event news

J.R. Clancy Wins Live Design Excellence Award for Work at Kauffman Center in Kansas City

J. R. Clancy received the 2012 Excellence Award from Live Design Magazine for the company’s extensive work at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Mo.

The award was presented in a ceremony in New York City on Tuesday, May 22. Clancy received the award in the Venues (Theatrical or Performance) category.

Marilyn Larsen, Marketing Services for J. R. Clancy, was scheduled to receive the award on behalf of Clancy, its employees, Theatre Projects Consultants, and JE Dunn Construction, but flight cancellations prohibited her from attending. “Regardless, it is indeed an honour to accept this award on behalf of a company of which I am so proud to be a part,” Larsen said.

Twelve years of planning and construction led to the opening of the Kauffman Center in September 2011, a spectacular 438,500-square-foot steel, marble and glass complex designed by renowned architect Moshe Safdie. The centre created a permanent home for three major arts organizations: the Kansas City Ballet, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and the Kansas City Symphony.

Combining the needs of these three disparate companies in one venue required the design of two world-class performance halls: the 1,600-seat Helzberg Hall and the 1,800-seat Muriel Kauffman Theatre.

To provide exquisite acoustics for the symphony and other musical performances, Helzberg Hall contains a 99,570-pound acoustical canopy suspended 50 feet above the stage. J. R. Clancy supplied the custom rigging for this canopy.

The ballet and opera will perform in the Kauffman Theatre, an 1,800-seat proscenium house with the vineyard-style seating found in Europe’s greatest opera houses. The 5,000-square-foot stage features a 74-foot-tall fly tower, with the capacity to fly grand opera set pieces as much as 30 feet tall, using a 70-lineset counterweight system supplied by J. R. Clancy. The rigging provides the capacity to add 20 more linesets as resident and touring productions require.

A total of 28 variable acoustic banners on custom chain drivers give the Kauffman Theatre the ability to tune the hall for many different kinds of performances. The banners are stored behind the wall and lowered behind the seat backs as needed to optimize the acoustics. The banners can be repositioned using a SceneControl pendant provided by Clancy, which also controls the house curtain.

“We are always gratified when our work is recognized, but this honor comes from our peers in the theatre technology community—which makes the Excellence Award very significant for us,” said Mike Murphy, J. R. Clancy president. “We share this honor with the design team on the project, especially the consultants at Theatre Projects and at Nagata Acoustics, with whom we worked very closely on a daily basis.”

24th May 2012

New Exhibitors and New Seminars - PLASA Focus: Nashville 2012 Gains Momentum!

Three new sessions have been added to an already stellar line up of speakers due to take the stage at PLASA Focus: Nashville, a new style of regional event taking place, for the first time, at The Nashville Municipal Auditorium, on July 11-12, 2012.

Joining other exhibitors, such as Clay Paky, Barbizon Lighting, Robe, and Martin Professional, PLASA Focus: Nashville is proud to announce the recent additions of 4Wall, Drape Kings, The Light Source, Interspace, IATSE, SeaChanger, Techni-Lux, and ZFX, to its growing floor plan.

As well as the raft of exhibitors on show at PLASA Focus: Nashville 2012, visitors can also learn, first hand, about how those new products are best put into practice. Kicking-off the exhibitor demo sessions is Niclas Arvidsson, of Wireless Solutions with a unique introduction to the world of Wireless Lighting Control, including Wireless DMX, RDM and much more besides. Wireless Lighting Control - How to Use for Best Results - takes place on Wednesday July 11 and, like all of our seminars, is free to attend.

PLASA Focus: Nashville's second new scoop is Everything You've Always Wanted to Ask the IATSE presented by Mark Kiracofe. Mark explains what the IATSE is (and isn't). He will be also be joined by local area representatives, on hand to give a brief overview of their specific locals, what crafts they represent, and where they work.

Also joining the bill is Christopher Kulesa of d&b audiotechnik with his talk Demystifying Audio, in which he addresses the fundamentals of audio and acoustics, including an explanation of what actually happens between the loudspeaker and the listener's ears. Christopher uses practical examples to illustrate the discussion.

And finally, Lighting Essentials, presented by Technology for Worship Magazine, gives a crash course on the essentials of effective lighting design. Whether you are a novice looking for inspiration or a seasoned pro in need of a refresher, this is the seminar for you.

Other confirmed sessions include: The Green Scene: Recycling Sets, presented by Donyale Werle; From Concept to First Night, with Jonathan Smeeton; Trends in Live Sound Reinforcement, presented by Eric Elwell; ROI on LEDs and Other ALS, a talk by Tobin Neis; and Trends in Video Design, hosted by Ken Gay and Mark Haney.

Entry to PLASA Focus: 2012 is free: Visitors must register via the website at www.plasafocus.com/nashville With over 60 exhibitors, two days of free sessions, and free refreshments, there's no better place to be this July.

23rd May 2012

Tannoy, Audica, Lab.gruppen and Lake prepare for InfoComm 2012

Tannoy, Audica, Lab.gruppen and Lake will be exhibiting together again at InfoComm 2012, taking place between June 13 and 15 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Nevada.

With a joint appearance that consolidates their respective expertise in loudspeaker technology, amplification design and processing prowess on one booth, Tannoy, Lab.gruppen and Lake will also be sharing a demonstration room (N109), where visitors and delegates can see and hear the latest product innovations first hand.

InfoComm 2012 will see a number of firsts, with Tannoy demonstrating its new VLS Series passive column loudspeakers for the first time. Following its successful formal launch at ISE 2012 in Amsterdam, where it garnered a great deal of interest and positive response from an international audience, VLS promises to be a star attraction in Las Vegas. With transducer technology adapted from QFlex, coupled with an innovative new passive crossover network design, VLS Series is the first Tannoy product to incorporate FAST (Focussed Asymmetrical Shaping Technology), delivering unique acoustic performance benefits not previously seen across a full range of passive column loudspeakers.

Visitors to the show will also get an exclusive first opportunity to find out about Tannoy’s new VSX Series subwoofer line – being unveiled in the demo room. Developed from the ground up and engineered to deliver high impact, low frequency reinforcement in a compact format, VSX Series comprises of 5 models of varying configurations (band-pass and direct-radiating), all of which promise to be versatile performers in both installed sound and portable/live PA applications. VSX Series is the perfect partner to augment Tannoy’s new VX Series and VXP Series full-range sound reinforcement lines in addition to providing low frequency extension for a wide range of Tannoy’s other loudspeaker systems.

Leading the charge for Lab.gruppen will be its latest install-centric amplifier range, E Series, which was previewed at last year’s InfoComm, well in advance of its official launch. Certified as Energy Star 2.1 compliant, Lab.gruppen’s 1U "green" amplifier platform – incorporating the IDEEA (IntelliDrive Energy Efficient Amplifier) module – combines ample power reserves with amazingly low power consumption, greatly reducing total cost of ownership well below that of conventional designs.

Lab.gruppen will also exhibit its class-leading PLM Series (which incorporates Lake Processing technology) alongside the Lake LM 44 (another debut at InfoComm), the brand new standalone Digital Audio System Processor from Lake. These products will showcase how Lake can be integrated into large scale installed digital audio applications such as sports stadiums to offer a greater degree of functionality, integration and security via the use of dual-redundant Dante to distribute, seamlessly, on a digital network.

Marc Bertrand, TCGA’s CEO, said: "After a huge amount of interest in the product following its launch at ISE in Amsterdam, we are excited to be able to show Tannoy’s new VLS passive column loudspeaker solution to our user community in North America. Visitors can also get a first look at our new VSX subwoofers, which complement Tannoy’s new VX and VXP range of loudspeakers perfectly. On top of that, we have the latest hardware and software innovations from Lab.gruppen and Lake, including the award-winning PLM Series and the new LM 44 digital audio processor."

Also on demonstration will be Tannoy’s VX and VXP Series – the extensive line of full-range sound reinforcement loudspeakers introduced last year, the latter featuring an industry first collaboration between the loudspeaker manufacturer and sister brand Lab.gruppen, with the integration of its new IDEEA power module. Tannoy’s wide range of commercial install products including its highly successful CVS and CMS in-ceiling systems and recently launched DVS Series surface-mount and OCV Series pendant loudspeakers will all be on live demonstration, as will the company’s flagship large format VQ Series and digitally steerable QFlex systems.

On the touring sound front, Lake will be showing the latest iteration of its Lake Controller digital audio processing environment – now at version 6. Significantly for Lake’s existing user base is the advent of new integration potential with market-leading real-time acoustical spectrum analysis software; with Version 6 supporting full integration with both Smaart 7 and WaveCapture’s Live-Capture.

