Germany - LumenRadio will debut "the smallest wireless DMX solution ever seen" at Frankfurt's Prolight+Sound this week.

Available exclusively from LumenRadio, the patent protected CRMXchip is the world's first wireless DMX ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) solution. By using the latest in chip technologies, LumenRadio has managed to reduce the size of a wireless DMX receiver to that of less than a fingernail.

With the 6x6mm CRMXchip, manufacturers can for the first time fully integrate a multi functional wireless DMX receiver into high volume products where cost and size are prioritized without compromising quality or performance. Built on the award-winning CRMX technology, the patent protected CRMXchip is fully compatible with all existing LumenRadio products.

"LumenRadio's CRMXchip is an industry first - a compact, developer friendly chip which

Germany - The short commands and on-the-fly lighting controls of ETC's Cobalt family are now packaged to take on tour. The new Cobalt 10 lighting desk features the same capacity and functions of the larger Cobalt 20 desk, but is compact enough to take on the road or fit into control rooms with limited space.

"Cobalt 10 is the sporty member of the Cobalt family," says ETC Cobalt product manager Sarah Clausen. "It has high resolution, 12 inch (30cm) multi touch displays that articulate, so programmers can easily pack it into a road case for a touring show or adjust the screens to better see the stage in a small theatre."

Cobalt 10 also has a smaller master playback area than Cobalt 20, with 10 motorised faders and 10 backlit, colour coded endless pots. It has 5,000 channels to control dimmers, LEDs, moving lights, media servers and more, on up to 32 universes

Russia - Within the newly constructed 42,500 capacity Fisht Olympic Stadium in the developing Russian city of Sochi, the XXII Olympic Winter Games drew to an end with the spectacular closing ceremony.

Just as he had done at the Opening extravaganza 16 days earlier, audio director Scott Willsallen (of Auditoria) designed the technological infrastructure, placing all the transmission on a 24-node Optocore dual redundant ring and working with two different creative teams to fulfil different objectives.

The formal operatic and cultural Opening Ceremony display, creatively designed by Konstantin Ernst and directed by Andrei Boltenko, made way for the more party atmosphere of the Closing Ceremony, directed by Italian Daniele Finzi Pasca. Featuring nearly 800 performers and representing hundreds of years of Russian history, it was an exacting task.

Italy had played a key role this

Germany - Major has introduced its new dedicated website to make finding all details of products and custom made solutions quick and accessible. For example, the product section has a concise overview of all major product segments (Dimmers, Luminaires, Rigging + Safety Ropes, Power Distribution, Cables + Connectors and Colours + Effects), or in the Navigation header, visitors can discover more about the company and its renowned service.

Major puts a main focus on clarity and accessibility. By clicking on the website's multiple links, visitors can drill deeper into a subject and get additional information.

Major is Lightpower's own brand. Major products are built in Germany and have earned themselves a great reputation on multiple international projects over the years. They offer bespoke solutions where no appropriate products are available. You can visit the new Major website

Germany - WORK Lifters will be part of ProLight+Sound 2014 (Hall 8, stand C-60) where the company will show the more recent lifting towers that the division has developed during last year. These new developments are focused on line array system's elevation to respond to the market needs which are increasingly growing in this specific area.

For this purpose, WORK Lifters has designed three new lifters with different load capacities and reached height.

WT 150 is a compact lifting solution for small line array systems. It fits in almost any vehicle, because it only measures 157 cm long when it is folded. This lifter is capable of elevating loads up to 200 kg. to 5 m. high. Dual reinforcing bars at the back of the tower help to withstand the weight of the load during operation.

The WT 550 is able to lift heavy loads (400kg. - 5.98m. high), its compact size (166 cm folded) is may

UK - Hoist UK has announced that Louise Dickson has been appointed general manager of the company.

Hoist UK director, Paul Jordan comments, "Louise has been with the company for over six years now; we recognised her potential almost immediately and we have guided her progress through the company letting her gain a thorough knowledge of the company through various roles leading up to this present position.

"Louise's ability to not only head the sales team, but also her leadership skills, industry and product knowledge make her the perfect candidate to take on the role as General Manager for Hoist UK."

