Sound Solutions

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world.

Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

Anjali Srivastava Jackeline Navin S B navin@sandy.in +9196 8680 0662

M Naga Bhanu Raghavendra T raghavendra@sandy.in

+9199 8013 6233

Sandeep Mittal Yashodhara S Printing Ramya Reprographic, Bengaluru Published by Sandeep Mittal on behalf of Sandy Media 231, 7th Cross, Indiranagar 1st Stage, Bengaluru 560 038, India Phone +9180 2521 5107 / 2527 2812 Fax +9180 2521 5094 info@sandy.in www.sandy.in Regional Offices 414-D Wing, Floral Deck Plaza, Central MIDC Road, Andheri (E), Mumbai 400 093.

Phone +9122 2838 8475 / 476 Telefax +9122 2838 8470 67 Masjid Road, Jungpura Bhogal, New Delhi 110 014.

Phone +9111 2437 8061 Telefax +9111 2437 4848 B5, 2nd Floor, Gems Court, 14 Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai 600 006 Phone +9144 2833 0906 Telefax +9144 2833 0907 RNI # KARENG02795/10/1/2002-TC SS (SoundSolutions) is a quarterly publication on AV, sound, architectural acoustics, noise control, technical lighting and design for private circulation. SS reaches to architects, interior designers, acousticians, performing space owners and trade professionals in India and select cities in the world. SS seeks a healthy promotion of acoustics, AV and allied fields through dissemination of useful information. Some of the information is compiled from industry sources, trade journals, company brochures, etc. for the benefit of readers. SS acknowledges with thanks the authors and publishers of these source materials. SS is a trademark under registration and the contents are under copyright registration. All rights reserved. Reproduction by any means in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. Unsolicited printed material is welcome but no responsibility is undertaken for the same and will not be returned. Letters to the editor are welcome but subject to editing for publishing. SS does not take responsibility for absolute accuracy of information published.

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contents

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SoundSolutions Issue # 37 / April-June 2012

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Colour Sound Chills

40 Below Zero at ICEBAR 42 Whitworth Art Gallery 44 Megastar Show 46 Preston Passion 48 Underwater Adventures 49 NY's SoundCheck 50 High Impact Multiscreen Video 52 Sea Odyssey 54 Museum of Islamic Art 56 Bangalore’s Lounge Bar Rewinds 57 Mega World Tour 61 UEFA Euro 2012 LED and Control Solution for Lights for

Giant Truss at

in Sound Recording

Republic Recording Studio Relocates Regenerates with

Live Public Music at

LED and Control Solution for Stadion Miejski Prepares for

62 67

Its Robe All the Way TRADESHOWS REVIEWS

PREVIEWS

Pro VA Roadshow

2013

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MINDSHARE SS EDITORIAL

Reinforcing sound The three major forms of entertainment - home, cinema and destination - have forever been competing with each other.

Indulging in oneupmanship (or brinkmanship) in wooing the consumer and vying for her purse.

While home entertainment is essentially about the home theatre experience and viewing of serials, sports, movies etc, cinema is a form of ‘away-from-home’ destination entertainment but is different from other such forms as it has to do with recorded media. Destination entertainment is all about live performances whether it is opera, concert, bands, sports, theme parks, sound + light shows etc.

When sound evolved from mono to stereo all three forms adopted it.

However when cinema took analog stereo to digital multichannel surround sound, it was home theatre that followed suit. In destination entertainment the response was varied and largely tepid. A few bands have tried as have some stage performers but audience interest in the action upfront has been so intense that either surround sound is not noticed or it does not add to the overall experience. Only sound + light shows, to an extent, have succeeded in enveloping the audience in surround sound.

Now, reinforced sound is set for the next stage. Cinema is spearheading

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the next leap. It remains digital multichannel but the surround now takes a 3D form. The future of cinema sound is an attempt to further envelope the audience by adding more loudspeakers behind screen and along walls, apart from embedding them in the ceiling.

The number of discrete channels could go up from 7.1 to a maximum of ... hold your breath ...

23.1! It could mean cinemas are fitted with a total of upto 100 speakers. Naturally, speaker manufacturers are the most excited apart from the ecosystem along the audio chain.

I recently experienced these new technologies at Cinemacon, the world’s biggest convention on cinema exhibition, held annually at Las Vegas. There were four competing brands. Dolby Atmos from UK/USA, Barco Auro from Belgium, Iosono from Germany and Imm Sound from Spain.

Without getting into the competitive merits I must admit these new sound systems are definitely more accurate, more immersive.