Audica Professional will be demonstrating its full range of MICROseries electronics and loudspeakers, designed to offer style and flexibility for background music, commercial AV and audio communication applications.

The range consists of the MICROpoint and MICROline wall-mount loudspeakers and the MICROdot ceiling loudspeaker, which fits a standard mini-spotlight 85mm cut-out. All three loudspeakers provide wide-band audio to 70Hz and feature integral wire-through brackets and aluminum enclosures, which are key to performance and styling. Many applications require no additional bass, but for higher level applications and AV the active MICROsub adds low frequency extension and power.

The heart of the MICROseries system is the MICROzone, a 5-configuration amplifier/controller that provides unique flexibility for single or multi-location input and control. Comprehensive switching functions enable the unit to be used singly or in multiples in various configurations.

For larger systems requiring greater amplifier power, the MICROzone can be used in conjunction with the ultra-compact MICROplus 4-channel power amplifier. The MICROplus delivers 4 × 80W into 4 Ohm, 2 × 80W into 4 Ohm plus 1 × 160W bridged into 8 Ohm or 2 × 160W into 8 Ohm with twin channels bridged. Features include 4-channel limiting and protection and individual channel bar indicators showing output level, clip and fault. The unit has rear-mount level control, phono in/out and screw terminal loudspeaker outputs for each channel.

"With the new VLS Series, the latest innovations for QFlex, the new Lake Controller v6, and additional functionality in the PLM 20000Q and LM Series, all of us at TC Group Americas are looking forward to this year’s InfoComm event in Las Vegas," continued Bertrand. "Having this outstanding portfolio of products across the Tannoy, Audica, Lab.gruppen and Lake brands showcases our collective strength and superior offerings to this important market."

In picture: the new Tannoy VLS Series (detail)

www.tannoy.com

22nd May 2012

V could be for Vegas at this year's US InfoComm

For the d&b audiotechnik user there are a vast number of reasons to visit Vegas. "Making its US debut, the V-Series line array is the heavily anticipated new addition to the Black range of touring loudspeaker systems," said the d&b US Marketing Manager Roger Keim. "But don't let that be the only reason you come to Las Vegas from 13-15th June: on booth C11528 we will also have many other interesting offerings from both the Black and White ranges, and as this is the first time that the White range has been shown in the west of the nation, we will also make four daily presentations of the range in our dedicated demonstration lounge." The lounge sessions are approximately thirty minutes, are free to attend and will take place each day at 9 am, 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm in room N103.

In short visitors will be able to see the new E4 and E5 loudspeakers, the teenyweeny additions to the comprehensive assortment of delay, fill and effects loudspeakers that the E-Series provides. Also from the Black range will be the T-Series and B4-SUB, functioning displays of the d&b R1/R70 Remote network management system, as well as the d&b ArrayCalc calculator. The premiered V-Series system will be displayed alongside the venerable J-Series.

The opposite side of the booth will be dedicated to the White range; a comprehensive selection of both xS-Series and xA-Series will be displayed. These dedicated and purpose designed installation loudspeakers are available with a large variety of mounting accessories and colour options.

18th May 2012

Richard Pilbrow to Give Keynote Address at NATEAC 2012

Richard Pilbrow, founder of Theatre Project Consultants (TPC) and one of the world’s leading theatre design consultants, will give the keynote address at the North American Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference (NATEAC) in New York City on July 22.

The conference, scheduled for Sunday and Monday, July 22 and 23, 2012, promotes communication between the architects, engineers, consultants, and manufacturers responsible for designing and building new theatres and renovating existing performance facilities in North America.

Pilbrow will speak at the conference’s opening session on Sunday morning at the midtown New York Hilton Hotel. To register for the conference, visit www.nateac.org/register.htm

Early in his career, Pilbrow was selected by Laurence Olivier to be the lighting designer and theatre consultant to the National Theatre of Great Britain. He founded Theatre Projects Consultants in 1957, and led the organisation to become one of the most respected theatre design consultancies in the world. More recently, Pilbrow was honoured as Lighting Designer of the Year by Lighting Dimensions magazine in 2005, and he received the Wally Russell Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. In 2010, he was voted one of the most powerful people in the entertainment technology industry by Live Design magazine, and he was conferred with Honorary Fellowship of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts for his “outstanding achievements and distinguished services to the performing arts.”

Pilbrow’s new book, A Theatre Project (PLASA Media, 2011), tells the story of TPC as a young enterprise, and how the company went on to revolutionize the design of theatres and concert halls in the United States and around the world.

“I applaud NATEAC for the noble effort to bring together people who influence theatre design to share their ideas and insights, and to learn from one another,” said Pilbrow. “It will be exciting to share this unique experience for our industry, and to contribute to the process.”

“I am honoured that Richard has agreed to speak at NATEAC,” said Bill Sapsis, president of Sapsis Rigging, Inc., and NATEAC chairman and organiser. “We have known each other for many years, and I know first hand how influential he has been in the world of theatre design. His talk will have a positive impact on an audience that will appreciate his broad perspective and expertise.”

NATEAC 2012 features more than 60 panellists speaking at 24 sessions, on topics ranging from the impact of current ADA standards to restoring pre-depression era theatres and designing non-traditional spaces for classical music. To view the session descriptions and list of panellists, visit www.nateac.org/panels.htm

Registration for NATEAC is now open. For more information, visit www.nateac.org

16th May 2012

Cadac Debuts CDC Eight Production Platform to Theatre Sound Professionals in US

Cadac is exhibiting and demonstrating its new CDC eight digital production console to the US Theatre Sound industry as a sponsor of the Live Design Broadway Sound Master Classes. It will also be the first showing of the new 32 fader frame variant in the US.

Cadac's US theatre sound distributor, RF Productions of NY, Inc, will be showing the new console to theatre design professionals and students during manufacturers' showcase sessions, from 19 to 20 May, in the intimate confines of the 99 seat Abe Burrows Theatre at NYU. Cadac's participation is part of the New Technology Presentation, with RF Production's Tom Bensen and Cadac International Sales Manager, Ben Millson, in attendance.

While the launch of the CDC eight has focused on the console's critical role in spearheading Cadac's move into the wider sound touring and installation sectors, the CDC eight's almost limitless configurability and expansive feature set provides Cadac a uniquely competitive, high performance digital offering for theatre sound applications.

Critically for the theatre market, the CDC eight offers a powerful mix solution, supporting a uniquely high input count on a desk with such a compact footprint; and at a cost that makes it affordable on productions that could not justify the cost or scale of a big Cadac analogue board. Moreover, feature wise and sonically, the CDC eight compares favourably with a Cadac J-Type. It has 40 configurable output busses which can be programmed as groups or matrices, and additionally there are 16 internal VCA groups. The console boasts up to 128 input channels, and using the input selection on each channel to sum two inputs together, that can be expanded to a potential 256.

Appropriate levels of operability is a big issue with digital consoles in theatre sound and the CDC eight offers a radical advance on that front, with its 'high agility' user interface with two 24 inch 16:10 HD touch-screen control surfaces; a third smaller LCD touch-screen is dedicated to system control and automation.

Commenting on the ongoing CDC eight development programme, Cadac senior development manager Peter Hearl, states: "The CDC eight was devised as a console to address the widest possible range of applications to the highest standards of performance and with Cadac's heritage, theatre sound was always going to be an important market for this console. The theatre development programme for the desk is addressing a number of issues and applications, including looking to the potential compatibility of the CDC eight with the J-Type SAM theatre automation software, enabling the recall of all SAM settings on the new console. The programme objective is to make the CDC eight a great Cadac theatre sound desk."

The Live Design Broadway Sound Master Classes provides Cadac the opportunity to address an audience of dedicated theatre sound professionals, but most importantly it offers them quality time with the industry’s top designers in a relaxed, intimate setting. This year’s group of speakers includes such Broadway vets as Mick Potter Nevin Steinberg, Kai Harada, Ken Travis, Jill DuBoff and Abe Jacob.

16th May 2012

Broaman/Optocore Makes Successful NAB 2012 Debut

Optocore GmbH’s ambitious concept of networking its BroaMan/Optocore booth with Clear-Com, to provide bidirectional audio, video and data transmission, paid handsome dividends at this year’s NAB Show in Las Vegas.

Support and applications engineer, Kári Eythorsson explained that a fully redundant network was in operation throughout. At the Clear-Com booth a four-device Optocore network was stationed, with a DD4MR-FX connected to a Clear-Com Eclipse intercom matrix frame that featured the new Clear-Com E-MADI interface card. At the same time, an Optocore V3R-INTERCOM-FX and a X6R-INTERCOM-FX networked two Eclipse frames and a Helix base station.

