Singapore - A Soundcraft GB8 40-channel mixing desk is at the hub of a Harman Pro church integration package in Singapore, designed and supplied by system contractor, Electronics and Engineering Pte Ltd (E&E).
Since Christ Methodist Church arrived in Singapore in the 1930s, it had been sharing its church premises with two other congregations for almost three decades. Today located on Singapore's East Coast Road, CMC has not only acquired and financed its own plot of land, but has taken steps to upgrade its sound systems at its congregation halls in the Sanctuary Hall, Berckman Hall and Sunday School Hall.
CMC knew they wanted to replace their existing low-quality MI speaker systems in the 600-capacity, highly-reverberant church with a high quality professional speaker system, and at the same time address the intelligibility problems of those seated at the back of the Church - below the low ceilings of both the ground floor and balcony - and opted for a JBL solution.
Working to a tight budget, E&E realised that the GB8 would provide excellent value-for-money for CMC, since it would facilitate both FOH and monitor mix control. The GB8 is purpose-designed not only for the limited budgets of churches and performing art venues but also its functionality - notably its fader control of group or aux outputs. The unique group mute function allows the on-board engineer to either mute all sounds from various sources or individually.
"The best part about this mixer," say E&E, "is that the alternate and recording outputs allow the church to undertake both
South Africa - Mike Goldberg, Selecon's sales and marketing director for Europe, recently announced the appointment of Electrosonic SA as its official distributor for South Africa.
Selecon said: "Duncan Riley of Electrosonic, together with his father Dan Riley, led the discussions resulting in this decision and both companies are looking forward to a successful collaboration in developing the theatre market in South Africa. It is our hope that this appointment will directly affect the specification, after-sales and back-up of Selecon products for the coming years and it seems that we are off to a good start."
Recently, Duncan has been responsible for successful Selecon sales at the State Theatre Pretoria, Origins Museum of Rock Art and the Cradle of Humankind at the Sterkfontein Caves and Interpretation Centre, recently opened by President Mbeki.
(Lee Baldock)
Belgium - "It was so easy to work with the Maxxyz that I actually had time to sleep!" Such was the comment from Maxxyz programmer/operator Steve Demarsin of Painting with Light after using the user friendly Martin lighting console on the Belgian theatre tour of Me and My Producer.
"I used another lighting board before, but for the Me and My Producer tour we decided to use the Maxxyz," says Demarsin. "We didn't have a lot of time for preparation so pre-programming and learning the Maxxyz was done in a matter of three days, thanks to the great support and the controller's ease of use. It was so easy to work with, that I actually had time to sleep! I'd like to thank Marc Colemont and Jo Van Geite at R&D International for their wonderful support."
Set and lighting design was by Luc Peumans of Painting with Light who used 13 MAC 600NT washlights and 12 MAC 550 profiles on the show as well as conventionals. Sound and lighting was supplied by Soundfield NV of Belgium.
The Me and My Producer tour began in November of 2005 and stars Belgian singer Natalia.
(Chris Henry)
UK - Large format projection specialists E/T/C UK used the Gielgud Theatre in London's Shaftesbury Avenue to provide preview demonstrations of a brand new software-based control system formulti-screen projection systems. The system, Onlyview, promises to save time and money for suppliers of projection projects.
At the same time, E/T/C UK also announced the fomation of a hire division, offering a stock of Barco R18 and Christie 25 high-power projectors, alongside its traditional PIGI scrolling film projectors.
Produced by the R&D department at E/T/C Audiovisuel in France, Onlyview allows easy, real-time creation of multi-screen video projections, with automatic control of overlapping and soft-edging. Aimed at events, conferences, spectaculars, TV production and fixed installations, Onlyview was created with the main aim of providing a highly creative tool, with real-time, immediate effects - avoiding lengthy rendering times completely.