While bio acoustics says, human ears being separated in the horizontal plane, we perceive discrete sounds in that plane only, psycho acoustics says it differently and hence vertical perception is now gaining recognition. So a

helicopter flying overhead ... well, really sounds like it is over the head and not around.

What does this mean for the other forms of entertainment? It is easy to conclude that once commercial cinema adopts this format, which is still a few years away, home theatre will follow suit. It may not be with as many channels but a couple or four of ceiling speakers is a given.

However, again live sound will be left behind. There is no way and perhaps no reason for audiorium, concert halls, stadium and open parks to adopt these many additional channels. When 5.1/7.1 itself has not taken off where is the question of adopting 11.1 or 23.1.

What this further means is that cinema will regain the competitive edge. What with laser projection, 4k 3D movies shot at 48/60fps speed, projected at 120fps per eye, enriching the picture to a totally new realism, the addition of 3D sound is going to keep audiences returning to the plexes more often.

Live sound and destination entertainment venues need to sit up and take notice or let cinema stage a renaissance!

Sandeep Mittal Editor / Publisher

JBL Professional VTX S28 and VTX G28 Two New Subwoofers This year at Musikmesse 2012, it's all about subs, for JBL Professional at least. Harman's company, JBL Professional, has expanded its VTX Line Array Series with the addition of two subwoofer models: the VTX S28 and VTX G28.

The VTX G28 and S28 are dual 18-inch subwoofers, each with two 2269H 18inch transducers featuring Differential Drive technology with two voice coils, two neodymium magnets, and high peak-to peak excursion capabilities to deliver extended low-frequency performance. Both subwoofers are reverse cardioid-arrayable.

JBL's new VTX S28 can be suspended or ground-stacked and is cardioidarrayable in either configuration for improved rear rejection. Compatible with VTX V25 suspension, the S28 can be suspended at the top of V25 arrays to extend the effective low-frequency line length, providing improved vertical pattern control combined with improved rear rejection when used in cardioid mode.

As an alternative, S28 arrays (cardioid or front-firing) can be suspended beside or behind V25 arrays. Likewise, for theatrical sound design, the S28 can be suspended in the middle of flown V25 arrays to facilitate balcony and floor coverage by allowing improved under-balcony penetration.

Larger cardioid configurations are also effective where S28 is suspended or ground-stacked in multiple cardioid blocks, each block consisting of three enclosures.

Moreover, the VTX G28 is groundstackable, but with a practical form factor for convenient stacking and additional enclosure volume, plus port tuning that delivers sub performance down to 22 Hz @ -10 dB. Like all VTX Series models, the S28 and G28 have Crown Audio VRack DSP and amplification. As JBL notes, VRack is a rugged touring rack fitted with three

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Shure ULX-D, Open Back Headphones Shure launched a slew of new products, including the ULX-D, open back headphones, and lavalier and earset microphones. The company also announced the immediate availability of the Axient wireless system. Shure shares the details on each new offering:

JBL Professional’s VTX S28

The ULX-D offers optimal audio, spectrum efficiency and signal stability, putting the system generations ahead of any other in its class. The easy-touse personal wireless system boasts an unparalleled mix of audio quality, and incorporates frequency scanning, intelligent battery technology, and advanced encryption to bring a new level of performance to professional sound reinforcement.

JBL Professional’s VTX G28

Crown I-Tech HD Series power amplifiers, power input panel, and custom-engineered input / output panels. It's available in two configurations: VRack 12000 and VRack 4 x 3500, which are loaded with three IT 12000HD and three IT 4 x 3500HD amplifiers.

JBL Professional also notes that VTX's S.A.F.E. suspension system is streamlined for speed and efficiency with improved hardware for faster setup with fewer pinning operations and greater security. A customdesigned protective cover and dolly makes transport easy and the suspension process fast, efficient, and safe. Vertical Transporters will be available allowing for transport of four V25 enclosures or three S28 enclosures in either front-firing or cardioid mode.

The Axient system establishes a dramatic new threshold of control, convenience and confidence in wireless audio transmission, reception and spectrum management. Several breakthrough technologies merge to create a solution for the world's most extreme RF challenges, including interference detection and avoidance, spectrum management, advanced power management, frequency diversity, transmitter remote control, and Wireless Workbench 6 software.

"In January, JBL introduced the first product in the VTX Series -- the V25 -and the new S28 and G28 subwoofers provide system technicians with a wealth of configuration options and unprecedented performance," said Paul Bauman, Senior Manager, Tour Sound, JBL Professional.

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Shure has officially entered the open back headphone market with the release of the SRH1440 and SRH1840 Professional Open Back Headphones.

