The recent launch of Attack of the Clones, the latest chapter in the Star Wars story, saw two notable firsts for a UK film premier, a live performance by the Royal Philharmonic in Leicester Square, and a pair of PM1D’s used in a unique audio experiment. "There were two major considerations for this event," explained live engineer Dave Bracey, "the concert must be relayed a full 360° around the Square which means we have to be acutely sensitive to the local neighbourhood; and secondly the whole thing must go in, fit-up, be played and cleared in under a day."
Duplicating the sound system for rehearsals away from the site was fairly straight forward, having two PM1Ds one at the rehearsal site, one in Leicester Square, simplified things further, as Bracey explained. "I rehearsed with the orchestra live; this is a 50-piece orchestra and when you add in the effects I was using 64 channels, and taking full advantage of the desks on-board dynamics. Having identical desks meant I could just arrive with the orchestra and a PCMIA card and we were away. Exact duplication of every setting I’d made 40 minutes earlier and ten miles away. Without the quality of Yamaha¹s flagship digital desk that’s something that would just not have been possible or practical a couple of years ago."
Presented by Amanda Davis of AD Events, the premier event set precise goals for Bracey: "My brief was to make it sound powerful. With my general concept of using the two desks, Brit Row’s careful logistical planning, and the systems acute predicta
The AIDAVita provides those event oriented cruise ship vacation-goers the best of two worlds, offering an active club vacation combined with all the amenities of a traditional four star cruise ship. And speaking of amenities, the easy operating capability was also the main reason why two grandMA lighting control systems are among the top items in the cruise ship’s equipment specification list.
The ship’s on-board theatre has a seating capacity of 650. Every evening the theatre offers 12 shows and professional entertainment running every hour. Hilton Jones was responsible for the theatre lighting design and grandMA provided the control. Altogether, console operator Joe Gruber programmed over 1,800 cues, 80 sequences, and 120 macros. The grandMA - supplied by Amptown Hamburg - runs 46 moving lights, 132 channels for conventional lighting and 54 non-dim circuits.
This was the first grandMA encounter for Hilton Jones, who has a long history with WholeHog II. Amazed by the versatility of the console, he changed thereafter the tender requirements for the AIDAvita and specified the grandMA. "The grandMA is the only multi-functional controller console in the market that can handle the tasks required for the AIDAvita", said Jones. "It is easy and intuitive to operate the console, you have direct access to all channels and it takes you quickly there where you want it to," he says.
These reasons play a decisive role when programming, but also when different operators and lighting staff need to operate the console on a daily basis; they are able to
Danmarks Radio, Denmark's national broadcaster, has purchased 16 channels of new Lectrosonics wireless microphone systems and active antenna splitters from Lectrosonics representative Dansk P.A. Center A/S.
The UDR300 studio receivers and UM300B belt-pack transmitters are the European versions of the well-known and proven 200 Series system that has been the preferred wireless in Hollywood and with American broadcasters for many years. The unmatched quality was a key issue, along with the sophisticated computer control software with RF site scanning and walk test measurements. The systems are to be used on mobile production carts in TV production, in studio and on location. All 16 channels are designed to work in the 800-820 MHz in two 8-channel sets or in adjacent studios together as 16 channels.
(Lee Baldock)
Sennheiser UK contributed to the recent success of Europe’s biggest music and performing arts festival by exclusively sponsoring the Glastonbury 2002 New Bands Stage. Alongside sound company Southwest Audio Ltd and production company Reality Check, Sennheiser helped deliver a professionally specified stage featuring both evolution series wireless and cabled microphones and wireless in-ear-monitor systems.
