As part of its long-term strategy to address the industry’s concerns over training, PLASA has appointed a full-time training and development manager. Nicky Greet, who joined the PLASA Head Office staff at the start of May, will be tasked with collating current training information, identifying and addressing areas in which specifically-tailored training schemes are required and helping to implement them in conjunction with relevant bodies.
PLASA’s managing director Matthew Griffiths commented: "Concerns about the lack of suitable and relevant training in the entertainment technology industry have been voiced for some time, and PLASA originally scheduled this appointment into its long-term strategy as part of its first five-year plan in 2000. During 2001, we conducted an extensive programme of research into the issue with the aid of our members, which enabled us to move on to the next stage."
He continued: "I am very pleased to have now reached this point in the process, and I welcome Nicky to our team at Eastbourne. I’m sure that by working principally with our members and drawing on their experience and expertise in their own fields, we can go a long way to addressing the lack of dedicated skills training that our research has identified."
Nicky’s first task will be to formulate a Training & Development Plan, which will outline the best way forward in meeting members’ training requirements. Amongst other objectives, the project will involve the creation of a searchable online database carrying detailed information on
Since its first seven-minute show performed at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994, Riverdance has gone on to be one of the most successful international dance shows ever. In 1997, the show was split into two touring companies, with the Liffey covering Europe and Asia (currently in the UK until the end of June), and the Lagan touring North America and Australia. Since the disastrous fire in Madrid nearly a year ago that destroyed almost the entire Liffey production, the show is now back on the road and sounding even better than before.
Thanks to efforts from Shuttlesound and the Riverdance crew, the show was rebuilt from scratch in just two weeks, but since then some key changes have been made to the system. Riverdance sound supervisor Barry McLeod explains: "I don't want to say that the fire did us a favour - that might be stretching the point somewhat, but it certainly made us rethink a few things. Probably the biggest change is that we are now able to fly all the subs rather than placing them under the stage, which makes a significant difference to the sound. We're using basically the same Electro-Voice X-Array system we had before, but when we replaced the subs we went for Xb's precisely so that we could fly them. Riverdance is not a rock and roll show, so we don't want overwhelming bass. Flying the subs gives us the extra depth of sound we're looking for without blasting the people nearest the stage to smithereens! We achieve a much better dispersion of the low frequencies when the subs are in the air."
The configuration used by Riverdance is based on 15
Leisure Industry Week (LIW: 8-10 October 2002, NEC, Birmingham) - a key event for all aspects of the out-of-home leisure industry has a new format for 2002 with five dedicated shows and a wealth of ideas and products to make leisure businesses more efficient, attractive and profitable.
Body & Soul: As the largest health and fitness event in Europe, Body & Soul at LIW encompasses all the equipment, technologies, trends and services in the health and fitness market.
FamilyLand: this event is dedicated to family leisure activities. Along with new demonstration plots showing rides in action, visitors will also discover children's play equipment, inflatables, theme park rides, and ideas for animation, costumes, theming and special effects.
Food for Leisure: This covers everything from vending and beverage machines to convenience foods and dedicated leisure catering facilities. In addition, the LIW Menus for Venues profit centre provides inspiration for popular catering facilities such as juice bars, coffee bars and podium cooking.
Leisure Solutions: This event is dedicated to the numerous ancillary products and services needed to run any successful leisure operation and includes everything from computers and software to security, ticketing and communication systems.
Leisure Environments: Packed with ideas and techniques to make a leisure operation a place people want to stay. For restaurants and theme parks to fitness centres and retail developments, this show encompasses all aspects of lighting and sound enhancements, as well as ideas for architecture, interior desig
Edwin Shirley Staging (ESS) will have the opportunity to counterbalance London’s current West End bias for live events during June this year when it deploys an ESS Superstructure building into Finsbury Square within the City’s Square Mile (financial district) at the end of May. The client in this case, Bloomberg, the US-owned financial information and broadcast business is once again taking advantage of it’s proximity to the grass covered square to mount an event, this time in conjunction with the World Cup.
An audience consisting of Bloomberg employees and clients will be able to view the matches from inside an ESS building, which has been designed to Bloomberg’s specifications and includes clear wall panels. The site will also play host to other forms corporate hospitality during the tenure of the World Cup.