Designed for editing, mastering, monitoring, and unparalleled audiophile listening, the lightweight, circumaural design allows sound to move freely and without distortion, creating an exceptional natural sound, wide stereo image and increased depth of field.

The new subminiature lavalier (MX150) and earset headworn (MX153) microphones leverage the proven Microflex platform for premium installations where discreet microphone placement is paramount.

Both products are fully compatible with all Shure wireless systems, and deliver best-in-class Shure performance for a wide range of corporate presentation, A/V rental and house of worship applications.

Electro-Voice XLC127DVX Loudspeaker What does it take to keep thousands of ravers ecstatically dancing while bathed - literally -- in color? In the case of DAYGLOW, the touring rave that calls itself "The World's Largest Paint Party," it takes powerful paint cannons, first class lighting and video, aerial acts, stilt-walkers, contortion acts, fire shows, and a PA that can handle the most punishing beats and grooves in a DJ's arsenal. Presented by Committee Entertainment, the show was intended to "fuse high-energy music, art, dance, and paint into one mind blowing combination." Sound for DAYGLOW's 24-show Fall 2011 BLU (beats, love, unity) tour was handled

by Audio East of North Chelmsford, Massachusetts, which used an ElectroVoice line array system built around XLC127DVX three-way high-output compact line-array elements.

"Our typical venue was an arena, armory, convention center, or field house with an audience of between 3000-6000 ravers," says Audio East's Daniel Bouchard, who served as production manager on the tour. "We

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flew our XLC system in two hangs of 10-12 boxes each, for a total of 20 to 24 XLCs depending on the venue."

The system also included 16 double 18" subwoofers and four Electro-Voice ZX3-90 composite 12-inch two-way loudspeakers that were used for in-fill.

Powered by eight Electro-Voice P3000 Precision Series power amplifiers for the lows and mids and four CP3000S Compact Precision series Class-H power amplifiers for the highs, the system was controlled by a pair of ElectroVoice Dx46 FIR-Drive loudspeaker processors.

Bouchard says that the Electro-Voice system was "easy to control and monitor thanks to the IRIS-Net software and the custom GUI built for us by EV's George Georgallis. George was a saint in re-commissioning the rig this last summer when we bought more XLCs." That system expansion was necessitated by the company's "ever-growing client list," Bouchard says. "Our XLC systems were used back-to-back to back all spring and summer long doing over 50 events throughout the Northeast, with

national talent such as Indigo Girls, Bela Fleck, Pat Benetar, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Johnny Lang, Wynonna Judd, Moe, Warren Haynes, Girl Talk, and many more."While the system performed beautifully across all of those various types of live music, Bouchard says that electronic dance music (EDM) presents a different kind of challenge. "This music can throw sweeping sine and square waves at you," he says. "I've used other systems for this type of event and found that you have trouble discerning the difference between the frequencies on the higher end of the spectrum. If your rig can't handle it, it will sound like a pile of blown components."

The XLC system, in contrast, "works really well for EDM," Bouchard says.

"The XLC array articulates the mid and high frequencies so well that the sound remains musical, even warm, while still punching you in the face with low mids.

It's defined without being annoying.

After touring with the XLC system for over two months, we are more convinced than ever that XLCs are the right choice for this type of event."

Electro-Voice Launches ZXA1-Sub

• Exceptional performance-to-weight ratio for a 12" self-powered subwoofer • Complements the two-way, 8" ZXA1 compact powered loudspeaker • Engineered from the ground up for mobile and small-venue sound reinforcement Electro-Voice has launched the matching subwoofer for its best-selling ZXA1 compact self-powered loudspeaker at NAMM 2012 - the ZXA1-Sub. The ZXA1-Sub is designed to provide the ultimate combination of portability, performance, and power in a lightweight, stylish, small-format package. Though equipped with a EVengineered heavy-duty 12" woofer, a state-of-the-art 700-W amplifier, a durable 15-mm wood enclosure, and a maximum SPL rating of 126 dB, the ZXA1-Sub weighs-in at just 46 lbs and sports a trim 15.75" x 17.5" x 18" profile.

Add easy-to-use controls and connectivity to the equation and a ZXA1-Sub makes enhancing a compact sound system with professional-quality low-end easier than ever.

Key features: • Integrated 700-W Class-D amplifier • EVS-12S 12" woofer • 126-dB maximum SPL • Frequency response 44 - 118 Hz • Dual XLR stereo inputs and outputs • Pole mount for full-range systems • 9-ply/15-mm wood enclosure, internally braced, with textured paint • DSP with low-end boost and polarity control • 46 pounds, with integral handle for easy carriage • Compact 15.75" x 17.5" x 18" profile

Kalahari Resort Selects Crestron DigitalMedia The newly expanded Kalahari Resort Convention Center in Ohio is more than a great place to have a meeting, it's a benchmark for how new audio/video technology can best be applied in area businesses.