The Clear-Com booth additionally featured a special version of Optocore’s V3R-INTERCOM-FX with four SDI outputs and an SDI input; a remote controllable Q-Ball camera was connected to the input of this device and fed to a BroaMan DiViNe Route 66 router, located at the BroaMan/Optocore booth, with the camera output connected to a monitor and the camera itself controlled by a CCU over the network.  

In addition, a Clear-Com V-Series IP panel was connected to the network, allowing BroaMan/Optocore personnel to seamlessly communicate with the Clear-Com booth. The connected system then fully displayed Optocore products, including a 48-16 analogue stagebox (built from X6R devices), a Yamaha DM1000 mixing console and Optocore DD32R-FX, DD4MR-FX and DD2FR-FX interfaces.

But the real story was the full trade show debut Optocore was able to give to its new broadcast brand, BroaMan. Setting the scene for customers in his territory, Bill Coons who heads up Optocore North America, said “BroaMan’s DiViNe [Digital Video Networking] is nothing less than Optocore for video.

“Considering that almost all other digital audio transport manufacturers are limited to low channel count, long latency and simple point-to-point capability, it’s easy to see how Optocore has changed the industry. We led the fibre optic movement in creating multiple format delivery systems via multiple node networks for upwards of 1,000 audio channels. We’ve now accomplished much the same thing for video with the creation of DiViNe.”

With 80 channels of SD/HD/3G-SDI video transport and routing on a 240Gb network that allows virtually unlimited system deployment, DiViNe offers customised solutions, yielding results unattainable with existing technology.

In addition, the DiViNe protocol allows Optocore audio products to integrate seamlessly into the environment, to add a full audio complement of analogue, AES and MADI connectivity making it a single complete audio-video solution — as demonstrated at NAB.

The broadcast world responded to this, and Optocore sales representative, Luke Barry, said he was confident that business would be written from the show. “We had some quality clients visit our stand, including several major US and Canadian networks, who were very interested in what we had to offer, and we also had approaches from potential distributors.”

In picture: the BroaMan/Optocore booth at NAB in Las Vegas.

15th May 2012

PALME Middle East Market Refocus Reaps Global Rewards

Two important strategic decisions by Informa Exhibitions, organisers of this month’s PALME Middle East in Dubai, ensured that the economic recovery now underway in the UAE was fully represented on the trading floor at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre. At the same time it enabled the three-day trade show to celebrate its tenth anniversary with style and swagger.

With a healthy and rapidly expanding event industry in the region, they took the decision to co-locate PALME Middle East alongside the Middle East EVENT Show — topped off with the popular and prestigious Middle East EVENT Awards on the second night, fully capitalising on the synergy that this provided.

Although Dubai remains an essential hub for commerce in the technology industries, in recent years business has migrated further into the GCC and beyond, building an expectation among exhibitors for a greater outreach.

Informa responded by undertaking a complete refocus of its visitor profile — drawing from the Near East and North and Central Africa, as well as the Gulf territories. In fact some of the high rollers at this year’s show came from as far afield as Nigeria. As Gordon Cooper, director of power generation suppliers SES (Entertainment Services) Ltd stated rhetorically: “Where else could you meet people from Iraq, Nigeria and Afghanistan all in one room?”

On the stand of his distributors RFW Trading he received an order for AED100,000 from a Nigerian production house — part of “at least AED 250,000 worth of business we will write directly from the show. We have had a fantastic three days and this has been the best PALME ever for us,” he declared.

Another who was delighted to meet Nigerian customers was Extron Electronics’ Senior sales manager, Middle East, Ali Al Daghistani — since his region has now expanded into Africa, and they were pleased to see visitors from across the continent.

Although a byword in commercial integrations and switching they received major interest from rental companies for fibre optic and twisted pair extenders for transmitters and receivers, as well as dealers consulting on how to implement complex installation projects.

PALME Middle East was formally opened by His Highness Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who engaged in animated discussion with a number of exhibitors as he and his entourage undertook an official walkabout.

It was clear that he was familiar with many of the brands on display, confirmed PALME exhibition director, Richard Brook. “When you have someone that is as clued up as he is, with a lot of brand familiarity, it really adds value to the show.”

LOBO Electronic again provided the spectacular in the form of its new CREOS laser and multimedia show, with creative director Alex Hennig, describing PALME as “the only place to be” for exposing their advanced laser and multimedia systems to the Middle East market. They were joined by Swiss company Laserworld (launching its Pure Micro Series) and Laser Kinetics Middle East in demonstrating what a valuable marketing tool lasers remain.

Another company which has supported PALME since its inception ten years ago is Protec, whose founder, Stephen Lakin, said the opening morning had been “as good as anything I have seen at the show”. This was attributed to the new Chinese manufactured MAMBO LED screen, which exists in 12mm, 6mm and (shortly) 3mm versions. A giant display, showing recent Protec events on a loop, arrested the attention of visitors as they walked through the door.

Many manufacturers chose PALME Middle East for product launches. One stunning innovation was the Philips Signage 3D screen shown by Thierry Louesse at Fractal Systems, who were making their PALME debut. The glasses-free 3D display was shown in modular format alongside a multi-touch table and can be built up to a 5 x 5 array (measuring 6m x 5m). Soon they promise to have a decoder that will transform any 2D movie into 3D. “PALME represented the perfect opportunity to launch this product,” Louesse said.

There were plenty of special effects to capture the event community, and few people were more positive than Nathalie Pizzini of French-based Universal Effects Europe.

“We could see the market was getting better in the Middle East and we wanted to present a new streamer to project confetti.” Having returned to the show after an absence, they say they will certainly be back again next year with a bigger booth. “As a result of our success we may consider setting up an office here.”

Another special FX company who received positive feedback was ShowTex Middle East, led by managing director, Sven Peeters. Their giant, eye-catching rise and fall spheres on DMX winches are proving particularly popular with weddings, as well as a host of other events.

The show also honoured its responsibility to training and education. Safety issues was one of the topics that came under the spotlight when Lee Brooks, managing director Prolyte UK, presented a keynote address under the heading Building Truss Systems – Technical Basics and Safety Issues.

Prolyte played a major role at the show, sponsoring the opening night Exhibitor Networking Party (hosted by PALME Middle East exhibition director, Richard Brook), and the structure giants were also able to announce a strategic distribution arrangement with Unusual Middle East, effective from the first day of the show. Other well known temporary structure/rigging companies, including Eurotruss Middle East, also took high profile booths.

Several companies had enlarged their presence, none more than TechnoPro, with a massive 1000 square metres. By the end of the show company founder Nabil Bourgeili was able to announce a major deal with one of their long term suppliers, SGM Lighting, for much wider distribution of what he sees as a unique LED offering for both the entertainment and architectural markets.

Thomsun Trading were another of several companies with enlarged presence, and general manager, Biju Thomas and assistant, Alok Ghurde confirmed that the show had more than justified the extra investment, “We have seen many customers from the live sector — in fact it seems the whole rental market is here!”

Most of the local distributors, particularly in the loudspeaker sector, were supported by senior representatives from their suppliers around the globe — again emphasising the impact PALME Middle East continues to have on the world stage. The best example was that of Australian Ben Sweeney, international sales manager of mic company Røde, who had flown in for one day from Los Angeles en route to Istanbul to support their distributor Thomsun Trading. “It’s my first time at the show and I couldn’t be more positive. It’s great to be able to communicate our message to Middle Eastern customers.”

Two heavyweights in different market sectors, who attended to capitalise on massive sales to the region were Prysm and API respectively. At last year’s PALME, Dubai TV purchased a Prysm display and followed this up with a second large curved immersive Prysm LPD TD1 videowall for Dubai TV News, supplied by Baba Broadcast Services, and which was being installed as the 2012 edition was taking place.

Meanwhile a top-of-the-range 80 channel Vision studio mixer from API was winging its way to a recording studio in Doha. Director of sales Dan Zimbelman stating: “The last three years we’ve been focusing on territories where we never had a presence. This was our first opportunity to come to the Middle East and I’m glad we did!”

And so this year’s show had something for everyone — including a vibrant programme of collateral events, with a rolling programme of Expert Seminars, Pro-Audio and Visual Sessions and Exhibitor-led Seminars, which saw steady traffic.

In particular, the opening day PALME Middle East Lighting Solutions Conference was declared a fantastic success by chairman George Katodrytis.

Conference producer Natalia Kaila said she was delighted by the response. “Moving the exhibitor led sessions to the show floor in particular has been a big success, and we can clearly see this reflected in the attendance.”

