event news

A Sell Out at ISCEx2010

There was excellent attendance at ISCEx2010 in Watford recently. All possible exhibition spaces were taken up and the seminars were filled with keen listeners almost to bursting.

Terry Baldwin, President of ISCE, said: "What a day! I thought this year's exhibition was probably the very best yet. There was a full house regarding seminars and an excellent number of casual visitors. Well done to Ros Wigmore for organising the event and to the many exhibitors without whom it wouldn't have been the same."

Nicky Spiers, of Voice Perfect Ltd, said: "This year's exhibition was Voice Perfect's first with the ISCE. We were pleasantly surprised by the friendly and relaxed environment that they created which allowed us to demonstrate our new products to interested members. We met many friends, old and new and hope to have at least re-established contacts and leads, if not made some new ones."

The popular seminars, which ran alongside the exhibition, covered a variety of topics. Andy Scott, of SigNET AC Ltd, talked about The Regulatory Reform Order (Fire Safety) 2005. This was followed a seminar by Rupert Moon, of ProAudium (pictured), who gave a fascinating insight into the pitfalls of voice alarm contract project management and how to overcome them.

In the afternoon, Anthony Smith, of Current Thinking Ltd, spoke about 'Switching amplifier topologies and exposing the sub-classes' and the day concluded with a presentation from James Kennedy, of Peavey Electronics, who covered digital audio networking.

Peter Alberry-King, of Penton UK Ltd, said: "ISCEx2010 proved to be a real a success with more exhibitors and visitors than before. It had a real buzz and captured my interest for the whole day. The content and quality of the lectures were very good, offering something for everyone. With some of the larger shows loosing favour with many exhibitors it was great to see so many Companies represented at the show. It was a real treat to meet up with so many people and continue to build relationships for the future. Thank you to all those hard-working individuals who made the day such a success."

Yet again the ISCE has demonstrated its value to its members and to the wider industry by staging another successful event. Companies have already started booking up for ISCEx2011 on 1 March 2011, and the organisers welcome suggestions for next year's technical seminars.

Alcons to Make "the next step" at Frankfurt

The annual ProLight + Sound show in Frankfurt gives Alcons Audio the opportunity to introduce and demonstrate its latest innovations.

As shown already on the recent ISE show in Amsterdam, the CRMS 3-way reference cinema sound system will be shown for the first time in Frankfurt. Alcons developed the Cinema Ribbon Monitor System as reference-quality sound reproduction system for sound-for-picture applications, with fully matched loudspeaker, processing and amplifier components. The first system has already been installed in the Norwegian Film Institute.

A selection of products from Alcons' portfolio will be on show, including the very successful LR7 micro line-array, which received great acclaim in different international reviews and tests.

But the main attention will be on a significant new development, making Alcons' presence at Frankfurt as "the most important in its seven years' existence": Tom Back, Alcons Audio MD: "Following our tremendous success in our current markets worldwide, the time has come to make our entrance into a completely new market segment for Alcons and to make our pro-ribbon technology available there. We've been working on this for the last three years and, with the current market status in mind, we thought the time had come to turn this research into development of a new range of solutions. We see the result as "the evolution of sound reinforcement" and it marks the next step in the position of Alcons in the pro-audio market."

The announcement of this will be made in a press conference at the beginning of the show.

Those interested are invited in Hall 8.0 on stand G50, or for more information on: www.alconsaudio.com and www.wymiwyg.info

LTM and COW Join Forces at ProLight and Sound

A newly combined force will come together as one at Prolight & Sound 2010. This year's exhibition will see Lift Turn Move Ltd (LTM) and COW Lifting Technology (COW) use the show to present their combined portfolio of lifting, control and rigging equipment products.

LTM recently purchased 100% of the shares in COW Lifting Technology - the Aichach (near Munich, Germany) based manufacturer of BGV C1 and SIL 3 chain hoists, winch and control systems.

Together the two companies can offer solutions for most lifting and control applications within the entertainment industry. From a standard theatre hand winch to an automated BGV C1 hoist and control solution with variable speed, positional control and load monitoring - LTM can meet all needs.

LTM will show the LoadGuard electric chain hoists in capacities from 250kg to 5 tonnes as standard rigging hoists and to all current European entertainment standards, e.g. the British Hoisting Entertainment Standard BS 7906: Part 1, Category A, and German Standard BGV D8 Plus.

COW Lifting Technology will show the C-Force range of hoists, winches and control systems. C-Force products specialise in fixed or variable speed hoist and control systems to BGV C1 and up to SIL 3 performance standards.

Both companies offer spares for various manufacturers, repairs and routine servicing across Europe, staff are fully trained in both standard rigging and higher integrity equipment and can offer honest advice at all stages of a project.

Both COW and LTM will be actively seeking to increase their dealer network across Europe and would welcome visitors to discuss this further at the exhibition.

LTM will be in Hall 11.1 Stand C651. They will have the usual hospitality including the LTM Teapot!

In picture: COW lifting equipment at the O2 Arena Berlin.

www.liftturnmove.co.uk

Rosco Supports PSA Benevolent Fund

Roscolab Ltd supported the PSA Welfare & Benevolent Fund with its recent sponsorship of Philip Norfolk (pictured) of MA Lighting who, along with a team of 10 led by PSA's Andy Lenthall, ran the Bath Half Marathon at the beginning of March. President, Mark Engel, and senior sales manager UK, Paul de Ville each pledged £150, on behalf of Roscolab USA and UK respectively, towards sponsoring the runners.

The PSA Welfare & Benevolent Fund exists to help people working in the UK entertainment production industry in times of hardship, providing emergency relief when injury or illness prevents working or forces an unplanned change of career.

