UK - As the largest co-educational boarding school in the UK, Millfield School in Somerset recently commissioned a fully-featured concert hall, the focal point of a newly-developed £12 million music block. The public school brought in Arup Acoustics, who became responsible for sound containment and acoustic optimisation, while Stirling Trading were awarded the contract to specify and fit out the auditorium and provide other music facilities.

Andrew Stirling managed the project personally, specifying a Nexo PS15 system to meet the diverse programme requirements, ranging from orchestral recitals to rock concerts. "The brief for the concert hall was to provide a good quality utility sound reinforcement system that would principally fulfil the vocal requirement," said Stirling. "It needed to be sufficiently powerful without being overly-intrusive, and so we opte

UK - Stuart Myles, technical manager of the Coade Hall theatre - part of Bryanston School in Dorset - has declared himself "blown away" by their new ETC Congo desk, recently purchased through dealer Stage Electrics.

Myles explains: "We looked at several desks within our price range and Congo was the one that fitted our needs and requirements. It offers us the ability to run generic lights for theatrical shows in a traditional way, while also enabling us to bolt on the moving lights when we do rock concerts. We also really like the fact that the software updates, which ETC brings out on a regular basis, are free of charge, so as a growing school theatre, we are confident that Congo will grow with us.

"ETC's Jeremy Roberts came to demonstrate the desk to us, and it was not long after we first took delivery that our 15 to 18 year old stage crew were flying aro

UK - Stage One has recently taken delivery of a Routech Chronos CNC machining centre, a nine tonne, five-axis machine with a working size of 3m x 1.5m x a 800mm Z height - one of only four in the UK.

This technology enables Stage One to machine out both scenery and 3D objects such as moulds or sculptural pieces, in wood or plastic, with the utmost precision, making "an astonishing variety of 3D models a possibility and allowing the company to offer a rapid prototyping service to customers.

"Machines such as these have been used in other industries, such as furniture making for some time," says Stage One production director Chris Augur. "We believe, however, that this machine is unique to our industry and added to our portfolio, will allow us to provide yet another exclusive service for our clients; in fact it has already caused quite a stir."

Purchas

USA - Blues System's North American debut at USITT, Phoenix was a great success, according to the company. The product range, manufactured in the UK by Global Design Solutions and specifically designed for backstage lighting applications in the working theatre, won the PLASA 2006 Innovations Award at its European launch last year and Blues System has already been installed at various venues in Europe.

TMB has been appointed the exclusive distributor for Blues System in the Americas, Asia and the Middle East. Said Chris Curran, TMB's architectural sales director: "Blues System is truly one of those 'why didn't I think of that?' new products. It solves many backstage lighting problems as well as offering options that were previously impractical. We were almost overwhelmed by the positive response at USITT and also by the various possible new applications that arose during con

Greece - Chios has long been considered one of the most beautiful Aegean islands. Now, with the 1,200 capacity Palazzo club, Chios has gained a new attraction. In addition to an elegant ambience, the club boasts a Dynacord alpha sound system.

To ensure that the dance floors of the 1,200 capacity Palazzo remain packed at all times, the management regularly brings in internationally famous DJs from abroad to relieve the house roster.

Club manager Tsatsalis Leonidas comments, "Whilst in terms of location and ambience, the Palazzo can easily hold its own with the best in Greece, it's our sound system that really sets us apart. There we really are setting new standards, as we've been told now, repeatedly, by visiting DJs."

The sound system that gives the Palazzo the edge is an alpha system from Dynacord. In use now in many of the world's top discotheques (including the

USA - Utilising JBL Professional PD Series loudspeakers, Westbury National Show Systems designed and installed the audio system at the new Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, IL. The 11,000-seat arena opened in October 2006, and has already hosted concerts by Bob Dylan and Duran Duran. The Sears Centre is also the new home of the Chicago Hounds (United Hockey League), the Chicago Storm (Major Indoor Soccer League), the Chicago Shamrox (National Lacrosse League) and the Chicago Slaughter (Continental Indoor Football League).