Everyone seemed united in believing that the perceived economic recovery in the region would presage greater things to come. This feeling was summed up by Glen Kershaw, sales manager of GSL Professional. “It’s looking really positive again for PALME after the economic downturn in the region over the last few years. The market is definitely recovering and we are showing 18%-20% increase in business in the first quarter.”

Which will be music to the ears of exhibition director Richard Brook. “This year has been a great indicator for what we can hopefully expect in 12 months time,” he said.

14th May 2012

PLASA Events Announces Third Annual Rigging Conference

The 3rd Annual PLASA Rigging Conference will take place on Monday 10 and Tuesday 11 September 2012 at the Earls Court Conference Centre in London.

This unique two-day international event explores and debates all aspects of this specialist section of the industry. Running alongside PLASA 2012, the Rigging Conference has become a regular date in the diary for anyone involved in rigging and working at height for temporary installations.

As the only annual event of its size that is dedicated solely to the global rigging community, it attracts professionals from over 30 countries. Out of around 200 delegates, over 40% are international visitors. These include not only rigging practitioners themselves, but venue technical staff, production managers, health and safety staff and policy makers, providing an exclusive platform to examine and debate the use of newly devised products, industry practices and professional development and to review the process of standardisation across the industry.

The 2012 Conference will open with a talk from this year's key-note speaker, Roy Bickel. Roy is an iconic figure in the global world of rigging. From his beginnings as an amateur performer and rigger in the circus, through his professional career as Roy Zacchini 'The Human Cannonball', and as a trapeze flyer and catcher, trampoline artiste and rigger, Roy became the foremost of the 'Disney Riggers' with an unrivalled reputation, and was responsible for advancing 'Disney on Parade' in 1969 which was, at the time, the largest touring arena show attempted.

Since those early years, Roy has been influential in all areas of the rigging industry; through rock 'n' roll tours, Broadway shows and topically, production rigger for the Winter Olympics in 1980. Still rigging conventions, tours and corporate events, Roy will open the conference, sharing his experiences and insights into the techniques that have developed as the industry has grown.

Following Roy Bickel's opening speech, the Conference will build on the progress of themes scrutinised last year, initially by examining the development of a standard international dictionary of rigging terminology, a convention for rigging drawings and rigging practices across Europe; pivotal strategies in the professionalising of this still relatively young industry.

In addition, break-out sessions are being planned including one on performer flying, an area that has become more prevalent in recent years. Debates on the use of ground supported structures and the subject of dynamic loads are planned to lay a foundation for the further development of these issues.

Also returning this year is the Riggers' Forum on the afternoon of Sunday September 9. This is an informal event that offers riggers, unable to attend the main conference, the opportunity to discuss issues and challenges in their working environment with experts in the industry.

Further details of the programme content and speakers will be available soon and can be found at www.plasariggingconference.com.

Registration is live now - early booking rates are available until the end of June. Until 1 July PLASA Members or NRC / ETCP qualified delegates can purchase tickets for £220 + VAT. Non-Members can purchase tickets for £265 + VAT.

To book tickets visit: www.plasariggingconference.com

10th May 2012

PALME Middle East Refocus Pays International Dividends

Informa Exhibitions, organisers of this year’s PALME Middle East Show in Dubai, had promised a complete refocus of its visitor profile for this year’s event — and as the tenth edition of the show came to an end, it was evident that this strategy had paid handsome dividends.

This was underpinned by Gordon Cooper, director of power generation suppliers SES (Entertainment Services) Ltd. “How else could you meet people from Iraq, Nigeria and Afghanistan all in one room?” he stated rhetorically.

A large Nigerian based production company placed orders on a number of stands, including AED100,000 with SES — part of “at least AED 250,000 worth of business we will write directly from the show”, according to Cooper. “We have had a fantastic three days and this has been the best PALME ever for us.”

They were exhibiting on the stand of their distributors, RFW Trading, run by Rick and Fragille Wade. The former, who is also general manager of Neumann & Muller Event Technology, backed this up. “I have picked up enough leads from rental companies here for the next six months — the show has become a lot more international,” he confirmed.

Most of the local distributors were supported by senior representatives from their suppliers around the globe — again emphasising the impact PALME ME continues to have on the world stage. The best example was that of Australian Ben Sweeney, international sales manager of mic company Røde, who had flown in for one day from Los Angeles en route to Istanbul to support their distributor Thomsun Trading. “It’s my first time at the show and I couldn’t be more positive. It’s great to be able to communicate our message to Middle Eastern customers.”

Two heavyweights in different market sectors, who attended to capitalise on massive sales to the region were Prysm and API respectively. At last year’s PALME, Dubai TV purchased a Prysm display for and followed this up with a second large curved immersive Prysm LPD TD1 videowall to Dubai TV News, supplied by Baba Broadcast Services and being installed as the 2012 edition was taking place.

Meanwhile a top-of-the-range 80 channel Vision studio mixer from API was winging its way to a recording studio in Doha. Director of sales Dan Zimbelman stating, “The last three years we’ve been focusing on territories where we never had a presence. This was our first opportunity to come to the Middle East and I’m glad we did!”

One of the more eye-catching stands included ShowTex, with their giant rise and fall spheres on DMX winches. These are particularly popular with weddings - but also a host of other events. Sven Peeters, managing director of ShowTex Middle East, stated: “We have been coming to PALME for the last nine years and have had a very good show.’

J&C Joel Middle East, a division of the IBS Group, has quickly established itself as one of the region's premier suppliers of flame retardant fabrics since setting up in the region three years ago. Said head of marketing, Claire Taylforth: “It has definitely been worth setting up, and trade shows like this make people aware. We’ve met a lot of new people. From Qatar, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey.”

And the testimonials continued; none were more positive than Nathalie Pizzini of French-based Universal Effects Europe. The company started attending in 2003, and after a three year break returned again this year.

“We could see the market was getting better in the Middle East and wanted to present a new streamer to project confetti. We are very happy to be back and as a result of our success we will consider setting up an office here. We will certainly be back next year with a bigger booth.”

And everyone seemed united in believing that the perceived economic recovery in the region would presage greater things to come, with exhibition director Richard Brook sharing their optimism. “This year has been a great indicator for what we can hopefully expect in 12 months time.”

4th May 2012

Sheikh Majid Opens Tenth PALME Middle East Show

His Highness Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum performed the official unveiling of this year’s PALME Middle East Show at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre in Dubai on May 1t, cutting the ceremonial ribbon to declare the tenth anniversary event open.

He then engaged in animated discussion with a number of exhibitors as he and his entourage undertook their official walkabout.

It was clear that he was familiar with many of the brands on display, confirmed PALME exhibition director, Richard Brook. “When you have someone that takes a real interest, and is as clued up as he is, it really helps from an exhibitor’s perspective and adds more value to the show. Brand wise he certainly knew a lot.”

And those whose stands he stopped by certainly agreed. At Thomsun Trading, he was already familiar with the Adamson and Optocore brands that they represent in the Middle East, and he chatted at length to the company’s Ashok Ross and Alok Ghurde, He also chatted knowledgeably to Chris Liebenberg from Bose UAE Trading, the Middle East dealer manager, and Lothar Bopp, whose LOBO Electronic annually produce a spectacular laser and multimedia show at PALME (this year being no exception).

The Sheikh also stopped off at a number of other stands on his journey through the fair, including GSL Professional, VV & Sons, PROCOM, SGTC Pro and TechnoPro.

This kick started a vibrant opening day’s trading, with several stands reporting the signing of new distribution deals and others predicting potential sales to new customers.

In picture: the official opening of PALME Middle East 2012.

2nd May 2012

Free Professional Development Program Announced for PLASA Focus: Nashville

Free registration is now open for the PLASA Focus: Nashville 2012 Professional Development Program, a two-day program of free educational seminars and workshops, running alongside PLASA Focus: Nashville, on July 11-12, 2012.

The program has been specially curated by some of the industry's leading talents, giving visitors a unique opportunity to broaden their specialist knowledge and take part in discussions about innovative projects and cutting edge techniques.

"One of the benefits of hosting a Focus event in Nashville is the depth of professional industry knowledge that is intrinsic to the area," comments PLASA CEO Matthew Griffiths. "Being able to tap into that regional passion for live entertainment and to share it in a common space is something which will not only benefit the local entertainment technology community in Tennessee, but also the surrounding states as well. And by attending our free seminar series visitors are able to gain access to that knowledge first hand, and in their own back yard."

The seminar program is packed full of the industry's leading names including Broadway scenic designer Donyale Werle, who kicks off the program with her talk; The Green Scene: Recycling Sets. Donyale, who's work includes Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson and Peter and the StarCatcher, describes how she builds sets from salvaged and found materials to reduce the environmental impact of a show.