Louise Dickson comments, "I am excited to take on this new role as general manager; I feel I have now gained the necessary skills and have great mentors in Paul and Tony. I have been with Hoist UK for almost as long as it has been trading, I have seen the com

The Netherlands - The new DuraStage PRO-Stage platforms from DuraTruss are both lightweight and solid, with a TÜV-tested loading capacity of 500kg/sq.m (tested under ISO EN14122). The stages are designed to be used both as touring stages and in permanent installations. A universal aluminium profile with module clamps allows for setup in seconds and the adjustable legs level any unevenness in the floor by a simple turn of a screw.

The black anti-slip hexagon style surface is permanently waterproof to allow for outdoor use as well. DuraStage PRO-Stage platforms come in many different shapes, allowing you to design your very own customisable stage.

A wide range of accessories such as various types of stairs, rails, connectors and adapters, as well as a wide range of legs, complete the line. Furthermore, the company adds, owners of older stages, can easily extend their range with

Germany - Just in time for Prolight and Sound in Frankfurt, DuraTruss announced the hiring of Karsten Steinbach as sales and marketing manager.

Karsten, who has extensive experience in the trussing business from both his education and former employment, has wasted no time in getting started in his new role, having already been involved in the planning of the upcoming show where DuraTruss will exhibit a host of new products.

Along with the internal and external DuraTruss sales team, Karsten's main role is to support key customers and guide larger projects. Furthermore, he will be working together with product development to increase the number of products offered. In the area of marketing, Karsten will work closely with ADJ Group Marketing to increase market presence of the brand, including launch of the new DuraTruss catalogue this summer.

Dirk Kast, CEO of the ADJ Group, of

UK - The latest version of the BroadWeigh Log monitoring software (BW-LOG100) has been released to complement the BroadWeigh Load Monitoring System. BW-LOG100 is now more than just a data logging software package and offers many additional features.

BW-LOG100 software, developed to support the BroadWeigh wireless load monitoring system, allows the viewing and logging of up to 100 channels of data from multiple wireless acquisition devices including load cells and anemometers. A web server feature now allows this data to be viewed remotely from a computer, tablet or any web enabled device.

The BroadWeigh portable wireless system offers real-time, simple, effective and accurate load monitoring for rigging professionals, safety officials and site managers enabling them to monitor and log the precise loads on any given rigging point.

Central to the design of the BroadWeigh syste

Germany - Backstage Academy says a lack of industry training provision in countries outside of the UK - and particularly outside of Europe - has resulted in a number of enquiries for overseas courses.

The Academy runs degree courses and short courses that cover the variety of creative and technical skills needed to work backstage in live events production. Based at state-of-the-art facilities in Wakefield, North UK, it also offers custom training programmes for entertainment industry professionals seeking to boost their knowledge or career prospects, with training in rigging, event safety, temporary electrical systems, stage pyrotechnics and much more.

The Academy launched to a European and global audience at the Prolight+Sound show in Frankfurt last week.

Said PR & marketing manager Rachel Esson, "In the first two days of the show we took enquiries for training from pr

UK - The Royal College of Music is one of the world's greatest conservatoires, training gifted musicians for international careers as performers, conductors and composers. The RCM's buildings, facilities and location are the envy of the world, as much for their aesthetic beauty as for their location directly opposite the Royal Albert Hall.

So when new acoustic panels were installed in the iconic building's Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, Unusual Rigging was brought on board by Arup Theatre Consultants to devise a solution for installing them without impinging on the beauty of the hall.

Matthew Nicholl, head of estates at the Royal College of Music, said, "The Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall is a performance space of the highest international standard which can accommodate large orchestral and choral concerts. It's an exquisite space with a beautiful barrel shaped roof and

UK - When theatre consultants Charcoalblue were enlisted by Canterbury Christchurch University to assist with the relocation of the performing arts teaching facilities from Folkestone to the Canterbury campus, the company brought Doughty Engineering on board to create a low cost, low weight and reliable system for overhead rigging in the campus' Anselm Hall.

The performing arts and technical production courses at the university require carefully designed spaces for teaching and research and Anselm Hall, a space previously used for exams, presentations and lecture style teaching, fitted the bill with its small technical infrastructure and raised stage.

Ian Stickland, theatre consultant project manager at Charcoalblue said, "We were tasked with creating a more suitable space for the students and research fellows in the performing arts department. As such the existing Anselm

Qatar - The Gallowglass Group has opened a new overseas office - in Qatar. Heading up Gallowglass Middle East is general manager François Perron, previously deputy operations director with GL-Events for the 2012 London Olympics, and before that, general manager with Cirque du Soleil for over 20 years.