"When Phil approached us and said he was to attempt a Half Marathon on behalf of the PSA Welfare & Benevolent Fund, I told him that only people over a certain age would know what he was talking about and that I would normally eat the whole thing!" says Paul de Ville. "However, when he explained that he was actually referring to a sponsored run and outlined the work that the Fund does, we felt it was a very worthwhile cause and pledged our support immediately. We are very proud of what Phil and Team PSA have achieved."

Philip Norfolk rose to the occasion, completing the 13.1 mile course in an ‘extraordinary' time of 1 hour 38.5 minutes, knocking an impressive 23 minutes off his running time of 2 hours 1.5 minutes at last year's event.

"I was delighted with my result," says Norfolk, "and delighted with the amount of money we raised and with how incredibly well the whole team did. There were those of us who had only run a couple of races before and others who had never done so at all. But everyone put in an incredible amount of effort to raise money for this worthy cause."

Norfolk was the fastest runner of Team PSA which consists of Dave Bigg, Sarah James, John Jones, Lindsey Markham, Andy Lenthall, Claire House, Steve Warren, Philip Norfolk, Glyn O'Donoghue and Angela Tippett. The total raised by the team so far is in excess of £6500.

"People recognise the importance of the PSA Welfare & Benevolent Fund and it is thanks to the generosity of companies like Rosco that we are able to keep on supporting it," concludes Norfolk.

Anyone wishing to contribute to their fundraising efforts can do so by visiting the Just Giving website at www.justgiving.com/Team-PSA

For more information on PSA Welfare & Benevolent Fund visit: www.psa.org.uk/welfare-benevolent-fund.asp  

www.rosco.com

www.malighting.com

UK Début for New Allen & Heath Products at PLASA Focus

Allen & Heath will be showing several new products at PLASA Focus, Leeds 2010, following their introduction at NAMM and Pro Light + Sound, Frankfurt.

A highlight will be the newly launched iDR-16 3U MixRack and iLive-R72 rackmountable control surface, which together provide a space saving, lightweight digital live mixing system, bringing the same power, sonic performance and flexibility of the larger touring iLive systems to a significantly lower price point.

With these additions, the iLive Series now includes a total of 6 Surface and 5 MixRack variants, which can be mixed and matched in any combination, and share the same firmware, so that show files are transferable between systems via a USB key.

The compact ZED-10 and ZED-10FX mini mixers will also have their first UK showing. The new additions feature two ultra high impedance discrete Class A FET inputs, which allow an instrument to be plugged directly into the mixer. A 26dB gain boost switch caters for instruments with very low output pickups.

The ZED-10 and 10FX can also manage up to four microphones and two stereo sources with MP3 player compatibility, provide separate 2-track record outputs and a stereo playback input for 2-track replay or interval music from a CD player, XLR main stereo outputs with inserts, comprehensive monitoring with headphones and separate monitor speaker outputs, 48V microphone phantom power, and DI level switching for sub mixing.

There is also a USB send and return for PC or Mac recording, playback and effects. In addition, the ZED-10FX has a built-in FX processor with TAP tempo delay settings and a 24 bit/48kHz conversion rate. The ZED-10FX uses digital effects algorithms derived from Allen & Heath's pro touring digital mixing system, ranging from classic reverbs and cascaded delay plus reverbs to shimmering flanger and chorus effects.

In picture: the ZED-10FX and the iDR-16/iLive-R72.

AC Support PSA Welfare & Benevolent Fund

Last weekend A.C. Entertainment Technologies' Glyn O'Donoghue joined up with nine industry colleagues to run the Bath Half Marathon. Following over 500 miles of training he managed to struggle around the 13.1mile course in 1hour 54min. The point of the exercise was to raise money for a very worthy production industry cause; the PSA Welfare and Benevolent Fund, which was set up to provide financial relief in cases of need, hardship or distress to people who are, or have been, members of the PSA, and their dependants.

"So far we have raised over £6,500 between us," says Glyn, "with my main personal sponsors being AC and HSL - thanks chaps!"

This result to date is fantastic but more would be even better, so if you would like to help support a production industry charity please visit http://www.justgiving.com/Team-PSA to donate.

TOA Meets EN-54 European Fire Alarm Standards at prolight+sound

Helping to make audio systems designed for the future, specialist audio manufacturer TOA Europe will reveal their eagerly awaited EN-54 European standard fire alarm audio products at this year's prolight+sound. TOA is one of the first companies that can offer a complete audio control and speaker system with EN-54 compliance.

The new products that meet EN-54 standards include the VM-3000 series PA/VA system that combines digital audio PA, paging and BGM functionality. In the speaker range, the PC-1867 FC 12-cm flush ceiling mounted speakers and BS-680FC public address speakers are also EN-54 compliant. More compliant products from TOA will be revealed at the show.

"The European EN-54 standard is set to be a hot topic at prolight+sound. We expect the new standard to change the voice alarm industry, what equipment you can use and how voice alarm systems are installed," says Brett Downing, Sales & Marketing Director at TOA Europe.

"Demonstrating our commitment to the industry, we look forward to introducing our new compliant products at prolight+sound and expect them to greatly appeal to installers, users, consultants and even third-party manufacturers. We will also be offering guidance on this standard for future projects so that we can help our customers plan future bud gets and investments in compliant products when the legislation comes into effect in March 2011."

AXYS Beam Shaping Subwoofers to be Launched at Prolight and Sound

Having started the beam steering revolution back in the 1990s with their Intellivox range, audio industry pioneer Duran Audio is once again embarking on another adventure with a range of Beam Shaping Subwoofers which will be launched at Prolight and Sound in Frankfurt.