The system can accept a high quality live video feed (HD or SD) and multiple media sources - including static image formats, video clips (AVI, MPEG2, QuckTime and swf) and sound files (WAV, AIFF and MP3); PSD (Adobe Photoshop) files can be imported as separate layers which can then be animated, and the system also includes an in-built text generator. Keystone correction is achieved via an easy-to-use draggable grid which can distort the image to fit virtually any surface orientation and contour. All effects can be created with timelines, all accessible at any time. Individual layers, or groups of layers, can be manipulated and tim
Germany - Martin Audio used the recent ProLight&Sound in Frankfurt to preview their new W8L Longbow - an evolution of the successful W8L line array system. Longbow brings a new level of performance to the most demanding sound reinforcement applications such as outdoor festivals, sports stadiums and the largest arenas.
Since the launch of the W8L, Martin Audio has developed a patent pending technology, which provides an exceptional degree of control over the curvature of the high frequency vertical wavefront. Research has shown that even very long-throw systems benefit from a small, but specific amount of wavefront curvature. By coupling this technology with significant advances in high frequency device design Martin Audio have created a quad-driver, high frequency system with an impressive 10dB greater output capability over the W8L.
This additional high frequency headroom allows the W8L Longbow to cope with the most adverse atmospheric conditions, which can severely attenuate high frequencies over long distances. The new high frequency system also results in improved HF summation of cabinets in the array and a corresponding reduction of side lobes.
In the low frequency section, the 15in (380mm) Hybrid bass horn design is responsible for the tight, punchy and extended low frequency performance of the W8L. Development of a completely new ultra-long excursion driver gives the W8L Longbow the ability to displace almost twice the volume of air as the W8L when driven with the same input signal. This advance lifts the already formidable low-end performance to a new l
Europe - Pathway Connectivity has announced that it will begin shipment of fully qualified RoHS-compliant products in the first quarter of 2006. The RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) directive, which is often referred to as Lead-Free legislation, is intended to restrict the use of not just lead, but a variety of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.
Compliance must be met for all products containing electrical or electronic components placed in the European Union market as of 1 July this year.
Pathway has a demonstrated commitment to protecting people and the environment and the company has been following the development of these directives for a number of years. In early 2004, Pathway began working on a RoHS compliance strategy. This included an evaluation of compliance as well as component substitution and re-engineering where necessary to incorporate only components and manufacturing processes that meet the RoHS directive. Additionally, all relevant Pathway staff have undergone RoHS training.
(Lee Baldock)
UK - A Studer Vista 8 digital audio console has been chosen for the new recording studio at the recently-refurbished Glasgow City Halls. Performances given by the venue's principal resident, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, in the Grand Hall will all be recorded in the new studio for broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and Radio Scotland.
"Vista 8 technology confers significant practical benefits as well as outstanding audio quality," explains Studer's Andrew Hills, UK sales director. "Using the new fibre optic infrastructure, in conjunction with Studer's portable Stageboxes, the City Halls team will make noticeable savings on set-up time, as they move from venue to venue within the complex."
Glasgow's City Halls houses the Grand Hall, The Old Fruitmarket and the Recital Room. Now merged into one complex, these adjacent, Grade I listed Victorian venues, dating from 1841, are the oldest purpose-built performance spaces in the city. The largest of the three, the 1066-seat Grand Hall, is a lavishly decorated, traditional 'shoebox' auditorium with raked seating and balcony. The auditorium is renowned throughout the world as having some of the finest acoustics for orchestral works.
The four-year project to revamp the City Halls into a world-class concert venue was completed at the start of 2006. A priority was the construction of a full recording and production environment within the Halls, primarily intended to service the new complex including the Grand Hall, Fruitmarket and the Recital Room.
Designed by Arup Acoustics to AES/EBU 5.1 spec, the contr
UK - The Guildhall School will give seven performances of Martin Crimp's version of Molière's The Misanthrope at the Bridewell Theatre this May. Moliere's greatest comedy is reworked in this blistering contemporary version, with its fierce argument between conformity and non-conformity.
The Guildhall School welcomes award-winning lighting designer Rick Fisher to work on the production, saying "his involvement provides a remarkable opportunity for Guildhall School Technical Theatre students to work with one of the best lighting designers in British Theatre".
