UK - Metropolis AV has completed its latest, fully integrated sound, lighting and AV design and installation for the Sports Café brand - in Newcastle. It's Metropolis's fifth complete Sports Café project and is proving one of the busiest venues.

Once again Metropolis has chosen hard wearing good quality brands including HK and JBL audio, Robe moving lights, LightProcessor lighting control and Alcon McBride and Kramer video switching. Project manager Shane Winterbourne says: "Although there are specific elements common to all Sorts Cafes, each building and installation is completely different, and each has its own set of challenges"

Metropolis's Sports Café projects are always technology driven. Immediately guests walk in the entrance doors, eyes are drawn to the wall of twelve 15 inch TFT screens behind the reception desk. Two HK Audio IL 8.2 ful

UK - Bosch Security Systems has obtained approval from the independent and internationally recognized TÜV Product Service GmbH testing authority in Germany for its Plena Voice Alarm System.

The Plena Voice Alarm System has been independently TÜV tested to EN/IEC60849 certification for 'Sound Systems for Emergency Purposes'. This means Bosch can assure not just installers but also fire departments, consultants/specifiers and end-users that the voice evacuation systems they are using comply with the strictest requirements of the EN/IEC60849 standard for public buildings - such as hotels, schools, entertainment venues, sport centres, railway stations and termini, retail stores, shopping centers and exhibition centers.

TÜV approval for the Plena Voice Alarm System follows that of Bosch's Praesideo Public Address and Emergency Sound System, which obtained TÜV approval in 2003.<

UK - An Allen & Heath iDR DSP system has been installed in M&N Trading, afinancial trading firm in Chicago, which needed to improve audio quality for its team of traders. M&N Trading occupies the upper three floors of an ex-warehouse in Chicago's Meatpacking district, next to the tracks of the city's L train, which runs just outside the windows every fewminutes.

Each trader station includes a phone, two or three 19" LCD monitors, and stereo computer speakers. In front of each group of 18 traders is a wall of six to eight plasma monitors, displaying up-to-the-second trading information and TV satellite feeds, and above each group is a matrix of ceiling speakers.

Traders need to be able to hear in-house announcements, audio from any of four satellite TV receivers, and streaming audio from Internet feeds. An added problem is the ambient noise level from the passing trains, w

Spain - The Torre Agbar, or Agbar Tower, the corporate headquarters of the Agbar Group, is a 21st century skyscraper in Barcelona and one of the most unique buildings in the world. Opened in June 2005, it was designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel. In its lower recesses is a 316 capacity auditorium outfitted with a dynamic Martin Architectural colour changing system.

The Agbar Auditorium's design is quite unique due to the need to avoid placing pillars in the audience and stage areas. The option taken was a double-curved concrete slab, voided by means of expanded polystyrene waffle pods that help resolve the problem of resistance and to a large extent shape the mound required by the architectural project.

ECLER, Martin Architectural's Spanish representative, carried out the lighting project in conjunction with the architects, the first stages of which were completed in A

UK - Blackpool-based In The Pink Leisure (ITP) proudly opened their two latest venues during January 2006, with Community loudspeakers and KIND amplifiers used throughout.

The first of the venues, The Flying Handbag, is designed to be fully versatile, with bar and servery and the facility for live acts, DJ driven club nights and much more. The installation of sound and lighting was handled by Fylde Stage Lighting Support Ltd, assisted by Community UK in the design of the audio system.

The main stage and dance floor system utilises a pair of CPL42-94 along with a pair of SBS22 subwoofers, two STS26s are mounted on the ceiling to provide discreet monitoring for performers on the stage with a further two STS26s employed for in-fill off the dance floor. The pool table area is covered by two CPL27s, and the conservatory by four CPL23s, whilst Cloud 4 ceiling speakers are installed

New Zealand - Allen & Heath's New Zealand distributor, Jansen Professional Audio & Lighting, recently installed an Allen & Heath iDR DSP system in a heritage building in Auckland. Formerly the headquarters of The Northern Steamship Company, the building has been carefully renovated into a state-of-the-art bar and restaurant by the Macs Ale Brewery, and retains the name of the original tenant -The Northern Steamship Co. Brewbar and Restaurant.

Jansen selected Proel Edge Series speakers driven by Phonic XP Series amplifiers, all controlled by an Allen & Heath 16x16 matrix iDR-4 mixing processor, with an accompanying PL-10 rotary fader remote control panel located centrally for immediate access to functions.

