Sales of CD albums continued to fall in 2009, dropping by 6.1%. Digital income now represents over 20% of overall recorded music revenues, taking into account earnings from online downloads alongside mobile, subscriptions and advertising-supported services. An unprecedented 4.22 m
A key development for PLASA 2010 has been the enthusiastic return of major brands in both the pro audio and AV sectors, with a marked increase in the number of pro audio companies committing to stands.
One such company is Electro-Voice, exhibiting again after a one-year absence. Sean Maxwell, sales director at Shuttlesound, commented, "It's fantastic to be returning to the PLASA Show, a major international event where we see a huge number of our distributors
ETC's Polish distributor Prolight installed a Congo jr control desk and 144 channels of SmartPack dimming in the theatre, which, according to its founder and director, Micha? ?ebrowski, promises to be a 'theatre without exclusion'. Unusually for Poland, the theatre is privately owned and run - in this case, its founder is also a famous Polish actor.
Prolight's sales director Rados?aw Zacheja says, "Congo is the most popular control desk in Poland, not just because it is easy to learn and use, but also because we translated the interface into Polish, making it the
The fixtures are truss mounted over the stage and dancefloor in this privately owned, 110-capacity venue to meet a design by Dmitri Volovik, Broadway's technical director.
PR Lighting heads were chosen for their reliability, since they would be operating seven days a week, and the fact that they met all the requirements to enrich a wide range of shows.
According to distributor Rostislav Serishev of Asia Trade Company the client liked their price/quality ratio and was impressed by the excellent flood effect of the XLED590 - which provides an extremely powerful wash under the command of a Martin Pro Light Jockey.
The distributors firs
To transmit feeds wirelessly during the weekly events taking place at the Meydan horse racetrack the company used the combination of receivers and transmitters from the UHF-R series. Together with additional directional paddle antennas, the technical team transmitted feeds over a range of 300m between the grand stand area and the makeshift towers that were housing the PA system beside the large LED screen.
"Almoe Rentals have been a regular user of Shure wireless systems over the years," commented Richie Hiranandani, marketing manager. "The additional UHF-R systems purchased together with the Wireless Wor
KORA Awards is the manifestation of an all-encompassing vision for Africa of the executive producer for the event, Ernest Adjovi and his dedication to overcoming the logistical demands of bringing a show of this scale to Burkina Faso.
It was the first time that the colourful K event had been staged outside South Africa. The show was directed for TV by Clive Morris and distributed via CFI (Canal France International) across Africa, France and parts of the US via 100 TV channels, as well as being enjoyed live by 3000 guests. David Bloch was stage director.
The Gearhouse team of 28 was project managed by Eyal Y
Moto Audio Sales, which has worked with DR on sound design for the concert hall since 2004, initially delivered and installed an L-Acoustics announcement system of Kudo line source and 12XT and 115XT HiQ coaxial speakers, as the venue was designed first and foremost for acoustic classical music. After completion of the concert hall, it became clear that there was a requirement to stage other styles of musical events. Last autumn, Moto Audio Sales was asked to redesign and extend the PA system to make it suitable for amplified music.
The new speaker system consists of six Kudo large format and 32 Kiva ultra compact line source cabinets with 12 Kilo low frequency extension bo
The £12.5m project includes the refurbishment of the existing Pump House and the construction of a four storey extension alongside it, with old and new buildings joined together by a spectacular glass walkway.
Event producers Walk The Plank commissioned DBN's Stephen Page to produce the concept and the work, which involved more than 80 individual LED lighting fixtures. These were strategically positioned in various locations inside the building, to be viewed externally by the public via a patchwork of windows on the river side of the building.
Walk the Plank completed the launch week's visual picture with the installation of a flame jet system on top of the roof, which work
Liz Berry and the students were delighted with this new collaboration. "The students were very surprised at the brightness of both the fixtures and learned a lot from using them in their shows," says Berry. "They were especially impressed by the I
Developed in conjunction with Sony Australia, Dubology owner Ivan Ordenes has created a comprehensive facility in a vehicle measuring just 5.8m long by 2.8m high, making it suitable to work in the most restricted of spaces.