Fisher has most recently been at the Victoria Palace where he designed the lighting for Billy Elliot, The Musical. Fisher is currently chairman of the British Association of Lighting Designers (ALD) and his prestigious CV includes work on Jerry Springer The Opera (National Theatre / West End); Hamlet (Edinburgh Festival / Barcelona / Birmingham). He has worked in all areas of the performing arts and won a number of awards for his work most recently the Bronze Medal for Lighting Design at the 2005 World Stage Design show in Toronto.
(Lee Baldock)
Italy - The International Laser Display Association (ILDA), is an organisation of over 100 of the largest professional laser show companies from some 30 countries. The umbrella organisation of the laser show industry, founded in 1986 in the USA, it serves not only to define exchange formats and standards for laser performances, but also offers a forum for the exchange of expertise and the latest technological advances among professionals within the framework of an annual conference.
Following on from Brussels and Las Vegas, this year's event took place for the first time in Rimini, Italy, in conjunction with the SIB light and sound trade fair. The conference again included the presentation of the ILDA Awards, which honour the best laser shows of the year, considered to be not only to be the laser show industry's Oscars, but also the most objective yardstick as to the state of laser show design.
Over the past eight years, LOBO has received more ILDA awards for its outstanding creative performances than any other company worldwide. The German company already possesses no less than 80 of these coveted awards. And this year, at the ceremony on 13 March, LOBO took top ranks in seven out of 10 categories, winning a total of eight awards.
In the jury's opinion, LOBO Studios not only produced the 'Best Multimedia Show' - for the Mannheim-based manufacturer Voegele, but also the 'Best Atmospheric Beam Spectacular', the 'Best Discothèque Show' and even the best 'Innovative Laser Application' for a vertical dark ride in the Prater park, Vienna.
LOBO's creative director
UK - MLsoundadvice, ML Executives and LXco joined forces to create a nightclub in the heart of an exclusive estate, producing a private birthday party for 150 guests to celebrate in style.
The client had an idea to recreate the atmosphere of his favourite nightclub, 'B.E.D' (located in Miami, USA), in a marquee in the grounds on their house. MLsoundadvice manager Gareth Jones originated the overall design based on obtaining descriptive 'key-words' from the client on their likes, dislikes and interests.
Drawing on his creative side, Jones's design solution included multi-level raised areas that turned into, and focused the guests' look towards the stage. The areas included a discrete 'bed' VIP area for the hosts, a second VIP area for family with contemporary furniture and a circular pink bar, all flanking a chequered dance floor. His technical expertise generated a real nightclub vibe, complete with a stage for live entertainment and DJ with state of the art sound and lighting systems.
The evening began for guests with canapés and Champagne in a reception area of the marquee adorned with images of the hostess. It was only when a spectacular reveal introduced them to the hostess and the (previously hidden) 'nightclub' area that the party really swung into action. ML Executive's Gary Marks oversaw the live performances and following the 'reveal' he stage managed dynamic live performances by the Pasadena's, Jacqui Graham, Oddesy, George McRae, Heatwave, the Real Thing and the DJ, ensuring the atmosphere stayed at fever pitch through to the early hours of th
Slovakia - Slovakia's top lighting designers, Martin Kubanka and Michal Schmidt are using 85 Robe moving lights on the country's top rated TV series - Superstar.
It is the second series of the Slovakian Pop Idol roll out. Such is its popularity that STV1's weekly Friday night prime time show had to be moved to a larger venue - the Incheba Expo in Bratislava - with a capacity of 5,000. The show is also being watched by up to a third of the county's 5.5 million population, and is proving a great boost for Slovakia's burgeoning young musical talent.
All lighting for the series is supplied by leading Bratislava-based rental company Q-99, who also supplied the inaugural series last year which also featured Robe moving lights. Q-99 has invested heavily in Robe over the last year to keep pace with it's busy schedule which includes many of the top TV shows, concerts, tours, conferences and corporate events.
Kubanka and Schmidt work closely with Superstar's lighting cameraman Jaroslav Zeman to produce the looks he wants for camera. Each week has to have a distinct look and different feel of its own, and within the show, each act also has to have its own individual lighting look - so plenty of diversity is needed.
