Pharos - Leaderboard - May 2024

Installation

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Germany - The Trade Fair Tower in the heart of Frankfurt Main is considered one of the most exclusive and attractive venues in the Rhein-Main region. With eight meeting rooms, two lounges and a bistro, the Trade Fair Tower offers plenty of room for the most diverse events: conferences, roadshows, , main assemblies, incentive events, or after-work parties.

Since the beginning of 2008 PDM Light & Sound has been the official technical supplier to the Frankfurt Trade Fair Tower Service GmbH. PDM manages the existing audio-visual technology already installed in the building, and provides additional equipment and professional support as the need arises.

"We're happy that the Frankfurt Trade Fair Tower Service has chosen us to be their long-term partner," states Fred Jung, managing director of PDM Light & Sound. And Carsten Krause, sales manager for HK Audio Concert Sound a

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Spain - The Goya Theatre, which was founded in 1914, first started its theatrical activity in 1916 and was later converted into an important theatre in the city of Barcelona. In addition to being used as the headquarters of the Aragonese Centre, the theatre has staged productions in which many famous have taken part.

In 2004, the theatre was forced to close and was on the verge of ceasing its activities, but the Focus Group took charge of bringing it back to life in order to prevent the loss of one of the most emblematic artistic and drama centres in the city.

The refurbishment work executed in the Goya Theatre, which will celebrate its 100th birthday in 2016, is based on building a new theatre within an existing frame. The theatre has a capacity for 520 people, including both the tiered stalls and the amphitheatre. The remodelling project has a cost of 3.7 million euros, of w

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USA - Vibrant colours from Wybron's Nexera colour-mixing luminaires enhance worship services at Woodmen Valley Chapel, a 6,000-member church in Colorado Springs.

Ten Nexeras, in both profile and wash models, paint the back of the church stage, including the fabric draped dramatically on either side of the main projection screen.

"It brings life to the stage. It enhances the senses," says Mark Shrimplin, Woodmen Valley's director of technical arts.

The Nexera combines a powerful light fixture and CMY dichroic colour changing in one unit. The Nexera's compact size and quiet convection-cooled operation make it popular among churches and small theatres.

Shrimplin likes the Nexera's smooth colour changes. Having the colours morph seamlessly into one another helps the church's volunteer lighting crew, he says. The Nexeras also provide quality light for the church's tel

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USA - Built in 1920s, Hollywood United Methodist Church's architecture was inspired by Westminster Abbey and has provided the backdrop for Whoopi Goldberg's Sister Act in addition to hundreds of scenes in other movies.

But Hollywood UMC's outdated and underpowered sound system could not survive the transition to more contemporary music. It consisted of a handful of little 6" speakers mounted near the bottom of the cathedral's awe-inspiring support columns and was barely sufficient for the choral reinforcement for which it was originally designed.

Eventually the church's A/V tech, Dave Whittaker, requested meetings from area integrators for a Renkus-Heinz-centered system. One of the firms he contacted was Platt Design. Their president and senior designer, Bill Platt, is a two-time Emmy winner and spent 15 years as director of audio and show development for all of Wa

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UK - In March 2006, the Leicester Theatre Trust, part of Leicester City Council, ordered an integral automation system as part of the building of Curve - a venue that was boldly commissioned to make the world of theatre visible from the outside in. This imaginative and unusual brief required the innovative thinking of automation pioneers and Stage Technologies was chosen to meet the challenge.

In July 2008, champagne corks popped as the venue was handed over, fully kitted out with a remarkable automation and flying system that incorporates 76 winches and 12 portable point hoists, a grid that encompasses the entire performance area and a control system comprising two mobile Nomad desks and two handheld Solo consoles.

Visibility was a key element of the brief, with the project directors wanting to be able to exhibit the performance area to a wider audience at the press of a butt

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UK - The PAI Group of Companies - incorporating Vaughan Sound Installations, Lighting Technology Projects, PA Installations and Link AV - has been awarded ISO 9001 certification.

The rigorous two-day external assessment recognises the Llanelli-based company's work in the "design integration, supply, installation, service and support of bespoke audio-visual, lighting, sound and dynamic signage solutions to the leisure, retail, education, heritage and sports industries".

