Germany - Since being launched 18 months ago, Apex's Intelli-X² processors have become a fixture for a wide range of touring bands, musicals and festivals. Now the company has brought all the high end features of Intelli-X² to the installation market with the Intelli-Z², which is being launched at ProLight+Sound 2012.

Exhibiting in Hall 8.0, Stand C40, Apex recognises that processors for fixed installations, such as theatres and conference venues, are often located in amplifier or control racks which are not necessarily easy to access. Utilising the full power of Apex Intelli-Ware

Russia - The historic stage of the foremost Russian theatre has reopened after six years of renovation and restoration. The original acoustics and the 'golden' curtain were restored, and the total area of the theatre was doubled to 72,000sq.m. The theatre has not only been given new life, it has become one of the most technically advanced in the world.

During his recent tour of the renovated building, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev used the word "fantastic" to describe the external architectural features and technological level of the equipment installed in the Bolshoi.

Belgium - Robe Robin 300 LEDWash moving lights have been purchased by Belgian national broadcaster VRT (Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep) and installed at their studio complex in Brussels

The initial batch of 42 fixtures were delivered by Robe's Benelux distributor Controllux, in a package co-ordinated by Belgian sales manager Bram de Clerck, and specified for the TV station by their head of technical Johan Bosmans.

He had been impressed after seeing LEDWash 300s in action on shows, and they also came highly recommended by a number of others, including leading Belgian TV lighting d

Russia - Green Hippo are making a substantial push into the Russian market with their recent sale of ten Hippotizer HD media servers to Big Screen Service in Russia.

Head of sales, Samantha Bailey, comments, "Big Screen Service are an important contact for us in Russia. They are involved in some major projects and we are very excited to have them on board as professional Hippotizer users in this area."

Based in Moscow, Big Screen Service was formed in 2001 and is a leading rental supplier of video display systems. The company deals with LED products, video projection and m

USA - It's not often a sound company is asked to specify a full PA system and backline for a US Navy aircraft carrier, let alone to look after it on its cruise from Hawaii to San Diego, but that's exactly what US audio providers Mambo Sound and Broadcast Support were tasked with last month, and they chose dBTechnologies for the job.

Specifying the light but powerful DVA T12 line array was not a difficult decision for Mambo Sound's Steve McNeil. "Our friends at Broadcast Support already have a DVA T4 rig, so we knew it was reliable. It also needed to be light weight to keep the fr

Indonesia - The Phantom of the Opera made its first appearance in Indonesia in February and March after touring the world for the last 10 years and setting the world's weekly box office record.

The Phantom of the Opera is the first international musical production Jakarta has seen in a long time. Produced by the Joyce Agency Of New York City and promoted by Big Daddy Entertainment, the show was staged at the intimate Nusa Indah Theatre Hall and was reinforced by a Turbosound Flex Array sound system supplied by Indonesia's biggest audio rental company, Sumber Ria.

Turbo

UK - Unusual Rigging is providing the infrastructure to ensure that Cameron Mackintosh's spectacular new touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera flies around the UK without a hitch.

Newly designed for the show's 25th anniversary, the tour will visit 10 cities over the next 13 months, having opened at Plymouth's Theatre Royal in March to rave reviews.

"Phantom is an extremely heavy show, weighing in at more than 25 tonnes," explains Unusual Rigging's senior project manager Simon Stone. "There's one piece of scenery downstage t

Australia - NIDA - Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art - is a centre of excellence in training for theatre, film and television. NIDA's primary role is to select and train exceptionally gifted young people at a tertiary level, preparing them for careers in theatre, film and television.

When it came to choosing moving lights for the students to train with, Philips Vari*Lite was the fixture of choice.

"We wanted to give the students experience of moving lights but they had to be good ones," commented Marcus Kelson, technical manager at NIDA. "Consequently we

USA - Founded in 1861 with close ties to Wheaton College, College Church has achieved a reputation as one of the most influential churches in America.