"The DubMobile was the culmination of a long term plan to create a multi-purpose mobile control room and recording rig," says Ordenes who has worked with top bands including Oasis and Metallica. "We chose the DS-00 for its power and performance to handle complicated audio situations.
"Another advantage is that DiG
The 2.8 acre waterfront park was recently regenerated by the City of Norfolk in a project aimed at enhancing the experience of visitors and residents choosing to spend their leisure time downtown. Norfolk is replete with a selection of restaurants, vibrant night life, aesthetically appealing residential and commercial buildings, historical landmarks and museums, with Town Point Park right at its core.
It is located right in Chesapeake Bay on the Elizabeth River with panoramic views of the surrounding cities, and is also the home of frequent festivals, events and concerts produced by the city's busy event planning organisation, Norfolk FestEvents.
The City of Norfolk called in Blue Steel Lighting Design from Virginia
Liberty Acoustics was entrusted with the task of performing the installation. Supported by Dynacord's's partners in the region, AVL, the team from Liberty Acoustics installed, for the first time in any Dubai club, a fully digital control platform. Its nerve centre is a P 64 Digital Audio Matrix Manager.
This network-capable and freely configurable audio system controller offers not only the live bands but also the DJs making guest appearances in the club a wide range of possibilities: the entire audio system is configurable, remote controlled and also supervised remotely by means of the IRIS-Net software. "It's the P 64 and IRIS-Net that does all the work in the club," says Liberty Acoustics MD Mark Legaspi. "The DSP system spares those responsible a great deal of time a
Mike Phillips, project manager and audio engineer at Fidelity, which did the system design and integration at the sports bar, chose the Xantech LM110RP Smartpad3 Single Gang Keypad Controller to enable the system to allow patrons at each booth in the lounge to control their own A/V content. In addition, the Xantech CSPLCD64 Commercial Touchscreen Display was also integrated into the system.
Fidelity Sound Reinforcement installed a dozen LM110 push-button controllers in the lounge, one at every booth. The LM110 offers those seated in the booth the ability to call up any ch
Contestants for the 2009 awards showcased a wide variety of new products and product applications from the simplest problem solver to complex uses of technology that extended the boundaries of the entertainment technology field. Project nominations showcased everything from the lighting of the Grand Mosque to the staging of the Democratic National Convention and highlighted the collaborative nature of our industry.
Nominations may be made by anyone in the industry, but an ESTA member must be involved as the de
Refurbished and modernised, the facility consists of Mixing Studios One, Two and Three, Studio Four an ADR studio, Studio Five, the TV Mixing Studio and Studio Six which is another ADR Studio.
At the heart of the facility is the flagship Studio One. Originally designed by Munro Acoustics, the Munro team as re-called after the fire to re-design and re-fit the facility.
Munro Acoustics director Andy Munro says, "Although the circumstances were unfortunate, this has been a great opportunity to bring the largest mixing theatre in Soho up to the highest standards with the acoustic modifications resulting in a tighter, more focused sound. This is one of
The state-of-the-art building offers a diverse programme of quality performances. It is the newest addition to Newtownabbey Borough Council's HQ, and is located in the Civic Square area at the back of the renovated Mossley Mill, a former 19th century flax mill.
Locally based PSI tendered and won the contract to equip the theatre against stiff competition. They worked to the specification of consultants Theatre Plan and closely with the venue's technical manager, Mick Draine. PSI also supplied technician Alan Clarke for the full fit up period and the first few weeks of operation, to ensure that all things technical went smoothly.