The seating area of the Sears Centre is arranged in a horseshoe pattern, to which Westbury National designed the system accordingly. Four clusters of three JBL PD5212/64 loudspeakers were placed along the north and south sides, while two clusters of two were hung in the northwest and southwest corners. Additionally, two clusters of three PD5212/64's are located

Sweden - Studer has taken an order for one of its compact Vista 5 digital audio consoles from a new venue attached to the Stadsteater in Gothenborg, the first in Scandinavia to choose the Vista 5 as a front-of-house mixing desk. The sale of the first Swedish Vista 5 has been followed by the appointment of a new distributor in Sweden, LydRommet Sverige A/B.

The Vista 5 console is destined for the Backa Teater company, part of the Gothenborg City Theatre, or Stadsteater, and generally regarded as one of the most interesting and attractive theatre groups in Sweden. Music plays a large role in its live productions and there are five musicians working permanently in the group.

In 1989, the Backa company moved into a reconstructed factory on the Hisingen Island close to the central parts of Gothenburg, but, after eighteen years in that building, the City of Gothenburg has decided to

USA - February 2007 saw the Indianapolis Colts beat the Chicago Bears by 29 points to 17 ensuring the most prestigious National Football League (NFL) Superbowl trophy, making its way from east coast to the Midwest states. And Lighthouse screens were an integral part of the format showcasing the ultra-fine resolution all over the country through CBS Sports broadcasting. Shining brightest of all - on what proved to be a wet and miserable evening in the Dolphins Stadium, Miami - was a Lighthouse R4 4mm LED screen.

Bringing all the actions to a worldwide television audience of millions, CBS television's open-sided pitch-side television studio saw host Dan Marino joined by former American football players-turned-pundits Jim Brown, Shannon Sharpe and Boomer Esiason.

Used to display the game's score and NFL graphics, the Lighthouse 4mm screen was arranged three panels wide by one pan

UK - At the Guild Hall in Preston, Adlib Audio has completed the design and installation of an ultra-flexible sound reinforcement system, despite the challenges of the infrastructure. The result cleverly addresses the changing needs of the venue, using available technology from Nexo and custom designs from Kelsey Acoustic, as it hosts a huge variety of productions and events both theatre style and in-the-round.

Built in 1972 to mark the Guild Celebrations of that year, the Guild Hall and Charter Theatre is one of Britain's most successful multi-purpose, entertainment, exhibition and conference centres, and is now renowned internationally for its presentation of entertainment and major indoor sporting events. The auditorium, which has an adaptable stage area, can accommodate more than 2000 people for a concert or theatre production. It is also used for high-profile sporting compe

UK - When Sheriff Taylor set out to convert the Settle Down basement bar in London's affluent Kensington into a venue seeking A-list celebrities, he wanted to create an opulent environment split into three separate areas. Two distinct 'satellite' lounges - the 80-capacity Cocktail Bar and 120-capacity Champagne Bar - would operate off the main club area, which holds a maximum of 300 people.

The interior creation of this £1 million project was entrusted to Siberian designer, Valentina Druzhinina. Each of the rooms is delineated by different chandeliers and a different colour scheme - white for the Cocktail Bar, a warmer brown for the Champagne Bar and black granite and black marble in the main room, with textured black Ulf Moritz wallpaper and curtains.

For their audio requirements, the club contacted residential/home theatre specialists Audio Venue, who were already know

UK - Justin Hawkins has purchased a Pro Tools / ICON Console system from HHB. Comprising a 32-fader ICOND-Control console, Pro Tools HD3, extensive storage and a full suite of plug-ins,the system forms the heart of the former Darkness frontman's new recording facility in North West London.

"The HHB team has been great to deal with right from the start," reports Hawkins. Commenting for HHB, Greg Wheeler says "Everyone at HHB particularly enjoyed working on this project. The new studio looks and sounds great, and we wish Justin every success."

(Jim Evans)

Germany - The German contemporary restaurant franchise Café 7 has opened its latest franchise featuring fully integrated lighting control from Zero 88. Style and branding are core to Café 7's philosophy and part of their franchise agreements is to maintain their distinctive ambience and style. During the day they operate as cosy café's but as evening approaches Café 7's evolve into relaxed bars offering a range of international wines and cuisines.