PAI Group MD Paul Adams says: "ISO 9001 status is a great validation of our systems and working practices. It's also a massive tribute to the overall vision of all the companies in the group in addition to the incredible teamwork of our full time project managers, administration, service and support personnel and regular sub-contractors. It will enable us to move forward with our current strategic

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USA - Theatre Projects Consultants (TPC) was approached by the architectural firm of Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates to help with the renovation of the American Wing Courtyard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MMA). As part of the renovation, they were looking for a better way to access the exhibit lighting for routine maintenance and focusing. The old method was undesirable for the MMA staff and did not work within the design of the renovation.

Approximately 60ft above the exhibit floor, the existing lighting position spanned over 100ft in length and was situated along the edge of a third story gallery. "By applying a little entertainment technology to the museum environment, we provided a well-designed and efficient solution," says Robert Young, associate Theatre Projects Consultants.

Young and Michael Nishball of TPC, through close collaboration, designe

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Australia - Adelaide Convention Centre (ACC) has recently invested in 90 Robe 575E AT Series moving lights.

Located in the CBD of Adelaide, the venue's multi-purpose facilities include 14 meeting rooms, 11 halls and an outdoor performance space on the river front. It can accommodate up to 6,500 banquet guests and offers approximately 10,500sq.m of pillar-less floor space for conferences, exhibitions and special events of all types.

Robe was the preferred option for ACC's specifications and requirements once the green light was given for the purchase of new professional moving lights, says technical manager Jamie Masefield. "Robe first came to our attention as the brand with a strong industry credibility for robustness and reliability."

Masefield continues: "We needed large numbers of both profile and wash fixtures for business and logistical reasons. The Robe

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New Zealand - Auckland's latest music bar has opened its doors, and features an audio system based around an Allen & Heath audio distribution system comprising an iDR-4 digital mixing processor with PL controllers for easy system control, and a Mark Audio speaker system.

Located in Auckland's popular Kingsland suburb, Neighbourhood is owned by New Zealand brewers, Macs. Installed by Jansen Professional Audio & Lighting, iDR manages audio distribution to various areas in the bar as well as to an outdoor area.

The bar mainly plays mp3 music during the weekdays but on the weekend a DJ plugs into a custom-designed outlet plate connected to the iDR, which is configured with different EQ settings for the DJ, and parameters for hard-limiting and compression on each speaker feed. Jansen used a custom serial data string function on the iDR to control video switching for the DJ's accomp

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Turkey - On 3 March 2009, the newly completed Ahmed Adnan Saygun Arts Centre in Izmir, Turkey, designed by Arup and Tozkoparan Architects, opened its doors to the public for the opening performance of the 16th European Jazz Festival. Grammy award winning American jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater was accompanied by the Istanbul Big Band at the event.

Arup Acoustics and a multidisciplinary engineering team from Arup worked closely with Turkey-based Tozkoparan Architects to deliver the new Centre. The acoustics and venue planning were an integrated part of the design from the outset with the goal of providing a building with world-class facilities within affordable budgets.

The new arts centre, known as AASSM, is named after Turkish composer and musicologist Ahmed Adnan Saygun, who died in 1991. The Centre incorporates a 1100 seat concert hall, a 300 seat recital hall as well as v

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UK - Over the years, the Loppington Players have put on pantomimes, pageants and plays originally with no stage at all, then with demountable chipboard staging bought second-hand as a catwalk from a nearby department store. This stage did sterling service but it was heavy, hard to erect and dismantle and had suffered from many years of being stored in a garage.

In December 2008 Loppington Players were awarded a grant from the 'Grassroots Fund' administered by the Community Council of Shropshire and this, together with a generous contribution from Loppington Village Hall, enabled them to buy new staging from Maltbury Staging. After visiting the Glasshouse Studios which already owned a substantial package of Metrodeck, Lally Cheeseman was sure that this was the appropriate system for their requirements.

Members of Loppington Players have built wings and a proscenium arch for th

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UK - The latest phase in Litestructures' studio's development will be to create a dedicated, permanent exhibition space within the building. This will be accessible to performers, technicians, riggers and all production crew and visitors. As such, it will provide a sales and display opportunity for companies and organisations offering products and services to this important industry sector, says the company.

Those interested in supporting this venture and in exploiting the potential it represents should contact Laurie Giraudeau or Ben Brooks to discuss their detailed requirements or to explore the options and alternatives.

Litestructures exhibition will be based around well lit spaces for exhibitors created from Litestructures trussing and staging products, giving an attractive display for all participants. The maximum booth size will be 4m2 per exhibitor.

