project news

Elegant Exterior Martin Lighting for Auckland Museum

Auckland, New Zealand's War Memorial Museum celebrated its eightieth birthday by turning on its new exterior lighting installation at the end of 2009. The venerable building on Auckland's skyline is made of creamy Oamaru stone and was a perfect subject for François Roupinian's subtle lighting design.

Roupinian had lit some projects in the interior of the museum and was engaged to design and implement the exterior lighting project. Having used Martin Professional fixtures on a number of projects in his native Canada, he was keen to integrate them into this project also.

In the end he used a number of Martin Inground 200 full colour mixing fixtures to uplight the main northern portico and also the east and west fountains on the corners of the building. The Inground 200 is a discreet, programmable 150W buried luminaire.

In addition, he used a number of pole mounted Martin Exterior 200 colour changers to provide the base colour wash over the northern facade. It was important for his design to have the CDM lamped Exterior 200s to fill gaps between the LED fixtures that were used to highlight architectural elements and also where necessary to provide a clean white light onto the stone surface of the building if required.

The colour brief was simple and pastel to match the style of the building and serve its major function as a war memorial.

François worked with electrical engineer Tim Euinton of NDY and Martin's New Zealand distributor Kenderdine Electrical to design and implement a Maxxyz-based control system for the entire building exterior and selected interior area control.

It was decided to run the control network over the existing Ethernet network in the building due to the long distances and multiple positions required for all four sides of the building. With an area of 10,800 square metres, it was straight forward to run the lighting control as Ethernet to the closest point and then convert back to DMX to drive the Martin and LED fixtures.

The Maxxyz PC based system is augmented by three MaxModule Button stations, one at each end of the building and one in the security control room. The Button module offers up to 30 customisable direct access buttons. The base program is run on astronomical time, but there is the ability to run and change programs simply as the Museum requires. In addition, with the network available at most points in the building, local events can be easily integrated into the complete look of the building.

Anolis Performs at QPAC's Concert Hall

The Queensland Government in Australia, has recently invested $34 million Australian dollars to refurbish the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), located on Brisbane's South Bank, its first major upgrade since opening in 1985. The project has included new seating, installation of the latest lighting technology and improved acoustics for the 2,000-seat Lyric Theatre and the 1,800-seat Concert Hall, as well as new public spaces such as bars, cafés and foyers.

Anolis was one of the high powered LED lighting brands specified for environmental lighting around the Concert Hall, Lyric Theatre and ground level bars, due to its robustly engineered finish, high quality and reputation for performance - not only in Australia but worldwide. Anolis LED fixtures are known for their long life, low power consumption and low maintenance.

Says sales manager Blair Terrace of Anolis Australian distributors ULA: "The choice of LED fixtures provides an overall reduction in electricity, and so, for many projects today, is an instant ‘first choice'. Add to that the excellent performance and effects that can easily be achieved with an Anolis LED solution, and the value proposition is easy to demonstrate - particularly in large venues like QPAC."

All lighting designs and specifications were by AECOM senior lighting designer, Rick Morrison, in collaboration with QPAC's lighting department. The installation allows the QPAC Concert Hall to change mood and theme virtually at will, via subtle changes in the colour and intensity of a series of Anolis ArcLine 36 Optic RGB strips.

It gives patrons a new experience with every production they attend, even before the curtain goes up! Morrison has made use of Anolis on numerous previous applications.

At QPAC, over 50 Anolis ArcLine 36 Optic RGB fixtures are installed in the Concert Hall for roof and wall washing, as well as underneath the foyer bars of the Lyric Theatre and Concert Hall giving seamless illumination. Anolis ArcSource 7 Warm White fixtures are fitted over the tops of the bar creating a rich, warm glowing effect.

Utilizing high powered Luxeon emitters, the Anolis ArcLine 36 Optic RGB strip is designed and made with the highest quality interchangeable optical systems ensuring that the desired effect can be achieved in the widest range of architectural applications.

In total, 14 Anolis Drivers are used to power and control the fixtures in the Concert Hall comprising Anolis ArcPower 360, Anolis ArcPower 144 and Anolis ArcPower 36s.

QPAC's lighting manager Doug Brimblecombe comments that the Anolis product has proved to be "very reliable" and achieved a really good result in terms of creating an interesting and different ambient environment for visitors.

A few strips were left over from the architectural project, so Brimblecombe decided to purchase some extra controllers and make them available to the venues as part of their theatrical equipment inventory. With such a small footprint, they can easily be ensconced into sets and scenic elements where other products would not fit.

A recent example of its use in this context was for the production of Eurobeat - Almost Eurovision - under the main stage riser. "It was a tight space, but the Anolis strips gave the impression that the stage was floating," says Brimblecombe.

www.anolis.eu

Christie Tour of World's Airshows in the Future A350

Following the Le Bourget Airshow in June 2009 and the Dubai Airshow in November, eight Christie 3-chip DLP HD10 projectors will give visitors at prestigious airshows around the world an insight into the Airbus history books and the lowdown on its future A350 wide-body jet. A four-minute immersive experience designed and produced by Master Image Films will be staged at the Singapore Airshow in February 2010, followed by Berlin, Hamburg and Farnborough. The film will breathe life into an aircraft that has only ever been modelled in 3D using computer-generated graphics.

The project began in March 2009 when Master Image Films (Toulouse), an Airbus partner for 20 years, was asked to design a system to allow Airbus to spread the word about its future A350 wide-body jet and use the world's largest airshows as a platform to announce the start of production. To design and complete the project in record-breaking time - less than three months - the brief facing the Airbus teams was to put the innovation and eye-catching appeal into the simple idea of a 1:1 scale model of the interior of the aircraft. In response to this real challenge, Master Image Films instantly came up with the idea of transforming the aircraft's interior into an immersive movie theatre.

Given the project's narrow timeframe, Bernard Birebent, CEO of Master Image Films, gambled on Christie's responsiveness to provide eight Roaster HD10 projectors. "Not only did Christie supply the eight Roadster HD10 projectors at the drop of a hat, but they also delivered flawless technical support and competitive equipment in terms of performance and price," explains Master Image Films' CEO. "We knew that Christie would provide reliable equipment capable of running non-stop at each show."

Since very few physical components of the aircraft were available, the model of the A350's interior was created using 3D data from Airbus. The aim is to give visitors an unrivalled immersive experience complete with archive images and CGI representations of the interior of the fuselage. In the centre of the projection space, the visual field is surrounded by four projection surfaces on the front, sides and ceiling. An image can therefore be projected onto the front screen and developed towards the spectator using the side and upper projection surfaces, making the image appear to move and giving the sensation of speed in a world combining real and 3D images screened and calculated by Master Image Films. Basically, it provides a journey inside the fuselage of the future Airbus, alternately in the air and on the ground.