From Concept to First Night, is presented by world-renowned production designer Jonathan Smeeton. Drawing from his experiences working with artists such as George Michael, Tina Turner, Taylor Swift and more, this seminar sees Jonathan share his top production design tips as he takes us through the stages of getting a show from concept through to production.

Audio engineers, technicians and production managers won't want to miss this chance to hear from Nashville audio pro Eric Elwell as he presents his seminar; Trends in Live Sound Reinforcement. Eric has engineered on the road for bands like Sugarland, Amy Grant, Joe Nichols, and more. This seminar is an opportunity to hear from Eric as he discusses what's new in live sound reinforcement.

Towards the end of day one Tobin Neis will talk attendees through the process of figuring out how much money can be saved by using alternative light sources like LEDs. Save energy, save money, and save the planet, is the mantra of Tobin's seminar: ROI on LEDs and Other ALS (Alternative Light Sources)

PLASA Focus is lucky to have Nashville video designer Ken Gay, and award winning Live music director and line producer Mark Haney to kick off day two with; Trends in Video Design, a presentation about the latest video design trends that are having a major impact on the industry. The talk focuses on video in live event production and how, as it quickly evolves, it is redefining the boundaries of the live show as we know it.

Also on the second day of the show, Stephen Gudis gives a master class in the art of production management with his seminar; Production Management in a Frenzied World. A specialist in tour production, event management and artist coordination since the 1960's, Production Department president, Stephen Gudis, has seen the industry develop and mature into more complex and demanding events, merging live, audio and visual media. This talk is filled with invaluable advice for the well seasoned, as well as the aspiring, production manager.

Aside from the Seminar Program PLASA Focus: Nashville 2012 will exhibit the latest in new entertainment technology. The event, which is also free to attend, will bring world class professional knowledge to Tennessee, giving the region's exciting community of lighting designers, sound engineers, production companies, dealers and rental houses, an opportunity to connect with their peers as well as engage with the tools of tomorrow.

With over 70 exhibitors, two days of free sessions, and free refreshments, there's no better place to be this July. Free visitor registration is open now!

For more information, please visit

www.plasafocus.com/nashville

2nd May 2012

PRG TruColor HS a Winner at NAB 2012

Production Resource Group, L.L.C. (PRG) debuted its new digital light fixture, the TruColor HS at the recent National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in Las Vegas. The innovative product created quite a buzz and received accolades from three major industry trade publications.

TruColor HS is a unique colour-accurate digital soft source, which uses Remote Phosphor Technology. It is designed specifically to meet the strict standards of motion picture and broadcast production. With more than twice the output of a 2kW incandescent soft light, TruColor HS delivers an extended Color Rendering Index (CRI) over 95, generates a 160-degree beam spread, and uses only 400-watts of AC power.

The HS was awarded the Digital Video magazine’s Best of Show Black Diamond Award that recognizes outstanding achievement in the advancement of video technology. A select panel of engineers, editors, as well as production and post professionals joined the magazine staff as judges.

In addition, the HS fixture also received a Mario Award, from TV Technology magazine. The Mario Awards, established to recognize products that represent significant technical breakthroughs, are named after Mario Orazio, a pseudonym for a nameless engineer and a renowned technology columnist for TV Technology who pens the industry’s most widely read column The Masked Engineer. These awards are given out annually at the NAB Show to companies that demonstrate forward thinking and technical excellence in their products.

Rounding out its wins, PRG TruColor HS was awarded a prestigious Pick Hits Award from the Broadcast Engineering magazine. The panel of independent judges spend three days on the show floor looking for innovative products and technology based on several criteria, including the technical and financial improvements a product may bring to a facility's operation.

"We’re thrilled to get such great feedback for the HS," said Rich Pierceall, PRG’s director of digital lighting sales. "Professionals in our industry are demanding improvements in digital lighting, and Remote Phosphor Technology allows us to hit higher quality standards in terms of colour consistency and output."

1st May 2012

Two Lighting Design Rising Stars Praise Knight of Illumination Awards

Two young lighting designers whose talent was recognised at the 2011 Knight of Illumination Awards have spoken of the importance of the event.

Jamie Thompson, who was presented with a KOI Sword for his lighting design for The Script and Michael Straun, whose Glasvegas lighting design was celebrated, both say that they have received a career boost since the awards.

"I think everyone likes to be praised and recognised for his or her work - it really did feel fantastic to receive such a well-respected, industry-recognised award," says Straun. "For me it was an honour even to be short-listed. I really loved Neil Carson’s design for Chase and Status so it meant a great deal to be acknowledged in the same category as him. I also saw previous winner Cate Carter’s arena design for Elbow and thought it was beautiful so it felt incredible to be considered for an award."

One of the main aims of the Knight of Illumination Awards is to bring the lighting design community together to celebrate its achievements and the progress the industry is making.

"I think it’s great that the KOI awards exist - it's nice to have a range of awards focused on one aspect of the industry," says Jamie Thompson. "The KOI Awards event brings together a great demographic of established and rising talent within the lighting industry, it’s a great night out. And, of course, it was a fantastic honour to win the coveted sword. I think the award has helped raise my profile within the industry and it’s also a fantastic accolade to have under my belt."

Sarah Rushton-Read, chairman of the KOI Rock Award, says: "The beauty of the KOI Awards is that we can celebrate rising talent as well as established or well known lighting designers at the same event. At the 2011 Awards, it was really moving to see world-renowned lighting design veteran Richard Pilbrow – a godfather of the art – be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Equally, it’s fantastic that we can highlight some of the amazing work being produced by the younger lighting designers making waves in the industry. And, of course, we think the Awards mean even more because it’s up to the people within the industry to submit lighting designs that have really impressed them. The Awards really cement the lighting community together and raise awareness of the great work being done throughout the industry."

This year’s Knight of Illumination Awards takes place in London on September 9 and entries are flowing in at a steady pace – so far, submissions for the Rock Award include: Florence and the Machine, Paul Weller, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Swedish House Mafia, Snow Patrol, Death in Vegas, Bombay Bicycle Club, Orbital and many more!

So, if you’ve witnessed great lighting design at a live music event this year, then it’s time to submit your choice, which you can do so by visiting http://www.knight-of-illumination.com/rules

In picture: KOI 2011 duo - Glasvegas and The Script.

1st May 2012

First exhibitors sign up for Showlight 2013

The next Showlight may still be a year away, but companies are already signing up to participate at the 2013 event, taking place 18-21 May 2013 in ?eský Krumlov. The latest exhibitors to sign up include ADB, Anolis, ARRI Lighting Solutions, ETC, Lee Filters, MA Lighting, Rainbow Colour Changers, Robert Juliat, White Light Ltd and of course the event’s main sponsor, Robe. With such well-respected companies getting involved, Showlight 2013 promises to be one of the best yet.

As an event which allows lighting designers, manufacturers and suppliers to meet and discuss ideas, previous events have received rave reviews: "The best industry event I’ve ever attended" and "In difficult times like these Showlight proved to be a true inspiration to keep going and do what you are passionate about". Taking place every four years, each time at a different location, Showlight is organised by lighting professionals for lighting professionals. In 2009, with some 40 exhibitors, over 365 delegates from the world of entertainment lighting passed through Showlight’s doors.

Unlike other trade shows, Showlight places emphasis on debate stimulated by papers from respected industry experts and provides a gathering ground for like-minded people. And the unique thing about Showlight is that both exhibitors and visitors fully participate in the conference programme.

Delegates at the 2009 event were treated to an impressive array of speakers, including the hugely enjoyable Roberto Schaefer ASC, DoP for The Kite Runner and Quantum of Solace; Alex Wardle of Arup (Stage lighting with candles); and Dorian Kelly (Poetics of light and lighting). It’s a hard act to follow, but initial signs are that 2013 is looking just as good.

Showlight 2013 is being held in the fairy tale Czech Republic town of ?eský Krumlov. The town’s amazing 13th century Gothic castle with its connected theatre and conference centre will be the main venue for the presentations and exhibition. All delegates are able to stay within the pedestrianised town; vehicle access is deliberately restricted in order to retain the medieval feel of this UNESCO Heritage site.

There’s still plenty of time to sign up as an exhibitor, but as the event was fully booked in 2009, all those interested in either exhibiting or attending should register as soon as possible. If you are interested in being an exhibitor and would like to know more, go directly to www.showlight.org/exhibit/ or e-mail sales@showlight.org. To register as a delegate e-mail register@showlight.org

www.showlight.org

1st May 2012

City Theatrical at LightFair International 2012

City Theatrical will be launching new products and services for the architectural lighting world at LightFair International 2012 in Las Vegas on May 9-11, 2012.