They also have the challenging task of making the show look equally exciting for the hugely enthusiastic live audience, for whom the occasion is also very special. "This is why we used Robe fixtures," says Kubanka "Because of the dynamics and creative scope offered by all their features - we never run out of functions to m
Sweden - Wireless Solution Sweden AB announced that it will begin shipping fully qualified RoHS-compliant W-DMX products in June 2006. The RoHS directive, often referred to as "Lead-Free legislation", is an acronym for Reduction of Hazardous Substances. It is intended to restrict the use of certain hazardous matter including lead, mercury, and other various hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.
Compliance must be met for all products containing electrical or electronic components placed in the European Union market as of July 1 of this year. This legislation appears to be part of a growing global trend toward more environmentally sound manufacturing policies in the industry as a whole.
Wireless Solution is committed to providing only quality products to its customers that have been proven to be safe not only for people, but the environment as well. All W-DMX products will comply to the RoHS directive, RoHS Compliant label will be found on all products, and all relevant personnel at Wireless Solution have attended RoHS training.
(Chris Henry)
Germany - Klotz Digital was recently awarded a contract from North Rhine Westphalia's Parliament to replace the existing public address system with a Varizone announcement and evacuation installation at its facility in Duesseldorf. The building includes eight levels including a circular plenar hall, separated parliamentary party and administration areas, two basement garages and a variety of assembly rooms and offices, housing round about 500 employees and 182 members of the parliament. Klotz Digital's PA system will link 1,700 loudspeakers spread on all levels of the building.
The bigger areas such as the casino, entrance hall and car parks will be provided with a traditional 100V PA system from Klotz Digital, while Varizone will primarily be used for feeding the offices. A Vadis 880 main frame will control audio routing and signal processing throughout the facility. The installation will also include six amplifier and line monitoring units, 170 PAMs, 58 power bridges and five paging stations. The installation is intended to be put into operation in summer 2006.
Prior to Varizone the building was linked via a traditional 100V system, defining the cabling structure of the building. As Varizone is able to adopt the existing cabling structure it fits exactly to the requirements of the parliament. Furthermore, every office of the members of the parliament has to be accessible for personal announcements. As the office situation continually changes due to the partition of the political parties, the system has to be as flexible as possible. Transmitting eight different
UK - Tannoy have announced the appointment of Andrzej Sosna as managing director, effective immediately. It's almost six years to the day that Andrzej joined the company at its Scottish-based headquarters as sales and marketing director. The company organisation and management team was restructured when TC Group bought the TGI group of companies in 2002 and since that time Andrzej has been the driving force behind Tannoy's recent product successes in his role as product development director.
Commenting on the internal promotion of his successor, current Tannoy MD and CEO of TC Group, Anders Fauerskov, said: "The appointment of Andrzej to this position will allow me to focus 100% on Group activities and will also ensure that there is now a dedicated 'champion' for all Tannoy matters within the Group. With his wealth of experience relating to international sales, distribution, manufacturing processes and marketing knowledge, the choice of Andrzej as my replacement was an obvious and easy one. Andrzej and his enthusiastic team have already been responsible for many recent successful product introductions in the professional, commercial and residential sectors of our market. His efforts have already contributed extensively to Tannoy's growth and I am confident that with Andrzej managing the company he will push Tannoy forward with even greater success."
Andrzej says: "Anders has spent the last few years setting strong new foundations in place across every aspect of our business and we are now in a healthy position for future growth. I am very proud to
UK - Bandit Lites is supplying full lighting production for blues legend BB King's last ever UK tour. Still vibrant and enthusiastic at 80, King has decided that it is finally time to take a break from the rigours of the road! The tour is co-headlined by another guitar hero - Gary Moore.
Lester Cobrin, Bandit's business development manager, says: "It was an honour and a privilege working on what was billed as BB King's farewell tour. I have absolute respect for the 'King of the Blues' and will never forget seeing him on stage at his final show at Wembley."
Lighting designer Mark Wheatley has worked with Moore for the last four years, and he came onboard to light both sections as BB doesn't have permanent sound or lighting engineers.