Master Image Films, a company specialising in the creation of event-based and institutional content, was in charge of creating the entire corporate film in high definition using a Red camera and the graphical environment. In addition to the overall implementation of the life-size model, Airbus called on Master Image Films' expertise to assess the feasibility of the project and carry out the technical study for the sound and visual environment, right down to creating the fixtures and fittings inside the model.

The eight Christie Roadster HD10 projectors were used with very short focal lenses to suit the projection environment. Thanks to the illumination power and compact design of the Christie HD10 projectors, mirrors were used to conceal the projectors flat on the floor beneath glass plates. All the images were stored on clusters of rackable PCs and modified Macintosh Minis. The model's "hostesses" are responsible for launching the immersive show from a touch-sensitive panel controlling the Flex-programmed automation (Adobe Integrated Runtime). This application is connected to a network gateway custom-designed by Avant-Garde Imaging and communicates with a Dataton Watchout system comprising over 20 clusters.

Meyer Sound M'elodie Line Array for Adelaide Convention Centre

With its recent addition of a Meyer Sound M'elodie line array loudspeaker system, the Adelaide Convention Centre has become an even more attractive events venue for Australia's largest industry gatherings. The centre took top honors at the 2009 South Australian Tourism Awards in the category of Meetings and Business Tourism and silver in the Qantas Award for Excellence in Sustainable Tourism, and in November reported a new attendance record at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand.

Situated on the banks of the picturesque River Torrens, the Adelaide Convention Centre hosts conferences, exhibitions, banquets, and award presentations for groups of 20 to 5,000 people, building on an active client base that spans the medical, travel, and financial industries and colleges. When the center decided to upgrade its sound system, versatility became the key requirement specified by the committee of management and technicians. They soon found the best solution in the M'elodie line array loudspeaker after hearing it at a Meyer Sound audio applications seminar for local technicians.

"As a convention centre, spoken word is our foremost concern," says Richard Builder, Adelaide Convention Centre's technical services manager who oversaw the audio upgrade. "But of course patrons tend to remember events from the artists' performances and forget about the speeches, so there is also a great need for the system to sound beautiful and rich at these times also.

"A large amount of consideration was taken for audio quality, and the ability to distribute sound evenly across an entirely flat plane," continues Builder. "And sightlines were also considered, so were easy rigging and customer support. The Meyer Sound system ticked all of our boxes."

The resulting system comprises 32 M'elodie line array loudspeakers and eight 500-HP subwoofers, serving as a portable system in the center's event spaces of various sizes. Prior to each event, the technical crew uses the MAPP Online Pro acoustical prediction program to design the most ideal loudspeaker configuration, and drives the system using a Galileo loudspeaker management system with two Galileo 616 processors.

In addition to its transparent sound quality, M'elodie's tight control performs to Builder's satisfaction: "Walls can be an issue as it is very difficult to cover an entire venue floor without creating reflections. Unlike most entertainment venues, our system operators are normally situated right up against the rear wall, and patrons are often very close to the walls as well. Even with acoustical treatment, standing waves and reflections can degrade the audio quality. M'elodie allows us to cover all areas on the floor evenly, yet keeping as much sound pressure off the walls as possible."

The use of M'elodie line arrays has reduced the off-axis energy on the stage. "Apart from even dispersion," says Builder, "the line array technology also brings good rejection of audio from the sides of the cabinets, hence giving us much greater headroom for the lectern microphones.

"The system has met all of our requirements, and surprises everyone in regards to the output. Most impressive is the smoothness of the transitions between cabinets in an array and also between stacks," concludes Builder. "As normal when a production company purchases new equipment, you wonder how you got by without it in the past. We are already considering more next year."

Martin Audio ‘Over the Front' in Major WW1 Expo

With Australia's World War One aviation heroics now almost the stuff of folklore, the Australian War Memorial (AWM) in Canberra recently embarked on a major exhibit, recording and reproducing the very-real exploits of Australian pilots in the skies over the Western Front in France and in the Middle East.

In a collaborative trans-Tasman effort, Over The Front brought artefacts and visuals from these campaigns to visitors.

Bruce Brown, project manager with Mental Media in Sydney, oversaw the AV installation which included consulting on the hardware design, speci?cation, and documentation in collaboration with Alex Smythe, AV Manager at the Memorial.

The technical infrastructure drew heavily on cinema loudspeakers from Martin Audio.

The exhibit itself featured ?ve aircraft - three Allied types and two rare German ?ghter planes - along with other artefacts including the left boot of The Red Baron (Baron von Richthofen). Aside from the AV, the aircraft and collection objects were displayed in an exhibition designed by Freeman Ryan Design, and including a 21m x 3.5m curved projection screen.

Situated in the Anzac Hall, the virtual blank canvas did represent a number of challenges including non-intrusion or disruption to the rest of the exhibitions in the hall, noted Bruce Brown. "This was achieved by careful choice and placement of the components and by expert system tuning undertaken by Anthony Russo from Technical Audio Group (TAG)."

Russo worked with local dealer Darren Russell from Elite Sound and Lighting and Glen Harrison from HME Engineering, who was responsible for all the tricky steel fabrication to produce a turnkey solution and overcome the vast areas of hard re?ective surfaces.

Suspended behind the curved screen in L/C/R con?guration were three Martin Audio Screen 5 THX-approved cinema active three-way systems, with dual 15-inch low frequency drivers, a large-format mid/high horn containing six-inch horn-loaded midrange, and a one-inch compression driver.

The surround speakers, consisting of two Martin Audio Screen Sub 1A high-powered 18-inch sub-bass units, to THX spec, were suspended far left and right of the space with an overhead dead centre effect speaker.

The sound was produced in 7.1 Dolby Digital Cinema surround sound and once the seven channels left the decoder they were duly processed in the system's DSP.

Using the Martin Audio system components Russo knew he could achieve a sense of realism, stating, "It's mostly about putting sound exactly where you want it and nowhere else. The choice of speakers gave me genuine pattern control down to 300Hz which helped me conquer the space.

"The Screen 5 from Martin Audio is a THX Hollywood cinema-size cabinet and stands well over two metres high. The large format mid/high horn gives hi-?-sounding results but at concert levels. I wanted the people to feel like they were in the cockpit during the air battles, such that the ?y-bys really felt like a plane had just buzzed through the Memorial and over their heads.

"It's a ?ne line between too much volume and effect, and making it realistic. It's no different to riding a major theatre show - a quarter of a dB here or there can make all the difference."