The AXYS range of Beam Shaping Subwoofers is designed to be totally versatile, scalable and easy to use. Those who invest in the technology can achieve maximum control for the minimum of investment. One day you could use a huge array of subs to control the low end at a large arena or stadium gig and the next day you could use one unit on its own in a simple conference setup or three units combined in a hyper cardioid set up in a theatre.

Being able to control the dispersion of the bass array in a reverberant space, such as a large indoor arena or concert hall you can add more definition and punch to the low end and banish that flabby undefined bass sound that you normally experience due to the poor the direct to reverberant ratio at low frequencies. Basically you can aim the bass where you want it, at the audience, and excite them and not the room.

Controlling the dispersion of a bass array can also help deal with the tricky problem of noise pollution at large outdoor events. By shaping and steering the dispersion of the array you can really maximise the experience for the audience whilst keeping the neighbours happy too! At last bass with fewer complaints.

Find out more about AXYS Beam Shaping Subwoofers on Stand D70, Hall 8 at Prolight and Sound.

 

 

Education & Learning Programme Attracts Top Names

Visitors to PLASA Focus: Leeds 2010 - which takes place on Tuesday 27 & Wednesday 28 April at the Royal Armouries - are invited to take part in a series of seminars presented by some of the industry's leading bodies.

The two-day Education & Learning Programme, which runs alongside the sell-out exhibition, proved a major success last year and this year will cover an equally diverse range of topics.

Beginning with The Theatres Trust Annual Conference, this year's debate focuses on the principles of School Theatre Design. That's followed by the Production Managers Forum with the SMA (Stage Management Association) and a session entitled 'Preparing for the Future' with the NSA (National Skills Academy), who, as part of their quest to give people access to careers in the backstage industries, will explore why accreditation in the industry is important. It will also address changes to legislation, in particular issues surrounding 'green' legislation.

The second day opens with two regional case studies. David Stuttard, for the past 12 years the technical director of Wexford Opera House will discuss the rebuilding of this landmark venue which has been one of Ireland's most important cultural projects of recent times, employing many innovations, both architecturally and technically. David will reflect on how the acclaimed new venue came into being, exploring the relationships between client, architect and consultants during the build and on to the completed reality.

The second case study is an insight into the ground-breaking installation that's putting Manchester's iconic music scene back on the map. The Warehouse Project is the UK's largest and most successful temporary clubbing and live music phenomenon. Located in the industrial arches deep beneath Manchester's Piccadilly train station, all lighting, sound and live production has been supplied, built and managed by live events and communications agency Ear To The Ground. They will be explaining how they turn a working car park into a club capable of attracting the world's most famous DJs and bands ... in four hours!

The importance of safety in rigging will be addressed by UK Rigging and Total Solutions Group in a workshop on the topic 'What's the Damage?' - exploring the legal requirements and practicalities of inspecting work equipment used in the entertainment industry. The session will concentrate on lifting accessories and PPE for work at height - principles which can be applied equally well to other areas: for example, access equipment. The talk will also offer an opportunity to apply the knowledge and decide whether gear is safe to use, requires a second opinion or should be destined for the skip!

A seminar by InfoComm International entitled 'Realising the Value of Project Management' will explore how effective project management and efficient processes can help retain margin and add value - a topic of relevance to all disciplines.

The Education & Learning programme will close with a seminar from Julie's Bicycle, a not-for-profit organisation helping the music industry cut its greenhouse gas emissions and build climate responsible businesses. The session will address key sustainability issues in the creative industries and how Julie's Bicycle has approached these challenges. The session will examine the opportunities, and the limitations, and what is needed to base cultural experiences on a low carbon infrastructure.

The seminar programme is now live at www.plasafocus.com/leeds. Like the show, admission to all seminars is free, however visitors must register to reserve a place as space is limited.

Harlequin and RAD present MOVE-IT seminar

British Harlequin plc will once again be exhibiting at MOVE-IT 2010 and providing flooring for the main performance stage and Harlequin Masterclass Studio. Harlequin will also be a co-presenter of the 'Preventing Injury and Creating a Safe Dance Environment Seminar'.

The seminar - Preventing Injury and Creating a Safe Dance Environment - takes place on Sunday 14th March at 11.45 am.

The presenters are: Guy Dagger of British Harlequin plc, Chloë Naalchigar of RAD and Luke Hopper, an ex-dancer from Western Australia.

The event is described as: "an essential session for dancers, teachers and choreographers, outlining some important ways to help you prevent injury and make sure you and your dancers remain safe while performing and rehearsing. From the low-down on what to look for in studio space and the latest in dance floor technology to top tips from a leading expert in dance science."

RMS at ProLight and Sound 2010

At the upcoming ProLight and Sound show, RMS will demonstrate some exiting new features of their well-established rental software, RMS25.

The first new feature is CrewCommunicator. This allows for easy planning and allocating of crew, both freelance and own staff. When allocating a crew member in RMS, the CrewCommunicator automatically sends an email containing a link to a webpage to the crew member. This webpage shows the job details, and allows the crewmember to respond whether he/she accepts the job, together with additional notes. The response is automatically processed by RMS. The webpage can be on the company's own website, or anywhere else and the layout of the webpage is customiseable by the end-user.

The next new feature is RFID and bar-coding. RMS25 now allows both RFID and bar-coding for checking items out and in. When using RFID, RMS can store the code of the RFID-tag into the database. When using RFID or barcodes, RMS will record which serial number of a specific item has been taken on a specific job.