(Jim Evans)

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Korea - A QSC WideLine-10 line array system has been installed in a new cultural centre in Korea. With two hangs of four WL2102 enclosures per side, the line array forms part of a complete QSC solution proposed by the manufacturer's Korean distributors, Sama ProSound, to deliver optimum sound at the YEJU Cultural Art Centre in Yeongdeok-gun, Gyeongbuk.

The Centre was originally opened in June 2004 to promote comprehensive culture and art within the community. It was equipped with a variety of facilities such as a 530-seat performance hall, exhibition room, cultural lecture room and library; and it is in the performance hall that the WideLine-10, with its 140° horizontal dispersion characteristic, has been specified.

With responsibility for staging a variety of cultural and community events - including classical and concert performance - the Centre had insisted on top quali

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UK - Lighting control and automation group, Dynalite, has drawn on its extensive expertise in the residential and hospitality sectors to secure contracts with four prestigious hotel projects in England. The installations--at the Rockliffe Hotel in County Durham, the Hilton Hotel in Liverpool, the Bridges Wharf Hotel in London, and the Berners Hotel in London - all of which are expected to be completed by year-end 2009.

Dynalite's involvement in these hotel installations will span from the design phase through to commissioning. In each case, the company will supply an automated lighting solution comprising a range of Dynalite controllers, wall panels, touch-screens, interfaces, sensors, and software.

At the heart of the Dynalite systems are the modular DIN rail-mountable DDMC802 multipurpose controllers. These support large quantities of small loads in hotel and high-density re

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Show Time - The lighting, sound and production industries head to Frankfurt this week for ProLight+Sound 2009 and judging by the flood of pre-show product information - and launch party invitations - received by LSI, there will be much new to see and hear. Not surprisingly, then, the organisers are anticipating healthy attendance figures.

Woodstock Reprise - Michael Lang, the co-founder of the legendary 1969 Woodstock festival, is reportedly seeking sponsors for a 40th anniversary reprise in New York City. "The chances that something will happen are probable," he told the Times. "But I don't really have the answer yet as to what that will be." Central Park has been suggested as a possible location for the event. The Who were among the acts who played at the original concert, which took place in Bethel, New York State. A 30th anniversary concert

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UK - Since it was first established the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts (LIPA) has developed a diverse and expansive curriculum. With recent advances in technology, particularly on the digital side, there are inevitably, multiple demands and expectations upon any equipment investments it makes. That certainly applies to the recent purchase of loudspeaker systems and digital consoles from TMC based near Bradford.

"There were several demands that led us to choose d&b audiotechnik equipment for the sound technology courses," said John Attewell chief technician at LIPA. "On the one hand we were looking for two systems identical in performance, and of professional scale. We've had an in house PA system for some time, but not one that meets that last parameter. The choice of C7-TOPs and SUBs gives us that ability as well as being useful in the wider context,

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UAE - The recently-opened Dubai Mall is one of the largest malls in the world, boasting 1,200 retail outlets, two department stores and more than 160 food and beverage vendors. The mall's 220-store Gold Souk is an elaborately decorated area used for special events by the UAE Royal Family and other dignitaries, in addition to serving as an impressive entertainment area for mall visitors.

The Gold Souk features a 75ft diameter domed super high-resolution projection screen (designed by Salt Lake City-based Evans and Sutherland Digital Theaters Group) raised 40ft above the floor, which necessitated powerful and clear audio. The design of the area presented acoustical challenges, all of which were met with a custom system featuring EAW AX Series Loudspeakers and some architectural solutions. The system was designed by Indianapolis, IN-based firm Bowen Technovation.

Because of the v

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UK - Speed is a dangerous imperative where rigging is concerned, yet there is an ever-growing demand for fast efficient turnover of productions. Echo Arena Liverpool, part of Arena and Convention Centre Liverpool (ACC Liverpool), the most recent addition to the UK's circuit of large-scale indoor events venues, has addressed this demand head on.

"The rigging grid system installed over the stage, and repeated above the centre of the arena floor, is second to none in terms of sheer utility and speed of operation," says David Bond of Star Events Group. "It has the reduction of Working at Height hours at its core."

The grid system was installed and is operated on behalf of the Echo Arena by Star Events Group; the control and hoist system used to move it comes from Lift Turn Move (LTM), a specialist entertainment rigging hardware supplier based close by in the Wi

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UK - When the Bird College in Sidcup, a leading training centre for dance and theatre performance, needed to adapt one of their dance studios to allow it to be easily transformed into a performance space and back, it was to entertainment lighting supplier White Light that they turned.