François Perron said, "We're delighted to be finally opening our doors in Doha. The Gallowglass Group's UK head office has been establishing commercial links in the Middle East for some time now, and had already delivered one major project in Qatar last year."

At the end of October 2013 Gallowglass supported the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE). Contracted directly by the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) over 40 technical staff, ranging from riggers and stage managers to translators worked on the summit, which was the largest event to be held at the

Europe - VDC Trading has announced the appointment of Leif Friestad as its new managing director. A multi-linguist originating from the south of Norway, Leif has held senior management roles at United Technologies Corporation, Johnson Controls, Lapp Group, a leader in industrial cabling with a turnover of 800 million pounds, and as CEO of Canford Audio.

Leif's new role is to oversee and assist the continuing growth of VDC and of the Van Damme brand in a number of markets as well as maintaining its position as a brand leader in the audio industry.

VDC Trading CEO Niall Holden commented, "Leif is of great value to the organisation as he has both International experience and an understanding of the electronics industries as well as professional audio. I believe he is ideally equipped to help me take VDC forward as we develop and expand our domestic, marine and international

UK / Russia - The Star Events Group team are back in the UK following a challenging build of their multi-level studio system in Sochi.

The 10 individual studios situated in the middle of the Olympic Coastal Cluster venues were of varying sizes and were used by many affiliated broadcasters of the games.

The structure was built of standard VerTech parts and was shipped at very short notice making the build schedule quite tight. Shortly into the build the Star team had to cope with a huge storm which damaged other parts of the Olympic infrastructure.

Project manager Gavin Scott was on site throughout the Games and commented that the structure was a very busy and lively place around the clock, with broadcasts going out to a wide range of time zones, many of which featured interviews with current and former athletes as well as Russian and international celebrities.

(Jim Evans)

Germany - UK automation specialist Kinesys reports a busy and successful first Prolight+Sound exhibition in Frankfurt.

The manufacturer - which enjoyed substantial growth in 2013 - launched two important new products at the show, which together with their existing dynamic product ranges, attracted lots of interest and helped create a lively buzz in Hall 9 of the Messe exhibition centre.

"We were extremely pleased with the quantity and quality of the visitors to the exhibition and their international nature," comments Kinesys MD Dave Weatherhead, who was on the stand together with a team from Kinesys Sales and Projects.

Product marketing specialist Steve Fowler adds, "We met many new contacts as well as touching base with some of our existing clients, and have already had some serious inquiries as a result of being at the show."

Kinesys is known for its

Germany - At this year's Prolight+Sound Sommer Cable once again presented their product portfolio at a large booth. On an area greater than 100s.qm one could see many products and ideas around the topics of cables and lines, connectors and connection technology, signal processing as well as mechanical solutions for mobile and permanent installations.

The focus of attention lay on the latest developments in the Cardinal DVM in-house brand.

As of now the popular DVM 120 series is broadened by the single-channel model versions DVM-120-DIS and DVM-120-DISH. Owing to their transformers from Swedish premium maker LUNDAHL, these high-quality DI boxes offer excellent audio specs in a very compact and solid housing. Already the standard DVM-120-DIS DI box can meet the highest requirements due to very low distortions, a high headroom and an almost ideal frequency response.

The high-Z

UK - Stage One raised a glass and bade farewell to sales director Simon Wood who retired last week, paying tribute to his 30 years' service to the company. Simon, or Woody as he is affectionately known throughout the business, was one of the founding directors alongside Jim Tinsley and Mark Johnson. Together they have delivered some remarkable projects and have grown a strong business on the back of this success.

Simon sold his shareholding to Mark and Jim last year and has spent the last few months preparing to handover to others in the business. Managing director Mark Johnson paid the following tribute:

"We'll truly miss Simon's contribution; his input has helped foster the unique blend of creativity and innovation here at Stage One. And we know he'll be missed by our clients too. He's a very respected character in the industry."

Technical director Jim Tinsley ad

UK - Total Solutions Group are gearing up for PLASA Focus Leeds 2014, and it will be the first time at the event for project manager, Nigel Tranter. Nigel has been responsible for designing large projects over the years for TSG.

TSG will be exhibiting this year on stand N-B26 where pictures of recent projects including the Winter Olympics and the Olivier Awards, will be displayed. The OV Truss which was launched at the PLASA Focus show last year (and will be on the stand), has been greatly received and TSG reports an extensive list of clients after its first year of production.