A comprehensive on-site technical support centre was also set-up to provide call-out cover for the large amount of kit in use on various stages throughout the festival site, as well as to provide technical back-up to the numerous Sennheiser endorsees on the bill; these included Starsailor, The White Stripes, Faithless, Lostprophets and Haven. The technical back-up was provided by Sennheiser chief engineer Andy Lillywhite and service engineer Sam Davison, who came equipped with a full range of test equipment, spares and a tent in Sennheiser’s specially rigged 4-wheel drive support vehicle. The team provided contact information to all Sennheiser users and remained on standby for call-out across the whole site - Sennheiser being Sennheiser however, their service was only ever called upon to deliver friendly advice rather than to actually fix anything.
The ‘new bands’ stage played host to nearly 40 acts, including Cornelius, The Leaves, Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci and Cornershop.
(Ruth Rossington)
Event Lighting and Design has been chosen to work on another string of high-profile international events, starting with the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office’s Gala Luncheon at Claridge’s on 4 July 2002. The company provided the lighting, staging, set, sound, floral decorations and technical expertise for the event, proving once again their aptitude for working with the challenges of royal and government involvement and cultural sensitivities.
The Gala Luncheon marked the launch of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office sponsored celebration of the fifth anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s establishment in the UK. This large-scale promotional event is to take the form of a Hong Kong Festival, lasting from July to September of this year, which will showcase Hong Kong as Asia’s World City. The Claridge’s Gala Luncheon featured performances by the Chinese Opera, the Chinese Music Ensemble and an indoor fireworks display. Guest of honour HRH The Duke of York and chief secretary for administration Donald Tsang as well as 170 VIPs attended the event. Michael Heseltine, William Hague, Baroness Thatcher, Terence Conran and Joan Collins were among the guests.
"It is always a challenge working with cultural sensitivities, government protocol and royal regulations, but these are instances where practice makes perfect. Our team is accustomed to working on both royal and large international events, enabling us to put an event like the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office’s Gala Luncheon together with ease," comments Ti
Doing their bit to support the England football team, LGH Rigging Services erected a huge flag on the front of the Football Association headquarters in Soho Square, London. Responding within 12 hours of being notified of the job, LGH Rigging Services used a team of abseilers to secure the flag to the façade of the building prior to England’s quarter-final match against Brazil. LGH say they were hoping for a longer hire period - not for the revenue, more for England’s chances in the competition!
LGH Rigging services manager, Bob Dean, commented: "We were very pleased with the progress of the job. We reacted very quickly to the FA’s request and were very happy with the result. It’s a shame that we didn’t feel the same about the result of the England match!"
The erection of the flag was featured on the National Television News, as was the tearful removal of the flag after the game had finished.
(Lee Baldock)
Digigram, an innovator in digital audio network solutions, has completed its acquisition of French-based Innova Son, a pioneer in the design of digital audio mixing consoles. Innova Son consoles are used for sound reinforcement in live performance such as concerts, broadcast television, theatrical presentations, religious services, and corporate events.
The deal completes a move made by Digigram when it acquired a 44.76% stake in Innova Son in January 2001. Digigram now owns 100 percent of Innova Son, but says the company will preserve its own identity and commercial autonomy within the Digigram group. Innova Son products will continue to be distributed by the company's established network, while Digigram will provide sales support in markets that the company has yet to penetrate. Innova Son’s current management remains in place, with Philippe Royer as managing director in charge of sales and marketing and Gérard Malvot as technical director.
"We think this acquisition will lead to the development of technological synergies, particularly with the transfer of skills and the release of new products under the Innova Son brand name," said Digigram managing director Philippe Delacroix. "In the near future you might see Innova Son consoles compatible with Digigram’s breakthrough EtherSound technology."
The Innova SON acquisition reinforces Digigram’s ambition to realize 40% of its 2002 activity in the public address market, which includes fixed installations, live sound, and sound reinforcement. "Joining the Digigram group provide
Arbiter Plc has supplied installer John Fearon of Eclipse Lighting & Sound with a variety of equipment, including JBL loudspeakers, for installations in the latest two Revolution Vodka Bars. The fast-expanding, award-winning brand has recently opened new sites in Northampton and Clapham. The Revolution concept - vodka, dancing, food - doubtless leading to plenty of lively political debate - and the very best sound throughout the evening, was launched in 1995. The latest two venues are part of a group of 27 owned by Manchester-based Inventive Leisure, all of which have had sound systems installed by Rochdale-based Eclipse.