For its fourth franchise, which opened in Münster during February 2007, Cafe 7 chose Zero 88 for the lighting control. The management of the café needed a simple way for staff to seamlessly integrate ambient house lighting, colour changing LED and disco lighting effects. The combination of Chilli dimmers, remote panels and Frog-Box replay unit were chosen for their ease of installation, ease of use a

UK - Dolly Parton, one of the most honoured female country performers of all time, has unveiled a plaque of her handprints, which will be on permanent display in Wembley, London's Square of Fame. The ceremony took place as Parton prepared to go on stage for a sold-out performance at Wembley Arena, part of the singer's 17-city, 10-country European tour.

The legendary singer, songwriter and actress joins other iconic artists including Madonna, Cliff Richard, Status Quo, George Michael, Kylie Minogue and snooker champion Stephen Hendry in having a permanent cast of her hands in the Square of Fame. On unveiling her handprints, Parton commented: "It is wonderful to be performing here at Wembley and an honour to leave my handprints in the Square. I never realised just how small my hands are."

(Jim Evans)

Singapore - Only once every three years is the annual World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) meeting hosted outside Washington, D.C. In 2006, Singapore was chosen as the venue with about 16,000 delegates attending the meeting.

To accommodate them, 35 meeting rooms were equipped with audio visual equipment and conference microphones - with 14 of these rooms being exclusively equipped with Bosch DCN Next Generation simultaneous interpretation systems for up to nine languages.

The Danish company Teletech was selected as the sub-contractor for supplying the DCN Next Generation interpretation system and worked with the local AV supplier Showtec who installed the AV system.

(Jim Evans)

USA - The Duderstadt Center on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor boasts a recently overhauled, state-of-the-art audio recording studio.

At the heart of the Walters-Storyk Design Group renovation is a new API Vision console that allows its users to intelligently mix in both stereo and surround formats simultaneously.

David Greenspan, audio resources coordinator at the Center, comments, "We're effectively calibrating our students' ears and brains so that their baseline standard is pristine analogue sound. When they hear other technologies or manipulations, they'll be able to hear and mitigate artefacts. That was reason enough to get an API console. With the Vision however, students are also learning to explore and conceptualise movement in space and timeand to think in both stereo and surround at a fundamental level."

(Jim Evans)

UK - Academy Music Group Holdings have confirmed Live Nation, Inc. (Live Nation) and Gaiety Investments (Gaiety) have together completed the acquisition of a 56% interest in Academy Music Holdings Group (AMG) from RJD Partners.

Bob Angus (Metropolis Music) and Simon Moran (SJM Concerts), leading promoters in the UK music industry, have also considerably increased their shareholding in Academy Music Group to forty four percent (44%), under the terms of the deal.

Academy Music Group owns and operates 12 live music venues across the UK. Its venue capacities range from 250 to 5,000 and include the multi-award winning Carling Academy Brixton (London), Shepherd's Bush Empire (London) and Carling Academy Islington (London), with further concert venues in Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool, Birmingham, Bristol, Oxford and Brighton.

Metropolis Music and SJM Concerts are responsible for pr

Australia - GUZ BOX design + audio has provided an acoustic opinion to determine the suitability of the venue for speech and special events for the MPOWERdome in Fadden. The structure is a large aluminium and fabric structure covering eight indoor tennis courts and a centrally located two-storey building containing reception, pro shop, amenities and a mezzanine café with viewing areas.

The building is approximately 156m long, 38m wide and 13m high and is the largest structure of its type in Australia. It is constructed of large extruded aluminium portal frames with tensioned PVC fabric providing all-weather protection of the sports surfaces. The PVC fabric allows diffuse sunlight during the day and provides a reflective surface for illumination of sport surfaces from specialised light fittings during night-time use.

Preliminary acoustic modelling highlighted long reverb

Mexico - From its first season, reality show La Academia (The Academy) has captivated the Latin American public with its star-in-the-making concept, and regularly dominates its time slot. For the show's fifth season, TV Azteca installed a new in-studio sound system based around Meyer Sound M'elodie ultracompact high-power curvilinear array loudspeakers.

The format of the show bears some resemblance to the US's American Idol, in that judges select a small group out of thousands of hopefuls to compete in a series of contests and rehearsals, and in the final rounds of competition, public voting determines the winner. The weekly competitions culminate with a concert taped in front of a live audience at Churubusco Studios, one of Latin America's largest and most prestigious film studios.