Also new is the Multisites-option in RMS25. This option has been completely re-written. Together with an existing users, RMS has set up an installation with 22 sites, all over the world. Moving items between sites is very simple, and RMS keeps track

of all inventories, and can also make predictions of the various stocks, taking the upcoming stock moves from and to a site into account.

Finally, RMS will show a sneak preview of their future plans...

RMS will be on booth A58 in Hall 9.0.

www.rmsplanning.com

Stage Electrics Sponsors Team PSA

Stage Electrics is sponsoring Zero 88's brand manager, Claire House, who is taking part in the Bath Half Marathon on Sunday March 7. Claire is one of a group of industry professionals that have come together as ‘Team PSA' to run the 13.1 miles of this gruelling, yet rewarding challenge, on behalf of Production Services Association (PSA) in aid of their Welfare and Benevolent Fund.

This is the first year that Stage Electrics have sponsored the PSA and is delighted that Team PSA are raising money for such an important and beneficial charity. The Charity was first registered in April 2000, on behalf of people who work in the UK entertainment and production Industry. The charity is able to offer support in many ways, such as, providing small grants for emergency relief and support towards re-training when an unexpected injury, or illness, prevents an individual from working, or forces an unplanned change in their career.

Adam Blaxill, marketing and strategic sales manager at Stage Electrics said: "We are really pleased to be supporting Claire in this event. I know that she has put an enormous amount of effort into her training. We have a long and close relationship with Zero 88 which has grown from strength to strength over the years and we wish Claire the very best of luck!"

Claire, commenting on the challenge ahead said: "After a discussion at PLASA last year myself, Andy Lenthall from PSA and a number of familiar industry faces decided to run the Bath Half marathon to help raise money for the PSA, which is one of our few industry related charities. It seemed like a good idea at the time! The whole team has worked extremely hard to get this far, each putting in 100's of miles of training over a very cold and icy winter. I'm not sure if we are looking forward to the run on Sunday but we are all looking forward to finishing! I am delighted that Stage Electrics are sponsoring me for this event, which I am hoping to achieve in under two hours".

If you would like to support Team PSA and donate to the PSA Welfare and Benevolent Fund please visit: www.justgiving.com/Team-PSA

In picture: Claire House in a Cardiff 10k run and Team PSA.

www.stage-electrics.co.uk

 

 

Kling & Freitag Workshop at LIPA with VME

On February 4, Dion Davie, head of VME,.British agents for Kling & Freitag sound systems, organised the first K&F workshop at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, famous for its Sir Paul McCartney and producer George Martin connections.

The workshop actually took place in the Paul McCartney Theatre within the renovated and venerable old school complex attended by Paul. All LIPA students specialising in technology were invited to attend.

Lecturer David Ludz was in charge of the technical support for Kling & Freitag and was assisted actively by VME with the substantial equipment of K&F systems - the brand new NOMOS XLC was contributed by Hanover-based K&F.

The training focused on the recent Kling & Freitag products: Sequenza 10 line array, Sequenza 10B subwoofer, Con:Sequenza simulation software, CD 44 digital controller, CD 44 remote software and the Nomos XLC 3x18" cardioid subwoofer.

The K&F workshop ran for nearly seven hours and included detail of practical experience with the systems. Chris Layton, lecturer at LIPA, confirmed that the workshop had been received enthusiastically by both the participants and the organisers, and that this was certainly not the last workshop to include Kling & Freitag sound systems at LIPA.

In picture: David Ludz, Chris Layton and Dion Davie at LIPA.

CAST Software's Vivien2010 Wins at Confex

CAST Software won Best Exhibition and Conference Service for Vivien2010 at Confex on Wednesday, February 24 at Earls Court in London. The award, accepted by Bruce Freeman, chairman of CAST Software, was presented for the most significant innovation in a product or service that will impact the industry.

International Confex is the UK's leading trade show for event organizers, bringing together the top industry professionals who organize any kind of special event with event support services and venues both in the UK and across the world.

This was the first year for Vivien to appear at Confex and the response was overwhelming. The all-new Vivien2010 was innovated from wysiwyg, the software of choice of designers in the entertainment industry for 15 years for movie/stage/TV and special event productions, including the Harry Potter series, Spiderman, Disney, Cirque du Soleil, U2 360° Tour, Nobel Prize Banquet, and the Vancouver Olympics. Vivien2010 is the most affordable special event planning/design, 3D previsualization software tool designed by/for the full spectrum of professionals in the meetings and special events industry. Vivien's accurate 3D images mean that event planners, designers, venue sales teams, caterers, furniture rental specialists and everyone else in the chain can go way beyond the typical 2D plans. Using Vivien's tools and wizards, they can make their creative ideas come to life in colourful 3D Virtual Views which impress clients by creating a customized, virtual model to meet customers' specifications, turn around RFPs quickly and inexpensively, incorporate eye-popping visuals and close sales at higher margins. What's more, all this information can be sent electronically or via webcast.

"We just keep hearing that Vivien2010 is an absolute must for event planners and obviously a super sales tool," said Freeman, "I have been approached non stop with the positive response to Vivien. I've been told how first-time users not only secured a significant project as a result of their first use, but how Vivien actually got them additional work from the same client - all within a week! I was told of a London venue that used Vivien's previsualizations (of their unfinished space) to presell the new venue! And one particular London event industry guru said to me an hour before the awards: ‘I've seen nothing that is so fast, so flexible, and so powerful!' It reinforces our belief that Vivien2010 is something that can change the way organizers work today. We're extremely pleased."