Clapham and Northampton were as sonically challenging as their predecessors, according to John Fearon. As with all new projects, the installer has to understand and interpret the client's requirements, and provide a scheme offering superior audio quality - on budget. The flagship two-floor Clapham venue is part of a new building on the High Street, and it required a mixture of equipment from Arbiter. Fearon opted for five JBL MS26 speakers and an SB2 sub on the first floor and a total of eight JBL Control 28s and eight JBL Control 25 enclosures plus a further two SB2 subs, on the ground floor.
Control 28s were chosen for the ground floor bar areas because they provide good decibel levels and high quality audio, as well as being small, with a discreet profile. In the raised areas of the ground floor, Eclipse has installed JBL Control 25 speakers.
(Lee Baldock)
Stagetec is enjoying their busiest ever summer season, with a myriad of different lighting and sound design and installation projects embracing all areas of the industry - here are just a few of them:
In the world of television, Stagetec is finishing complete new lighting installations for five studios at Bloomberg TV Studios in London in association with Film & TV Services. The studios transmit 24 hours a day to five countries in Europe. Equipment includes 120 channels of Compulite CompuDIM 2000 dimmers with Dimmer Monitor software and five SP-4D control systems. At BBC Belfast, the lighting installations for two studios are having the final touches added. The installation includes 132 channels of 96 channels of 2.5kW Compulite CompuDIM 2000 dimmers with Dimmer Monitor system, Ovation 4D and two Micron 4D control systems plus Ethernet nodes, DMX network and complete installation of lighting grid and mains distribution system. At the London Studios on the South Bank, part of the Granada Media Group, Stagetec is installing 280 channels of 2.5kW and 20 channels of 10kW Compulite CompuDIM 2000 dimmers in Studio 2 complete with Dimmer Monitor system, custom built mains distribution and a portable 24 channel CompuDIM 2000 rack with SparkTOP control system.
Stagetec’s educational projects are as varied as they are numerous, including a recording studio upgrade at Easthampstead Park School in Bracknell to provide a facility for recording news tapes for the blind. There’s a full theatre and drama studio technical installation happening at the new Oaks Park High Sch
The Waterfront Nightclub in Arbroath has turned to Turbosound to boost its sound quality, installing a sizeable Floodlight Series system to handle the club's mix of dance music and live sound. The installation was handled by Blue Audio, and took place over a two-month period earlier this year.
The PA system is divided into two elements: the live stage set-up comprises a left/right rig of Floodlight Series TFL-760Ht trapezoidal loudspeakers, complemented by TSW-718 folded horn bass enclosures stacked directly below, plus TFM-202 passive two-way floor monitors. Overall system control is provided via the LMS-D6 digital loudspeaker management system. The second system is designed to create a surround-style set up for the DJ, using one Floodlight Series TFL-760Ht positioned on each corner of the dance floor, with a TSW-718 directly below to cover the rear area. Blue Audio also provisioned additional flexibility into the system, with rigging points on the live stage for the DJ, enabling this to be used for a large-scale dance night, with a big left and right sound supported by two stacks for rear fill.
Nadear Shahzad of Blue Audio was involved from the outset: "One of the most important factors for the Waterfront's owner Adrian Bones was to satisfy visiting high profile bands with a top quality sound system. His objective was to build a strong reputation on the gig circuit, investing in a system that would deliver the best results whether for live music or the regular dance clientele. This was the first time that he had experienced Turbosound, which we specified because
Cinematographer Jon Driscoll contacted XL Video UK to supply projectors, playback and a control system for the dramatic projected backdrops he designed and produced for Up For Grabs. The production - specifically the projections - wowed the packed audiences flocking to see Madonna’s West End debut at the Wyndhams Theatre. The 10-week run was fully sold out in advance.