It's the first time Wheatley has worked with Bandit, describing the experience as "Absolutely excellent". The famously 'thoroughly prepped' Bandit Standard methodologies proved invaluable as the tour went straight into the first gig with no rehearsals.
"It was basically like designing two completely different shows," explained Wheatley. Gary Moore was on first, and although his set veered towards the bluesy end of his repertoire, he also wanted a rock 'n' roll lightshow with lots of energy and movement to accompany his powerful playing. Eye-catching lighting has always been central to Moore's set, and "There's a lot of light and shade to what he does," observes Wheatley.
BB King, on the other hand, was a total contrast. He wanted no visibly moving lighting, no greens, no haze and a
Germany - Frankfurt ProLight&Sound saw d&b audiotechnik unveil the latest addition to their stage monitor range, the M4, and their large-scale J-Series loudspeaker range, and also reveal the latest software additions to the d&b Remote network.
The M4 is a visually discreet, 2-way high performance stage monitor employing an integrated 15" /1.3" exit coaxial driver with a CD horn and passive crossover network. In its standard 50° x 70° dispersion configuration it provides an accurately defined coverage area on stage and when used upright it is transformed into a powerful PA system. The M4 can optionally be operated in 2-way active mode by changing the d&b D12 amplifier's configuration without any modifications to the loudspeaker. For its compact dimension and mere 20 kg (44 lb) it produces an incredible 138 or 140 dB SPL when driven in passive or active mode respectively.
The J-Series began with a commitment to significantly extend the application boundaries of d&b's loudspeakers beyond the distances covered by the Q-Series and to further augment this success. The high output of the J-Series is designed for large-scale sound reinforcement applications, providing incredibly quick and easily configurable array solutions that draw on the long established d&b holistic approach of integrating loudspeakers, flying hardware, amplification, remote control, configuration design tools and transport solutions.
This Series consists of three loudspeakers: the 3-way J8 and J12 full range loudspeakers that produce a flat vertical wave front and a symmetrical horizon
USA - TMB is pleased to announce Lisa Kerwath's promotion to sales manager. Lisa will coordinate global sales with TMB's European general manager, Paul Hartley, and oversee TMB sales operations in the western hemisphere and Asia. Lisa will also help implement a restructuring to accommodate the company's OEM and new architectural divisions.
Kerwath joined TMB in 2001 and is based at the headquarters in Los Angeles. Having worked in TMB's LA, NY and UK offices, Kerwath will help the continued strengthening of TMB's global reach. A native of Georgia, Kerwath represents a tradition of southern hospitality and integrity, qualities that compliment TMB's commitment to friendly and reliable service.
"I am looking ahead," says Kerwath, "TMB's business is more than transactional; it is relationship driven. I intend to maximize our ability to foster and maintain relationships, both internal and external. Worthy goals involve hard choices, risk, and a capacity for change, while never forgetting where we came from and who helped us along the way. I look forward to the challenge!"
TMB CEO Colin Waters declares, "Lisa represents the very best of TMB and its people. With sales under her guidance, we look forward to TMB continuing to go from strength to strength. It's all good!"
(Chris Henry)
Monaco - The Principality of Monaco may be one of the smallest nations in Europe, but its reputation for elegance, luxury and sophistication spans the globe. The tiny country's riches are founded on events of worldwide renown such as the Monaco Grand Prix, and the draw of glamorous entertainment venues such as the world-famous Monte Carlo Casino.
The company responsible for running much of Monte Carlo's leisure programme is the Société des Bains de Mer, which owns a number of hotels, bars and nightclubs, as well as the casino itself. Maintaining quality is a top priority.
Yves Hubert, is the technical manager responsible for audio at some of the top venues, including the Salle des toiles - a multi-purpose lounge that hosts live music, discos and a number of events for television, particularly when the annual Grand Prix circus comes to town. Built in the 1970s, the Salle is right on the shore of the Mediterranean and features two stages, mirror-finished walls, a glass rear wall with windows facing the sea and a retractable roof over its audience area.
