Switzerland - Barix recently introduced the Annuncicom 1000, a professional grade device that combines intercom, paging and IP-based audio conversion for PA system playback into a half-width 19" rack-mountable box. It will be shown at the forthcoming ISE trade show (Amsterdam, 29-31 January).

For entertainment applications, the Annuncicom 1000 is designed for multiroom audio distribution in hotels, clubs, sports venues, and restaurants where there is a need to relay audio to multiple rooms from a central point. Eight relay contact closures can be used to distribute audio to specific speaker sets, or zones for improved control.

The Annuncicom 1000 is also suitable for integration into complex, professional intercom and paging environments. Security system operators at universities, business campuses, shopping districts, industrial facilities, airports or transportation cen

UK - Entertainment lighting supplier White Light recently harboured a bunch of fugitives on the run from the Police - the 30 people were quickly recognised as respected television lighting directors, but fortunately they were only at White Light after escaping from the fictional Police of television series The Bill, filmed around the corner from White Light's base in Wimbledon, south-west London.

The visit was part of a joint day out organised by the Society of Television Lighting Directors (STLD). This saw the LDs visit the busy working studio of The Bill in the morning, to look at the techniques and technology used to light a realistic drama on the hectic schedule demanded by a show that is broadcast twice weekly, year round in a tour organised and hosted by The Bill's John O'Brien. After touring the various set inside and outside the studio - offices, cel

Singapore - Broadcast Solutions selected Allen & Heath's iLive digital system - comprising an iDR10 mix rack with iLive-176 control surface - to manage audio requirements at the recent Barclays Open golf championship, held at the Sentosa luxury island resort last month.

Australian freelance sound engineer, Rob Hornbuckle, was appointed by the event's AV organisers, World Sport Group, to engineer the broadcast audio for the tournament, which was broadcast live on ESPNStar Sport.

"Rob was already comfortably configuring and mixing with iLive before the arrival of our engineers who were supposed to be there to help in the set up," says Bock Thye from Sindo Exports, Allen & Heath's distributor in Singapore and Malaysia, who, along with representatives from their associate company, PT Santika from Allen & Heath's Indonesian distributor, were on hand to provide technical s

Italy - Cardito, a town with a population of approximately 20,600 on the outskirts of Naples, recently hosted the launch of Max & Play. The venue takes its name from the owner, Massimo De Vita, a young man who has overcome the problem of impaired sight, becoming a multi-instrumentalist with his group, the Dioniso Folk Band.

Max & Play puts a live room at the disposal of emerging local musicians, with a layout that varies according to the evening (with or without tables and chairs), plus adjacent kitchen facilities and bar. As well as a Yamaha sound system, the stage is equipped with a complete backline and the venue also includes a control room and three recording rooms, one of which can also be used for rehearsals. There's also a welcoming outdoor 'relax' zone, complete with fountains, pools, sunshades and tables.

Max & Play was designed by Massimo's father, who studied archi

Monaco - A visually stunning 190sq.m of Martin LC Series LED panels were incorporated into the stage set at the 2007 World Music Awards held on 4 November at the Monte Carlo Sporting Club in Monaco.

Hosted by Julian McMahon, the 19th edition of the World Music Awards featured performances by some of the world's top recording artists; Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne, Rihanna and Akon among them.

Ninety-two Martin LC 2140 LED panels were used for set decoration, graphics/text projection and colour accompaniment around a large main stage and side stages. An additional 12 LC panels were located in the audience. According to AED Rent, supplier of the panels, the Martin LC Series was chosen for its light weight and transparency not to mention the fact that there was a large amount available.

Video designer for the show was Dean Price who used five Martin Maxedia HD media servers to pro

The Netherlands - Audica Professional is making its first showing at an ISE trade show in 2008 (Amsterdam, 29-31 January). On display will be the company's complete range of MICROseries electronics, loudspeakers and accessories.

The Audica MICROseries system is designed for background music in applications such as retail outlets, restaurants, bars and public areas and for AV systems in boardrooms, meeting facilities, museums and galleries, visitor centres and hotel guest rooms.