The convention center recently completed a $22 million expansion that includes a 38,000 square feet grand ballroom/expo center, a 12,000 square feet junior ballroom, 14 meeting rooms, and 30,000 square feet of pre-function space.

The resort selected Crestron DigitalMedia for state-of-the-art digital AV distribution throughout the facility. With the new expansion, the Kalahari Resort now boasts the region's largest convention facilities with 215,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space, in addition to America's largest indoor water park and over 900 guest rooms.

"DigitalMedia helps us to do more with fewer people, at a lower cost, while providing better service and the highest quality presentation systems for our clients," says Matthew Dick, Kalahari Resort Convention Center Information Technology Manager. "We couldn't be happier with the performance of the Crestron systems to handle our facility's meeting and event needs."

The help desk and support benefits of the fully integrated Crestron system are of the utmost importance to resort staff. Should client need assistance during setup or when a meeting is in session, the organizer can simply dial "3-HELP" on the phone and receive immediate assistance. Right from their iPad, technicians can view the touch screen for the room the client is working in, and solve the problem immediately from wherever they are, even if the technician is offsite.

"Audio/video technology is undergoing a major transition today, with a switch from analog to fully digital systems," says Michael Stegmann, Crestron Director of Hospitality. "Upgrading to Crestron

DigitalMedia at the Kalahari property now brings meetings and events into the digital age and increases productivity, while cutting the workload for IT and media support staff."

Crestron Labs Cooks Up Next Gen Technology at ISE 2012 Crestron Labs, the research arm of the engineering department is cooking up the latest cutting-edge technology to incorporate into Crestron control systems. This elite group of engineers is at the forefront of emerging technologies, working diligently to develop visionary concepts, and test new technology with the intention of bringing the solutions to market.

Here are some of the latest innovations Crestron Labs and Crestron Dealers are testing that you can see at ISE 2012.

Crestron Integration with Microsoft Kinect Crestron Labs has been testing a new technology by Microsoft that allows Microsoft Kinect technology to be supported on any Windowsbased system - and not just Xbox as in the past. Crestron engineers created, and are testing, gestures that integrate Kinect with Crestron control. Crestron control systems will read Kinect gestures so, for example, presenters can sweep their hands left or right to advance/reverse a PowerPoint Presentation and raise or lower hands to dim/raise the lights in the room. With Crestron's open platform, the possibilities of what you can control and how you can trigger the commands are endless.

Siri + Crestron = Home Automation Harmony Little Rock, AR integrator, Carnes Audio Visual (CAV) integrated the

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Siri voice recognition app with his Crestron control solution in his home. Carnes can ask Siri to "turn on the lights in the kitchen," "turn on the heat," or "set the temperature to 70 degrees,"?and the system will follow his commands and then let him know when the action has taken place. Crestron's platform is designed for extensive customization by programmers like Carnes, providing the opportunity to create new programs that combine today's latest technologies and Crestron control solutions.

Crestron to Introduce Fusion EM Energy Management Software Energy management is a hot topic of discussion among businesses, government organizations, and homeowners, and essential to saving energy and significantly lowering operational costs for an organization.

At ISE 2012 in Amsterdam, Crestron has introduced its breakthrough new Fusion EM (Energy Management) software, a completely integrated enterprise-wide energy management solution for any size organization.

The concept of energy monitoring and management software that can track power consumption in a room or building and generate data for analysis to reduce costs has garnered much attention and enthusiasm.

Crestron is turning this concept into a reality, bringing to market a tangible solution for corporations, government organizations, schools, hotels, hospitals, and more. Available March 1st, the Crestron Fusion EM software revolutionizes the way organizations

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control every aspect of their day-today operations.

Fusion EM is part of the Crestron Fusion Global Enterprise Management platform. The Fusion database, running on a central server, provides the foundation to run different software applications based on organizational needs. Organizations can choose Fusion EM to monitor and track environmental systems and energy usage, and Fusion RV software to manage, monitor and control AV presentation and video conference technologies. The Fusion Global Enterprise Management platform provides network access to any device or system throughout the global enterprise.

Crestron Education Solutions Win Two Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence Tech & Learning Magazine announced the recipients of this year's Awards of Excellence recognition program. Crestron won two Best New Products awards for QuickPack Classroom AV System Package and RoomView Connected.