Rental company 'Fentura Productions Ltd' recently acquired the OV40 range for their stock. Fenturas' lighting designer / owner, Tim Matthews said, "We needed a product to sit somewhere in between our XO and Maxibeam, so the 40cm OV looked like a good option. Strength wise it was comparable with som

South Africa - Quite literally MGG Productions have done it again. Thanks to the success of a sci-fi concept they came up for a corporate conference held last year, MGG were asked by their client Eventworx to recreate the entire look for the same event hosted in January 2014.

MGG's newly appointed general manager, Denzil Smith, who joined the company in December, took the production to a new level. With a team of professionals at his side including lighting designer from MGG, Kevin Rieck, and the assistance of system technician, Thomas Peters, the event was technically flawless.

This was no mean feat as the event, which ran off a grandMA2 full size, included close to 150 Robe fixtures, 48 ClayPaky Sharpies (forty more Sharpies than last year) and some 400m of Prolyte Trussing besides a list of other fixtures.

"It ran so well," said a clearly pleased Denzil Smith. H

UK - A new stage production of the darkly gripping thriller Dial M for Murder is touring the UK this spring/summer with a bespoke curtain tracking system designed and constructed by Triple E.

Director Lucy Bailey's production, which stars All Creatures Great and Small star Christopher Timothy as Inspector Hubbard, required an inspired solution for its curtain tracks and revolving centre stage.

The production's technical manager Nick Bryan approached Triple E for a solution to replace the play's previous track system, which was complex, cumbersome, and too time consuming to tour with.

"The new track needed to follow an elliptical void in the ceiling and be able to travel around the full circumference multiple times," explains Bryan. "Triple E's ChainTrack was the only solution I could find that didn't require a travelling motor and all the addi

UK - Following its success last year, the Riggers' Forum will once again be held at PLASA Focus: Leeds 2014, on Tuesday 30 April at the Royal Armouries Museum.

The Forum is free to attend, and is a unique opportunity for members of the rigging community to hear from the experts and exchange their own views and experiences of the industry. The Forum will open at 2pm with a short presentation entitled CAD or Fag? - a discussion about the information with respect to rigging that needs to be exchanged between client, venue and rigging contractor.

Chris Higgs, rigging training manager at Total Solutions Group, and Harry Box of UK Rigging, will lead the initial discussion. A panel representing venues and their clients will then join in with the debate which will be open to the floor. Panel members taking part include Nicky Norman, senior production and technical manager at ACC Liver

UK - The Sky is Not the Limit by Rudi Enos is expected to be first of three structures-related reference books by the world-respected tent designer Rudi Enos, the designer of some of the largest temporary structures ever used by rock and pop stars, festivals, spectacles and awards ceremonies throughout the world.

The book explores the history of tents and temporary structures from the earliest times to the present day. After graduating in engineering in the early 1970s, Enos worked in the motor-racing industry with the Shadow Formula 1 team before joining the entertainment world in 1974 as a "rigger and dogsbody" with a variety show touring Asia. After designing four stages for the Queen's Jubilee in 1976 and building a stage used by Mohammed Ali in South Shields, he designed his first tent, a big top used at Glastonbury Festival in 1978. Since then he has desig

UK - Serious Stages created a visually striking structure that was the focal point at Singapore Day, when 9,000 Singaporeans came together to celebrate at London's Victoria Park.

Serious Stages designed and installed a 29.8m wide temporary structure to make sure the audience enjoyed great views of the artists and speakers from all areas of the park. Working with the organisers, Serious designed and engineered the system, which allowed them to create a large structure to give the production 'a bigger bang for its buck'. This was branded uniquely to characterise the look of the event, while delivering a cost effective alternative to hiring a stage of comparable size.

This was achieved by combining one of the company's 12m Stratosphere stages, as the central performance area, with a truss header connecting flanking goalposts. These gave increased weight loading capacity for two g

Latest Issue. . .

Save
Cookies user preferences
We use cookies to ensure you to get the best experience on our website. If you decline the use of cookies, this website may not function as expected.
Accept all
Decline all
Analytics
Tools used to analyze the data to measure the effectiveness of a website and to understand how it works.
Google Analytics
Accept
Decline
Advertisement
If you accept, the ads on the page will be adapted to your preferences.
Google Ad
Accept
Decline