"The venue is divided into two areas - one is a bar, and the other a restaurant - with separate sound systems requiring different music sources, EQ, and volume settings

Canada - McGill University in Montreal is no stranger to technology. A school renowned for state-of-the-art education in audio recording, video, performing arts and audio research has teamed with Sennheiser Canada to bring cutting-edge sound reinforcement technology to the university. Peter Holmes, technical manager for McGill was looking for a natural sound for classical music, speakers that don't sound like a typical PA with a palatable timbre to the educated ear.

"With our limited budget, we expected it would be difficult to find a loudspeaker system that would be liked and appreciated by our demanding user base. It was therefore a pleasant surprise to hear the K&F offering. Since we installed the system we have had many compliments on the quality of sound reinforcement in our new hall."

The Tanna Schulich Hall, located in the New Music Pavillion at McGill Univers

Ireland - i-Vision has supplied an eye-catching internal architectural lighting scheme based on its Lumos LED lightsources for Brubakers, the latest multi-purpose night venue to open in Ireland's buzzing new party town of Dundalk. The venue was previously incarnated as a long, narrow space that served as a pub but was totally inadequate for staging live bands.

Owner and local entrepreneur Declan Muckian had the place gutted and re-designed from the ground up, transforming the same footprint into a classy and more functional new 650 capacity environment combining four bars, a restaurant area, dance-floor and live music facilities. He called in Eamonn O'Neil from Vibe Sound & Lighting to supply a top quality audio, AV and lighting package, and he in turn asked i-Vision's Geoff Jones onboard to design and supply the specialist environmental lighting requirements.

"It's alrea

UK - Sound Division has recently supplied a fully iPod-driven distributed background music system in the spa and treatment rooms at the legendary Browns hotel in Mayfair. The emphasis at Browns is on intimacy and quintessential English charm. However, this has not stopped the hotel opting for a thoroughly modern background music solution.

The system is based on a number of Opus MS micro ceiling speakers distributed throughout four zones. The first comprises reception and the main corridor; treatment rooms one and two make up the second zone; treatment room three is the third zone, while the fourth zone is the gymnasium. Sound Division has supplied three Cloud RL1 remote volume control panels and two Cloud mixers amplifiers; a four-zone Cloud 46/50 for zones 1-4 and a separate Cloud MPA-626 single zone device for the gymnasium. Acting as the music source for the entire system Sou

France - The first Studer Vista 8 digital audio front-of-house console to be used in Paris's theatreland has been installed in the 1000-capacity Theatre de la Ville, which has chosen Studer as the digital platform for an extensive refurbishment programme that will take place over two years.

Once known as Theatre Sarah Bernhardt for its association with the legendary French actress, this popular municipal theatre now offers the top names in contemporary dance, innovative French theatre, and evening concerts of jazz and world music.

In 2003, the audio production team, led by Pierre Tamisier, began the search to replace the theatre's 12-year old Studer 900 analogue console. Having examined digital technology from several other leading manufacturers, they still wound up at the door of Audiopole, distributor of Studer in France, with an order for a 32-fader Vista 8 with 10-fader ex

UK - As they complete a major round of Brannigans bar lighting and video makeovers for owners Herald Inns & Bars, contractors PV Audio Video have found Futurelight products to form an irresistible combination over the dancefloor.

Having recently completed sites in Manchester and Reading (with the final venue in Warrington destined to be rebranded), PVAV's Peter Varey believes his quest for reliable, cost-effective lighting has ended with the discovery of Futurelight's DJ-Scan 250 and CY-250 - distributed by Fuzion plc's lighting division (DiFuzion).

The former is an innovative DJ-scanner with rotating gobos; seven dichroic colourfilters (plus white); rainbow effect with adjustable speed in both directions; gobo-wheel with seven rotating gobos (open and blackout) and strobe effect with adjustable speed (1-10 flashes/sec).

The CY-250 is a similarly-featured barrel effect, whic

USA - At 42,000sq.ft, TAO Las Vegas continues the trend of large restaurant and entertainment venues situated within the city's glitzy hotels. The $20m TAO at the Venetian bills itself as an "Asian city" offering a unique vibe only found in ancient ruins and temples. The 400-seat restaurant, banquet facilities, hip ultra-lounge and 10,000sq.ft nightclub was opened in September and instantly became a popular destination.