Honored software, hardware, network, web products include innovative applications that break new ground and add significant enhancements to proven education tools. Winners were selected by a panel of more than 30 educators, who installed and tested more than 160 products in a simulated classroom environment.

"Our readers are looking for rigorous edtech products that improve teaching and learning, inspire teachers and students, as well as meet today's assessment and standards requirements," says Kevin Hogan, Editorial Director for NewBay Media's Tech & Learning Group. "This year's Award of Excellence judges put over 160 products to the test, and chose only those that met these criteria. The

winners can be proud that their products were selected as winners by this prestigious team of judges."

Crestron QP-200 QuickPack Classroom AV System Package makes it easy and affordable to install a quality projection and audio system in every classroom. The QP-200 package includes a professional wall mount controller, a pair of highperformance surface-mount speakers with amplifier, a universal ceiling projector mount, wall plate inputs for one video and one VGA computer source, cabling and connectors. AV Managers simply add the projector and screen of their choice and walk away with a complete installed classroom presentation system. QuickPack solutions also integrate seamlessly with popular interactive whiteboards and wireless microphones.

RoomView Connected devices, including many popular projector brands, feature Crestron's popular RoomView Express help desk support built-in at no extra cost.

Built-in network connectivity provides instant remote technical support so class is never interrupted, and emergency broadcast messaging ensures a safe learning environment.

Schools simply connect the new projector and Crestron RoomView software automatically recognizes the device for immediate, seamless communication and control. Only RoomView connected devices or devices connected to a Crestron control system may be fully managed and controlled with RoomView. Crestron Connected will soon be available in other poplar devices such as flat panel HD displays and Blu-ray Disc players.

"Crestron is excited to be recognized by Tech & Learning for our affordable classroom technology," said Sean Goldstein, Crestron VP of Marketing.

"QuickPack and RoomView Connected represent our continued efforts to create easy to use solutions that enable teachers to focus on teaching and not waste time with AV equipment."

Lightfactor at PLASA Focus Leeds 2012 Leading UK professional lighting sales company Lightfactor has exhibit at PLASA Focus at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, 17-18 April 2012.

A selection of products from top brands has be featured, including new moving lights and LED luminaires from Italian manufacturer DTS for which Lightfactor is the exclusive UK distributor.

Architectural LED products 'made in the UK' from Cogent has displayed, together with theatrical luminaires and spot lights from another popular Italian brand, LDR. The DTS section of the Lightfactor stand has shown the new Nick NRG 1201 Wash moving light. This features 30 high powered RGBW LEDs and has an 8 - 50 degree motorised zoom with sophisticated optics that enable it to be used for many different styles of lighting - from a wide wash to a PC beam - with smooth, silent pan/tilt.

DTS's Jack Spots highlighted - a compact light weight moving head with a wide-excursion motorised zoom, making it ideal for a variety of uses from creating long-throw projections to washing large areas, spaces, cycs and walls. It is aimed at all professional lighting markets, and is specifically targeted at rental and staging applications.

From DTS's Delta range of LED projectors, Lightfactor has shown the Delta 8 and 10 Flood units, both of which are self-contained, high-output LED projectors, robustly built for rental and installation markets that demand intense and near-continuous use. The units are available with various interchangeable lens sets giving different fixed beam angles and maximum flexibility.

Also new from DTS is the Scena 150 LED Fresnel, a 120W white LED luminaire available with PC of fresnel lenses and outputting the equivalent to a 500W traditional fresnel source at 2600째K. The fixture is fully dimmable and features include a remote motorised zoom. Benefits include longevity of the lightsource, and all the standard accessories like barn doors are available.

Lightfactor has examples from Italian theatrical specialist LDR's comprehensive ranges of theatrical fresnels, profiles, PC fixtures and follow spots. Highlighted the new Alba LED profile range which comes in a variety of lens and colour temperature options, offering all the low power consumption, less maintenance and long life advantages of LED lightsources and good engineering.

Also from LDR, latest Canto 200th Mk2 (tungsten halogen) and Canto 250HR Mk2 ceramic (discharge) follow spots.

LDR products are known for their quality, style and competitive pricing.

Innovative examples from UK architectural LED manufacturer Cogent has included a selection of the latest LED fittings - whites, variable whites, RGB, RGBA, RGBW and colour changing units, plus a selection of drivers including mains dimmable.

Lightfactor's sales team led by Peter Coles who comments "PLASA Focus is an excellent regional show with its own ambience and vibe. It is an ideal forum for meeting people and networking in a relaxed and unstressed environment, and a great opportunity to test the water with both new and established products"

DiGiCo SD5 Arrives At ProLight+Sound

Leading UK professional lighting sales company Lightfactor has again exhibit at PLASA Focus at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, 17-18 April 2012.