Driscoll was originally approached to design backdrops for the project - directed by Laurence Boswell, designed by Jeremy Herbert - by John Owens, a director of Aura Sound, the production’s sound consultants. Driscoll had previously worked with Up For Grabs’ sound designer Fergus O’Hare (who’s also a director of Aura Sound) at the National Theatre. Driscoll worked on the projection design and production with his colleague Richard Overall, who edited and post-produced the original material shot by Driscoll during an intense five-day shoot in New York.
Up For Grabs’ minimalist set consisted of a huge upstage screen backdrop, divided into six cubes (two high, three wide), each cube divided by moving sections of sheet glass mirror. From all audience angles, the video was reflected off the mirrors in addition to being visible on the flat 180° screens. At certain points, the video was masked so it only appeared in two or three of the cubes simultaneously. Other times, it stretched across the entire backdrop in dramatic fashion - sometimes split six ways, sometimes one integrated image.
The play, a comedy by David Williamson, is about art dealing in New
Edwin Shirley Staging (ESS), the international staging and structures specialist, has just completed another project for an event that is synonymous with the quintessential English summer season, the 2002 Henley Festival in Oxfordshire. The Festival, which took place in mid-July, hosted a diverse array of artists over a five-day period at one of England’s best known event sites, which is also home to the famous international regatta. ESS, having already this year been present at Epsom, Ascot and Wimbledon, and with Goodwood still to come, see 2002 as a successful year for the company in terms of servicing these classic calendar fixtures.
ESS delivered a 20m Orbit stage, called the floating stage as it was positioned in the Thames facing back to the riverbank, as well as producing a 14m wide, four-bay clear-panelled Superstructure building christened the ‘Transparium’ by the organizers, which was used as a covered venue for parts of the Festival’s repertoire.
ESS has seen an increase this year in activity for events demanding its smaller-scale and lighter weight solutions, which complement the stadium-sized projects that the company is well known for. Tim Norman, managing director for ESS, said: "We are delighted to have successfully completed the Henley Festival this year. The project has seen imaginative solutions deployed on land and on the river, with the Superstructure being used in a way that we have not seen since we launched it in early 2001. Clearly we would like to see more of these kinds of projects in the future."
(Lee Bal
Russian installation specialist Elarcon has recently completed a major audio system upgrade for the main concert hall of Moscow's prestigious Cosmos Hotel. The 1000-seat hall is employed for a broad range of applications, from upscale rock performances and classical concerts to corporate events and international conferences. The 2002 schedule includes the Russian State Circus, the Moscow City Ballet and the Russian Imperial Ballet.
Elarcon, which is the installation division of prominent Russian distributor, MixArt, was asked to supply a system that reflected the full flexibility of the venue. As a result, a 40-channel Allen & Heath ML5000 live sound VCA console was selected to perform all front-of-house and monitor mixing tasks. In addition to its eight VCA groups, the mixer has a flexible output structure, allowing any combination of up to 16 auxiliary sends and up to eight audio subgroups to be configured to fit the application.
Opus Audio supplied a fully integrated system comprised of MP series loudspeakers for central cluster and front of stage infills, with CS active mid high cabinets flown for stage left and right. Low frequency was handled by eight Opus SB218 sub bass cabinets with PSD400s providing speaker delays. All loudspeakers were driven by Opus XS series loudspeaker management systems and HD high definition power amplifiers. The concert hall installation was fully supported by Opus Audio, with both managing director Andy Fox and technical director Tony Stallon in Moscow to assist with technical support, as was Zhev Liberson of Clockwork Audio, Opus' inst
Luciano Pavarotti recently celebrated the 10th edition of his annual Pavarotti & Friends charity concert by gathering a star-studded cast in his hometown of Modena, Italy. The event, the proceeds of which were donated to aid Angolan children, was telecast nationwide in prime time by RAI, the national Italian broadcasting company. Along with solo performances by Sting, Lou Reed, Grace Jones, James Brown, Cuba's charismatic Augusto Enriquez and his Mambo Band; Italian chart-toppers Zucchero, Andrea Bocelli, Raf and Elisa also performed duets with the world-renowned tenor. Many of the performances included accompaniment by a 70-piece orchestra and a children's choir.