Established in late 2006, Audica Professional is already distributed in 27 countries and is looking to ISE to further expand its sales and distribution. Sales director, Derek West, comments, "Our first full year of operation has exceeded our very best expectations. We have already exhibited at PLASA, ProLight+Sound, PALME and PALM and we see ISE as a key exhibition to add for 2008. Its focus and in

USA -This fall's Life@50+ National Event and Expo welcomed 25,000 attendees from all 50 states and ten countries at the new Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Hosted by AARP, a non-profit organisation formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons, the three-day extravaganza featured musical performances by Tony Bennett, Earth Wind & Fire, and Rod Stewart. It also presented a wide range of celebrity speakers, including Brian Dennehy, Maya Angelou, Kirk and Michael Douglas, Whoopi Goldberg, LL Cool J, Bob Newhart, Robert Reich, Joan Rivers, and presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Mike Huckabee.

San Diego-based MSI Production Services teamed with Taylor, Michigan's Thunder Audio to provide sound, lighting and video for the event, including a massive line array of 48 Milo high-power curvilinear array loudspeakers and 24 Mica compact high-power curvilinear

UK - AKG Unsigned Heroes, the British and Irish unsigned band competition sponsored by mic manufacturer AKG and their UK distributor Harman Pro UK, is set to return in 2008. In keeping with the competition's aims of encouraging young musical talent, this year's competition is presented in association with Strummerville, the music charity which develops and promotes new music in the memory of Clash co-founder Joe Strummer. As a result of the charity's involvement, this year's AKG Unsigned Heroes winners will play live on the Strummerville stage at next year's Glastonbury Festival.

The winning band will also have one of their tracks remixed by UNKLE's Aidan Lavelle, and receive four VIP tickets to the new ZooThousand festival taking place in July amongst the beautiful natural surroundings of Port Lympne Wild Animal Park near Ashford, Kent. This year's Unsigned Heroes runners-up wi

UK - Behind the glamour and glittering celebrities of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, Soundcraft technology is hard at work.

Entertainment pro audio specialist, John Henrys chose a Soundcraft Vi6 live sound console to handle all the floor sound, VT and voiceovers. As general manager, Robert Harding explains, this is no ordinary show. "I know, when you're looking at it at home, you might think 'God that's easy' but it's a very complicated show. We have about 54 channels going into it and we're using about twenty of the outputs."

(Jim Evans)

UK - Sub Zero, Essex University Student Union's new venue - complete with innovative technical integration by PAI - has recently won two coveted industry Awards - from BEDA and Installation Europe magazine.

Formally known as The Underground, the traditional 'black hole' student union bar was transformed into a modern multipurpose venue, complete with a KV2 sound system, BSS Soundweb DSP, Avolites Pearl lighting control desk and Robe moving light fixtures. All DMX lighting control data is distributed via Ethernet. The refit has dramatically increased the venue's capacity, as well as making it more versatile.

PAI's design team collaborated closely with the SU's general manager Antony Blackshaw and interior designers/architects Heron Design, who conceived a new look and ambience for Sub Zero. The technical integration also played a vital role in the physical and psychologi

UAE - The second Middle East Lightign Design Awards will take place during the PALME Middle East show (Dubai's International Exhibition Centre, 27-29 April 2008). Outstanding lighting design achievements in the GCC territories will be celebrated at an Awards Gala dinner on 27 April at The Dusit Hotel, Dubai, UAE.

Submissions are now being accepted and those eligible for entry are any projects completed between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2007 within the Middle East Region, including the GCC, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran and Egypt. The deadline for entries is 31 January 2008.

The categories include: Public Buildings (historic buildings, museums, galleries, airports, places of worship and government buildings); Exterior (building facades, bridges, structures, public spaces, landscaped areas and street lighting); Hospitality & Leisure (hotels, entertainment centres, the

Singapore - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang completed its final night at the Esplanade theatre in Singapore last weekend. Following 24 successful months touring the UK, the production was loaded into a container and shipped out to Singapore in October. With just seven days to installation and commissioning the entire show, Stage Technologies' rental engineers worked hard to get the show's automation system up and running.

The first containers arrived at the loading doors of the Esplanade on Sunday 21 October. With two full days of hard graft, all the equipment was unloaded and put into position backstage; the show deck was laid down with the floor-track winches already installed inside and the Performer Flying sliders were motored up into the air by Chain Hoists on lengths of truss.