As with all CAST Software products, the developments and innovations for Vivien are ongoing, with new releases and Library updates always on the horizon and free to current Members. CAST will be releasing a huge addition to the Vivien Library in early Summer 2010, including new backdrops, linen, drapes, and furniture - adding 1000s of new objects that can be used in the planning and designing process.

In picture: Bruce Freeman accepts the award at Confex.

Cadac Continues Expansion Across Production Sectors at ProLight + Sound

Cadac continues its expansion across all areas of sound production - including sound touring, theatre sound, event production, location and studio recording - with the ongoing diversification of its product portfolio and core technologies, resulting in the presentation of a range of new products in final production form at this year's ProLight + Sound exhibition.

The new products exploit the company's unique analogue engineering heritage and advanced digital signal processing technologies to provide a range of fully digital and hybrid designs; the fruition of renewed investment in R&D and production facilities from its Soundking Group parent company. At the apex of Cadac's digital development programme is the S-Digital mixing system. Designed from the ground up for the theatre and live sound markets, the S-Digital console uniquely combines the audio character, tools, features and surface architecture of the long standing industry standard Cadac J-Type analogue theatre console, with all of the operational and creative benefits of the most advanced digital live production console yet designed.

Being shown at ProLlight + Sound in it's final production version, the S-Digital console has already attracted a substantial number of pre-orders, with the first of these currently being delivered. The S-Digital console on the exhibition floor will be complemented by a 'live' console in the Ronnie Lane Mobile Studio Airstream caravan parked on the stand.

Also now in final production form, the LIVE1 series is a fully specified, fully Cadac budget console that exploits the company's heritage engineering to provide exceptional functionality and quality at a competitive price. Designed by the company's analogue console team to offer an affordable Cadac Sound console for FOH applications, the LIVE1 series is based on Cadac's traditional audio circuits and available in 16/4/2, 24/4/2 and 32/4/2 formats. The LIVE1 combines many of the high end features associated with large format Cadac concert and theatre desks with an innovative digital I/O and networking interface unique to any console at this price point.

A further development derived from Cadac's heritage console designs is a new series of outboard processors, making the classic Cadac sound available in 19 inch rack mount outboard form and offering sound engineers a highly affordable upgrade path for any live or location mixing set up, or music production suite. The first of these is the ME2, a dual channel Mic Pre-Amplifier Mixer / EQ with analogue outs and, like the LIVE1, a digital I/O and networking interface unique on a product at this price point.

In picture: the Cadac S-Digital.

Avolites Titan V3 Debuts at ProLight + Sound

With an impressive exhibitor list and billed as the leading international trade fair, Pro Light + Sound has come round yet again and will be running from 24 - 27 March. As ever, the Avolites team will be there in force at the Messe Frankfurt centre with Trendco, their German distributors. Find them in Hall 11.0, booth A81 and be the first to see Titan V3, as well as get up close and personal with their hot new hybrids - the white Pearl Titan Expert, Pearl Tiger Touch and Expert Touch Wing with V3 operating system.

Launching Titan V3 for the first time, the Avo team will be on hand to answer any questions as well as demonstrate the full capabilities of the sensational touch screen operating system. Features such as the new Quad view, which allows multiple user defined views, will be available. Plus, Colour Controller and Channel List viewer can be seen in addition to a Dynamic Function window - offering context sensitive functions and direct access to 100 extra Playbacks.

Visit Harlequin at MOVE-IT Expo in Olympia

British Harlequin plc, world leaders in the development and supply of floors for dance and the performing arts, will once again be exhibiting at MOVE-IT 2010 (Olympia, London 12-14 March) and providing flooring for the main performance stage and Harlequin Masterclass Studio. Harlequin will also be a co-presenter of the 'Preventing Injury and Creating a Safe Dance Environment Seminar'.

As well as being a sponsor of the event, Harlequin also sponsor the Harlequin Masterclasses specially designed for professional dancers and teachers that will be taking place in the Harlequin Masterclass Studio. The Harlequin Masterclass Programme offers a range of one off classes with some of the UK's premiere dance companies and practioners to improve technique, learn new skills and meet some of the top figures in dance.

The British Harlequin stand will showcase an example of a dance studio, complete with sprung floor and ballet barrres. The event will provide an opportunity to talk to experts and to view Harlequin's floors which are widely used at all levels of dance performance, rehearsal and education and installed in performing arts centres and dance facilities throughout the world.

The seminar - Preventing Injury and Creating a Safe Dance Environment - takes place on Sunday March 14 at 11.45. Presenters are: Guy Dagger (British Harlequin plc), Chloe Naalchigar (RAD and Luke Hopper - an ex dancer from Western Australia

Described as "an essential session for dancers, teachers and choreographers, outlining some important ways to help you prevent injury and make sure you and your dancers remain safe while performing and rehearsing. From the lowdown on what to look for in studio space and the latest in dance floor technology to top tips from a leading expert in dance science. Presented by Harlequin and the Royal Academy of Dance."

Harlequin floors, whether portable or permanently installed are durable, hardwearing and easy to maintain. Choosing the correct floor for dance is important for health, safety and artistic performance. Harlequin offer a choice of sprung sub-floors plus a range of dance surfaces, developed to meet the needs and rigours of different forms of dance.

ETC Plans for Pro Light + Sound

ETC is getting ready to exhibit at this year's Pro Light + Sound in Frankfurt. The lighting, control and dimming manufacturer's latest additions to the Selador Series of LED fixtures will be taking centre stage.