A selection of products from top brands has featured, including new moving lights and LED luminaires from Italian manufacturer DTS for which Lightfactor is the exclusive UK distributor.

Architectural LED products 'made in the UK' from Cogent on display, together with theatrical luminaires and spot lights from another popular Italian brand, LDR. The DTS section of the Lightfactor stand new Nick NRG 1201 Wash moving light. This features 30 high powered RGBW LEDs and has an 8 - 50 degree motorised zoom with sophisticated optics that enable it to be used for many different styles of lighting - from a wide wash to a PC beam - with smooth, silent pan/tilt.

DTS's Jack Spot with also be highlighted - a compact light weight moving head - with a wide-excursion motorised zoom, making it ideal for a variety of uses from creating longthrow projections to washing large areas, spaces, cycs and walls. It is aimed at all professional lighting markets, and is specifically targeted at rental and staging applications.

From DTS's Delta range of LED projectors, Lightfactor show the Delta 8 and 10 Flood units, both of which are self-contained, high-output LED projectors, robustly built for rental and installation markets that demand intense and near-continuous use. The units are available with various interchangeable lens sets giving different fixed beam angles and maximum flexibility.

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Pixled Showcases New Innovations at Prolight+Sound, Frankfurt Leading LED screen manufacturer Pixled shows its brand new Pixled F-10 i/o multi-purpose product on Booth E17, Hall 9 of the Prolight+Sound exhibition in Frankfurt.

This latest innovation from Pixled is a truly 'all-round' 10.4 mm pitch screen surface populated with 3 in 1 SMD chips that can be used indoors, outdoors or be rigged horizontally and covered - to become a dynamic dancefloor and under-floor or stage effect.

The standard F-10 i/o tile is fully Indoor use ready. It is a mesh surface and therefore transparent, and excellent for creative indoor work including scenic elements - and also for IMAG displays. The tile dimensions are 50 x 50 cm each of which is super lightweight at only 7 Kg! (28 Kg/sqm) For outdoor use, Pixled offers optional "clickable outdoor shaders" which are quickly fitted onto the mesh tiles and include blank panels to 'close' the modules and increase the contrast. The tiles are IP65 rated and have a fantastic brightness of 5000 Nits.

In dancefloor mode - with optional floor mechanics (4 pcs per square metre) - the F-10 i/o tiles are also simple to install. Once the mechanics are attached, the tiles simply flip into their individual mechanics, the fronts are covered with white or black hard plastic protection surfaces ‌‌ and the party can start!

F-10 i/o can also be shipped as individual tiles (for indoor use only) or with custom designed 2 x 2 touring frames (outdoor) and flight cases, all ready for rapid deployment, complete with certified TUV mechanics.

As with all Pixled products, excellent service, tech support and spare parts are immediately available via the central European HQ. Also Pixled's action-packed booth will also highlight other key products, including the Pixled F-4 high resolution surface, designed specifically for fixed installation

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with a computer or with a P.A. system.

Its durable metal construction provides long-lasting performance. Its low-mass diaphragm and smooth, extended frequency response make the microphone ideally suited for podcasting, home studio recording, field recording, voiceover and live performance use.

The AT2005USB features a convenient headphone output with volume control that allows the user to monitor the audio signal right from the microphone. The mic's USB operation is compatible with both Windows- and Mac based hardware and software. Its cardioid polar pattern reduces pickup of unwanted sounds from the sides and rear, improving isolation of the user's desired sound source.

projects, and the popular F-6 and F-9 high resolution tiles, which are available with standard or Mitsubishi processing.

The full Pixled Linx (by Radiant) product lines of bendable mesh screens will also be on display in a creative setup.

Audio-Technica Unveils AT2005USB Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone With two different cable terminations, this versatile mic can be used for computer recording or live sound applications.

Audio-Technica (booth 6740/Hall A), a leading innovator in transducer technology celebrating "50 Years of Passionate Listening," is unveiling the new AT2005USB Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone at Winter NAMM 2012. Ideal for recording instruments and vocals, this handheld dynamic microphone has both USB and XLR connections, enabling its use either