"The college required us to provide a versatile rig that would allow the space to be transformed from a dance studio into a theatre space and back again" notes Matt Stridgen, White Light's projects co-ordinator responsible for the Bird College installation. "This required the installation of a new lighting grid and lighting infrastructure together with tracking and drapes to allow the space itself to be varied."

The new installation is based around an 8m by 7.5m internally-wired lighting grid featuring 20 15A sockets as well as a DMX outlet for control of automated lighting or

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UK - A.C. Audio has recently supplied a sound and control system to Blackpool Pleasure Beach for their latest outdoor display, the Spectacular Dancing Water Show. The new high energy, interactive water display is situated at the heart of the beach complex, providing various theatrical showers of shooting fountains over 100ft high. It is choreographed to a wide repertoire of music including classical, pop and even rugby anthems.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach approached A.C. to specify and supply a powerful, durable sound system for the water show. The system needed to be able to withstand both the wet environment and high ambient noise levels emanating from the surrounding restaurant district. Knowing KV2 Audio had previously manufactured loudspeakers to such high levels of durability, A.C. Audio sales manager Peter Butler turned to KV2 with the brief.

"The reliability o

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UK - Wonderworks has created a ghostly hologram within the new £1m permanent exhibition, Uncovering Origins, at Charles Darwin's Down House In Kent. Forming part of the bicentennial celebrations of the great scientist's birth, it was created in conjunction with Paradigm AV.

Wonderworks was contracted by design consultancy, Designmap, who created the exhibition for English Heritage. The Darwin hologram is set in faithful recreation of his cabin on the Beagle. MDM Props (Designmap's build partner on the project) realised the cabin interior. Having partnered Wonderworks many times in the past, Paradigm AV was brought in to work on the elaborate fabrication.

It was at Down House that Darwin lived with his devoted family for 40 years, and it was here that he researched and wrote his most famous and seminal work, On the Origin of Species.

The new exhibition cha

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USA Full Sail University has invested in 13 Audient ASP8024 desks in its Recording Arts department. 12 24-channel Audient consoles have been installed in what is known as the Analogue Mix Lab and the thirteenth is set up in the lecture room.

Greg Griffith, sound foundations course director at Full Sail University, reports, "Each station, including the one in the lecture room has a full patchbay, is loaded with time-based and dynamics processors and a hard disk based multi-track, enabling class demonstrations to be shown on the same equipment that the students will use in the lab."

Eric Abraham, console department chair at Full Sail University, says, "The ASP8024 consoles are being used in the Sound Foundations course, which is the first course in which the students get to deal with a true inline recording console. The students learn signal flow and the recording

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USA - North Davis Church of Christ in Arlington recently replaced its loudspeaker system with three Renkus-Heinz Iconyx digitally steerable arrays in a configuration designed to complement the church's new video screens as the first stage of a complete sanctuary renovation.

The church's congregation has grown continually since its foundation on a vacant lot in 1907, but a capella vocal music continues to be a strong part of its tradition. Minister of Music and Worship D. J. Bulls, a prominent arranger whose choral and worship arrangements are sung in churches across the country, directs the praise teams and the Celebration Choir, and also coordinates media for worship assemblies.

Taipale Media Systems (TMS) designed the new systems. Principal consultant Curt Taipale, who measured the highly reverberant room, says: "This is a 1000 seat, 220 degree-wide fan-shaped auditoriu

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UK - In order to keep up with the demands of the international business community, seeking ever more sophisticated AV facilities within their premium four- and five-star hotels, the Radisson Edwardian Group is developing extended and technically advanced conference spaces, with provision to show HD content to large groups, and host video-conferencing forums.

Over the past few years its project technical team, including IT director Iype Abraham and technical services manager, Scott Bradley, have been working with integrators, Visual Systems Sales Ltd (part of Myriad Audio Visual Group), to evolve the concept for their principle theatres, and this includes a pristine audio signal path, delivered by the BSS Soundweb London digital processing.

As a result, the master scheme created for the five-star May Fair Hotel, is now being rolled out, and this month Visual Systems project con

  1. Tulsa Mabee Centre refurbished with D.A.S.
  2. ArtEZ conservatory installs Dreamline system
  3. PEL has designs on McDonald's restaurants
  4. Outline chosen for Healing Place Church
  5. CSS completes educational installations
  6. Northern Light updates another Cornish theatre
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