For the next three days, Stage Technologies' engineers set about commissioning the automation sy

The Netherlands - Floor space at Integrated Systems Europe 2008 is sold out, a full six weeks before the show is due to begin. The organiser of Integrated Systems Events has started a waiting list and says it will do everything it can to accommodate late bookings, but with no additional space available at the Amsterdam RAI convention centre, latecomers will now have to rely on cancellations to gain entry.

"At the end of ISE 2007, we announced we'd be occupying a fifth hall at the RAI because of the number of exhibitors wanting additional space," recalls Mike Blackman, managing director, Integrated Systems Events. "Since then we have signed up for a sixth and finally a seventh hall to meet demand, and there simply is no further space available."

The 2008 event sees a substantial number of new exhibitors from the field of commercial audio, with Harman Profess

UK - HSL supplied lighting equipment, crew and full production rigging for lighting, sound and video for the Live 07 Festival of Scouting event staged at the O2, London. This concluded the official celebrations for the Scouts' centenary year, culminating in a show featuring 3000 performers, seven mini Coopers, a Harley Davidson motorbike and abseiling explorer scouts across two action-packed three-hour shows in the one day.

HSL's Mike Oates project managed, working closely with production manager Mike Bryan and lighting designer Andy Hook, following HSL's successful collaboration with the Scout Association's World Jamboree in Hylands Park, Chelmsford in the summer (see Lighting&Sound International magazine, October 2007).

The lighting brief included illuminating all of the arena floor and seating areas as well as the

Australia - Entech 2008, the Australasian entertainment technology trade event is a sell-out, say the company. "The support from the industry has been overwhelming," says Louise Brooks, event organiser for Exhibitions and Trade Fairs. "For the first time in its 14 year history, the event is a sell-out."

From 11-13 February, two halls of the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre will be packed with 90 stands, four fully-equipped Demo Rooms and over 500 brands from Australia and overseas. "I'm delighted to welcome back our key supporters to Entech 2008, along with many new faces. This year we've got even more for visitors to see," continues Brooks.

"In 2006, we had over 3,000 visitors to Entech. This year, with even more for visitors, we're expecting a record number. Over 1,000 people have pre-registered for fast-tracked entry, and the seminar

UK - evenTech Scotland 2008 (20-21 February, Marriott Hotel, Glasgow) - the entertainment and installation technology showcase for the North of the UK - has received support from manufacturers, regional solution providers, associations and media partners.

Gordon Addison, of Fibre Optic Systems states: "the North of the UK deserves its own independent networking forum and evenTech Scotland 2008 has identified this market opportunity and fills the gap." He adds: "Fibre Optic Systems recognise the potential that evenTech Scotland 2008 can do for our business in the North and is exhibiting in February in Glasgow."

Companies including Goboland, High End Systems, Martin Professional, Zero 88 and Rosco are among confirmed exhibitors. evenTech Scotland is the first of Scattered Media's portfolio of entertainment and installation technology exhibitions including eve

UK - RCF will be supporting the Venue Technology Day organised by Stage Electrics at the Wyvern Theatre Swindon on 4 February.

The Venue Technology Day will consist of a programme of presentations throughout the day from leading equipment manufacturers including Strand, ETC, Sennheiser and RCF, together with guided walk around tours and the opportunity to 'have a go' in the mini studio.

RCF will be introducing visitors to the new Wyvern sound system, which includes RCF Acustica speakers and HC amplifiers. Phil Price explains: "With such a prestige venue as the Wyvern, we were only too pleased to be able to demonstrate the system."

RCF will also be hosting a special student session, which will enable students see for themselves what goes into a professional sound system.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Building on the success of last year's A.C. Lighting North Tradeshow, which saw attendance levels up by 30%, the 2008 show takes place in a new exhibition hall with 40% more space to provide an increased exhibitor line-up and visitor capacity.

The event takes place on 29-30 April in the Saviles Hall at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, which is adjacent to the original location and now the city's largest exhibition venue.

As well as accommodating the show's expansion plans, the improved facilities also enable the organisers to provide the main exhibition, complementary theatre seminars programme and buffet lunch with a bar and dining area all within the same hall.