TAG also had to consider the ongoing maintenance of the system, and employed close fault monitoring, so that alerts could be instantly flagged by SMS or email.

In addition, the visual projection was installed by the AWM AV staff with the screen and rigging points ?ne-tuned by Glen Harris of Harris Movement Technology. The visual content was produced by none other

than New Zealand ?lmmaker Peter Jackson - better known for his epic elf wars.

Working with his production company, Wingnut Film Production, Jackson also devised an awe-inspiring piece which made the most of the wrap-around screen. With visual effects by Weta Digital, the installation provided the audience with remarkable insight, enhanced by the audiovisual system.

The entire presentation was controlled by a Medialon system installed and programmed by Interactive Controls as part of the AWM's overall multimedia control system. The production itself was delivered by the Dataton Watchout application running on four computers. Lighting control was from the Medialon system via a pre-installed Jands Vista console and Dynalite dimmers.

Ultimately, the project was required to satisfy a number of principal criteria, not least of which ensuring that the hardware installation had a very low visual impact.

And with a nine-month turn-around from concept to completion, the display has been a high-?ying success. As Bruce Brown summed up: "It looks good, it sounds good, everything works as expected, the client is happy - what more could you ask for?"

Auckland Museum Lights Up with Philips LED Technology for 80th Birthday

Philips Lighting has announced its role in the upgrade of one of New Zealand's most stunning architectural and cultural landmarks, as Auckland Museum unveils a dramatic lighting transformation for the 80th birthday celebrations of its building. The striking installation designed by Light Emotion and specified by New Zealand's Modus Architectural Lighting utilises Philips' latest LED technology both inside and outside the Greco-Roman inspired building, as well as display lighting from Philips Selecon - the Museum's luminaire manufacturer of choice - throughout the interior.

Sitting atop the Domain, the Auckland Museum has watched the growth of New Zealand's largest city below, whilst maintaining its relevance as a place of great historical significance. Symbolising the cultural importance to New Zealand's past, present and future, the Museum will now take centre-stage in the city's night sky alight with bold and emotive colour, thanks to Philips' state-of-the-art programmable and energy efficient LED lighting technology.

"We are illuminating the building, not only to honour its architectural magnificence, but to signify the importance of the Museum's connection with the city. This iconic building should be seen from all vantage points throughout our city, and we are proud to illuminate it in an economically friendly and beautiful new way," says Museum Director Dr Vanda Vitali. "We want to mark the building's 80th year and honour the War Memorial aspect of the Museum in a truly innovative manner."

The Museum's exterior installation utilises Philips ColorGraze Powercore and ColorBlast Powercore fixtures to light the neoclassical structure's façade and columns. Through the use of these small, yet powerful LED lights the Museum can change the exterior's look and feel simply with the touch of a button, enabling the Museum to enhance its profile on the city skyline and create new colorful illumination experiences for visitors throughout each year.

"This installation marks the second major landmark that Philips has lit with LED technology in Auckland this year, following the upgrade to SkyCity's SkyTower," says Philips Electronics Australia and New Zealand CEO, Harry van Dyk. "As a company whose heritage in New Zealand spans more than 80 years, and more recently the acquisition of award-winning luminaire manufacturer Selecon, Philips is immensely proud to play a role in transforming Auckland Museum, one of the country's most important institutions."

The two-part lighting upgrade also incorporates an interior upgrade, which includes creating a controllable, flexible environment in the Musuem's foyer with Philips coloured LED technology, as well as the iW and eW Blast Powercore and eW Graze Powercore, energy efficient bright white LED solutions, enabling the space to be aesthetically changed for special events.

The current interior refurbishment also includes the installation of Philips Selecon's award-winning Selecon Display Profile high efficiency 35W metal halide model which combines exceptional light output and power savings with theatrical effect and functionality. Philips Selecon has supplied over 1000 luminaires since the 1990s, enhancing the visitor experience by adding colour, texture, shape and movement, while at the same time protecting and preserving the exhibits for future generations.

The installation was designed by Light Emotion and specified in part by Modus Architectural Lighting.

www.seleconlight.com

Anolis at The Pier Bar & Grill in Cairn

The Pier Bar & Grill in Cairns has an amazing location overlooking the water with commanding views across the Coral Sea and a fabulous view of all incoming yachts and boats. The hospitality is down to earth, accommodating 350 patrons including a large open deck that gets packed with locals and tourists.

Recently, the venue made a conscious decision to invest in further cost efficient Anolis LED lighting to add mood and ambience, as well as reducing power consumption and maintenance. JVG was approached to supply and install the lighting, and an inventive scheme was designed by JVG's North Queensland sales manager Scott Miller and Pier Bar & Grill owner, John Hassler.

Anolis ArcSource 6 RGB Warm White fixtures are fitted above all the mirrors and columns around the venue and the pool table area, beaming with rich colours and setting the vibes. Anolis ArcLink RGB is used to give a high output boost to the feature lamp shades dotted throughout the venue, providing a seamless, rich glow of colour.

"Everyone loves the results, specially as the room faces the Cairns inlet so at night the lighting changes with the setting sun, creating some truly magical effects," says Miller.

All the Anolis fixtures are powered by Anolis ArcPower 16x6 and ArcPower 144 LED drivers, and controlled via an E:Cue Excite +. "The Anolis additions have definitely made it a more relaxing atmosphere for people to chill and enjoy a nice ice cold beer or glass of wine whilst watching the sunset", explains Miller, adding "John wanted the best in LED lighting, and Anolis was easily that choice."

The venue's dancefloor area already contained existing Robe ColorSpot 170 AT moving lights, and these are used to project bright colours and effects onto the floor for exciting visuals. Miller reckons that their light output, plus the gobos and colours are "Amazing!"

JVG has used Anolis extensively for many other installs including at the Consortium in Townsville and Cocktails & Dreams on the Gold Coast. Miller comments: "I said that Anolis was the way to go! The colours, specially the reds and blues, are beautifully deep and bright, and they are generally excellent and reliable fixtures."

www.anolis.eu

Systems Solutions Scores at Soccer City

System Solutions, part of the Gearhouse South Africa Group of Companies, has been awarded a 39 million South African Rand contract by the City of Johannesburg to supply and install a High Definition IPTV, digital signage video distribution system as well as two large format, high resolution outdoor LED screens at the brand new flagship Soccer City Stadium venue.

Offering a 95,000 capacity, Soccer City is located near Soweto, and will see a major part of the 2010 FIFA World Cup action, including the Final and the tournament's Opening and Closing Ceremonies. System Solutions won a competitive tender for the installation, pitching against the leading companies in the industry.