ESS will spend four days installing the environment and estimate a two-day decommissioning process to follow. The Superstructure, a 30m long by 25m wide open-ended building will also have hoardings at either end of it provided by ESS to carry Bloomberg’s branding for the event. ESS will be providing screen supports for Screenco’s Jumbotron installation at the site. The site has an underground car park directly beneath it, giving the installation team particular constraints to consider regarding point loadings of cranes during the installation as well as load spreading for the building itself. The site’s other challenges are determined by its location; it is at the heart of one of the busiest thoroughfares within the city,
Seoul's Sangam Stadium will be the site of the 2002 World Cup Opening Ceremony on May 31. To provide the best possible sound reinforcement, with the added demand of portability and fast removal, Korean rental sound companies Daishin Sound and Kukae Sound have teamed up to provide a total of 64 VerTec line array speaker systems. The JBL VT4889s are mounted on 16 portable sound system carts, which can be wheeled into position around the field perimeter, then quickly removed as required.
In addition to JBL VerTec loudspeaker systems, a wide variety of audio products from Harman Professional brands are in use. "This event is a real logistical challenge, and the VerTec speakers specified by audio director Michael Abbott are a highly effective choice," commented Cheol Yoon of Daiyoung Corporation, distributor of AKG, BSS, Crown, JBL and Soundcraft products in Korea. "Their light weight and easy handling allows the technicians to array four enclosures on each cart along with Crown MA-Series power amplifiers and BSS signal processing," stated Yoon. Groups of JBL self-powered EON speakers are aimed back at the field to provide music and cues for the hundreds of pageant performers.
The World Cup Opening Ceremony is being televised live around the world. The ceremony will have three separately-themed parts and will include cultural performances incorporating South Korean high technology. Beginning immediately after the opening ceremonies, the first game of the series is between current world champion France and Senegal.
(Ruth Rossington)
Hull company Tega has recently completed the installation of sound and lighting at Hull University Union’s new venue, ‘Asylum’. The union building, dating from the seventies, has never had a proper venue for events, and until recently the refectory area was pressed into service. This was far from ideal as equipment had to be removed after every event, and the ceiling height was less than 10 feet.
The long-awaited new venue has been designed by Big Blue and features a large stage, sprung dancefloor, DJ booth and bar area with permanently installed sound and effects lighting. Tega have worked closely with the University on many events in the past, and, as a result of their good support service, were awarded the sound and lighting contract. The main sound system uses the Union’s eight existing EAW KF650 boxes, which are flown above the stage on custom-designed frames. The eight SB600 sub bins are located beneath the stage along with two Logic System CS1000SB subs to augment the system’s lower frequencies. In the bar area are eight Mackie ART300 speakers, with a further four providing stage fill. The main system is powered by Chevin Research amplifiers (2 x A1000, 2 x A3000 and 5 x A6000), and the Mackie speakers are powered by QSC amplifiers. The system is controlled using a Peavey MediaMatrix Xframe-88 system which allows zoning of the main and bar speakers, and provides limiting and crossover functions for all speakers.
Chris Ford of Tega selected the Peavey unit because of its flexibility. "The beauty of the Xframe system is that, with
XL Video is supplying chart toppers Muse with video equipment including a Catalyst playback system for the next 17 weeks. This is believed to be the first European tour for Catalyst. Muse’s video system utilises High End Systems’ revolutionary Catalyst image processing system, two Barco G10 ELM projectors and a rear cyc.
Muse’s creative designer Oli Metcalfe was so impressed with the demonstration organised by XL Video’s Des Fallon that he immediately recommended Catalyst to the Band. They then visited High End’s Ealing office, and were blown away with the system’s capabilities. XL’s Mark Hughes is rigging the system, and Metcalf is controlling the Catalyst via DMX from his Wholehog II (with extender wing) console. Metcalf is running a wide assortment of video clips and media via the Catalyst including stunning abstract patterns, water effects, etc. He comments: "The really funky thing about the Catalyst is that I can affect the images quickly and easily from the lighting desk. It’s just so versatile and controllable, and responds just like a light!"
(Lee Baldock)
Professional audio systems specialists Shermann UK is ensuring that former sixties pop idol Helen Shapiro ends her touring career on the right note. Shapiro, 55, who shot to fame as a 14-year-old with the number one hit ‘Walking back to happiness’ has begun an 80-date farewell UK concert tour. PA rental company Crystal Clear Audio is using a Shermann CA9/CB218 loudspeaker system on the tour, along with a number of Shermann stage wedge monitors.
"Helen Shapiro has been using our systems for several years in association with Crystal Clear Audio and we are delighted to be playing a part in her farewell tour," said Shermann UK owner Ken Hughes. The company is no stranger to major musical events and concert tours, having provided sound systems for a host of stars over the last 19 years through its user network of professional rental companies.
