UK - Rigging Services has announced the appointment of Scott McAughtrie as manager of its North West branch in Manchester, UK. McAughtrie has a strong event industry background spanning more than 20 years. Formerly with well known AV providers Gearhouse, Blitz and MCL he brings a wealth of maturity and experience with him, which is already proving beneficial to the development of new business as well as growth with existing clients.

Rigging Services has opened its third location in the UK just over two years ago in Manchester and has great aspirations for business growth regionally.

Paul Fulcher, director of Rigging Services comments, "A multi-location business such as ours depends upon the local team to act with independence, strength and speed. Whilst at the same time recognising that they are part of a bigger entity with a need for adherence to the company's quality an

Germany - Seen for the very first time at PLASA 2010 in September, the SR-16 is a brand new remotely-controllable 16-in/16-out EtherSound stagebox from Innovason. Based on the proven technology behind Digigram's AQONDA device, SR-16 offers high quality audio control with state-of-the-art mic preamps in a compact and cost-effective 2U format.

SR-16 is capable of transforming up to 16 analog audio channels into as many EtherSound signals and injecting them into an EtherSound network (any topology). All of the components are of extremely high quality to ensure that audio quality remains uncompromised throughout, says the company.

Compatible with all existing EtherSound set-ups including ES-100 and ES-Giga, SR-16 is naturally fully controllable via Eclipse - channel assignment is performed from the Nova 2.0 GUI, and there is direct access for preamp gain and PH48V activation from

UK - At PLASA Focus 2011, dBTechnologies will present the DVA T12, a powerful yet compact three-way active Line Array. It will also announce a collaboration in the UK with Medialease to offer low cost bespoke financing options on new T12 and larger T4 systems.

Like the market-leading DVA T4 - which has sold in excess of 15,000 units worldwide - the DVA T12 is made with a lightweight but rugged PP-Housing, which is fully compatible, allowing DVA T4 units to be flown right below a T12 array for use as down-fills in large PA systems. For an added acoustic benefit, both systems' driver sections are in line to generate phase-correct high-frequency additions.

The Digipro G2 digital three-way amplifier with switching power supply and PFC was designed especially for the T12, and offers the latest technology including a powerful 56Bit/96KHz DSP with ADDA converters delivering a true 14

UK - 5 Star Cases has just launched a new free iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad app - 'e-CASE'

e-CASE is also a useful addition to 5 Star's web site quotation request facility - with the advantage that it can be used in locations where access to a PC pr laptop is not available, says the company. As long as a 3G, WiFi (preferably) or an EDGE signal is present, e-CASE can be used to configure case projects any place any time.

Says 5 Star MD Keith Sykes, "Communication is a key element in providing the constantly evolving premium service in which we pride ourselves. In a fast moving world, where time is precious, we believe that empowering our clients with greater access to our all our facilities whatever their location or time zone will be another reason for them to bring business to 5 Star".

e-CASE allows the user to browse, configure and select all of 5 Star's 'Case Typ

UK - To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of its factory in Scotland, DiGiCo is producing a limited run, Special Edition SD8 digital mixing console.

The Special Edition SD8 is produced in an understated titanium colour, but sports all the features and benefits of the original SD8's Stealth Digital Processing with Tiger SHARC FX engine.

"We are very proud to be a UK manufacturer, with a manufacturing base in the United Kingdom," says DiGiCo managing director, James Gordon. "Twenty years is a milestone for our factory, which goes back to the days of Soundtracs before it was bought by DiGiCo in 2002, and we wanted to celebrate in a significant way.

"The Special Edition SD8 marks the occasion perfectly and we are delighted that Italian rental house, Agora, has already put in an order for the first four consoles."

(Jim Evans)

Germany - Professional loudspeaker systems manufacturer Fohhn Audio has released a new App for iPhone and Android. The App enables users of Fohhn Linea LX-501/601 line array systems to determine the optimum positioning of their systems at a particular venue and adjust the loudspeakers to give the best possible audience coverage.

The latest generation Fohnn Linea LX-501/601 hybrid line array systems are equipped with four or six high-powered 6.5" long excursion speakers and four 1" compression drivers with Fohhn HF Waveguide. Suitable for both flown applications and for use with a tripod, Linea LX-501/601 line arrays are noted for their directional sound capabilities and excellent reproduction of both speech and music.