Tuned to provide colours in either the warm or cool side of the spectrum, Vivid Fire and Ice offer colour brightness levels that rival or surpass the outputs of tungsten lighting fixtures, using up to 90% less power. With Fire and Ice delivering double or triple the light output of gelled conventional fixtures and fading smoothly from colour to colour, you can move from afternoon to sunset or from twilight to romantic moonlit nights using fewer fixtures and less power.

A large part of the stand will also be taken up with ETC's control desk range, including the Eos, Congo and SmartFade families. The Eos family includes Eos, Ion and ETC's newest addition to the range, Element, which is designed specifically for smaller theatrical venues and schools that depend on single desk operators or volunteer staff. The New Wimbledon Theatre in London recently bought an Element desk because it allows complex cues and control of automated lighting, while also being quick and easy to get started on for visiting theatre groups.

The Congo family, which is made up of Congo and Congo jr, is aimed at the live event market and is perfect for busking or lighting on the fly. Meanwhile, SmartFade is the most basic family - small but powerful desks that you can get started on in minutes. ETC's staff will be taking time to show visitors just how easy all the desks are to work with, whether you're buying one for your venue or renting one for your show.

Also on show will be SmartBar 2 and SmartModule 2, the latest additions to ETC's portable dimming range. Both are designed to offer out-of-the-box dimming solutions and can be used wherever and whenever specific performances demand flexibility within a lighting system. Both dimming products are self-contained, with on-board processing, local and remote control and several different output connectors.

Visit ETC's stand in Hall 11.1, stand B43, at Pro Light + Sound, 24 to
27 March, for demonstrations of all these products and many others from
ETC's lighting, dimming and control range.

In picture: Vivid Fire and Ice are the latest additions to the ETC Selador Series of LED fixtures.

www.etcconnect.com

Schools Theatre Support Group Conference

The second biennial conference of the Schools' Theatre Support Group (STSG) was held on Saturday 20 February at Rugby School in Warwickshire. The STSG was founded in 2005 for technicians, designers, managers and teachers working in school or college theatres. The Group has over 100 members from independent and state schools, colleges and universities around the country, allowing members to share ideas and problems, as well as raising awareness of school theatre work amongst fellow professionals.

The conference was organised by Paul Durose of The Leys School, Cambridge, and was hosted by Rugby School. The event was generously sponsored by White Light, Philips Selecon, Showcomms, A.C. Entertainment Technologies, Zero 88 and Stage Electrics, with workshops run by KV2 Audio, Philips Selecon and Showcomms.

Brian Attwood of The Stage newspaper chaired an open forum session, in which it was discussed how best to encourage and support young people into backstage theatre careers, amongst other issues. After the day, delegates enjoyed a dinner and stay at a local hotel.

For more information about the STSG, visit www.stsg.org.uk

LOBO at Pro Light + Sound 2010

Situated in the centre of the new hall 11.0 an on its largest stand ever at the Pro Light + Sound, LOBO will present a new show und and many innovative products.

This year LOBO is expanding its scope of laser products into the lower price range. ‘Bliss' is a completely new product line of compact multi-colour laser modules basing on the next generation of diode lasers. The units are perfect for even large indoor applications, discotheques and smaller outdoor jobs. In contrast to established diode laser solutions, these new laser modules do not base on diode coupling by aligning weak diode laser beams in parallel to each other. So, bliss lasers can convince with superior beam data and high brightness values. The modules are available as stand-alone units or as complete systems inside a projector. In Frankfurt LOBO will show bliss lasers with an output power of more than 2W. Bliss lasers provide full DDL-2-support including functions, such as remote monitoring and remote configuration.

For the first time, with sparks Dual-Head, LOBO presents an ultra-bright sparks laser projections system with two integrated projection heads. This allows the display of even very complex laser projection and also Scanline laser video projections without flickering.

At Pro Light + Sound, LOBO doubles the choice of laser modules by adding more power classes and further basic colours, such as orange, cyan and azure. Many brightness-intense applications can therefore be implemented at low costs by directly applying just those modules of the desired colour range. Alternatively, this wide choice of colours can be used to cover a larger colour gamut, as sometimes required for special applications.

AMP-6 is a digitally controlled, ultra-fast and highly precise scanning system with DDL-2-support (including remote monitoring and remote configuration).

Frankfurt will see the presentation of the new LACON software version 2.6 inclduing new DEMUX interfaces for the control of even most demanding, distributed multimedia applications.

Next, the innovative 3D IOSONO sound system based on wave field synthesis opens up completely new dimensions for events, attraction design and live performance. Any sound or tone, any voice or instrument can be moved freely over the listening area and across the room. In contrast to conventional surround sound, this new approach creates realistic, virtual acoustic environments in real-time, which do not depend on the position of the listener. Everybody in the audience is immersed by music and sound in the same way. An acoustical happening bridging the gap between traditional stereo and the unparalleled, spatial IOSONO sound experience.

IOSONO, specialist for innovative 3D sound system, will cover the whole audience area of the stand with a system based on a ring of the IOSONO speaker panels ILS01 with 244 independent speaker channels, subwoofers and one IOSONO control/render unit.

As in every year, a new show at the LOBO booth will be the central attraction in the hall. This year, LOBO presents in co-operation with the Calren Studios a new multimedia show, called ‘Castillo Mystico', which premiered last October at the Europa Park - the world's largest seasonal theme park. Castillo Mystico is a spectacle based on a crazy horror musical transformed to a sophisticated multimedia version.

The performers on the screen include Nelly Patty, Orion OJ Lynch, Beatrice Reece and Marc Terenzi. In addition to hologram-ike video and laser projections, the creepy show features real IOSONO 3D sound, fire and lighting effects as well as the latest developments in laser and mutlimedia technology.