The stunning Georgian Revival-style building on Washington Street that the church calls home was built around two decades ago. It's an architectural gem that boasts high glass ceilings, soaring columns, and a U-shaped wrap-around balcony. The room's acoustics provide a wonderful complement for the piano, pipe organ, and choir that typically accompany most services. But that same architecture has represented a long-standing challenge for

Tanzania - Billed as 'the friendliest festival on the planet', Sauti za Busara is the highlight of the annual music calendar in Tanzania. The East African event takes place over five days in February and this year attracted 400 musicians from across the continent. With a dedicated DiGiCo SD8 console at the Front of House position, an eclectic range of music was enjoyed by an enthusiastic audience.

The festival takes place on the island of Zanzibar, with the main stage at the historic Old Fort in Stone Town. Four consecutive nights of non-stop, eight hour live performances meant that u

UK - The performing arts are a vital part of life for girls at the Notre Dame School in Cobham. So when the Governors took the major decision to create a new theatre, members of the school's Performing Arts Committee enrolled help not only of Sisters, pupils, parents and teachers to contribute to the planning and realisation of the new facility, but also called in theatre consultants, Theatreplan, from the start.

Although the construction cost was set at £2.4m, it was a tight budget for a project of this scale. Set within London's green belt, the new building required the demoli

Russia - The historic Theatre of Nations in Moscow, which has re-opened after a lengthy reconstruction, has been equipped by DOKA Center with a large ADB Lighting installation, including the first ADM Eurodim Twin Tech dimmer installation in Russia.

The Theatre of Nations was established in 1987 under the name of Theatre of Friendship of Nations and in 1991 was renamed the State Theatre of Nations.

Its intensive production activities include developing and producing a variety of theatre projects, organising international and national festivals, presenting the best Russian and intern

UK - Devon-based drapes, starcloth, LED and visual effects specialists S+H Technical Support provided a massive 238m wide by 9m drop of their ShowLED RGB Chameleon Starcloth, which was used on the high profile 2012 Olivier Awards.

The annual event was staged in the main auditorium of the Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden. S+H were contacted by Lee Batty, head of production for event organisers, the Society of London Theatre.

He was looking for a striking backdrop and a full leg and border dressing solution for the stage, and had previously used S+H's products, most recentl

Germany - The conversion of Britz Castle in Berlin-Neukölln into a new cultural centre, was recently completed, and includes a 300-capacity concert and theatre hall, installed with Allen & Heath's iLive digital mixing system.

The spec was for a future-proof digital system that could easily be used by sound engineers of guest productions. It also needed to be portable to service not just the hall but other areas in the venue, and flexible and simple to configure, with the option to have wireless control for smaller events.

The iLive system comprises a Dante-enabled iDR-32 MixRac

USA - When it was ready to upgrade its Meyer Sound MSL-3 loudspeakers of more than two decades at its 2,472-seat Andrew Jackson Hall, the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) in Nashville chose Meyer Sound again, this time a system based on the M'elodie line array loudspeaker.

"The MSL-3s had served us well since the mid-80s," says Larry Bryan, TPAC's chief audio engineer. "But we were ready to step into the 21st century with the latest Meyer Sound line array technology."

As typically deployed, the system comprises left and right flown arrays of 16 M'elodie lo

UK - The National Theatre of Scotland (NTS) have recently invested in seven Chroma-Q Color Force 48" / 1.2m LED battens to provide wash lighting effects for their various stage productions, including Knives in Hens and An Appointment with the Wicker Man.

The Glasgow based theatre received a grant from the Wolfson Foundation to replace their existing cyc lights with energy-efficient LED versions. They wanted a high quality, powerful and easy to set up LED lighting solution.

Head of lighting, Paul Claydon and technical manager, Niall Black conducted extensive resear

Lebanon - New venue Life is one of the largest in Beirut, hosting 1,500 people in its indoor area with a large motorised, retractable roof, and double that number in its open-air area.