A sophisticated L-Acoustics loudspeaker system includes a centre cluster designed specifically to cover the favoured seating position of the Principality's late monarch, Prince Rainier, and speaker processing is handled by two DP226s and a DP224 from UK manufacturer XTA. Hubert uses XTA's AudioCore software to make fine adjustments to processor parameters, but generally uses three main presets.
"The first of these has relatively less bass content in the interests of intelligibility," he sa
UK - Sound Division has recently supplied a fully portable and modular PA system for the Bradford & Bingley building society, complete with custom-built branded flightcasing and accessories. The PA system was designed and built to the B&B's specifications for use on a number of events ranging from internal team meetings to communications roadshows to staff parties.
The system is based on a pair of JBL Eon 15-G2 full range powered loudspeakers on Proel stands and a Soundcraft Folio E6 six-channel rackmount mixing desk with a Pioneer PDM426 six-disc multiplay CD player and two Shure UHF PGX24/SM58 radio mic systems. Sound Division also supplied a custom-built flightcase with a 10U mixer slope and 4U of rack space beneath it to house the mixer, CD player and radio mic transceivers.
B&B's Dean Butterfield is pleased with the end result. "Sound Division have been very helpful in putting this together, We had a couple of design problems initially, but Sound Division proved to be adept at sorting them out with the result that we now have a very useful piece of equipment that all the staff can use for events and meetings both in and out of business."
Sound Division's David Graham concurs: "The client was looking for a portable, professional system that both looked and sounded good and was capable of handling everything from vocal reinforcement to foreground music. We put together an efficient little package using equipment from some of the top manufacturers, and everyone is happy with the results. From our point of view, I think jobs such as these demons
UK - Video Europe, one of the UK's broadcast hire companies specialising in sporting events, has recently invested in an INNOVASON Sy48 digital mixing console complete with stagebox and several I/O cards supplied by SSE Hire.
SSE's digital systems manager, Richard Willis, stated that Video Europe was delighted with its latest addition to their inventory. "They specifically wanted a small footprint, high performance console capable of handling a full mix for live TV yet that remained compact and lightweight enough for easy transport around the globe. One of their engineers mentioned that INNOVASON might be a good choice, so they approached us for a demo. Once they saw for themselves the amount of processing power housed in such a stripped-down and accessible format, they didn't need any further convincing."
The Sy48's first job was live international cricket coverage in Sri Lanka for Sky TV. According to Video Europe's Dan Dalton who handles the company's 'Flyaway' systems (complete broadcast packages designed for easy transport by air), the console acquitted itself admirably. "Our engineer on this job, Chris Doyle, was deeply impressed with the performance and handling of the Sy48," remarked Dalton. "We all breathed a big sigh of relief at his reaction because Chris is a traditional analogue guy used to using Calrec desks. However, after an hour or so of tinkering around on the INNOVASON, he was up and running.
"He found the control surface to be extremely intuitive and was delighted at the complete flexibility offered by the desk.
USA - Building upon the success of its theatrical and entertainment lighting design software, Chicago Stage Equipment, DBA Design and Drafting, released CAD Content, the first ever Visual Shareable Library.
Using Autodesk's advanced i-drop technology CAD Content delivers unbelievable power in an easy to use Visual Library. CAD Content's Visual Library can be shared over a local server or on-line. This advanced power library comes with predefined content, user defined content and online content capabilities. CAD content's on-line path can be modified to control the location that a designer can browse.
CAD Content is a stand-a-lone product and works with AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT or LD Assistant. It speeds up the design process and shortens the overall design times. It is designed for companies and individuals to quickly set up and share design content with their team using on-line and/or local servers.
CAD Content is perfect for individuals or design groups wishing to increase productivity.
"With CAD Content, design teams can save an unbelievable amount of time on drawings, making it possible to build an entire show or design for a client in just a few minutes," says Rufus Warren, president of design & drafting. Warren continues: "If you have a designer in Orlando who needs to design a show for a venue in Chicago, the designer would only have to visit the company's CAD Content location and drag the different design elements he or she would need into their drawing to complete a design. The best part is all the textures and data that has previously been
Germany - Pioneer presented yet another glimpse into the dynamic future of digital DJing during Musikmesse in Frankfurt. Focusing on all matters relating to music, from hardware and software to instruments and accessories, the enormous international trade fair took place this year between 29 March and 1 April, and together with ProLight&Sound attracted over 100,000 visitors from 120 countries.