Two new products join the SHoW DMX Neo wireless DMX product family and will be seen at LightFair for the first time. SHoW DMX Vero Net is an outdoor wireless DMX transceiver in a NEMA 4 / IP66 rated enclosure that accepts all major entertainment Ethernet protocols including sACN, Art-Net, Kinet, and Pathport. SHoW DMX Vero is a smaller version of the product that accepts DMX input only.

Wireless DMX is often used in outdoor architectural lighting installation to light buildings, bridges, monuments, and other objects when running data cable is difficult or too expensive.

These two new products join the indoor SHoW DMX Neo transceiver and receiver, are compatible with them, and are the latest innovations in City Theatrical’s ten years of wireless DMX development and manufacturing. City Theatrical’s SHoW DMX is the wireless DMX of choice for lighting professionals on Broadway and West End shows, permanent entertainment and architectural installations, and major music tours such as the U2 360 Degree Tour.

SHoW DMX Neo features the extremely high data fidelity that the multi-award winning SHoW DMX is famous for, as well as incredibly fast 7ms latency, ensuring that wired and wireless DMX sources will appear exactly the same. All SHoW DMX Neo products including SHoW DMX Vero and Vero Net feature the ability to optimise control of output power, full or limited bandwidth broadcast, and the ability to broadcast less than the full DMX packet to shrink the radio footprint. For the users who do not want to manually optimise their broadcast, SHoW DMX Neo products also have Neo Adaptive Mode that will select only open radio channels to broadcast on, with no user intervention needed. All SHoW DMX Neo products will also 'heal' lost data packets.

SHoW DMX Vero Net includes an RDM controller provided with the transceiver which allows anyone to monitor RDM devices from a remote computer anywhere in the world, perform all radio setup functions, and to check RDM responder functions such as receiver signal strength, change DMX addresses, respond to sensors, and any other RDM functions that are supported by any manufacturer’s equipment on the system. SHoW DMX Vero Net and Vero serve as both RDM responders and proxies and will discover and control any RDM equipment on the system, and do it quickly and smoothly.

An OEM version of SHoW DMX Neo is available to enable any lighting manufacturer to easily and inexpensively add wireless DMX and RDM to their products.

City Theatrical will also be showcasing services that we provide to any lighting manufacturer including design and development of lighting accessories for LED lighting fixtures, and custom fabrication services from our Carlstadt, New Jersey factory.

The entire SHoW DMX Neo family of products including SHoW DMX Vero and Vero Net are designed and manufactured by City Theatrical in the U.S.A. in its Carlstadt, New Jersey factory.

30th April 2012

NATEAC Announces Conference Sessions List

The North American Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference has announced the preliminary session line-up for its upcoming conference. 16 sessions are listed with eight more to be announced soon.

Bill Sapsis, conference director noted: "This is an incredible group of people and I am thrilled, honoured and, to be honest, astonished that so many are willing to give of their time and energy to speak at NATEAC. This will be an amazing conference."

"NATEAC is built on the concept of providing a place where design professionals, manufacturers, end users, engineers and all those interested in performance spaces can meet to share their ideas, methodology and processes for designing and building better venues in North America. On July 22 & 23, 2012, that place will be the New York Hilton in midtown Manhattan."

Over 60 panellists will speak at 24 sessions on topics ranging from current ADA Issues to Restoring pre-Depression Era Theatres and Designing Non-Traditional Spaces for Classical Music. To view the session descriptions and list of panellists visit www.nateac.org/panels.htm.

Conference registration for NATEAC is now open. For more information please go to

www.nateac.org

26th April 2012

PALME Middle East Lighting Solutions Conference Confirmed

PALME’s fourth Middle East Lighting Solutions Conference 2012 has been timed to coincide with the opening day of this year’s three-day PALME Middle East expo (May 1-3).

Held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, the full-day event opens at 11am with an address by George Katodrytis, RIBA, Associate Professor of Architecture, College of Architecture, Art and Design, American University of Sharjah.

It will then go on to discuss a series of topics including: New Technologies and Products in Lighting Design (with Ivar Krasinski, Design Director, STR-EDGE), followed by The Development of Standardisations for Lighting: Abu Dhabi’s Sustainable Lighting Policy (with Martin Valentine, Lighting Expert, Municipality of Abu Dhabi City). This will lead into a debate session a debate session which asks: Are LEDs for Everybody in the Lighting Profession? (moderated by George Katodrytis and featuring Luke Bonner, Applications Engineering Manager, Ruud Lighting; Nigel Holbrough, Lighting Designer & Technical Consultant, MA Lighting; Barry Hannaford, Director, dpa lighting consultant; Vic Andrews, Managing Director, Ruud Lighting, and Michael Nuyttens, CEO, ETAP UAE).

After lunch there will be a major project study of Capital Gate Abu Dhabi (the interior design and façade) with David McNeil, Associate, dpa lighting consultants.

The mid-afternoon sessions will ask Is the Middle East Still Building Big and Beautiful? with Ziad Fattouh, Managing Director, Delta Lighting Solutions.

This session will cover case studies of Middle East Lighting projects such as Zaytunay Bay, Ritz Carlton and The Pearl. This will be followed by The Lighthouse: Full-time Residence with Minimal Environmental Impact, with Robert Reid, Assistant Professor, College of Architecture, Art and Design, American University of Sharjah.

The final 50-minute Workshop will be dedicated to: Lighting Solutions: Small Scale Lighting Design (Residential and Retail) and features Pallavi Dean, Interior Designer, Pallavi Dean & Visiting Assistant Professor, American University of Sharjah & Colin Beaton, Managing Director, Limelight Creative Services.

The conference enables visitors to join an exclusive team of lighting industry leaders allowing them to network with architects, lighting design experts, lighting solution providers and key industry figures.

25th April 2012

Nashville Turns Up the Volume

PLASA Focus: Nashville 2012 welcomes a raft of new exhibitors as the two-day event continues to grow, with over 20 companies now committed to taking part and as many applications being processed. The event takes place July 11-12, at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium, TN, and is the first of its kind to be held in the region.

Confirmed exhibitors include: Barbizon, IATSE, Seachanger, Hive/Interspace, Show Sage, Ultratec, LynTec, Nicolaudie America Inc., Thern Stage Equipment, Coolux, Doug Fleenor Design, Chauvet, Robe, High End Systems, White Light, Creative Stage Lighting, Mainstage Theatrical Supply, Martin Professional and TMB.

PLASA Focus' much talked about 'new style' event brings new products out to regional areas, providing free networking and learning opportunities for regional entertainment-tech communities. Those involved will also have the unique opportunity to mix with a wider audience as PLASA Focus: Nashville overlaps with the annual Summer NAMM event, taking place July 12-14, 2012 at the Nashville Convention Center.

The unique hassle-free booth system provides a new level playing field for exhibitors, and is attracting interest from first time exhibitors, including regional production companies and distributors, as well as manufacturers and rental companies. This wide scope will attract a broad cross-section of the entertainment technology community in Tennessee and the neighboring states, from students and end users to consultants, buyers and freelancers.

For visitors, there will be plenty of opportunity to engage with peers and meet new people, including a free two-day education and learning program created by the industry's leading names. Visitors should register online today to be the first to receive major new announcements in the weeks ahead.

www.plasafocus.com/nashville                  

16th April 2012

Artistic Licence Engineering at PLASA Focus 2012

The R&D department at Artistic Licence Engineering has been working overtime to produce two new ranges of products along with several OEM solutions and a new modular version of the Multichrome Range. The new products will have their first full showing at PLASA Focus in Leeds (17-18 April) on stand S-D13.

Fresh for the show will be the two-input DMX / RDM splitter, Duo-Split RDM, and the Zone Control Range of Mica, Diamond, Quartz and Zircon architectural wall panel controllers. New products and modules have been added to the Multichrome Range, all of which will be on display, whilst the Rack Pack gains a new member in the form of the exciting new dVnet ’10 click’ media converter.

dVnet is the latest addition to the Artistic Licence Rack Pack, a product range that features slim 19-inch rack casings. dVnet is a digital-video-to-network converter aimed squarely at retail and architectural applications where a media facade or light sculpture is to be controlled by video and the complexity of a media server is not required. In many instances the lighting designer or light artist will have created their work in video - dVnet is all they need to convert their work to light. dVnet provides digital video inputs in HDMI format. Configuration of the product is simplicity itself, with less than ten mouse clicks required to see video rendered to a media wall.

dVnet can also playback video clips loaded onto its internal hard drive and provides a play list manager for the purpose. The product output is via a gigabit network connection with both Art-Net 3 and sACN protocol support.