By typing in the height of the speaker stand and the distance to be covered at the venue, the new App can calculate the vertical angle at which the lou

USA - An audio industry pioneer, Roger Nichols played an instrumental role in a Meyer Sound milestone when he inspired the company to develop the HD-1 reference loudspeaker into a near-field monitoring system for recording studios and live mixing environments. Nichols was the first engineer to use HD-1 monitors for a recording - Flying Cowboys by Rickie Lee Jones. Other artists who worked with Nichols include Placido Domingo, Roseanne Cash, Frank Sinatra, and The Beach Boys.

"It takes a visionary like Roger to steer change and break new grounds in technology," says John Meyer, CEO and cofounder of Meyer Sound. "He raised the important question about whether loudspeakers should play a neutral role in the audio chain and this opened up the path for reinforcement systems to be built for transparency and linearity. He was a talented individual who took a relentless sc

USA / Germany - Bosch Security Systems, Inc., Communications Systems Division has announced that Phillip Scobee will join the Electro-Voice team as product manager, Electro-Voice Concert Sound.

Best-known as the designer of high-end touring sound systems for artists such as Kenny Chesney and Sugarland, Scobee brings long experience and an end-user's perspective to his new position, where he will be responsible for both new and existing Electro-Voice concert product lines.

Scobee's connection to Electro-Voice equipment dates back to his early-career involvement with installed sound and has continued into his work in tour sound, most recently as director of operations for Morris Leasing in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

"I've designed large-scale touring rigs for many different artists," Scobee says, "and I've used a lot of EV equipment over the years. We chose EV for

Germany - Robe lighting held its fourth International Distributor's Conference (IDC) in Frankfurt at the Kempinski Hotel in Gravenbruch. This was attended by nearly 200 people from over 60 companies representing 80 countries, and a major segment of Robe's International distributor and dealer network.

The timing was chosen to coincide with the 2011 Prolight+Sound Exhibition in Frankfurt, at which Robe launched five new products - the Robin 600 PureWhite, the Robin 300 LED Wash, the Robin MMX Spot - the first of a new generation of 1200 Series luminaires, the DigitalSpot 3500DT and the versatile CityFlex 48.

The fast moving format of the 2011 IDC included a full presentation and overview of all the new feature-packed products, giving the distributors a preview ahead of the exhibition.

Robe's sales director Harry von den Stemmen kicked off the Conference, updating everyone with

Germany - Following a successful launch of new fixtures at this year's Prolight + Sound, ETC has introduced another new control desk - Congo Kid.

Designed to offer Congo software to small and budget conscious venues with conventionals, LEDs, moving lights and media servers, Congo Kid provides the same controls as a Congo jr, while also supporting up to two external displays.

However, where it differs from Congo jr is that it has a maximum count of 512 control channels, and up to 1,024 outputs on two universes of DMX. It also doesn't allow the connection of external fader wings or modules.

As with any other Congo system, the 40 built-in Master Playback faders can be used for control of channels, groups, presets, sequences, effects, palettes, channel layouts, console key functions and parameter controls. And as with any other Congo system, Congo Kid supports 999 master pages,

UK - Claire House (Cooper Controls), Philip Norfolk (MA Lighting) & Simon Allan (Martin Professional) have joined forces to participate in 'Hell Rider' this June to raise money for Light Relief.

Light Relief is a charity established by and for the entertainment lighting industry, to help in times of extreme hardship. Formed specifically to help theatre lighting designers and those working in the field who are not in regular full time employment, Light Relief can provide either practical support or financial help, depending on the individual need.

The Hell Rider course comprises separate run (5km) and bike (8km) loops and the team has eight hours in which to complete as many laps as possible. Over the eight hours Claire, Philip and Simon will each be completing over 30km of hilly, off road terrain in this tough challenge.

Whilst the team members are keen runners and bikers an

Australia - Nitro Circus Live, which has just toured Australia, is based on the popular MTV extreme sports show led by Travis Pastrana. The show features sport stunts from free style motor cross and skateboards to a wheelchair bound guy flinging himself off the 50ft high Gigantor Ramp.

Global Action Sports, who have the worldwide rights to create the Nitro Circus show, had already worked with George Gorga when he was sound designer for Crusty Demons. For this show, they commissioned him to create a soundtrack as well as design and operate the audio system.

"With Nitro Circus we were able to build the show from scratch, trying to retain elements from the television show whilst creating an exciting live show," said Gorga. "It's sort of scripted but can be very unpredictable."

For the outdoor Nitro Circus Live shows Gorga opted for a JBL VerTec PA system gro

UK - City of Westminster College has recently moved into its newly built Paddington Green Campus complete with multifunction theatre space - into which were installed industry-standard PixelPars, from PixelRange, by LSI Projects.