(Ruth Rossington)
Planned for August 6, The Birmingham Carnival will take four hours to travel the five miles from Hansworth to Perry Park. Fresh from their success last year, with a powerful combination of Cerwin Vega’s Intense rig supplied by Lamba, Matthews Electronics have intensified the rig for this year’s lead float. Matthews’ Mark Hutchins explained: "Last year, we had to under-power the rig, but this year we have 2.5kW per side to run the six T-250 mid tops, 3.5kW per side for the eight compact T-36 subs and 4.5kW per side to run the four SUB-218s."
He explained that they tested the rig on a three-acre rugby ground against the wind - and the sound carried beyond the end of the park. "In effect we are running 21,000W RMS on a single float, which will consume 120 amps of power," said Mark. Which will provide food for thought for the DJ and 25-30 dancers who will ride the float.
The system will be powered by a combination of Digi Powersoft Digams and QSC Powerlights. Mark says that Matthews’ experience of Cerwin-Vega! enclosures goes back to the 1970s. He was one of the first people to promote them in the West Midlands, and has been building up his hire stock ever since.
(Ruth Rossington)
Simple Minds, one of the most definitive rock bands of the 1980s, are back on the road again having just completed the UK leg of their first major world tour since 1995. The Floating World Tour is based around their latest album, ‘Cry’ plus a healthy dose of their biggest hits. Handling the audio for the tour is Belgian rental company EML, with Patrick Demoustier at FOH with his Midas XL4 console, and a number of EV RE-1 microphones and RE-1 wireless guitar systems.
Patrick first worked with Simple Minds in 1997 at Night of the Proms, a huge musical extravaganza in Belgium. "We struck up an instant rapport there, and I've worked with them ever since," he confirmed. "Last time was an arena tour. This time the band has gone for slightly smaller venues with the result that it's sold out everywhere and they've had to announce new dates, so it's been very successful."
Patrick uses a Midas XL4 with full flying faders. "It's absolutely my favourite desk ever!" he enthused. "I've tried a digital console, and it was OK, but it's not the same thing. When you're used to the EQ on an XL4, nothing else comes close. There is just no competition." It was no surprise to find a 48-channel Midas Heritage 3000 at the monitor position, and the support band, The Real People, had a Midas Venice 320 sharing space with the XL4 out front.
On stage guitar tech David Robertson took the opportunity to put the latest wireless system from Electro-Voice through its paces. "We used the new RE-1 wireless beltpack on guitar and bas
Midland Sound & Light has become the first UK hire company to order Soundcraft’s new MH4 multi-purpose mixing console, adding it to their inventory of Soundcraft boards. Proprietor Andy Salmon placed the order with Marquee Audio, extending a relationship that began when he ordered his first Series 5 FOH desk, and later a monitor board.
The experienced Leicester-based company specializes in light entertainment, including stand-up comedy, such as The League of Gentlemen, French & Saunders and Victoria Wood - as well as bands such as Jools Holland and Fairport Convention. With the reduced number of inputs required by spoken voice, the MH4 - configured as a 32-channel with four stereo inputs - will thus give them the opportunity to use the desk in mixed monitor/FOH mode.
This new facility marks Soundcraft’s entry into the multi-purpose live performance console market, as its design topology permits easy configuration for front-of-house, stage monitor or combined duties. The MH4 features 20 auxiliary busses, new mic amp and EQ designs, eight VCA and eight Mute groups with snapshot automation, true LCR panning and outputs, and an integral 20x8 matrix. In monitor mode, each input also has a passive mic split feed to connect to a FOH console.
"We looked closely at how best to implement a multi-purpose console control surface to ensure that the critical area of auxiliary bus structure was as transparent in operation as possible," stated Soundcraft product manager Andy Brown. "With the MH4, you can quickly identify what mode of operation you are in, a
One of the UK’s most notable dance venues, the Middlesborough Empire, has continued its systematic sound upgrade with Martin Audio by turning the upper circle of the famous old theatre into a self-contained 500-capacity ’70s themed venue. Co-owner Barry Faulkner confirmed that a new Blackline system had been imported to complement the powerful Wavefront rig (eight W8C, 12 WSX subs) downstairs, which pumps music from the nation’s top DJs into the 1100-capacity main auditorium.