For the second successive year, the Mackie HDR24/96 was chosen to record and broadcast the event. "These units played a fundamental role in the broadcast sound," explained Pavarotti's sound engineer John Pellowe, who was mixing the orchestra and choir for the occasion. "In terms of how well the equipment worked, it was the best Pavarotti & Friends we've done. This is the second time we've used the HDR 24/96 recorders and the sound was impeccable once again."
Pellowe continued: "Mackie also deserves huge credit for the support they provided." Mackie's recording products specialist, Sandro Chinellato, was on hand before and during the high-profile event to assist with the configuration and operation of the hard disk recorders. "Thanks to the HDR24/96 audio quality was guaranteed," echoed Alberto ‘The Mind’ Butturini, who was in charge of artist and house band m
Evenser Group, the UK's largest event services Group, has created a new division - Evenser Broadcast and Presentation Services. The creation of the new division will enhance the service offering available to clients through greater access to technical expertise, equipment and project management, say the company.
The division will incorporate the Group's international broadcast and audio-visual activities, including Charter Broadcast, Cinevideo, ABS and Blitz Communications, all of whom will continue to trade under their own names. David Carr continues as managing director of the broadcast businesses, whilst Paul Hutton, a director of Blitz Vision since 1993, will become the managing director of Blitz. The new division will be headed up by Evenser main board director Michael Breen.
Michael Breen comments: "This is a great opportunity for both the audio-visual and broadcast businesses. I'm very excited to be spearheading the development of these two areas." Barry Day, chief executive of Evenser Group, added: "The creation of this new division reflects the Group's desire to see sustained organic and acquisitive growth from our broadcast and audio-visual businesses. The simplified divisional structure and combined management team will enable us to maximise the opportunities available to these businesses."
(Lee Baldock)
Amek and Soundcraft have merged their operations to form a much stronger console group with a wide-ranging portfolio. Soundcraft sales director Adrian Curtis takes overall responsibility for sales of Amek and DAR, in addition to Soundcraft, with his existing team of Jon Ridel (Middle East and Asia), Karl Chapman (Europe) and Trevor Coley (UK and Ireland) heading up regional sales for the three brands. Inder Biant joins the team as product specialist and there are plans to strengthen the team further with new market and product specialists. All marketing activities for the group come under David Neal.
The combined portfolio means that the group has a much wider range of products and solutions for their existing markets. Manufacturing and production of the current portfolio of Amek and DAR products is being integrated into the Potters Bar facilities that already house Soundcraft and BSS Audio. Recent products added to the line include the Amek PurePath DMCL processor and DAR Trigger playout system.
(Ruth Rossington)
Marquee Audio recently installed the entire sound system in the new Oyster Quay bar and grill at Poole Quay, Dorset, which opened at the end of May. With sister venue Toko already successfully established in Bournemouth, this is the latest brand from holding company, Richard Carr’s Future 3000, which also owns the dance venue The Opera House, the dance brand Slinky, and restaurant, Bliss, in Bournemouth.
Overlooking Poole Quay, the new bar was developed at a cost of £1.6m and designed by world-renowned architect and designer Stuart Jones of Design Mode. Stuart has blended soft nautical themes with up to date, modern architecture and interior styling, and, with a capacity of nearly 1000, Oyster Quay is now proving to be the new place to be seen in Poole. Divided into five zones, the exquisite venue is centred round a circular bar, which features an 80-gallon aquarium, and is complemented by marble and graphite décor. With a large water frontage it has a strong maritime theme.