PSI's Brian Reilly says, "We were delighted to win this contract. Thea
The Attenborough Studio is part of the new Darwin Centre, which opened to the public in September 09, and is probably the most significant expansion at the Natural History Museum since it moved to South Kensington in 1881. The Attenborough Studio is a communication centre where innovation technology, Museum specimens, live animals, spectacular natural history film footage and Museum scientists come together to create a programme of free daily films and live events for t
Hosting many one night theatre shows and a host of interesting music gigs, they wanted a multi-functional console that would be good for busking and fast programming 'on-the-fly' as well as for handling detailed pre-programmed shows.
grandMA was initially recommended to the Albany by lighting designer Lawrence Stromski, and originally they thought it would be beyond their budgets, but then Greenhill and Wallace took the opportunity to check out what MA had to offer at PLASA 2009. Here they saw grandMA2 in action and were se
Hawthorn were also involved in Walk the Walk's new challenge this year, the Celebrity SunWalk in Southampton, created to celebrate the naming and launch of the new Celebrity Eclipse cruise ship.
For the two MoonWalks involving nearly 30,000 'MoonWalkers', Hawthorns provided lighting, sound, staging, rigging, power distribution and for the first year Video which was installed into De Boer's massive 'pink palace', a 150m x 60m Galaxy structure.
Three artics of lighting, sound, rigging, power distro, video and site services made their way to Hyde Park for the main structure and ancillary marquees, including six main generators and over 10 miles of cable to supply the marquees, 300 toilets and
The most important inspiration for the designers of the Belgo-European Pavilion was the image of a neuron. This image, the 'Brain Cell', represents the central position of Belgium in the heart of Europe and showcases the great cultural diversity present in all major cities of Belgium. To enhance this overwhelming image of Belgium, PRG chose Barco's outdoor black LED displays, the TF-16BK.
The entrance features one 30sq.m screen, integrated in the glass facade, showing a combination of video clips an
Marjon Franken of the Dutch ShowTex office comments, "The curtains and stage motion systems had to be gorgeous and versatile for this show. Each of the 39 performances had their own look and feel. Thomas Nysveen, Kirsten Weltzin, Bonsak Schieldrop, Audun Stjern and Trond Olav Erga from this year's host broadcaster NRK the Norsk Rikskringkasting created the stage."
The round stage featured a ShowTex Kabuki modular drop system, DekoSilk semi-sheer Venetia drapes and projection surfaces, Choucroute Heavy, PolyStretch dimensional sculptures, Molton CS backdrops, DekoTaft wall drapes, and ShowLED Chameleon RGB starcloth systems.
For the top Belgian entry by Tom Dice, Me and My Guitar, ShowTex Molton CS masked light perfectly and ShowLED
Located above the venue's main doors, the screen comprises 63 panels of Lighthouse P12-ER screen, in a 9 x 7 panel (14.4 9(w) x 8.4m (h)) landscape format. It is mounted on a steel framework, which was designed and installed by local company Stage Design, with Lighthouse Europe installing the screen itself.
"The Concert Hall's management had seen Lighthouse P12-ER panels at other installations and knew about its tremendous potential as an advertising medium," says Lighthouse project engineer Olaf Mineo, who oversaw the installation together with
Hawthorns were responsible for the design and installation of the technical infrastructure for the main hall/theatre, drama studio and recording studio under head of installs, Alan Jackson.
In the main hall/theatre Hawthorns installed a lighting system comprising of Zero 88 dimmers and control, Selecon lanterns and internally wired bars and facility panels manufactured by Doughty Engineering. Along with the lighting system an integrated sound and video system was installed along with an AMX control interface. Martin Audio speakers, an Allen and Heath IDR and an Allen and Heath GL
Abbey Road Studios engineer Jonathan Allen, who undertook test recordings with the AX24 before Abbey Road purchased the units, comments, "For the last few years, the Abbey Road Mobile Recording unit has been looking to create affordable recording and editing packages without compromising on quality. Key to this was our search for a unit which had world-class digital converters, great built-in mic amps and the ability to run MADI back to the control room. The DAD AX24 not only ticked these boxes but made one of the best arguments for working at higher sampling frequencies."
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