Maurice Salloum, sound engineer and co-owner of Life, chose the sound system as well as the right company to complete the installation. Having a long-term relation with Beirut-based Hi Fi Service, Salloum knew he is in safe hands: "I wanted an unparalleled system for our venue," he says, "a system that can generate high SPLs and at the same time produce an excellent sound. Additionally, I

UK - A.C. Special Projects (ACSP) have recently completed the design, supply and installation of a sound, AV and lighting system at the new Moyes Centre @ DYCA (the David Young Community Academy) in Leeds.

The first Academy of its kind to open in Leeds, DYCA has pioneered the development of new, innovative and engaging methods of teaching and learning. The Moyes Centre is a £3.35m new build created as part of the Government's (DCSF) £200m investment in creative co-location projects.

The programme is an initiative that has re-located various key community services to work

UK - Manchester's Dry Bar, a landmark of the city's trendy Northern Quarter since 1989 has carried out an interior upgrade in both the bar and its newly refurbished basement music venue 'Dry Live'. Situated below the bar, the venue was completely refurbished in 2010 with black and grey interior giving it an underground venue feel and now a brand new Martin Audio sound system has been installed.

Tasked with equipping the new Dry Live, experienced local specialists Masons, and their system design engineer Jack Jennings, chose a Martin Audio Blackline H3H+ horn-loaded solution as best fi

USA - Oregon's Portland Centre for the Performing Arts (PCPA) has upgraded the lighting system in its Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall with 36 ETC Selador Classic Vivid-R LED luminaires. And by installing the fixtures, the venue expanded its colour capabilities, reduced its energy usage and earned cash incentives from Energy Trust of Oregon to put toward the fixtures' purchase.

Energy Trust offers cash incentives to commercial, municipal and institutional businesses throughout that state that upgrade dated equipment to energy-efficient technology. To qualify for the incentives, one requi

Romania - The impressive Timisoara National Theatre in Romania stands within the Palace of Culture, an arts centre conceived in the Viennese style by architects Hellmerand Felmer, and was opened in 1875 at the height of the Belle Époque. The horseshoe auditorium conforms to the traditional three balcony format, and the stage these days welcomes classical theatre, musical drama, childrens' theatre, and some challenging contemporary works. It has most recently welcomed a small German intrusion, not that this was challenging, but was apparently one that has been on its wish list for

Finland - During the darkest days of winter, Helsinki brightens the nights in an event called Lux Helsinki. This year's event featured a series of architectural lighting installations and fine art performances around town designed to enchant the eye and illuminate the soul.

Lighting consoles from High End Systems, a Barco company, were in command of one of Helsinki's most visible landmarks - the Olympic Stadium Tower - which was transformed into a light installation called the Variant Spectrum.

Lighting designer Jukka Huitila of Sun Effects created the spectrum of colour usin

UK - GDS and Gloucestershire-based Chinnick Theatre Services (CTS) recently commissioned a complete re-fit of the Bacon Theatre's house light system.

The Bacon Theatre sits in the grounds of Dean Close School in Cheltenham. Built in 1991 it owes its name to Mr Christopher Bacon, former headmaster of the independent School. Mr Bacon fundraised tirelessly to build the Bacon Theatre which is used as a resource by Dean Close School pupils as well as hosting the best of professional touring theatre, live music, dance, film and accommodating local talented youth, community groups and charit

UK - Sitting at the heart of Belfast's historic shipyard stands the UK's latest tourist attraction, the iconic Titanic Belfast building. This is an interactive insight into the history of The RMS Titanic. There are nine galleries which take you through the life of the Titanic from its concept to the sinking 100 years ago and its influence up to modern times.

Officially opened on 31March 2012, the building was designed around many maritime themes including the ship's hull.

With large numbers of the public expected, and their safety a priority (as well as that of the staff), it was de

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