The two 86m² Lighthouse R16i/o-II screens will comprise 224 lightweight LED panels, fed by a Vista Spyder video control system, running in conjunction with Christie Digital's newly released Vista Universal Routing Switcher (URS-1608). The control system has been designed for maximum flexibility, with all common formats accommodated at the input and output stages.

AV Stumpfl ISEO will be the main control platform, pulling all the elements of the installation into one master control system. This has the ability to operate and communicate with all other systems, devices and applications plus monitoring devices, providing detailed fault reporting and analysis to the stadium's property and building management systems. The Venue Operations Manager can override all elements of the AV system for emergency purposes as required.

ISEO will also control the video mixing and switching and all playback devices involved, and will allow a single input to control the entire video flow to the main LED Screens, Digital Signage and IPTV systems.

The high definition video control system, digital signage and IPTV signal distribution systems will put the stadium at the cutting edge of modern technology. System Solutions will supply approximately 160 AV Stumpfl ISEO digital signage systems in all public areas of the stadium for general information and commercial advertising purposes. This will display constantly updated information and pre-recorded media content playback. This together with multiple broadcast mixes can be streamed live to any layer on any display.

System Solutions will also provide a multi-channel high definition and standard definition IPTV distribution system comprising high definition hardware encoders, DVB Gateways at the head end and high definition receivers and display screens to all the back of house, VIP and hospitality suites.

System Solutions has amassed a specialist team to design, engineer and integrate all elements involved in this prestigious contract, headed by UK-based project manager Sally Penney.

Stephen Woodroffe is head of technical, chief systems designer and digital signage specialist on the project. Joe Hayes is the on-site works manager and IT network specialist. Mike Tempest, a highly skilled video technician is in charge of the video control and IPTV Systems. Charles Naidoo is the senior installations technician, co-ordinating the specialised equipment installation and systems integration.

Following the success of its work at Soccer City, System Solutions has just won another 20 million ZAR contract to supply similar technology and services to the 70,000 capacity Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. Sean Stewart comments: "It is a privilege for us to be working in the two biggest stadia for 2010. Moses Mabhida is being built as an Olympic Stadium, and with its impressive arches has become an iconic landmark in the area. Its footprint is by far the biggest of all the stadiums in the country. This installation will be a lot easier for SS because all the research and development has been done for the previous stadium, and implementation should go very smoothly."

RCF Forum 9000 System Installed at Equatorial Guinea Parliament

An RCF Forum 9000 digital conference system was chosen by The Makinen Venture Corporation for the Equatorial Guinea Parliament, located in the capital city Malabo.

The system is composed of 250 FMS 9411-S microphone sets, semi-flush mounted on the desks of the parliament. The consoles are enabled for voting operations, with the possibility to assign a different level of audio to every seat, and to enable simultaneous translation.

Four FDC 9900 dome cameras with high-speed movement allow camera follow to the microphone in use, displaying video images on to two large plasma displays routed via an FVM9844 audio/video-switching matrix.

RCF Acustica C3110 loudspeakers have been installed as the main audio system for the room, delivering a uniform and highly defined audio coverage.

The project and the system start up, which were configured on site, have been carried out by the RCF Forum team, who quickly adapted the system following the request of the customer during the installation process. These were facilitated by the versatility of the Forum 9000 system, allowing on site customization through its PC software.

Australian Theatres Carbon Save with Selecon

Leading Australian venues are making a dedicated commitment towards reducing their greenhouse gas emissions while significantly reducing stage lighting and air conditioning heat loads. This commitment to energy efficiency is endorsed and encouraged by Australian state governments and is high on the priority lists of fiscally and environmentally aware theatre consultants and management teams who are involved with the refurbishment and development of theatrical lighting around the world.

Selecon's lower voltage 80V 1200W Pacific Profiles and Rama High Performance Fresnel replace traditional 2500kW and 2000kW mains powered luminaires and deliver impressive energy savings in both stage lighting and air conditioning systems with the added advantages of smaller, easier to use luminaires that deliver bright, pure white light.

Over 300 80V 1200W Power Systems have been supplied to leading Australian theatres over the past two years, including the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (image), Ipswich Civic Theatre, Redlands Performing Arts Centre, Mackay Entertainment Centre, Sydney Opera House, Hillsong Church, Channel 9-Sydney, Newcastle Civic Theatre, Tamworth Musical Society, Wagga Civic Theatre and the Sutherland Entertainment Centre.

Selecon's 80V 1200W Power System represents an important and, in light of the world focus on energy efficient solutions, relevant tool for lighting designers and venues to seriously consider when thinking about replacing high wattage stage luminaires.

www.seleconlight.com

LSC to the Rescue at Bondi

The iconic Bondi Pavilion building, set on the edge of Sydney's world famous Bondi Beach, has recently had a refurbishment to its theatre that included lighting control, acoustic upgrades and new seating. Australian manufacturer, LSC Lighting Systems, supplied the lighting control system including a maXim XL lighting desk plus four 12 channel iPRO dimmers. Equipment was supplied through Herkes Professional Lighting.

The Bondi Pavilion was originally constructed in 1928 and included dressing accommodation, Turkish Baths, shops and a Ballroom. Revitalised by the Waverley Council in the 1950s and reopened in 1978 as the Bondi Pavilion Community Centre, it is now a vibrant arts and entertainment venue and includes an art gallery as well as the Bondi Pavilion Theatre. The theatre seats 230 in raked format onto an end stage that can also work as a proscenium.

The Bondi Pavilion precinct presents an extraordinary range of public entertainment, visual arts and community events including professional and community theatre, Theatresports, Dance School concerts, a Schools' Shakespeare festival, open air cinema, a South American cultural festival, and a vast array of music and craft programmes.

The theatre falls under the careful watch of well known Sydney lighting designer, educator and consultant Tony Youlden. In his role as venue technician, Tony had to solve a major dilemma as the control room has the dimmers mounted immediately behind the lighting operator. The existing dimmers were far too noisy and the audible sounds spilled to nearby audiences when the control room window was left open during performances. Following the auditorium's acoustic treatment the problem was worse, and it was clear that the noise coming from the existing dimmers was unacceptable.

Tony's first comment once the new LSC iPRO dimmers were commissioned was that he "could actually hear the show". The added benefit was that with their pulse transformer fired dimming technology, the iPRO dimmers are capable of handling whatever load is patched in. Tony also found the front panel local channel control useful for solving quickly issues encountered in one-off events, where someone arrives at the very last minute with a practical lamp that needs immediate connection.