The club’s relationship with Martin Audio began when design engineer Rod Short joined the High Wycombe-based manufacturers back in April 1995. Rod had designed the original club system at The Empire, while working with his previous company - but quickly turned the club round to Martin. This time around he designed a system which was supplied through Dial Sound & Lighting in Yorkshire. Four flown Blackline H2s service the upper mids, while a similar complement of S218s create the sub-bass impact - one pair either side of the DJ rostrum, which is situated in the centre of the room. The system is tuned through Martin’s dedicated M3 Blackline controller and powered by Martin MA1400 amplifiers. A further pair of Blackline F10s act as DJ monitors.
Faulkner told us: "We wanted to create our own 70s room, with disco and jazz funk, by refreshing the space. So we blocked it off from the upper circle - and replaced the infill speakers. We have a long relationship with Rod Short so it was natural we should ask him to design the system."
The venue today trades three or
Vari-Lite Inc has entered into an exclusive dealer partnership with Lightpower, one of the most respected distribution companies in Germany, which will allow the company to offer its German customers direct local access to sales, service and support of Vari*Lite sales products.
"The partnership is important to us commercially, technically, and also from an image standpoint," said Lightpower managing director Ralph-Jörg Wezorke. "Vari*Lite products are much more than multi-functional lighting fixtures. There is a special feeling about using Vari-Lite, from the products themselves to the quality service and support the company provides. Because Lightpower is an experienced and well-structured sales company, we can extend that level of service into the markets we serve."
Lightpower will offer customers in Germany an outlet to purchase the full line of Vari*Lite for sale automated lighting products, including the Series 2000 fixtures as well as the recently introduced VL1000 ERS luminaire, which has received high praise and accolades throughout the industry. The products are expected to arrive and be ready for purchase by mid-May. "The German market is very significant for automated lighting in Europe," said Bob Schacherl, Vari-Lite vice-president of sales and marketing, "particularly with the VL1000 ERS luminaire lending itself to affordable permanent installations. Lightpower is one of the leading dealers in the region and has established a reputation of delivering exceptional service to its customers. The partnership was a natural fit.
First opened in 1910, London's oldest purpose-built cinema, the Electric Cinema in Notting Hill, reopened on April 26 following a lengthy and complex refurbishment. A Grade II listed building, the venue retains many of its original features including the foyer's gilt-domed box office and mosaic floor, which leads to a Baroque panelled auditorium. Now the cinema has comfortable new seating and the most technologically advanced 35mm projector available.
Unusual Rigging was first approached to quote on a lighting grid, but once there, Robin Elias of Unusual was quizzed about ways of 'growing' the cinema's existing screen to make it suitable for widescreen presentations. However, as a listed building there were restrictions that had to be taken into account, making major structural changes impossible. After presenting the initial idea, Unusual contracted Total Fabrications to realise the concept, who, in turn, contracted AVW Controls "after a number of strong recommendations," explained Neil Darracott, design engineer for Total Fabrications.
Working with both companies, AVW Controls contributed to the design and installation of a motorized screen-extending mechanism. AVW's control system can be operated from both the stage and the projection booth, whilst moving the screen forward and simultaneously 'growing' it by three feet on each side. And, as safety was an important factor for this mechanism, AVW has created a system that senses when objects obstruct the screen's extension, stopping the movement if someone or something is in the way. Equally, the screen contr
UK-based company DiGiCo (UK) Ltd has acquired the assets, core business and intellectual property rights of Soundtracs Plc of Epsom Surrey. DiGiCo co-founder, Eric Wade of Atlanta, Georgia, USA told us: "We are pleased to announce this acquisition and look forward to taking the excellent digital console platform and products, distributed globally by Soundtracs, to the next level in the pro audio Industry. The Soundtracs digital platform is conceptually and intuitively, one of the most robust products available on the market today and our goal is to enhance current distribution and market share in order to establish it more broadly in the Industry." Both Bob Doyle and Dave Webster, formerly with the Klark Teknik Gourp, have joined DiGiCo (UK) as managing and marketing directors respectively.
Both Todd Wells, managing director and chairman of Soundtracs Plc and Liam Tebbs, Soundtracs managing accountant, will have no involvement in DiGiCo or the Soundtracs core business purchased by DiGiCo. As a result, they will now administer the new Soundtracs Plc cash shell and its related business affairs. As required in the DiGiCo purchase agreement Soundtracs Plc is required to change its legal and trading name.