AT2005USB Specifications: Element : Dynamic Polar Pattern : Cardioid Frequency Response : 50 to 15,000 Hz Power Requirements : USB Power (5V DC) Bit Depth : 16 bit Sample Rate : 44.1 kHz/48 kHz Controls : On/off switch; headphone volume control Weight : 9.5 oz (268 g) Dimensions : 7.20" (183.0 mm) long, 2.01" (51.0 mm) maximum body diameter Output Connector : USB-type and XLR-type Headphone Output Power : 10 mW @ 16 ohms Headphone Jack : 3.5 mm TRS (stereo) The AT2005USB comes with USB and XLR-to-XLR cables; a tripod desk stand with folding legs for secure and easily portable tabletop use; and a threaded mic stand clamp, that attaches securely to the supplied tripod or to a conventional microphone stand.

i-Pix Launches M25 Pixel Matrix Fixture i-Pix launches the first in a new line of LED Pixel Matrix fixtures - the Matrix 25 (M25) - a super high powered 5 x 5 LED unit that delivers real punch with a dynamic 'daylight visible' array of colours and multiple other features.

The i-Pix Matrix 25 is a true multitasking lightsource. It can be highly effectively used as a low-resolution video wall or become a powerful, map-able array of LEDs in a wash device that is capable of arena scale illumination.

It utilises homogenized 8째 optics spaced at 150 mm / 6'' centres, coupled to 25 super-bright 40 Watt RGB and daylight white light engines - ensuring that users get the most out of their pixels. All this and it is also flexible enough to be used as a very smooth wash lightsource with no hotspots.

The product has been developed in response to the growing demand by creative, visual and scenic designers to be able to integrate easily map-able digital lightsources into their work that can be programmed to produce spectacular effects The i-Pix M25 is feature packed and includes an exceptionally smooth dimmer response / curve, with an 8-bit feed input re-scaled to 32-bit internally.

Tungsten behaviour can also be emulated, allowing real time adjustment from the instantaneous reaction of LEDs to a smoother decay together with the yellowing effect experienced, common with tungsten sources. The upside being that one particular 'look' no longer requires a lot of power to run. Fantastic strobe patterns can be created on the M25, taking the whole idea of strobing LEDs into a new dimension.

A series of internal patterns and chases will help with quick setups when time

is tight, and RDM is enabled on the fixture for the remote setup of all its operating modes, DMX addresses and fixture feedback facilities.

Onboard Ethernet input reflects the growing everyday use of protocols like ArtNet and the integration of complex digital lightsources into large control networks.

The LEDs used on the M25 can also be 'power tuned' to match the appearance of older LED fixtures. As intensities rise in the newest LED technologies and their responses change, these fixtures can be notched back to match, offering continuity with older devices and an ideal solution with any cross hiring imbalances!

The fully weatherproofed design can withstand a serious bout of 'front truss rain bombardment' - a situation familiar to anyone involved in festivals or outdoor shows. As with all i-Pix products, the fixtures are rigorously and robustly engineered to the highest standards and geared to the demanding environments of touring and live events.

The five vertical battens in the M25 can be pivoted for wider beam dispersion if needed, and they also slide backwards and forwards for convex or concave positioning.

Rigging the fixture is easy with quarter turn connections.

Impulse 261 Installation Loudspeaker Impulse 261, a high-output, two-way permanent installation loudspeaker system now available from Peavey Commercial Audio. The new system joins the Peavey Architectural Acoustics product line.

Designed for commercial and residential applications, the Impulse 261 delivers controlled coverage with a high-fidelity character through its two 6.5-inch woofers and 1-inch neodymium-loaded, titanium dome tweeter mounted on a waveguide.

According to the manufacturer, the Impulse 261 loudspeaker system is protected from overload by independent overload protection for the woofer and the tweeter, while its advanced-design crossover network provides clear sound reproduction with excellent reliability.

The Impulse 261 features an 8-ohm thru output (150W continuous, 300W program, 600W peak). The loudspeaker system's sibling model, the Impulse 261T, is also transformer equipped with 70.7V (60W, 30W, 15W, 7.5W) and 100V (60W, 30W, 15W) outputs. Connection is via a locking Euro (Phoenix-type) connector with screw terminals.

A carefully designed range of rigging options assist easier floor mounting, side mounting, or vertically rigged.

Indoors or out, we have the right accessories to quickly deploy and strike the M25. Multiple M25 fixtures can also be rigged to resemble an LED mesh surface offering the transparency to be able to position lights behind that blast light beams through producing additional effects, 'eye candy' and depth.

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The First Truly Interactive Beyerdynamic Headphones Customization is a buzzword in the web 2.0 era. Users are eager to individualize virtually anything. For whatever reason however, this mega trend has not entered the headphone market yet. That’s past. German headphones specialist beyerdynamic is now changing the rules of the game.

The brand new CUSTOM headphone series is one-of-its-kind, as it allows users to redesign and reengineer their headphones at any time, making them the perfect match, whatever the momentary situation requires.