Previewed at ARC 2012 and now launched at PLASA Focus as part of the Zone Control range, Diamond, along with its sister products, Mica, Quartz and Zircon, is one of Artistic Licence’s new range of trigger panels designed primarily for the architectural market.

Diamond is the headline act in the Zone Control range. It is an elegant wall panel controller carved from solid aluminium and in filled with wood or plastic to match the client's decor. The product mounts to a standard 2-gang UK back box and communicates via a network connection. It also supports power-over-ethernet, further simplifying the installation process. Diamond features eight gently curved buttons. Each button can be individually backlit with total control over colour and intensity. The internal web browser allows the user to simply configure the operation and colour of each button.

Mica

Mica is a wall mounted trigger panel designed as a user interface to larger, more sophisticated systems. Its eight push buttons can be configured to send trigger messages such as Art-Net Macros or Art-DMX packets.

Similar to Mica, Quartz is also an eight button trigger panel capable of sending Art-Net Macros or Art-DMX packets. However Quartz’s stylish front panel has 8 RGB LED buttons which can be configured, via an internal web browser, to show idle and active colours and fits into a standard 2-gang UK back box. Messages can be either unicast or broadcast allowing the commands to be contained within zones or sent to the entire system. Quartz also offers a trigger web page that allows users to simulate a button press on any web browser enabled device, such as an iPad.

Zircon is a stand-alone RGB LED controller with a unique face plate design that can be customised to suit its surroundings. Designed to fit in a standard 2-gang UK back box, Zircon can be installed in any location. Power is provided by PoE and all communication is via Ethernet / Art-Net so the installation method is also standard.

Each of the eight buttons can be configured to run a show or static look. For ease, these ‘shows’ and ‘looks’ are pre-programmed with the choice made from a drop down list.

Diamond, Quartz and Zircon can be supplied with a choice of front panel material including any commercially available coloured plastic or real wood finishes including cherry, dark wood and pine.

Duo-Split RDM is Artistic Licence Engineering’s new two-input, eight-output DMX & RDM Splitter. Housed in a 19" 1U Rack enclosure, Duo-Split uses the same market-leading DMX Splitter technology employed across Artistic Licence’s full Splitter Range (which includes Rail-Split RDM, Rack-Split RDM and Iso-Split RDM).

Duo-Split combines not only two separate splitters within a single product, but also a ‘fixer’ mode when RDM is not required. Each of its eight outputs can be individually selected to either of the two inputs, whilst these inputs can be independently set to ‘splitter’ or ‘fixer’ mode to give the user maximum flexibility.

After a successful launch at PLASA 2011, Multichrome Tube is now available in modular form and can be supplied in a variety of lengths and different configurations. These include, single or double sided strips, various pixel pitches and up to three LEDs in series per pixel. Benefiting from proven Multichrome technology and rich colours, these modular lengths provide an easy to use solution for linear strips of RGB pixels.

The new modularity means that Multichrome Tube can be integrated more easily into its surroundings, a quality which has also been extended to Multichrome Flex which is available in various pixel pitches and with or without its IP67 casing.

Both products use the same architecture and therefore require the same drivers. Consequently, regardless of whatever form or configuration they are used, both can be driven from the same controller.

Artistic Licence Engineering’s Simon Hobday and Murray Gellatly will be on hand to demonstrate the new products and answer questions.

www.artisticlicence.com

13th April 2012

Charcoalblue Project The Royal Shakespeare Theatre Wins USITT Award

London-based theatre design consultancy Charcoalblue’s work is clearly making waves on both sides of the ‘pond’ as the multi-award winning transformation of the Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres wins the prestigious USITT 2012 Architecture Honor Award.

No stranger to this particular accolade, in 2007 Charcoalblue was delighted to see two of its previous projects, London’s Young Vic and The Unicorn Theatre, receive USITT Merit awards.

For the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST), Charcoalblue consultants worked in close collaboration with project architects Bennetts Associates and the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) project team to transform the now critically acclaimed Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon. RSC artistic director, Michael Boyd has since described it as, "a miracle of a space that combines the epic and the intimate … it’s quite extraordinary."

Charcoalblue provided complete design and planning consultancy on the auditorium, foyers and backstage areas, as well as the design and integration of the technical systems. Managing director of Charcoalblue, Andy Hayles, who collected the award alongside Bennetts’ architect Simon Erridge and deputy project director for the RST, Simon Harper, says: "We’re delighted to receive the USITT Architecture Honor Award for the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. We’re thrilled that our work has found so much favor worldwide with so many influential and respected people: the architects, the clients, our peers and most importantly the end users and audiences. The fact that our projects have also won a raft of awards and have been praised worldwide is the icing on the cake."

Since 1994, USITT’s Architecture Awards have given public and professional recognition for contemporary architectural projects. A juried process is used to determine each year’s winners and each are given either Honor or Merit Awards. Past award winners have hailed from England, Germany, Japan, California, New York, and all points between.

You can also see Charcoalblue’s work at the V&A in London. The Prague Quadrennial exhibit features the RST and sketches by Charcoalblue’s Design Director Gavin Green.

In picture: Andy Hayles, Simon Erridge and Simon Harper photo USITT/Erika Courtney

 

10th April 2012

Robert Juliat at Prolight+Sound 2012

For the second year running, Robert Juliat’s Prolight+Sound stand was almost entirely illuminated by LED fixtures, demonstrating how LED sources can simultaneously offer both cost and environmental benefits.

The stand centred on presenting previews of Robert Juliat’s two new products, TIBO and ZEP LED profiles, which are due for release later this year.

TIBO and ZEP have evolved from the success of Robert Juliat’s award-winning LED profile released at PLASA 2010. Both are the result of a redesigned light source, designed and built entirely in-house, which gives an improved CRI and higher light output.

ZEP is the same size and form factor as the 600SX range and offers a maximum output and a low power consumption. Its 150W LED source gives a light output equivalent to a 1000W tungsten profile. It will be available in two colour temperatures: Warm White 3200K and Cool White 6000K and offers three zoom ranges compatible with the current zoom ranges of the popular 600SX Series tungsten profiles: 28°-54°, 16°-35° and 11°-26°.

Intensity can be controlled either locally or via DMX and its flicker-free PSU is cooled silently by convection so eliminating noise contamination which is so important a consideration when working with cameras in television or film studios.

TIBO presents a truly-innovative design and offers a choice of multiple light sources. Its 75W LED source offers the same output as the 630 LED model but in a smaller, stylish unit. Its new optical device and die-cast aluminium body work have given rise to a design not possible with sheet metal and created a unit that is lighter and more compact than any others in the Robert Juliat range.

TIBO will be available in a choice of 3 colour temperatures: Warm White 3000K, Neutral White 4000K and Cool White (Daylight) 6500K to cover any application. It features an outstanding optical design that allows two different zoom ranges - from 15° to 45° - in one single unit.

Robert Juliat’s superb beam quality and crisp gobo projection is retained with the addition of a continuous 360° rotation on lens tube.

Aimed at museums, churches and small schools, TIBO is a compact and custom-manufactured profile offering bespoke-coloured body works, making it a highly attractive product in technical, aesthetic and budgetary terms.

The stand demonstrated the effect of its profiles with a series of projected squares on the floor which illustrated the light output, colour temperature and beam quality - complete with sharp shutter cuts - of the 600 series 1K tungsten profile alongside the new 150W LED ZEP.

“We have had excellent responses to our new fixtures,” says Robert Juliat CEO, François Juliat. “Customers are excited by the new design of TIBO!”

“We took the conscious decision to develop white-only LED sources in order to maximise the power output. By avoiding RGB colour mixing, the result is a high quality white light.”

“We agree the new look is a good look – a bit different for us but still unmistakably an RJ product!”

In picture: ZEP and TIBO

www.robertjuliat.com

10th April 2012

MDG Presents cast c. Adolph & RST Distribution with Symbol of Brotherhood and Solidarity at Prolight+Sound

At precisely 4pm on Thursday 22 March, in front of a comprehensive collection of the press, a celebratory photo of the MDG team was emailed from the MDG headquarters in Canada to Heinz and Sabine Siller of cast C. Adolph & RST Distribution as they stood on the MDG stand at Prolight+Sound. The photo showed the staff holding an Inukshuk, a Canadian monument made of unworked stones which represents the energy of stone in a human image, traditionally used by the Inuit for communication and survival. The message read: “MDG is proud and honoured to offer this Inukshuk to cast C. Adolph & RST Distribution for our 20 years of partnership and many more to come!”