Marquee Audio mounted multiples of Martin Audio’s EM26 compact full range 8in bass trapezoid enclosures, which are distributed throughout four zones and are controlled by a BSS Soundweb and remotes. Further Martin Audio C516 ceiling speakers were installed in ancillary areas. Music is delivered during the day via a C-Burn interactive hard disc player, whilst DJ equipment - including a set of Technics Pro turntables, an Allen & Heath DJ mixer, plus a Denon twin CD player - have been installed in the fifth zone, to be used after dark. The system is powered by QSC PLX1202 amplifiers.
Ma
Lamba plc has appointed Marquee Audio as a Stanton distributor to the specialist nightclub trade. Speaking of the new development, Marquee’s managing director Spencer Brooks said: "We have been observing Stanton’s steady evolution while at the same time seeking to consolidate a front end for our club installations. What really triggered this alliance was when Stanton launched their digital output turntable (STR8-100) and the digital VRM-10 mixer - and now Final Scratch is the icing on the cake." He added: "With the aid of our digital pro demonstration facilities, we believed we could create added exposure for Stanton at the top end of the club market."
Gerry Frost, Lamba’s sales director, also felt the timing of the move could hardly have been better for his company. "This is an opportunity for Lamba to build on its long relationship with Marquee, who have a reputation for specifying and supplying leading-edge equipment. Stanton now enjoys that same status. We have been working with venues such as Fabric and the Ministry of Sound, and that’s precisely the area of the market in which Marquee excels."
Stanton products can be seen by appointment with Marquee Audio.
(Lee Baldock)
Following a year of testing at the National Theatre in London, IES sine wave dimmers were recently used for the first time at a public performance in the UK. Paul Pyant’s lighting design for the play Frozen, which opened at the Cottesloe Theatre on 3 July, includes two rows of five 12V Par 56 battens - famed for their powerful light-curtain effect, but notorious for the buzzing of the lamp filaments. Two of the battens, which comprise nine 12V 500W lamps in series, are typically connected in pairs to create a 216V load and powered from a 5kW dimmer which has been trimmed-down to give a suitable voltage. However, the pulsing waveform of a triac dimmer causes the filaments to resonate audibly, and this can be distracting in a silent drama theatre setting.
Mike Atkinson, senior project manager at The National Theatre, said: "We had tried triac dimmers before, but the noise was completely unacceptable. The Cottesloe is equipped with 600 ways of low-noise IGBT dimmers from IES and although there was some attenuation, the buzzing could clearly be heard." For the last year Mike had also been testing and evaluating IES’s iSine - a new high-frequency sine wave dimmer, so he decided to try them out in a live production. "The effect was amazing. You could put your ear next to the batten while it was fading up and down and it was silent. The single battens were no problem either. We simply set the maximum output voltage we needed, knowing that the dimmer would produce a perfect 108V sine wave which was also very kind to the lamp filaments."
I
Three North Wales companies are the latest to join the Welsh Development Agency’s prestigious Commitment to Innovation (CTI) programme. Apple Dynamics Ltd of Mold (the training division of PLASA member company Apple Sound, specialising in audio and acoustics), Clogau Gold of Bodelwyddan, and NWP Electrical Ltd of Kinmel Bay, have each joined the programme, which is designed to build a core group of the most go-ahead organizations in Wales as exemplars of what can be achieved by innovative business practices.
Members of CTI commit themselves to innovation in their corporate strategies and business plans and to implement innovation in their daily businesses practices. As a result they have been able to prove that innovation has helped strengthen their business, secure new orders, create new employment and provide new investment opportunities. To date, 113 companies from throughout Wales have been enrolled onto CTI, which provides benefits including an innovation case study and a programme of workshops and seminars on international Best Practice in innovation.
The three North Wales companies each received certificates marking their commitment to innovation during the ‘DTI Living Innovation’ event staged this week at the North East Wales Institute at Wrexham.