"We needed a speaker that would perfectly fit the studio's stage in terms of

USA - Production Resource Group, LLC, has named Paul Morrill account executive for the company's corporate and special events group. He will work out of PRG's offices in New York City.

Morrill will provide lighting, video, scenic and audio solutions for PRG clients in the northeast. His 20 years of entertainment design and production management experience covers a wide range of applications, including corporate and special events, concert tours, television and film productions, sports entertainment, and permanent installations.

A graduate of the School of the Arts at SUNY Purchase, Morrill holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theatre design and technology. He comes to PRG from Motion Laboratories Inc. where he was a systems designer for chain hoist control and portable power distribution systems.

"Paul brings a broad range of production experience to PRG. We are fort

Germany - As a direct result of the trend toward simplification in public address installations Klotz Digital has developed substantial innovations to its Varizone digital Public Address and Voice Evacuation system. The Munich based company introduced its new VAB-Line at the ProLight & Sound 2007 in Frankfurt.

VAB-Line is based on the new components VAB1 Controller (Voice Evacuation, Announcement, Background Music Controller) and I-PAM (Integrated Programmable Amplifier Module). The VAB-Line has been particularly developed for small and mid-sized applications, such as hotels, schools, hospitals, office buildings, department stores and other commercial applications of the same size.

VAB1 is the main component and core of a simplified plug & play Varizone solution. It handles up to 51 inputs and 32 outputs providing the opportunity to play-out 32 different channels, thereof 8 pe

UK - AV Matrix reports its continuing association with Martin Professional with a major investment in Martin effect lighting for its installation business. These lights will be used for the installation of various high profile nightclubs in the UK. Also, AV Matrix has expanded its stock of Martin lights in its rapidly expanding events department which caters for corporate events throughout the country, with further investment planned for 2007.

AV Matrix managing director Mark Parker comments, "Martin Professional offers a true partnership approach to business. Their product range is excellent and the back up and support is second to none. Over the next 12 months we are going to be investing substantial amounts of money new lighting stock as well as updating our current hire stock."

Benn Timbury, sales representative from Martin Professional comments, "It's a ple

UK - Marlborough School in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, has commissioned an Electro-Voice sound reinforcement system for its new performance centre. The new building is a self-contained conference, business, and performance centre for school and community use. The hall has a sprung wooden floor for dance activities, and theatre audio, lighting and projection facilities for drama, sound and conference presentation.

The School called on London-based sound and lighting installation company 10 Out Of 10 to recommend a sound reinforcement design for this high-ceilinged modern building with two glass walls. "Because the portable stage would always be used against one of the long walls, we could install lighting and sound positions in sensible locations without having to worry about creating a multi-format system," explains Paul Need of 10 Out of 10.

"This gave us the oppor

USA - Theatre Projects Consultants, Inc (TPC) has announced that Scott Crossfield has joined its US office. Crossfield has been a theatre consultant for 11 years and is a former principal of the theatre consulting firm Davis Crossfield Associates. At TPC he will specialise in auditorium design and theatre planning, working as a senior consultant in TPC's design department with John Coyne, director of design, and Brian Hall, principal theatre designer.

"I have been a long-time fan of TPC's work, which I believe is reflected in many of the theatres that I have designed, and thus my desire to work at TPC," explains Crossfield, "I am excited and proud to be joining the company, which I consider the best in the world. I am looking forward to sharing experiences, stories, and ideas and am especially looking forward to collaborating with such a talented group of people.&

Dubai - Following hot on the heels of the Dubai Desert Rock Festival, Shakira's sell-out concert at Dubai Autodrome has provided the curtain raiser for this year's Event 360 expo at PALME Middle East. Event 360 Exhibition Manager Jonathan Gadalla says that when the recent Dubai Philharmonic Orchestra concerts and Dubai Jazz Festival are added in, it illustrates just how far the industry in the region has developed.

"The Philharmonic Orchestra shows at the new Festival City recorded a huge turnout, indicating a real interest in the classical music market," he said. "On top of that, 25,000 people attended the Jazz Festival. It is evident from this that whether the music is classical, Latin American, heavy metal or jazz the level of appreciation is now unprecedented."

Some of the magic of show production will be introduced to the Dubai International Exhibition

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