New Clay Paky Products at ProLight+Sound 2010

With the new Alpha 1500 Series Clay Paky brings to lighting designers the most powerful luminaires available, providing the richest range of effects: infinite colour choices, the industry's most creative imagery, limitless control of beam size and shape, unsurpassed movement speed and acceleration, and a user-friendly interface. Despite their breathtaking power, the Alpha 1500s are the smallest and lightest fixtures in their category. Additionally they feature the legendary premium quality of Clay Paky, enhanced by completely new electronics and mechanical design.

The Alpha Profile 1500 is the most advanced professional beam shaper on the market, combining the power of a 1500W lamp with an exclusive framing system - designed and patented by Clay Paky - featuring any shape and size and the exclusive "Total Curtain" effect with single blade. The noise-free Alpha Profile 1500 comes with an impressive 1:8 extra-fast zoom, that makes the luminaire suitable for both short and long distance projections. The range of effects is comprehensive and includes 14 gobos (6 rotating + 8 fixed), rotating prism, special 16-blade mechanical iris, frost filter synchronized with zoom, "flood" frost filter, CMY colour mixing, fixed colour wheel, linear CTO, 0-100% hybrid dimmer, and stop/strobe. These features make the Alpha Profile 1500 a perfect tool for lighting designers working in highly professional applications.

The Alpha Spot HPE 1500 moving head is the most powerful effect spotlight in the Clay Paky's Alpha range. Its sophisticated optical system is designed to support the extraordinary graphic engine, with extreme zoom range (1:8 ratio), un-equalled zoom speed and a totally innovative auto-focussing system. Suitable for both short and long throw applications, the Alpha HPE 1500 features an un-matched quantity of devices: three gobo wheels (totalling 20 gobos), an exclusive "animated star gobo", animation disc, rotating prism, a special 16-blade mechanical iris, CMY colour system, fixed colour wheel, linear CTO and 0-100% hybrid dimmer.

With its 1500 watt lamp, the Alpha Wash 1500 is the top washlight in the Alpha range. Colours are produced by a CMY colour-mixing system, completed by two wheels with a selection of pure colour filters and a linear CTO. Other effects consist of an indexable beam shaper, rotating "diamond effect" filter, frost filter, 0-100% hybrid dimmer, stop and strobe. With a 11°-70° linear zoom, Alpha Wash 1500 offers a surprising brightness and utmost beam uniformity at any beam angle.

HandsOn is an innovative control system, that allows you to program a medium-sized computerised lighting system using your PC. It transforms your screen into an intuitive direct access control interface for any DMX 512 fixture, including lights with conventional lamps or LEDs, dimmers, lasers, smoke machines, and any other effect. HandsOn consists of a sophisticated software and a revolutionary interface/driver that looks just like a small connector. It is compatible with all major PC operating systems: Mac OS X / Microsoft Windows / Ubuntu Linux.

The HandsOn software already recognises over 1900 models of DMX fixture and the library can be updated continuously by connecting to the software website. HandsOn also provides a complete range of pre-programmed sequences for controlling Clay Paky light functions.

It is therefore an ideal tool for every rental company since it can be used to perform complete and systematic tests on lights in the workshop. Alternatively the system is factory set to perform an optimised demo for a lighting designer or potential customer.

MIRAGE is a semi-transparent and innovative LED display with video technology, belonging to the so-called "see-through" category. The LED layout has a distinguished "fish-bone" structure, where the horizontal bars with the SMD LED are alternated with void areas, allowing an outstanding degree of transparency.

The display structure is modular, consisting of square 640 x 640 mm modules, the circuitry of which is fully sealed allowing both indoor and outdoor use.

MIRAGE is an LED curtain specifically designed for the rental market, featuring a robust structure and a quick, tool-less connection system that allows it to be assembled and hanged on a truss system in a matter of a few minutes.

Roadies and riggers will benefit from its extremely light weight at just 14 kg per square metre, making transportation, handling and rigging very easy and quick.

In picture: the new Alpha Profile 1500, Wash 1500 and HPE 1500.

www.claypaky.it

Many Good Reasons to Visit Meyer Sound at ProLight + Sound

When Meyer Sound returns to ProLight + Sound this March, a new self-powered loudspeaker will be unveiled with features that will attract installation, corporate AV, and theatre professionals. Meyer Sound will also show off two recently debuted loudspeaker products, the CAL steerable column array loudspeaker and the JM-1P arrayable loudspeaker, along with an expanding line of low-voltage installation solutions.

At the AVnu Alliance panel on Friday, March 26 at 15:45, Meyer Sound digital products executive director John McMahon and other industry heavyweights will discuss the emerging AVB audio/video bridging networking standards. The D-Mitri digital audio platform-the first Meyer Sound product to leverage the AVB technology-will be featured on the booth. Attendees can also learn more about D-Mitri at the Manufacturers' Forum on March 24 at 14:15 and the CAL steerable column array loudspeaker at a Forum session on March 26 at 9:45.

Company founders John and Helen Meyer will be on the booth to talk about their vision of the future of pro audio technology and business. At the company's cocktail reception on Thursday, March 25 at 16:00, visitors are invited to meet and mingle with the Meyers and other prominent industry personalities, while enjoying the best hospitality at the show.

Outside of ProLight + Sound, venues in and around Frankfurt will give visitors the opportunity to experience Meyer Sound's uncompromising sound quality and versatility, including the Schauspielhaus theatre and the Rhein-Main-Hallen Wiesbaden events center, as well as landmarks Berlin Philharmonie and Friedrichstadtpalast.

