an extremely valuable service, TTG gives financial aid to those who are unable to work due to illness, accidents or to those who have retired.

Karen Nichols, Chief Administrator, explained: "We found exhibiting at The ABTT Theatre Show enormously worthwhile. It gave us the opportunity to meet with theatre professionals from around the country. It was invaluable meeting face to face and being able to let them know that The Theatrical Guild exists and explain how our charity can make a dramatic difference should they

USA / Germany - The forthcoming NSCA and Frankfurt exhibitions will be the first chance for British manufacturer XTA to show the world its flexible new offering for speaker system control.

XTA's Guy Lewis is spreading the news: "With hundreds of our 4 in, 8 out processors now driving audio systems worldwide, we are completing the family, and really giving every sound company and installer a flexible choice of how they structure their drive processing and speaker systems.

"If a 4 in, 8 out format is not perfect for your world, we can now offer either 2 or 4 inputs, with either 4, 6 or 8 outputs - plenty to choose from."

Lewis is referring to the new DP446, DP444, DP424 and the renamed DP448. "It does not matter if it is an LCR system, a two-way monitor rack, four-way front-of-house system or four-channel EQ front-end. Anyone can fit the processing to their

UK - This year the Global Infusion Group (incorporating Eat to the Beat, Chevalier Event Design and e2B Logistics) has committed its support to the 'One Water' charity, which aims to provide access to free, clean water in third world areas by generating profits from the sale of 'One' branded bottled water.

By supporting this charity, Global Infusion has pledged to buy 80,000 500ml bottles in 2006. This in turn will raise £5,000 to buy a village a well, a pumping system and a 'magic roundabout'. The children of the village play on the roundabout, and each revolution pumps a litre of water into storage tanks, so water can be freely available.

The concept was launched to the team at Global Infusion Group at their AGM in January this year by managing director Duncan Goose. The team wholeheartedly bought into the concept without exception.

Currently, one billion people in t

UK - The Professional Lighting and Sound Association (PLASA) has launched the first in a new suite of financial services designed to help member companies protect themselves against the risk of bad debts and to assist them in trading competitively in the growing global market.

The three new services - free credit checks, credit insurance facilities and a debt collection service - have been launched to minimise the risks involved in trading with particular customers and enable members to make more informed decisions.

PLASA Members can now request free credit checks on all UK companies. The service, provided by CreditSafe, allows members to request Reports on clients or business contacts. Updated on a daily basis, the Reports include financial information, key ratios, trend analysis, directors' details, payment record and a rating system classifying companies on a scale from 0 t

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