Tony continues: "We now have 48 x 13 Amp dimmer channels in the same wall space as we previously could only just fit 36 x 10A channels and there is room for another 24 x 13A channels when required."

www.lsclighting.com.au

Selecon Aureols Showcase The Golden King

Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs is a touring exhibit showcasing an amazing array of artifacts from King Tutankhamun and a host of other Pharaohs which has been seen so far by 5 million visitors worldwide. The exhibition focuses on the 18th Dynasty, a 100-year period when Egypt was at the height of its power and the "golden age" of Egyptian artistry revealing the history, family life, religion and many other aspects of the lives of these important rulers.

Featuring over 130 extraordinary objects including many from the reign of Tutankhamun, as well as treasures from the most significant pharaohs who ruled the Nile throughout 2,000 years of history this exhibition places Tutankhamun in the context of ancient Egyptian culture and focuses on the splendor of the Egyptian pharaohs, the significance of kingship to the ancient Egyptian people, and the intricate and symbolic ceremonies related to life and death in the palace.

Lightswitch, a consortium with extensive experience in creating visual design for dynamic live events and compelling architectural environments, worked with a great team put together by Arts & Exhibitions International to mount this breathtaking exhibit. "The Lightswitch team has a great deal of experience in the design of touring exhibits of this type. We know how to re-imagine an exhibit as it moves through multiple venues of varying types. We understand the challenges involved in creating a beautiful and dramatic guest experience while juggling the many concerns that must be considered along the way. We have learned how to combine theatricality, architectural design, and conservation concerns while still keeping a close eye on schedule and budget. We also feel that our depth of experience with these types of projects gives us a unique "big picture" view and helps us to work efficiently with the rest of the production team to achieve all of this," said Bradley Malkus of Lightswitch.

In addition to creating the lighting design, Lightswitch was responsible for the specification and procurement of the entire lighting system which will be used over the entire five-year run of the tour and includes over 200 Selecon Aureol BeamSpots / Shapers. Giving the audience a beautiful exhibit to look at and the ability to clearly see the objects and understand the text, graphics, and video information displays was one major goal of the design for this project. More importantly - as with any project that includes priceless artifacts - great care was also taken to insure that the lighting created a safe environment for the objects as well as the guests.

"We are thrilled with these fixtures. My client loves to show them off, and the crew guys really enjoyed working with them during the installation. So far, they have been extremely reliable and the people that are doing the system maintenance for us have been very impressed as well", said Bradley.

www.seleconlight.com

Just Five Syncrolite Xenon Skylights Wash West Facade of American Airlines Center

The Navy contracted with Syncrolite to light American Airlines Center and West Village in Dallas to promote the website www.navyformoms.com. At American Airlines Center Syncrolite used only five XL10 Xenon Skylights to light the entire West facade of the building (470' wide x 120' tall) and only six SXB-7/3 units to light the North facade (380' wide x 120' tall). Twelve more XL10 units were put on the roof of AA Center to produce beams in the sky.

With XL10s producing about 450,000 lumens per fixture and SXB-7/3s producing 350,000 lumens per fixture, Syncrolite products pack a powerful punch replacing far more complex and maintenance heavy automated fixtures as well as picking up the slack from a high quantity of smaller fixtures - saving time and money when it comes to maintenance, labour, installation costs and quantity of fixtures required.

Adelaide Convention Centre Goes with Robe

Adelaide Convention Centre (ACC), Australia, has recently invested in 90 Robe 575E AT Series moving lights to illuminate its state-of-the-art facility.

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 picturesque riverfront. It can accommodate up to 6,500 banquet guests and offers approximately 10,500 square metres of pillar-less floor space for conferences, exhibitions and special events of all types.

ACC has an international reputation for excellence and is consistently ranked among the top convention centres in the world - a result of their superior first-class facilities, technology and service levels, in line with ACC's vision of 'One Team, Leading the World in Business Events'.

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, explains technical manager Jamie Masefield. "Robe first came to our attention as the brand with a strong industry credibility for robustness and reliability". An extensive procurement process resulted in the Robe 575E AT range being identified as the best choice - from a whole range of competitive products.

Masefield continues: "We needed large numbers of both profile and wash fixtures for business and logistical reasons." With the international profile, size of the facility and the diverse nature of the events - that include many of Australia's premier business conventions - they required luminaires "Offering a combination of quality build, user-friendliness, multiple features, minimal weight and sufficient output ... and priced accordingly". The Robe 575E AT series provided a comprehensive and cost-effective solution.

Masefield's decision-making process also took the local product support into account. Robe's Australian distributor ULA's MD Cuono Biviano emphasises that strong local support and national dealer networks are a must when considering a large capital purchase. Authorised Robe dealer George Psorakis and a team from Osmond Electronics were chosen to supply the 48 Robe ColorWash 575E AT and 32 Robe ColorSpot 575E AT fixtures.

"Working together with Osmond Electronics and ULA's sales manager Blair Terrace was a very pleasant and efficient experience," concludes Masefield.

Robe's 575 series is ideal for theatres, TV studios, medium sized stage applications and any application requiring a real "workhorse" 575 lamp. The ColorWash features full CMY, variable CTO, a static colour-wheel with five replaceable colours, dimmer/shutter and rotatable beam shaper, which is indexable through 360° with continuous rotation. The standard zoom angle has a range of 12-34°, while the Adelaide Convention Centre opted for the optional wide lens, offering a massive 24 - 60° beam angle. The ColorSpot 575 AT includes numerous effects, which was essential for ACC to cater for the broad range of events staged.

In picture: Blair Terrace - ULA, Paul Hawkes - ACC, Rob Henshaw - ACC, Jess Gunn - ACC, Ben Sigal - ACC, Jamie Masefield - ACC , Peter Moule - ACC, George Psorakis - Osmond Electronics

www.robe.cz 

"Theatre in the Lobby" for Children and Youth Theatre in Kemerovo

The Children and Youth Theatre located in the West Siberian city of Kemerovo finally realised their long-standing dream for a "Theatre in the Lobby" when Sistema, a Selecon dealer based in Moscow, supplied the required stage lighting for the project in the Autumn of 2008.

This unusual performance space was planned to be open four years ago when the theatre construction was completed but due to deadline and other technical and design problems it wasn't, however all the electrical wiring and dimming channels were put in place.

With the aim of expanding the artistic potential of the Children and Youth Theatre the lobby windows and stairwells were darkened and cumbersome trusses that had originally been part of the plan were replaced with custom mounted Selecon Acclaim Fresnels. Supplied in Selecon's high temperature white paint finish which does not discolour over time these Fresnels blend discreetly into the surroundings above the stage area.

The premiere of K. Goldoni's play, "A New House" ("La Casa Nova") was presented on the 30th of October 2008 with future plans for more theatrical endeavours supporting young actors and directors; music, poetry, entertainment and  game shows.