(Ruth Rossington)
Nautilus Entertainment Design (NED) is expanding into new larger offices on both the east and west coasts of the US during the month of May. The main office in southern California moves to 1010 Pearl Street, La Jolla, California 92037-5164. The phone number remains the same, at +1 858 456 6396. The east coast office meanwhile moves from the Bronx into Manhattan at 599 11th Avenue, 6th Floor, New York City, N.Y. 10036 and has a new phone number of +1 212 977 5988.
(Ruth Rossington)
The time is fast approaching when, once again, the UK’s burgeoning custom installation business gets to share information and demonstrate new product solutions at the CEDIA UK Expo: the UK’s only trade forum dedicated to exploring the latest know-how and hardware available to the custom installer.
The format is a mix of product exhibition and training seminars held in the same venue. Every year it offers home automation practitioners the chance to network with experts in related disciplines and to become acquainted with the very latest techniques, innovations and technologies dedicated to the delivery of the next generation of fully networked ‘automated’ homes. Exhibitors come from the fields of security, satellite, lighting, home automation and AV.
CEDIA’s seminar programme caters for practitioners of all abilities in 21 individual courses, supported by training from a wide range of manufacturers. Subjects are as varied as home cinema room design, residential cabling, sub system integration, lighting controls and home networking. This year as last, members of the public will be welcomed as the guests of CEDIA members at a cost of £10 per head. Those interested should contact their local CEDIA member. A list of members is available via the CEDIA UK website.
(Ruth Rossington)
A collaboration between ScanAudio, LMC Audio, BSS Audio and Kelsey Acoustics has resulted in an ambitious pilot scheme to allow monitoring of epileptic patients at St. Pier’s School in Lingfield, the National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy.
The system - designed to alert staff both visually and audibly to a possible emergency situation - is networked via BSS Soundweb 9088 digital devices. In standby mode, the block of six rooms is monitored using boundary microphones installed above the bed heads. The control panel features audio activity LED to indicate which room or rooms may need attending, while staff are able to use the visual monitor to identify which room to listen to more closely, using a solo room-select button. The threshold sensitivity of the microphone may be adjusted so that unwanted background noise is not relayed to the loudspeaker monitor.
Following the success of the pilot scheme at St. Pier’s, a newly-developed audio monitoring system has now been installed in the MRI unit at the National Society for Epilepsy in Chalfont St. Peter, where the audio design this time involves two wings of six rooms. Each wing is linked to its own Soundweb 9088 DSP unit, both devices controlled by a Kelsey Acoustics-built custom controller. LMC Audio acted as consultants and commissioning agents for the system. "This system represents a considerable advance on the pilot scheme and was developed in association with the staff of St. Pier’s to incorporate significant new features," confirms ScanAudio’s Dee Couchman. These include indiv
April 25 saw Fourth Phase London open its doors for the company’s first product demonstration evening. Over 100 people attended the spring barbeque, hosted to showcase the extensive stock held at the new warehouse in south London.
When guests weren’t tucking into burgers and beer, they enjoyed demonstrations by Fourth Phase staff of moving lights, followspots, control desks, WYSIWYG and CAD, plus PANI large format projectors. Well attended by people from across the lighting industry, from theatre to themed entertainment, as well as event organisers, Alan Thomson, managing director at Fourth Phase, declared the evening a success: "This was an ideal opportunity to show people that we have a vast range of rental equipment and allow them the opportunity to try it out for themselves."
(Ruth Rossington)
Having successfully developed the children’s TV character ‘Bob the Builder’ during the last three years, HIT Entertainment recently turned to the Lighting Technology Group to supply and install luminaires and grip equipment for its five Manchester studios.
Andy Dodd, sales manager at LTG, worked closely with Joe Dembinski, one of HOT Animation’s directors, on the project. He commented: "It was great to be involved with someone as famous as Bob the Builder. Lighting plays an enormous role in a project such as this and it’s always a pleasure to be associated with such a successful production."
Joe explained his reason for using ARRI products: "I chose ARRI luminaires because of their reliability and performance. Due to their high efficiency and light weight they have proven to be a good choice when working in miniature when space is at a premium."
Following on from this high profile installation the Lighting Technology Group have notably supplied and commissioned Strand dimmers at Meridian TV. More recently LTG were successful in winning orders for a large number of ARRI Daylight systems and tungsten heads, along with Kinoflo and Kobold equipment, for BBC Scotland’s new Dumbarton project.