LSI Projects responded successfully to a system design inclusive of all lighting, audio and AV integration, by theatre consultants, Drama by Design, who designed and specified all the technical systems for the theatre, worth half-a-million pounds.

Drama by Design's Andrew Stone comments, "The requirement of the College was to have a professional standard performance theatre - and that's why we opted for the PixelPars because they are professional standard, as opposed to some of the cheap alternatives. They offer bright, even light output. They are durable and they last. It is essential for technical theatre students to get experience of what they

UK Cliff Richard tribute artist Jimmy Jemain has boosted his live sound with the purchase of an HK Audio L.U.C.A.S Alpha PA system. Jemain, who is also known as The Shadow Of Cliff has been performing the hits of Sir Cliff and The Shadows for more than 20 years.

Featuring a 1200-Watt subwoofer and two 400-watt satellites, L.U.C.A.S Alpha weighs in at a comparatively light 96kg but has all the power of a big rig setup. This is suitable for Jemain's act, as he performs variously with a band and as a solo singer to backing tracks.

"The power and clarity from the L.U.C.A.S Alpha is incredible - a real step up from the system we were using and, amazingly, in a much more manageable package," says Jemain. The system was supplied by HK Audio 'Concert Sound Partner' Arranpaul Audio. in Blackpool.

(Jim Evans)

Germany - Wireless Solution Sweden was hard to miss at Prolight + Sound 2011 in Frankfurt. Besides a prominent stand as part of Lightpower Village, W-DMX could be found at a plethora of OEM partners displaying products offering W-DMX as either standard or option.

One of the newest OEM partners displaying W-DMX enabled products was Philips Vari*Lite, which offers optional W-DMX on the VL440, VL770, VL880, VL400 and the VLX3. The fixtures offer various lighting options with flexibility and "green" options in these new wireless products.

In addition, Antari was showing its W-Series of W-515, W-530 and X310 Pro Series professional fog machines. Laserworld showed its SwissLas, Purelight, Purelight Blue Beam, Moving Head and Revolution product series, which offer W-DMX as standard.

Other OEM partners exhibiting included A & O, Chroma-Q, DTS, JB Lighting, Pulsar, PR Light

UK - The 600-capacity Under The Bridge, situated at Chelsea FC's Stamford Bridge ground, has been built on the site of the former Purple Nightclub. Close attention to detail and an extremely high specification were the goals of the creative team, headed by concept designer Jim Cafarelli (of House of Blues fame), Ian Woodall (of XL Video) and Andrew Frengley (Matrix Nine).

Both Woodall and Frengley have worked closely together in the past and it was the latter's extensive experience of touring EAW systems for many years (while a director of premier rental company, Canegreen) that drove them to the brand.

But they weren't looking for an off-the-peg solution for the main PA system, as Ian Woodall confirms. "What we really needed was a KF730 on steroids," he quipped, referring to the company's small format line array. Such was their enthusiasm that they headed to Frankfu

USA - The digital and networked audio specialist, Digigram, has announced that their Aqonda EtherSound stageboxes are now remotely controllable via Soundcraft and Studer digital consoles, as well as Innovason and Yamaha.

Building on the success of Digigram's original EtherSound audio bridges, these 'latest generation' devices are capable of converting up to 16 analogue signals into as many EtherSound channels and vice versa (extracting EtherSound channel to analogue outputs). Furthermore, both Aqonda units (8-in/8-out or 16-in/16-out) offer high end switchable mic/line inputs, Neutrik connectors and state-of-the-art preamps for uncompromised Digigram audio quality throughout.

In addition to their remote control capabilities, Aqonda devices are the first in the world to be ES-Giga ready (EtherSound 2 x 256 channel count plus additional network and control capabilities). Time an

UK - The Arena Group provided 60 temporary tower structures and 1,450 temporary tiered seats overlooking the finish-line in front of Buckingham Palace for the capitals' largest sporting event, the Virgin London Marathon, 17 April 2011.

Arena supplied all of the mile and kilometre marker towers along the 26.2mile route, which the 36,000 runners passed by from Blackheath to the finish line in St James Park. Arena Group built the markers that signified distance achieved, from the first mile to '800m To Go' on the main and Red Route, totalling approximately 60 individual constructions.

Owing to the busy location, only six of these towers were built on the Friday prior to the race, with the remaining markers being constructed the Saturday before, complete with sponsors' branding.