(Ruth Rossington)
Kylie Minogue’s current ‘Fever’ tour is being heard through a Meyer Sound line array PA system from Capital Sound, featuring XTA digital signal processing throughout. Capital Sound is providing a combination of Meyer Sound M3D and the new, compact M2D line array systems, along with Meyer M3D line array subwoofers, UPAs for front-fills and barrier fills and a combination of Meyer UPM1Ps and UPA1Ps for fills on the large central stage thrust.
All the Meyer cabinets are self-powered, and are configured into various zones. The system consists of two main left and right hangs, followed by two further 90° dispersion side hangs (all a combination of M3D and M2D) designed to extend clear reproduction all the way round, since all of the shows are completely sold out. For the Manchester and Wembley shows a third hang supplemented the central rear area coverage. Capital’s Paul Timmins explains: "We’re using XTA DP226s as line drivers as the speakers are self-powered, and because XTA’s AudioCore software allows us to very quickly set up the levels and EQ for all the zones remotely, they make setup very fast and efficient."
Five DP226s provide a total of 30 lines, most of which are being used in the show. The zones divide each venue sonically into upper and lower bowl and near fill, running three zones per hang, with the facility to create a further zone when an extra hang is used. All five DP226s are linked via AudioCore laptop PC control software. Timmins says: "Considering it’s quite a complex system the way we’ve s
Sabine manufacturer of the patented FBX Feedback Exterminator and the innovative new 2.4 GHz Spread Spectrum Wireless Systems, has appointed Audio-Technica Limited, of Leeds, England, as it’s exclusive distributor for the United Kingdom. Audio-Technica Limited will distribute all of Sabine’s professional audio and wireless products.
"We have admired Sabine equipment for some time," said Paul Maher, managing director of Audio-Technica Ltd, "and we are very excited to include Sabine DSP products within the product range that we offer."
Sabine’s president, Doran Oster, added: "Partnership is the key element in this agreement. Audio-Technica is an undisputed leader in the microphone world . . . Our customers in the UK will benefit from the synergy of this new situation."
(Lee Baldock)
The Audio Resources Group is to launch a fully-equipped demonstration and training suite at Unit 62, Mochdre Enterprise Park, Newtown to pass on their expertise. Audio Resources will also sell a specific range of loudspeaker systems to professional end-users, some of which are designed and manufactured by Shermann Pro Audio, together with sound equipment from other companies.
"We are encouraging agency agreements on various products so that we can put together complete sound systems, but with the type of support that retail outlets seem unable to offer," explained Mark Astley, MD of Audio Resources. "To us, support is just as important as making the sale, therefore the new facility will not be a basic music shop or audio supermarket. We want customers to come along and visit our demonstration and training suite. The emphasis will be supply of the correct gear for a customer's purpose. For those travelling longer distances or from mainland Europe we plan to offer local overnight accommodation in addition to the supervised hands-on familiarization and tuition offered to all customers.
In addition, Audio Resources is offering training support to individuals, organizations and companies within a 70-mile radius of Newtown and staff are also prepared to visit clients to provide on site training, consultancy and systems appraisal.
(Lee Baldock)
Edwin Shirley Staging (ESS), the international staging and structures specialist, is one of four organisations sponsoring the current 'Private' contemporary art installation, taking place at the Aldgate Pump House in the City of London. The other sponsors are City North PLC, Cobra Beer and westside design and print.
The exhibition is curated by Swapna Tamhane and introduces the work of the artists Zeyad Dajani, Anthony Gross, David Gyscek and Seema Rao. The artists have come together to produce a series of site-specific works that explore the dialogue between the individual and the public. The venue offers visitors an intrusive view into a piece of London’s Victorian history.
ESS’s Stephen Court told us: "We were approached to provide support for the exhibition by Seema, one of the artists, and Swapna, the curator. We were able to assist the event by providing practical help and equipment that allows the artists to utilize the unusual space within the Pump House. In the past we have supported other ventures in a similar way, notably a community theatre production The Passion which was staged at Greenwich Park in London with a cast of one thousand actors in 2000."
(Lee Baldock)