(Lee Baldock)
Arbiter PLC, JBL’s exclusive UK distributor, has supplied leading UK audio rental company SSE with 24 JBL VerTec VT4889 line array cabinets. This is SSE’s first purchase of VerTec, and will immediately be utilized during their schedule for the Capital Radio Party In The Park/Power In The Park series, and on the EMAP Feel The Noise summer outdoor road show season. These events are staged all across the UK, primarily featuring playback performances of the UK’s best-loved pop stars, and attracting sell-out audiences of between 20,000 and 70,000.
Production time is always short on these shows, so getting the rig up and running quickly is absolutely vital. SSE’s Chris Beale says: "We chose VerTec because it’s the lightest, fastest, easiest-to-rig line array system currently available. It sounds fine, is very economical on truck space - and totally fitted the bill."
He adds: "We’re looking forward to using the VerTec on the Capital shows and for many other applications and clients in the future. We’re also very pleased and impressed with the technical support from the JBL Professional team in California."
Birmingham-based SSE specifically chose VerTec because they wanted a line array system to work in conjunction with their TeePee three-legged, free-standing ground support system. The TeePee system is a fast-erect design, which can be rigged quickly and easily by three people without using any motors. It can support up to one tonne of weight.
One of the many assets of the VerTec system is its very light weight
Stage Electrics continues to be busy. For the West End production of We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre, the company has supplied the total lighting rig, including the new MAC2000 Performance which is making its debut in the West End. The rig also contains MAC2000s, MAC600 ENTs and High End Studio Colors, plus a large quantity of strobes including 50 Atomic and 500 Egg Strobes.The rig is controlled via a Wholehog 2 and two overdrive boxes over six universes of DMX.
The African Musical Umoja transfers to The Queens from The Shaftsbury where it was playing three months ago. This international success has also opened in Perth, Australia, and producer Joe Theron is currently in discussions with a view to taking the show across Europe. Stage Electrics has supplied all of the lighting equipment including MAC 600s Moving Wash Lights, Source Four profiles, scrollers and a Strand 520 desk.
These two projects illustrate the increasing number of hire projects being handled by the company’s London Waterloo operation. There’s also news on the development front: the retail design and installation team, headed by Anna Western, has been working on the launch of the new Stage Electrics Daylight Projection Screen. A major London retailer has already installed the screen as part of a promotional campaign. All these developments have fuelled the need for more people and the latest recruit to join Stage Electrics is Ian Brown. He will be joining the company in June to work with West End producers and lighting designers. Brown has had a successful and colourful caree
Edwin Shirley Staging deployed over a hundred tonnes of staging equipment to the six zones of this year’s Essential Festival, held for the first time at Ashton Court in the Bristol area. The staging was located inside six temporary marquees. During the build up to the May bank holiday weekend festival, the weather provided no mean challenge to the organizers and the suppliers of the event. ESS was left with a shorter installation period thanks to the challenges provided by a windswept and rain-soaked site, although work was finished for the festival to start at the appointed time despite the difficulties.
ESS was supplying the festival for the first time and is now looking forward to rejoining the event when it arrives in London, this time at Hackney Marshes in early August. The Hackney site is currently specified to be larger than the Bristol site, with ESS currently estimating that more than 200 tonnes of staging will form part of its commitment to the project.
(Ruth Rossington)
Meyer Sound's UK distributor, Autograph Sales Ltd, has recently supplied theatre sound specialists, Orbital, with a Meyer Sound M3D line array loudspeaker system, which is making its world-wide theatrical debut on Andrew Lloyd Webber's latest sensational musical production Bombay Dreams. The show, which opens at London's Apollo Theatre on 19 June, fuses the colourful harmonies of Indian film composer AR Rahman with Meera Syal's script, to bring a taste of Bollywood to London's West End.
Following a blind listening test last summer, Meyer Sound's M3D system was specified by sound designer, Mick Potter, and the production's creative team, including Lloyd Webber. Potter has had a long involvement with Starlight Express, which recently closed at the Apollo after an 18-year run and which was the home to one of Meyer Sound's first theatrical applications using the MSL-3 system.
Potter was based at Orbital during pre-production where the M3D was pre-flown to Meyer Sound's specifications, and is full of praise for the Meyer Sound line array products: "The usability of the M3D, as with Meyer's other loudspeakers, is superb; it sits really well with the rest of the product line, which I've never found elsewhere. The M3D has the sound characteristics of Meyer's other products, which is essential for theatrical applications, especially in this case where we're using so many other Meyer loudspeakers in a more conventional theatrical configuration. The line array is doing its job alongside their other products without any incongruity, and allows us to have the best