Photo: courtesy of Sistema.

www.seleconlight.com

LSC Gives Orangerie New Zest

LSC Lighting's Austrian based distributor dBLux has supplied four EKO dimmers, ePlates, three ISONODE DMX512 input modules, three ISOPORT DMX512 outlet modules, a maXim LP and a MINIM lighting control console to the Orangerie function centre in Fulda, Germany.

As part of the Maritim Hotel, the Orangerie was built in the early eighteenth century and today this baroque splendour hosts a number of events every week, from small meetings to larger more complex live performances.

dBLux, recommended the EKO dimmers because of their 8 button station options, DMX capabilities, and their capacity to drive a load anywhere between 5W and 3000kW, making the EKO a great dimmer for installations.

When it came to choosing a lighting console for the installation, dBLux suggested the LSC maXim. After the initial training the client stated that he had never found a console easier to learn and operate. "We suggested that the maXim be used for the larger productions, like live shows, conventions, concerts and private functions, while the MINIM is more closely suited to the smaller shows," commented dBLux's MD, Thomas Feuerstein.

"The maXim is very easy to use; we can even get people without experience operating the maXim in less than 10 minutes. We find that it is one of the most intuitive and powerful lighting consoles on the market today!" Feuerstein said.

The installation was carried out by LeWeTec from Fulda.

www.lsclighting.com

LSC Control for Australian War Memorial's Newest Galleries

The Australian War Memorial is an impressive building located in Australia's capital city Canberra. The Memorial's newest galleries ‘Conflicts 1945 to Today', which opened in 2008, aims to preserve and convey the experiences of Australian servicemen and women on overseas deployments from Korea and Vietnam through to Rwanda, Iraq and Afghanistan. In the age of the virtual theme park it was a major challenge for the AWM to present these epic stories.

Bruce Brown from Mental Media who was heavily involved in a variety of aspects of the design and delivery of the project, says the design process selected the key elements from the Vietnam era to include an Iroquois helicopter, an Armoured Personnel Carrier, the operations bridge from the guided missile destroyer HMAS Brisbane and the Long Tan AV Theatre, together with a diorama and "The Trench Experience" from the Korean War. Fitting all of this and the assignments of the remaining 35 years into the confines of the existing 1200 sq metre ex-administration and ex-gallery space was another challenge.

The Iroquois comes to life only metres away and instinctively you duck your head with the wind and noise of the whirling rotors. There are 30 new AV displays of varying size and complexity, driven by 40 computers, increasing the AWM's overall audiovisual content by around 40%.

Following the great success of the multimedia exhibits for the ‘Japanese mini sub' and ‘G for George' the Lancaster bomber, the design criteria were developed with significant involvement of the in-house AV Section to ensure the new exhibits were easily operated and supported, utilised common componentry and were designed on an infrastructure base that was flexible, reconfigurable and maintainable. 

The AV Section specified a theatrical style lighting patch system with all lighting outlets returning to a pair of centralised patch panels providing "any outlet to any dimmer." This proved very useful during the Stage 3 commissioning where a level of flexibility was available without the need for the electricians.

Two 72 way LSC ‘iPatch' Patch Panels were wall mounted for the patching and test functionality. In order to develop a high level of support the LSC iPRO dimmers were suspended on hook clamp mounts, like truss dimmers, but sitting against the wall, hanging from short pieces of horizontally mounted 48mm OD pipe.

The LSC iPRO dimmers, supplied by Total Concept Projects, were selected for their 13 Amp load capacity and pulse-transformer fired dimming, providing smooth and reliable dimming no matter whether the load is fluorescent, motors, transformers or extremely low wattage. With the close proximity to the 30 AV systems operational in these galleries the high quality of iPro's inductors and filtering was essential to keep all systems clean and quiet.

Also important was the ability to program basic scenes into the dimmers as back ups, allowing the exhibits to remain dressed and open to the public should the main AV control system fail.

www.lsclighting.com.au

 

Anolis Makes Waves at Regent Place

Anolis ArcSource 6 RCWB LED underwater fixtures are illuminating a stunning water sculpture located at the heart of Regent Place in Sydney - Australia's first ‘vertical village', designed by renowned UK architects, Foster & Partners.

This innovative mixed-use development on Bathurst Street in the heart of the city transforms a key area into a lively urban hub where people can live, work and enjoy city life. Regent Place consists of two towers floating above a five-storey sandstone podium containing retail, commercial and leisure spaces. Above the 5,400 square metre, three level shopping centre, the development incorporates 456 exclusive and a further 201 serviced apartments.

Integral to the design and a requirement of the building planning conditions, Foster & Partners had to provide a public artwork in the buildings entrance. They commissioned Phil Goodwin of Waterforms International, a Sydney based water feature architect, to design a water art work to take centre stage in this space.

The water sculpture design is organic, providing a strong contrast to the disciplined geometric style of Foster's architecture. It includes a series of eleven craggy, overflowing pools that reticulate 5000 litres of water-flow a minute between them and a balance tank located two floors below.

The sculpture is lit with 94 Anolis ArcSource 6 RCWB LED underwater fixtures  controlled by an E:Cue e:node 512 wall mounted user terminal. This is programmed to run colour changes during the night and ensure the sculpture maximizes its effect at the centre of the streetscape.

Goodwin has used Anolis products to light some of his other creations, so is well aware of the quality and reliability and again chose Anolis for this one which required a fully submergible unit.

With a 316 stainless steel housing and a IP rating of 68 plus the ability to provide programmable color change effects underwater, the ArcSource 6 RCWBs were perfect for the job. The fixtures were also specially customised for this installation to incorporate the client's specific colour choices, and feature two red, two cool white, and two blue LEDs.

Waterforms International initially used this project as a pilot, and has already followed on with the use of these same fixtures in several other projects.

The Anolis products were supplied by Australian distributor, ULA Group, for whom the project was co-ordinated and  overseen by Con Nomikos from the Sydney office.

Regent Place's water sculpture has been a huge success since opening, and has become a talking point and landmark already, with streams of people passing to taking photos of the night time lighting effects. Both the developer and Foster & Partners attribute the water sculpture to the overall success of the project, and are very happy with the results.

The entire Regent Place exercise has transformed Sydney's midtown into a vibrant living quarter.

www.anolis.eu

 

Empire Theatre Upgrades with Midas PRO6

The Empire Theatre in the Queensland city of Toowoomba has upgraded to a Midas PRO6, becoming the first performing arts centre in Australia to install the new digital system.