Arena's project manager, Martin Clark comments,"As the marathon route runs straight through the

UK - Prolyte Group's creative division, Litestructures, was recently commissioned by marketing agency Momentum to create an installation for the exclusive My Live Story event. The competition, sponsored by American Express, aimed to uncover the most interesting and best-presented (in photo and video format) personal music experiences, celebrating the power to entertain, inspire and create lasting memories.

A star-studded, red-carpet event was held at London's Abbey Road Studios, where guests watched the premiere of Epic- a film featuring the pictorial music memoires of the 21 finalists - and saw Mark Ronson and the Business Intl. perform live.

Litestructures was commissioned to design, produce, install and implement a structure for the event that comprised a series of physical and digital components creating a large scale AV 'photo-wall'. The brief called for a v

Italy - In early June, at a seminar hosted by TC Electronic, some of the most respected audio authorities - including George Massenburg and Bob Katz - gather in Rome, Italy, to share their thoughts and experiences regarding mixing, mastering and broadcasting.

The first day of the seminar will focus on post-production, while the second day will concentrate on professional broadcasting and particularly the radical changes happening in production and distribution of broadcast, film and music as a consequence of new ITU and EBU standards.

For example, the groundbreaking and comprehensive EBU R128 loudness recommendation is investigated from a multitude of angles, while only a few weeks earlier, ITU's loudness standard, BS.1770, will have been updated. The consequences of BS.1770-2 will also be evaluated and put into practical perspective.

TC Electronic Audio Seminar takes place

Czech Republic - The next Showlight - the international conference organised by and for lighting professionals - is to be held in the Czech Republic town of ?eský Krumlov on 18-21 May 2013.

The town's 13th century Gothic castle with its connected theatre and conference centre will be the main venue for the presentations and exhibition. All delegates are able to stay within the pedestrianised town; vehicle access is deliberately restricted in order to retain the medieval feel of the UNESCO Heritage site.

Showlight's organising committee chairman, Ian Dow, says, "The decision to take the four day event to the town was taken after visiting a number of different potential areas, and it was the intimate feel and stunning backdrop of ?eský Krumlov that won us over.

"Showlight offers a unique opportunity to listen to and consider the experiences of lighting professional

UK - Entec Sound moved into London's Royal Albert Hall for the seven-day run of 2011 Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) shows, which kicked off with a comedy night on the Monday, followed by a mix of music for the rest of the week, headlined by Squeeze, Biffy Clyro, Roger Daltrey, Beady Eye, The Editors and Tiny Tempah.

The event is now in its 11th year, and Entec has serviced it right from the start. For the last four years, they have used a similar d&b sound system, which is designed by systems tech Liam Halpin, and refined, fine-tuned and tweaked slightly each time they work in the venue.

Halpin was also crew chief, and worked alongside a core Entec crew of four engineers - Matt Butcher (looking after FOH), Mark Ellis-Cope (monitors), Adam Draper (patch) and James Kerridge (stage technician), with the event project managed in the office by Entec's head of sound, Dick Hayes.

The '

Show Business - Sir Elton John is returning to Las Vegas for a three-year residency at Caesars Palace with his new Million Dollar Piano show. His return to the hotel's Colosseum in September follows his five-year run at the hotel with The Red Piano show which ended in April 2009. Sir Elton said the venue was the "perfect, idyllic place to play" and promised "a gargantuan feast of music". He said the show, which begins on 28 September, was named after a "fabulous piano" he would be using that instrument designers had been working on for four years.

Olympic Countdown - The London Philharmonic Orchestra is to record the national anthems of all 205 countries participating in the 2012 Olympics. Composer, conductor and cellist Philip Sheppard will take charge of the recordings, which will be played at the medal and welcoming ceremonie

Germany - Palmer has introduced Grand Audition billed as "an innovative and unprecedented unit for comparing different active and passive speakers and subwoofers at the push of a button".

One unit allows you to switch between 10 pairs of speakers and four subwoofers, and has the ability to mix active and passive speakers. The units can be cascaded to enable switching between up to 40 pairs of speakers and 16 subwoofers.

The remote control offers a switchable low pass filter for the subwoofers as well as dim and mute functions. All outputs are galvanically isolated and balanced and each output level can be adjusted by ± 12dB. In addition the unit provides connectors on the rear for optional display LEDs which can be placed on top of or next to the speakers to indicate which one is selected. All inputs and outputs are equipped with XLR connectors, the passive speaker

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