The action starts when the restaurant opens daily at 5PM and doesn't stop until the nightclub closes at 5AM. Everyday, 160 TAO employees keep the party going. Inside TAO, a hand-carved 20ft tall Buddha greets guests as it floats atop a reflecting pool filled with koi fish. The nearby moat area contains floating tables for VIPs while a catwalk leading to the women's bathroom also serves as a pseudo-runway. Above the dining area sits eight private skyboxe

UK - At the official opening, visitors to Our Dynamic Earth, one of Edinburgh's leading visitor attractions, travel forward in time and witness how decisions they take today influence life on our planet in years to come. This new experience features a 360-degree high-definition seamless digital projection, sensory seating set on rotating floors complete with interactive voting in an immersive dome theatre. As main contractor for the FutureDome project, Barco teamed up with Alterface - a company based at Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium - to design the entire interactive program and content.

When entering the Future Dome, a time travel host offers visitors several choices to influence the future of the planet, based on their personal interactions with a 360-degree film, presented on the dome. Atmospheric music, lighting and ambience deliver an experience that is tense, thr

USA - Systems integrator Pro Sound partnered with consultants Pelton Marsh Kinsella and the Hunt Construction Group to design and install an audio system for Glendale, Arizona's new Cardinals Stadium. Pro Sound innovative enough to match the rest of the stadium's construction, which has already been featured on the Discovery Channel's Extreme Engineering program.

But the team achieved more than outstanding sound quality for the 63,000-seat stadium with the design; they are also saving the owners upwards of $100 million over comparable projects of this size and scope, according to Pro Sound's president, Rod Sintow: "The simple fact that Meyer Sound equipment is self-powered enables us to accelerate our installation schedule by 12 weeks," says Sintow. "The UPA-1Ps were installed in eight days. If we'd done that with unpowered speakers, that alone would have t

UK - Lisburn, Northern Ireland-based Zest Audio is an audio-visual company that has produced its own unique Award winning hard-disc music control system - called 'Atmosphere' - that allows the user to output controlled music in up to four independent zones. Zest Audio Ltd has recently installed Atmosphere into Northern Ireland's newest bar and grill venue - The Cardan in Lisburn.

The Cardan brings a new level of sophistication to Lisburn, with its upstairs club Distil keeping things going into the darker hours. Atmosphere was the natural choice for owner Jon Poots to keep the ambience appropriate to the design and feel of the bar. Poots says: "I used Atmosphere in my last venue and was delighted with the control offered and the service provided by Zest Audio, it was the natural choice for The Cardan. Again I am delighted with what is achieved and with the back-up service.&q

Belgium - One of the most famous and revered venues in Europe, the Ancienne Belgique otherwise known as AB has always carefully protected its reputation as a groundbreaking venue. From its early beginnings, through acts like Blondie, The Ramones and Lena Lovich, to the present day with Starsailor, Rufus Wainwright or Heather Nova, AB has come to be known as the place to play for up coming bands.

No surprise then when the technical director Marc Vrebos chose to invite all serious pro-audio manufacturers to demonstrate their latest sound systems when the time came for renewal of the house PA. "The previous system had been installed in '96, we knew from our own experiences, and from listening to what touring sound engineers told us, that the time had come for a line array," he said.

AB's head of sound Tom Janssen, assisted by Sven Van den Broek, AB's longest serving in-

UK - Projected Image Digital (PID) has supplied Element Labs VersaTUBEs and VersaTILEs LED products for two new Gala Casino installations - one in Tottenham Court Road, London and one in Leicester. In both cases, the Tubes and Tiles were specified by designer Paula Reason from Cadmium Design. Reason, who likes to integrate lighting and kinetic energies into her interior designs, and the two Gala installations followed on from her pioneering work using VersaTILES in the bar at London's recently refurbished Hard Rock Café - where she first met PID.

The Tottenham Court Road Gala installation utilises 45 VersaTUBES, integrated vertically into a central feature of the main bar on the first floor. This is part of an extensive aesthetic revamp for the venue. The physical installation was completed by Viking Electrics and PID commissioned the TUBEs to Reason's specification. The

UK - Prism restaurant, in the City of London, has recently undergone an upgrade of both its lighting and sound systems, provided by full service AV company Mushroom Event Services.

Restaurant manager Belinda Jarman, administration manager Hannah Ross and marketing and communications manager Hannah Westway were instrumental in instigating the change. "We wanted to have a very definite change of atmosphere in the evenings," explains Ross. "Each day, we change from being a more formal lunch venue to a very relaxed evening venue and we wanted a look to reflect that. With the lighting that Mushroom has installed we've definitely achieved that, to the point where we have had a series of reviews that name Prism as the place to be with our red lighting theme and 'The Brain' wall projection."