Originally built in 1911 as a silent movie house, the theatre was extensively renovated following a fire in the 1930s, and is a stunning example of art deco architecture both inside and out. The Empire underwent another major renovation in the late 1990s, becoming the first theatre in Australia to install a Midas Heritage 2000 in its ongoing desire to provide optimum performance.

In recent years the theatre's audio department has expressed a desire to upgrade to a digital console to provide more features and greater flexibility. Head of audio Ralph Atkinson evaluated many consoles in his search, concluding that none came close to the sonic performance of the theatre's existing console.

That was until the launch of the Midas PRO6 live audio system. Atkinson realised the PRO6 offered a number of advantages over other platforms. One important feature for the theatre was its ability via the Dt451 I/O box to locate audio inputs and outputs throughout the theatre running just a Cat 5e cable. Inputs and outputs can be located close to the source or destination, significantly reducing the amount of copper cable in the system. And finally, according to Atkinson, "The PRO6 was by far the most flexible and expandable system that I'd come across, as well as being the best sounding."

As well as purchasing a standard PRO6 system that includes a DL 351 I/O box, the theatre also bought a Klark Teknik DN9331 Rapide motorised fader remote control for graphic EQs, and three DL451 boxes loaded with combinations of input and out modules to facilitate maximum flexibility.

The Empire's PRO6 was first used for a concert by English rock ‘n' roll veterans The Searchers, and will be put through the paces of its first theatre production in April with the musical Singing in the Rain.

Finally, to highlight that Midas analogue is very much alive and in demand, the H2000 has been added to the hire inventory of Queensland-based CPC Audio, where it joins a Heritage 3000, an XL200, several Venices and, of course, two new Midas PRO6 systems.

In picture: Empire Theatre's Shane Howarth-Crewdson, Ralph Atkinson and Tim Panitz with the Midas PRO6.

Coemar De Sisti installs the latest European Hoist Technology at University of Technology Sydney

In August 2007 Peter Kemp (Coemar De Sisti's managing director) met with James Hurley (UTS - Media Centre manager) to discuss the planned revamp of a space they referred to as Shooting Stage/TV Studio/blackspace.

The first consideration for the space was an efficient rigging system for lights that would suit a variety of uses for the space and also take into account the regulations etc. regarding the use of ladders etc when rigging lights. James visited the installation Coemar De Sisti Australia had done at Foxtel Studios and was very impressed with the De Sisti lighting hoists. As discussions took place Peter introduced a new version of the De Sisti lighting hoists whereby the normal stainless steel ropes have been replaced with stainless steel flat band, which due to the reduction in thickness (as compared to stainless steel rope), on a pile winding system enables a more or less constant torque during movement. And another advantage is the reduction in variation of speed from the bottom position to the top position when compared to rope systems.

In addition to the lighting hoists James wanted to install a dimming system, new lighting console and an extensive patch system for audio and video.

A submission was prepared and accepted by UTS which included Coemar De Sisti Australia, strengthening the existing grid structure for suspension of the new lighting hoist system and installation of all the equipment.

Some early installation work was carried out prior to Christmas 2007 which then allowed UTS to have the floor of the space totally resurfaced, Coemar De Sisti's installation team then went back on-site in January 2008 to prepare for the arrival of the lighting hoists from Italy in Feb/March. All wiring and fixings for the lighting hoist was completed as well as the dimmed and hot circuit wiring, data distribution, audio and video wiring and patch system plus dimmer installation just before the hoists arrived on-site. The installation team then proceeded to install the hoists and commission the complete installation for handover to UTS.

For dimming Coemar De Sisti installed LSC Eko dimmers (a tried and proven dimming system Coemar De Sisti have installed in many studios throughout Australia) plus a Coemar De Sisti data distribution system to provide lighting data throughout the studio.

Rundle Lantern - a Beacon of Innovation in Adelaide

When the city fathers (and mothers) of Adelaide, capital of South Australia, wanted to enliven their city precinct by night, they conducted a design competition to see what might be offered. Local design firm Fusion, knocked them out with a proposal to permanently wrap an eight-story car park building with a moving illuminated canvas.

Fusion's concept was not for yet another giant video screen suitable for watching football, motor racing or music videos. According to designer Damien Mair: "The vision for the Lantern was to create an experience that would capture the imagination of the city and add beauty to people's lives."

Wrapping more than a thousand square metres of display around a car park building that relies entirely on natural ventilation to clear away the exhaust fumes from its occupants, calls for an unusual screen format. Mair's solution was to construct the display from 754 individual anodized aluminium "tiles" individually angled to allow maximum viewing from the streets below, but offering minimal impediment to the building's natural air flow.

Each of the 714 active tiles is illuminated from below by a pair of custom-built Space Cannon Bisquit LED luminaries, for a total of 1428 "pixels". The Bisquit luminaires deployed on the Rundle lantern are IP66 rated exterior fixtures containing12 high-efficiency LED sources (four red, four green and four blue). They are configured for full-spectrum RGB colour mixing via DMX512A, and remote addressing using the RDM protocol.

Images are fed over Ethernet to the Rundle Lantern from a Hippotizer V3 Stage media server in the bottom of the building, and distributed by Enttec's Datagate and Ethergate decoders via banks of Technical Art Solution DMX splitters. System design and configuration was undertaken by Fabian Barzaghi and Dan Ditmann of Space Cannon Australia.

Content creation and management for the Lantern is supplied as part of an ongoing contract by the design team at Fusion, using Green Hippo's Pixel Mapper software and the Zoo Keeper remote management software, from their facility in central Adelaide.

Chapel off Chapel Update Lighting Systems

After recommendation from a number of industry professionals, Chapel off Chapel approached Coemar De Sisti Australia with regard to upgrading their theatre's lighting system.

The existing dimming system at Chapel Off Chapel utilised LSC wall packs which have done an excellent job over the years, however they wanted to update the dimmers including adding additional channels and getting rid of their patch system, plus having a system that would meet their future requirements.

After reviewing the lighting systems and working with Simon Prentice (Chapel Off Chapel's venue technician) on operational aspects of the theatre, Coemar De Sisti Australia proposed a system of five LSC Eko dimmer racks and a Houston monitoring system, plus the replacement of the main switchboard feeding the dimmers and other lighting facilities within the main theatre.

Chapel Off Chapel are extremely busy throughout the year and had a small window in late December and early January in which they wanted the work carried out, so Coemar De Sisti's installation team worked within this tight time-frame and delivered a complete, installed and commissioned system for Chapel with handover in early January this year.

The new system gives Chapel Off Chapel increased capacity for large theatre shows and all of the updated features of the LSC Eko range, plus the remote monitoring facilities of Houston system.