Peavey Sponsors Agora Stage at Frankfurt MusikMesse

Peavey Electronics has announced that it will be sponsoring the Agora Stage at the Frankfurt MusikMesse 2010, with a full complement of audio equipment from all the Peavey Electronics brands including Peavey, Crest, Mediamatrix and Architectural Acoustics. This year's headline acts on the Agora Stage are world class guitar virtuosos and singer/songwriters, Monte Montgomery and Davy Knowles.

In fact, there will be two stages this year, both fully equipped with a Peavey Versarray line array system powered by Crest Pro 200 Series amplifiers. Featuring ribbon drivers, neodymium woofers, exclusive angle-adjustment technology and multiple rigging options, Versarray represents Peavey's bold and innovative entry into the line array market. Each stage will benefit from a Crest CV 20 48-channel console to handle FoH duties and a Crest HP-Eight (40 frame) to run monitors.

The stages are side by side and are being run as A and B stages, flip-flopping from one to the other. As a result, there are three Versarray hangs across the two stages, with the central hang serving both stages. Each hang comprises eight Versarray 212 three-way tri-amped mid/hi enclosures. Low frequency reinforcement comes from a total of twenty-four Versarray 218 subwoofers that are arrayed beneath the stage. The subs are powered exclusively by Crest Pro 9200 amplifiers (one per sub) delivering 2200 W into 4 Ohms, while the Versarray 212s are powered by a combination of twelve Crest Pro 7200s (Channel A feeding the 2.5" drivers, while Channel B feeds the ribbon drivers) and a further twelve Crest Pro 9200s for the 12" drivers.

Side fills are provided by three Versarray 112 mid/high cabinets and a Versarray 218 sub per side with front fill coming from four Architectural Acoustics Impulse 2652 low profile 2-way systems per stage, powered by a Crest Pro 8200. Stage monitoring is handled by three pairs of Peavey QW ML monitors and two "floating" QWs per stage. A QW 118 and a QW 2 act as drum monitors.

Processing is handled by a MediaMatrix Nion n6 digital audio processor "because we can!" says Peavey's technical manager, Jock Shannon with a grin. "It's a bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but with all this processing power at our fingertips, it seems a bit daft to go elsewhere!" The Nion is looking after all of the usual processing functions, such as EQ, crossover, limiting, delay, time alignment etc., for the main PA system and the front fills, as well as handling switching between stages, thus from console A and the PA system it is running, to console B and the second PA system.

"We're looking forward to the opportunity to put so much of our gear through its paces in front of what is likely to be a fairly critical audience!" says Peavey's marketing manager, Andy Rust. "It's great exposure for all the products, especially the Versarray system from Peavey, which is a revolutionary product in its class. And of course we're delighted to have the opportunity to work with such top class artists as Monte Montgomery and Davy Knowles. We're hosting a party on the Thursday night at which both of them will be playing and which is open to anyone who'd like to attend - we'll be expecting you from 7pm onwards, so hope to see you there!"

In picture: the Peavey Versarray system.

Trantec at ProLight + Sound 2010

The Trantec team will be showcasing their extensive wireless portfolio on F46 in Hall 8.0 at Frankfurt (24-27 March). The focus for this year's show will be on the Channel 38 ready, S6 wireless system which builds on the success of the S6000 range, taking the 19", 8-way concept to a higher level.

Trantec has now incorporated a comprehensive user interface on the front panel allowing the user to configure and monitor all channels, with or without an external PC. Based on Trantec's award-winning technology, the internal circuitry of the S6 beltpack and handheld transmitter has been redesigned and upgraded, extending the frequency capability to a massive 80MHz.

Trantec will also be exhibiting S-D7000 - the world's first professional fully digital wireless microphone system that is already in use at GMTV for their presenters and guests. Features include 24 bit audio resolution, network monitoring for over 60 channels, and you can now benefit from over 20 user channels in an 8MHz TV band!

Other products on show include the S5.3 system, packed with a powerful set of features, the S5.3 offers 12 channels of pure value for money, the S5.5, 24 channel system which is available ‘Racked'n'Ready', the S4.4 entry level system featuring four licence-free channels and the S4.16, a 16-channel version incorporating many additional features, also available in ‘Racked'n'Ready' versions.

In picture: the Trantec S6 system with 8 belt packs.

Multiform's AmbiLEDs to shine at ProLight+Sound

Multiform Lighting will be releasing the first products in their new AmbiLED range for the architainment market at the Pro Light and Sound show in Frankfurt, March 24 - 27.

The AmbiStrip is a medium-sized RGB LED strip light, designed to provide colour mixing outline/edge illumination to suspended ceilings, bar counters, frosted glass elements and other indirect lighting applications. Designed to be driven by a 24V constant voltage power suppy like the AmbiLED APS series for control of colour and brightness they use 140 LEDs consuming 8.3W/m.

Available in lengths of 1000, 500 and 250mm to accommodate various mounting setups, the LED strips are housed in a 30mm diameter PC tube with moulded end caps allowing tubes to be installed end to end. The AmbiStrips can also be linked using 4-core cable and are supplied with clip-on wall holders for simple installation

The AmbiLED range of LED ambient lighting fixtures is brought to life with power and control via the AmbiPower range of intelligent power supplies. The entry-level model APS060W combines a power supply with DMX-control for distributed RGB LED lighting systems that are centrally controlled. The wall-mount shape and terminal block connections makes this core unit the lighting installer's perfect solution. A single AmbiPower 60W unit can drive up to 7m of AmbiStrip lighting. Using four-channel DMX control, the unit includes 19 preset colours and 17 chases for stand alone operation and can also be used with most other 24V RGB LED lighting sources and displays.

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