That same Inukshuk, having been transported in hand-luggage from Montreal to Frankfurt, was then presented on the stand to Heinz Siller by MDG’s Martin Michaud. Michaud explained that, “In modern times, the Inukshuk has become a symbol of brotherhood, mutual aid and solidarity which are precisely those qualities shared by our two companies. It is said the Inukshuk will help the one who receives it to always make the right decision and choose the right path in life. This has certainly proved true in our case as MDG obviously took the right decision to appoint cast C. Adolph & RST Distribution as our distributor all those years ago. Since then the relationship has blossomed into a valued and extremely successful long term association that means a lot to both companies.”

cast C. Adolph & RST Distribution returned the compliment with the presentation of a MDG-branded cake, and champagne with which to toast the occasion.

Prolight+Sound proved extremely busy for MDG with theONE and the ICE FOG Q undergoing constant demonstration and a new product, theFAN, released specifically for the show. theFAN is a compact, digital, fully DMX/RDM stand-alone unit which offers a universal switching power supply, low power consumption and a choice of mounting options for on-stage and in-truss use. The result is a versatile, truly universal, free-standing unit that can be partnered with MDG generators or used independently.

In picture: Heinz Siller of cast C. Adolph & RST Distribution receives Inukshuk from Martin Michaud of MDG in recognition of 20 years of partnership.

10th April 2012

J.R. Clancy Receives Lifetime Achievement Award at USITT Conference

J.R. Clancy was honoured at USITT’s 2012 Annual Conference in Long Beach, CA, with the USITT Award for a lifetime of contributions to the performing arts.

J. R. Clancy president Mike Murphy received the award on behalf of the company.

The USITT Award recognises a lifetime of distinguished contribution to the performing arts or entertainment communities in any capacity. The nomination notes that, in the case of J.R. Clancy, “the USITT Award recognises not just a lifetime but several generations of distinguished contributions to the performing arts and entertainment community.”

The award nomination continues: “During this period, they have generously and willingly supported the Institute in many of its endeavours … Their most recent support came in the way of funding for an initiative to enable secondary schools throughout the country to have their rigging systems inspected to ensure that students are learning in a safe environment. Forward thinking such as this is just one example of the contributions that J.R. Clancy has made to the benefit of the industry.”

The award went on to recognise Clancy’s contributions to the industry through the recent digitisation of 126 years of printed catalogues, which “promises great reward for future scholars interested in the production history of the various branches of the field serviced by Clancy … The Clancy gift of their digitised catalogues will provide similar fodder for future researchers. USITT should consider this singular gift as emblematic of the long tradition of J.R. Clancy, Inc. in serving the greater entertainment community with their production products.”

“On behalf of past and present associates of J. R. Clancy, we are honoured to accept this award and continue our association with USITT’s past, present, and future members,” said Murphy. “J. R. Clancy has been a member of USITT since 1962, and we see significant value in the organisation and its work on behalf of theatre education. We are proud to play a supporting role in this important work.”

5th April 2012

CAST Brings Its Crowd-Stopping BLACKTRAX Demo to NAB

CAST Group of Toronto, Canada is bringing some racing excitement to the show floor at NAB 2012, which can be seen 16-19 April 2012 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Booth #C9808.

CAST is exhibiting for the first time at NAB 2012 and will be demonstrating the cutting-edge technology of BlackTrax in one of the most creative demonstration formats ever done. Visitors to NAB will push to the competitive edge! CAST’s unique stand design features a slot-car racetrack that pits competitors against each other in a head-to-head race: both racers will try to beat the realtime speed of BlackTrax. The racetrack itself is projected via Coolux from above and the entire stand will be bursting with 3D audio delivered by SonicEmotions along with Sharpy moving lights – all receiving live, realtime dynamic positioning about each car from BlackTrax.

The point of this high-energy, hyperactivity on the CAST Stand is to let anyone at NAB prove for themselves how BlackTrax-filled interactivity, involving moving lights, spatial audio, projection, automated scenery, delivers the holy grail for producers and designers – WOW and a fully immersive entertainment experience for audiences.

Production executives ask: is it expensive? No – in fact, it pays for itself. BlackTrax is designed to reduce rehearsal time, seriously cut the time it takes to calibrate moving lights and enable the use of moving lights instead of followspots, for example. Is using BlackTrax risky? No, because BlackTrax is performance enhancing – it doesn’t turn anything on or off.

BlackTrax (patent protected) is a live solution that uses an IR LED beacon to track objects or people in a defined 3D Space and delivers the dynamic positional data in realtime in up to 6 Degrees of Freedom – the usual x, y, z, plus roll, pitch & yaw – to audio (including true 3D audio output), lighting and media technologies, as well as CAST’s new BlackBox. BlackTrax is a first and it promises to revolutionize the production industry.

Using leading-edge proprietary IR, BlackTrax 3D can track all the parameters of each uniquely tagged object in the defined 3D Space (the normal installation easily handles up to 130ft cubed) using a beacon (similar to a Lavalier). BlackTrax is fully scalable and can also handle extended for even larger Spaces. Should the IR line of sight be obstructed, the Beacon’s onboard accelerometer delivers redundant tracking data. The onboard gyroscope communicates the orientation of a moving piece or performer at over 150 frames per second. BlackTrax can deliver the precise 6D positioning data about people or objects, moving in the Space, to lighting, spatial audio, and media servers directly, or through BlackBox which uses realtime bidirectional communication to a broader spectrum of production technologies so they can interact with one another. Whether for one-offs or repeat performances, these technologies will change the way production professionals work in live broadcast, film studios, road shows, not to mention churches, stages, and large venues. Whether a fixed or rental/travelling installation, BlackTrax delivers practical, economic production control and enhancement for myriad applications, allowing an entirely new degree of creative freedom, safety and control.

To prove the point, the CAST racetrack display demonstrates the speed and accuracy of BlackTrax while providing a fun interactive activity for visitors. The racetrack is controlled by a 22” touchscreen mounted on a podium. As each competitor drives his or her car (at their speed – which can be faster than an ice skater or trapeze artist -- and control) – BlackTrax will track the race time of each car in realtime. Each race winner will be entered into a raffle for prizes, and the fastest racer each day wins a daily grand prize.

The CAST Stand has absolutely no live programming. Based on exactly what each racer does, BlackTrax will coordinate pre-created lighting effects, spatial audio, live video streaming, media server projection, and camera tracking by streaming precise positional data in realtime. The result is a totally hot immersive entertainment experience for the racers and onlookers alike.

The BlackTrax racetrack and podium are completely projected. To increase WOW, video will be projected onto the cars and surrounding track; for example, there can be leaves on the track and as the cars drive over the leaves, these get blown away, or a portion of the track can be simulated to be glass and break as the cars move over the track. Visitors can also manipulate the track through the podium touchscreen, showing a bird’s eye view of the racetrack. Someone may strategically place a stick of dynamite on the track, through the touchscreen, which will trigger a projected explosion if hit by a car.

Using the BlackTrax positional data, the system will automatically counts the number of laps driven, calculates the duration per lap and will show the maximum speed of the cars. Races will be projected onto the rear wall of the stand for better viewing by passers-by.

Several products and technologies will be used for the demonstration. Each racecar will be tracked around the track with a Clay Paky Sharpy moving head lighting fixture; all spatial positioning data is provided by BlackTrax. As the cars race along the track, spatial audio follows in realtime. When the cars reach the final lap, the Sharpys will strobe the winning car. As the cars race, BlackTrax delivers the positioning data for the 3rd party spatial audio, lighting, and projected media -- where it needs to be -- without distracting the rest of the stand.

BlackTrax will also demonstrate its ability to feed realtime positional data to CAST’s BlackBox, in turn driving automated cameras. Mounted above the control podium will be a dome camera. The dome camera will be able to integrate aerial shots of the cars; think of it as a helicopter flying over the track. Each race will be recorded and posted to the CAST channel on YouTube, which will be provided to each racer.

It’s simple. Given that each racer “drives” at different speeds and the 3D audio, moving lights and media tracks and interacts with each car as it is driven, then you will witness the first-ever realtime 3D tracking available in the industry. The superlatives from the audience at Prolight+Sound2012 were consistently complimentary.

CAST is always available to answer your questions and receive your input and ideas, and will have a team of industry experts on hand to talk about all of their products including wysiwyg lighting previsualization software, Vivien -- Virtual Event Designer, and to discuss the uses and applications for the BlackTrax technology.

For those who have heard of some of these new technologies from CAST and want to experience it first hand and talk to the pros, NAB is the perfect opportunity to see, hear and feel what it’s like to have total control.

photo: CAST Group

3rd April 2012

HEADLINES

news archive

search stories