The A.C. North Show has become an essential industry event for buyers in the Midlands, the North of England and Scotland, providing these regions with a definitive showcase of today's entertainment technolo

UK - Theatre sound specialist Orbital and The National Theatre's sound department will again combine forces to deliver their eighth course for stage management and technical theatre students keen to pursue sound as a career.

This year's five day course, to be held from 7-11 April, will follow its successful formula, filling five working days with in-depth theory lectures and practical hands-on sessions.

Both Orbital and The National are concerned that there is a skills shortfall - that young people entering the industry have little experience of the latest technology and techniques. The course is designed to enhance the 'skills sets' of students in line with the growing expectations of directors, producers and audiences.

The course offers an opportunity for students expressing an interest in theatre sound to gain an extra level of technical skill and artistic understanding.

Germany - Void Acoustics will be showing its recently-launched Waveform System loudspeakers at this year's Prolight + Sound (Frankfurt, 12 - 15 March).

Alongside the Waveform range, Void Acoustics is spotlighting its Air Series loudspeakers with the Air Motion and Airten systems, together with the Stasys point-source and Arcline line-source high-end touring systems.

Void's loudspeaker designs focus on a combination of sonic and visual impact, with a track record for creating the maximum result with the minimum number of enclosures.

Void is also hosting a one-night extravaganza - The Void Bunker Party - in a central Frankfurt nightspot on Thursday 13 March, giving its Air Series a major workout with a number of high-profile acts.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Airsound LLP, the British start-up company exhibiting its airSOUND single-point-stereo technology and product designs at ISE this week, has been invited to exhibit at Disney's "best of" CES Expo on 8 February, following the company's successful debut at the CES this month. The event, which showcases the 30 best companies from the CES and Mac Expo, to 1000 Disney top business and technology executives in Burbank, is organised the Disney New Technology Strategy Group.

airSOUND is launching a further application of its technology at ISE - for the first time anywhere - with its patented Walls of Sound design. Walls of Sound is claimed to be the world's first in-wall/ceiling speaker design to provide full spatial stereo sound from a single flush enclosure. The technology and design provides all of the advantages of wall mounted speakers without the any of the si

Germany - The 21st EVI Audio Hausmesse - the company's in-house trade fair - ran this year from 10-13 January, the venue being, as in previous years, EVI Audio's European headquarters in Straubing. .

The EVI team led by sales manager Robert Hesse and works manager Konrad Proyer welcomed around 700 industry and media partners from 48 different countries. The programme of this year's Hausmesse included not only presentations of new products but also comprehensive demonstrations and workshops as well as a tour of the new production hall and new test and demo hall.

At the international press reception in the Theater am Hagen, Martin Traut (Dynacord) and Christian Glück (Electro-Voice) followed up vice president of the business unit communication systems Robert Mulatz's words of welcome with a presentation of the year's new products. Among the highlights were the compact Dynacord

Switzerland - The 2006 Credit Suisse Sports Awards show had the distinction of being the first event ever to use Martin's LC Series of semi-transparent LED panels. And the recently concluded 2007 edition of the Sports Awards show also featured Martin's LED screens.

Held in December 2007 at Bern's Event Hall, Switzerland's best sportsmen and sportswomen were acknowledged in a live TV broadcast on Swiss station SFDRS. Specified by set designer Tomi Bricchi, the LC panels were used as a three and four metre high decorative effect upstage while also providing general lighting to the stage.

"The initial requirement was that the set should be easily changeable," comments Roni Huber, technical planner and media server operator on the show. "Because there were several different acts and scenes it was highly important that the background could be changed fast."

Cu

Australia - Allen & Heath's iLive digital mixing system was recently employed by Australian PA company, Davidson Audio, for two festival events staged at Sydney's Darling Harbour. Comprising an iDR10 stage rack and iLive-144 control surface, the system managed FOH mixing, complemented by a Martin Audio Wavefront speaker system, for the harbour's Fiesta Latin music festival and New Year's Eve show.

Fiesta is an annual four-day festival featuring over 30 acts, whilst the NYE Show was a free public event including fireworks and performances from international ABBA tribute band, Bjorn Again, and Sydney favourites, the John Fields Band. Fast changeover times between acts were critical, therefore Davidson Audio needed a digital mixer with the capability of recalling sound check settings quickly and accurately.

"Set up, sound checks, performances and changeovers were completely

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