Frankston Waterfront LED Feature

As part of on-going waterfront developments and upgrades, the city of Frankston, gateway to Melbourne's booming Mornington Peninsula, negotiated the manufacture of a customised sign utilising a weatherproofed version of Coemar De Sisti Australia's highly successful RGB XChip.

The sign is made of 19 individual stainless steel letterforms, which combine to read ‘Frankston Waterfront'. Fitted and pre-wired to each letter are RGB XChip modules, which were supplied ready for simple on-site installation to an artistic rock wall.

Working in close collaboration with the manufacturer of the letterforms, Coemar De Sisti Australia were able to supply custom looms for power feed to each letter from the XChip drivers.

All responses to date have been incredibly positive, with many comments being particularly impressed with the ease with which the project was supplied. Additionally, the sign has made a big impact with the locals, who seem very impressed with the colourfulness and vibrancy of the LED illumination.

ETC Help Palazzo Las Vegas Achieve Leadership Standard

Thanks in part to ETC lighting products, the Palazzo Las Vegas is not only the newest, tallest and most luxurious hotel and resort complex on the Strip, it is also the greenest. The $1.9 billion (£1.1 billion), 50-storey Palazzo Las Vegas opened in December 2007, and now holds a Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the US Green Building Council.

The largest LEED structure in the world, Palazzo Las Vegas presages a new era of conservation minded building construction in the area. According to an article in USA Today, plans are underway to build more than 50 million square feet (4.6 million sq m) of new casino resort projects to LEED standards on and around the Strip, and existing resorts are looking at improving their energy efficiency.

Energy efficiency is a cornerstone of LEED compliance, and ETC lighting products were one element that enabled Palazzo Las Vegas to meet the standard. An ETC Unison lighting control system and ETC Sensor+ dimming were part of the installed lighting package, plus more than 100 ETC Source Four luminaires, which are an energy-frugal standard of the industry. The Unison system is programmed to save energy through automated functions such as occupancy sensing (dimming the lights when no people are present in a space) and daylight harvesting, where lights are dimmed in response to the amount of available natural light.

"We're starting to automatically approach projects from a green mindset," says Buddy Pope, senior project manager with the Las Vegas office of 4Wall Entertainment. 4Wall Entertainment established the general lighting control guidelines and specified the lighting control package that was provided to supplier Gexpro, to meet the requirements of the various lighting designers for the space. "For instance," he continues, "we make the most of sky-lit areas through the use of daylight sensors, automatic dimming and the ability to turn off entire circuits. The ETC Unison control is well suited to that because it is designed to perform astronomical functions and to interface with photo cells."

The Palazzo complex includes a hotel tower of over 3,000 guest suites surrounded by a vast, sky-lit podium/atrium area designed by architect HKS Inc, featuring luxury retail shops and world-class dining and entertainment. The theatre there is a permanent venue for the Tony Award winning musical Jersey Boys.

Kaplan Gehring McCarroll Architectural Lighting Inc (KGM) provided lighting design for much of the complex. "The aesthetic challenges are a little different when lighting an interior that already has so much natural light," comments KGM partner Martin van Koolbergen. "You're no longer dealing with space as a box. In certain areas, you have to counter the intensity of the natural light and balance it with uplighting and decorative features. At night, the lighting control system has to be balanced to maintain the proper foot candles on the ground to meet emergency standards, deemphasise the ‘black holes' of the skylights and retain the monumental feeling of the architecture. A lot depended on the use of energy-efficient lamps and sources, and the ETC control system with its dimming capacity."

The Palazzo's annual savings in electricity is reckoned to be more than 10.6 million kilowatt hours, enough to power 700 homes for a year, or brew six million cups of coffee.

"This project is a new benchmark for the industry," says van Koolbergen. "It demonstrates that the developer of a major upscale property - on the Strip or elsewhere - can maintain standards for quality, drama and experience and also be environmental good guys. Not only do you create more efficient spaces, you create a setting that is pleasant and healthier in which to live and work." KGM worked closely with owner Las Vegas Sands Corp, HKS and consulting firm Ernst & Young on the specifics of LEED compliance.

Additional lighting designers on The Palazzo project included Pivotal Lighting Design (Canyon Ranch), First Circle (Cut Restaurant), IDC New Jersey (Carnevino Restaurant), Bliss-Fasman (Charlie Trotter Restaurant), Tom Ruzika (Morels Restaurant), Isometrix (Sushi Samba), Arc Lighting (Bath House) and Focus Lighting (Dos Caminos and Table Ten restaurants).

The lighting gear list includes a total of 50 ETC dimmer racks, 97 ETC Unison stations, over 1,800 ETC dimmer modules, 52 Source Four HID 150W luminaires, and 50 Source Four 375W luminaires.

In picture: The lobby at Palazzo Las Vegas

www.etcconnect.com

Frankston Art Centre Upgrades with d&b audiotechnik

The Frankston Arts Centre is an iconic landmark in one of Melbourne's fastest growing areas. Designed by renowned Australian architect, Daryl Jackson, the Frankston is one of the largest metropolitan and regional arts venues in Australia. It is a major focus for the performing arts in the region with facilities that contribute to the growing stature of local companies and provide a venue for local dance schools, as well as tertiary and secondary student productions.

It was decided that they needed a new world class loudspeaker system to take the venue's bookings and offerings into the next level. The previous system was locally designed and built and had been the in-house system since the venue opened in 1995. When the time came to upgrade, venue sound technician and long time fan of d&b audiotechnik systems, Ben Thompson contacted Simon Moran of Optim Audio who ultimately installed the new system.

Three clusters arranged in a left, centre and right configuration make up the main system. Each of these clusters consists of one Ci60 and one Ci90 loudspeaker arrayed in a vertical setup. d&b audiotechnik loudspeakers are also installed in delay positions with E3s in the upper balcony, E0s covering under the balcony delays and further E0s employed as front fills. Rounding out the low end are d&b Ci7-SUBs.

The whole system is driven by d&b E-PAC amplifiers while system control and monitoring are accomplished via the d&b Remote network. A bespoke application for the R1 Remote control software was created jointly by Stefan Goetz from d&b's Education and Applications Support team in Germany and Shane Bailey from National Audio Systems, the d&b Distributor for Australia and New Zealand.

Ben Thomson takes up the story: "I believe the Frankston Arts Centre now has one of the best sound systems available and is the first proscenium arch theatre to install a d&b system in Australia. Since installation, we have received outstanding feedback by providing this world-class, quality sound system. Not only does the d&b system improve the sound of performances coming into the Centre (i.e. Adam Brand & John Stevens; David Hobson) but it also provides unique opportunities for community groups to access a state of the art sound system."

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