In the mix at Musikmesse in hall 5.1 alongside other scene leaders such as Ableton, Apple and UDG, Pioneer hosted a grand stand in order to introduce the latest equipment. This included the exciting new digital DJ mixers, the DJM-400 and DJM-800, as well as the new range of CDJ CD decks, the CDJ-800Mk2s and CDJ-1000Mk3s. Aside from this future-proof DJ hardware, Pioneer's new DJS software was also available for examination alongside the new industrial strength DVD player, the robust and reliable DVD-V8000.
Fresh from Pioneer's factory after being developed, tested and warmly welcomed by world class DJs everywhere, these new tools (along with more established Pioneer success stories such as the DJM-1000 mixer, the EFX-1000 effects unit, the hybrid DVJ-X1 DVD/CD decks and the plasma viewing screens) triumphed in drawing huge crowds to the stand. Pioneer's products also featured heavily on countless other stands during the event.
Rocking the state-of-the-art Pioneer Pro D(V)J booth throughout the thrilling four days were James Zabiela, Dan Tait, DJ Joss & DJ Cosmic, Project X1 (Maui & Marco/Flying Dutchman) and Woody van Eyden & Alex Morph, as DJSounds.com collected their th
UK - It is an unusual situation for a lighting designer to be briefed to: "on no account light the leading performer". However this is exactly the situation that Andrew Bridge found himself in when lighting Sinatra at the London Palladium this year.
Directed by David Leveaux, Sinatra opened in March and is realised via a hybrid of technology and live action. The production mixes video footage of ol' blue eyes himself with a live band (music arranged by Gareth Valentine), accompanied by live backing singers and dancers (choreographed by Stephen Mear).
Bridge's brief was to create atmosphere and dimension for the 24 strong band and the live dancers - without upstaging Sinatra. However it was not easy to light the live performers when the leading man appears as a video image anything up to eight meters tall! Sinatra manifests on nine separate screens of varying sizes, which can truck up, down and across the stage. Bridge has to ensure that these remain untouched by direct light at all times.Because of the nature of the show, a flexible and reliable moving light rig is required. It is essential that fixtures feature automated shuttering attributes and can return to pre-programmed positions with mm-perfect precision. To that end Bridge decided to go with a predominantly Vari*Lite rig and chose PRG Europe to supply the kit.
Bridge explains: "The rig comprises VL3500s overhead, VL1000s on booms for X lighting, VL1000ASs on the band and VL2000s providing a general wash - each type of fixture has a definitive purpose."
In addition to
Germany - Zero 88 Chilli dimmers and ChilliNet panels have taken control of the lighting system in the new vehicle showroom at MAN's state of the art truck factory in Munich.
The Munich based MAN factory is the head office of MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG. The original plant was built in 1955. As the biggest factory in the MAN manufacturing group this Munich site sets industry standards in the economic manufacturing of high-quality vehicles. Their recently modernized showroom offers customers a high-quality and modern environment in which to shop.
The design requirements for the new lighting control system in the show room were clearly stated. Flexibility and reliability with simple installation of the equipment were the main criteria for this project. The features of the Chilli lighting control system matched this brief and complimented the futuristic features of the show room.
Zero 88 distributor LMP, together with Birke Elektroanlagen GmbH, specified the ChillNet System which included a variety of dimmers and control panels.
It was very important that each dimmer was equipped with its own microprocessor and an integrated user interface. Simple and quick programming access via the dimmers was favoured over a central control unit or PC based software. This allows for fast changes to the layout of the showroom through quick changes to memories or network areas.
Access to the programmed memories is provided by ChilliNet Control Panels featuring a raise and lower function. A ChilliNet Master Controller fitted in the control room offers an over-all programming interfac