To achieve this, Mushroom supplied red cold cathode low voltage lighting a

UK - West London based Entec Lighting is supplying equipment for the phenomenally successful Doctor Who exhibition. This is currently in residence at the Red Dragon Centre in Cardiff, returning to its regional roots after an initial launch and six month stint on Brighton's Palace Pier, celebrating the Doctor's much anticipated return to TV screens in the new 2005 series.

Entec was contacted by Martin Wilkie from Experience Design Management Ltd, the production company licensed by the BBC to operate Doctor Who exhibitions and activities worldwide. In addition to the lighting kit, Entec also supplied technician Niall Hannell to rig and programme the exhibition.

The exhibition features a wide selection of monsters and villains - including the legendary Daleks - and a host of original props and costumes, designs and video clips from the new series starring Christopher Eccleston an

UK - Leicester concert venue De Montfort Hall has recently installed an M7CL to use for a variety of rock concerts and theatre performances. The desk was purchased from London and Birmingham based LMC Audio who bought 10 of them shortly after the launch at PLASA 2005.

De Montfort Hall's head of sound, Alan Smith, who first came across M7CL desks when both Bjorn Again and League of Gentleman used them at the venue, is clearly delighted with the new console. "In conjunction with our in-house PA system the results are truly impressive," he said. "It's very easy to use, in fact it's almost like an analogue desk in digital format. We've trained up 10 people to use the desk and without exception, everyone walked away thinking it was a great piece of equipment. It normally takes about 5 minutes to get a handle on the desk, everything is right there in front of you,"

UK - Harman Pro UK has installed an integrated audio solution, incorporating a new JBL VRX 932LA line array, as part of a major refurbishment of Aston University's Great Hall, in Birmingham. The installation, in partnership with Quadrant Visual Solutions, is the first in the UK of the new compact JBL line array series.

The Great Hall, within the imposing domed Aston Webb Building, dates back to 1900. A multi-function facility, as well as providing the largest lecture theatre on the campus, the hall is also used for seminars, presentations, examinations, graduation ceremonies, and performances and concerts of all kinds. Last refurbished during the 1960s, the current project was intended to bring it up to fully modern standards for presentation and performance.

Working with Harman Pro UK as a strategic partner, Quadrant put together a tender to provide a flexible, and aesthetica

Belgium - One of the most famous and revered venues in Europe, the Ancienne Belgique otherwise known as AB has always carefully protected its reputation as a groundbreaking venue. From its early beginnings, through acts like Blondie, The Ramones and Lena Lovich, to the present day with Starsailor, Rufus Wainwright or Heather Nova, AB has come to be known as the place to play for up coming bands.

No surprise then when the technical director Marc Vrebos chose to invite all serious pro-audio manufacturers to demonstrate their latest sound systems when the time came for renewal of the house PA. "The previous system had been installed in '96, we knew fromour own experiences, and from listening to what touring sound engineers told us, that the time had come for a line array," he said.

AB's head of sound Tom Janssen, assisted by Sven Van den Broek, AB's longest serving in-h

UK - The controversial UK tour of Jerry Springer - The Opera opened at theTheatre Royal, Plymouth in January and continues to twenty-one other venuesover the following six months.

Olivier award-winning sound designer, Mike Walker, adapted his design to allow for fast turnarounds and variety of venues. "The show is playing for a week in most venues, so, at the design stage, it was imperative to make sure that the system was easy to configure.

"There is a reduction in cast size from thirty to twenty-one and a smaller orchestra of six rather than eight, so inputs were able to be reduced accordingly.

"It was important for me that the engineers moving the show have sufficient time to get the speakers in the right position, focussed precisely and working together as a system, rather than throwing in lots of speakers and then trying to equalise them in order t

Germany - Zero 88 Chilli dimmers and ChilliNet panels have taken control of the lighting system in the new vehicle showroom at MAN's state of the art truck factory in Munich.

The Munich based MAN factory is the head office of MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG. The original plant was built in 1955. As the biggest factory in the MAN manufacturing group this Munich site sets industry standards in the economic manufacturing of high-quality vehicles. Their recently modernized showroom offers customers a high-quality and modern environment in which to shop.

The design requirements for the new lighting control system in the show room were clearly stated. Flexibility and reliability with simple installation of the equipment were the main criteria for this project. The features of the Chilli lighting control system matched this brief and complimented the futuristic features of the show room.

Zero

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