With the new Custom Sound System, consumers can easily adapt the sound profile of the headphone to their personal taste - or to the music they are listening to. There are four completely different atmospheres to choose from, ranging from analytical to hip hop style. “CUSTOM has probably the most powerful yet clearest bass of any headphone out there. But you always have the possibility to regulate its intensity.” says Wolfgang Ernst, Manager ProAudio Business Unit.

Its new variable noise reduction system makes CUSTOM a perfect travel companion. As opposed to those recently popular active noise cancelling headphones, it does not require batteries. On top of that, it isolates not only ambient noise

coming from the environment, but also vice versa. “For me, CUSTOM is the better alternative to ANR headphones, among many other qualities.” says Mario Gebhardt, Manager R&D Audio Products.

Another unique feature is the Custom Style System, as it lets users choose from hundreds of designs any time after the purchase. “Finally you can treat your headphones just like the clothes, shoes and accessories you are wearing. CUSTOM can be a different headphone every day. But even more, you can be the designer yourself and create your personal headphone.” says Thomas Halbgewachs, Head of Marketing and Product Management ProAudio.

But beyerdynamic goes another step further in terms of customization.

Within seconds, CUSTOM can be turned into a professional headset, making it the perfect all-in-one solution for those who use headphones also for skyping, gaming or recording Youtube clips - among many other applications.

“Beyerdynamic has the perfect answer to the web 2.0 society, as we make the user the headphone designer and sound engineer. We might even speak about a new headphones 2.0 generation.” says Wolfgang Luckhardt, Managing Director.

Beyerdynamic's Conference and Recording Software

In addition to the recording of conferences, with steno-s software it is possible to tag parts of an audio recording by inserting markers. With the help of these markers contributions made by different participants, rulings, comments, questions and files can be flagged. By doing so, all relevant content can be specifically accessed from the structured recording after the conference. Furthermore, files used (e.g. PowerPoint presentations, Excel tables, images etc.) are conveniently integrated into the recording, allowing all conference specifics to be reliably and securely mapped. Data is simply saved to a storage medium or a server in an appropriate local network – thus dispensing with paper filing. Creating a report is also made easier thanks to the targeted access that the software affords – access to specific rulings for example.

With steno-s 4, beyerdynamic presents a completely revised version of their conference and recording software.

Equipped with a new user interface, steno-s 4 enables the simultaneous recording of several channels via Windows 7, and thanks to the development of an entirely new programme architecture it is possible to use several MPC 70 USB boundary microphones for recording purposes.

Now, in addition to the steno-s CONFERENCE edition for conferences with beyerdynamic conference systems or up to three MPC 70 USB microphones, a special edition designed specifically to meet court requirements is also available – the steno-s COURT.

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Roland VR-3 AV Mixer Now shipping from Roland Systems Group, the Roland VR-3 AV Mixer is a fully integrated audio mixer and video switcher for live production and Web streaming. According to the manufacturer, the VR-3 combines the power of Roland's audio and video technology into one unit and expands the company's lineup of AV mixers and streaming-ready solutions.

The portable and lightweight (under five pounds) VR-3 can be powered by the provided power supply or by external battery options such as the Sanyo Pedal Juice. The unit boasts an easy to use touch screen interface that provides a straight-forward way to switch video sources, plus an efficient way to access menus. As a portable live production solution, the VR-3 AV Mixer is ideal for schools, churches, council meetings, corporate events, sports, memorial services, or production live to Web. Whether your venue is large or small, your live event big or low-key, there

is no doubt that you will need the right equipment to get the show running smoothly.

Roland notes that there are audio inputs from microphones to an audio mixer, and video sources to a video mixer, computer inputs, video preview monitors, all recording the event in some form and also streaming it live online.

The new VR-3, in similar fashion to the Roland VR-5, provides an all-in-one design meant to simplify production and streaming of live events, period.

The VR-3's design incorporates a video switcher, audio mixer, monitor preview, and streaming-ready USB output, all in a single unit.

As a USB Video / Audio class device, the VR-3 makes Web streaming effortless; just connect it to a computer running a live streaming service such as USTREAM, Livestream, Stickam, Justin.tv, worshipstream.com, websharelive.com, or any other streaming service. The reduction in hardware equipment, setup time and connection complexity ensures a worry-free, easy to use solution for any event, Roland says.

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Penn Elcom Launches Innovative New CaseDesigner Software Flightcase and speaker cabinet solutions specialist Penn Elcom has developed a new ground-breaking software programme - 'CaseDesigner' - instigating a new fully-flexible era in the world of flightcase construction.

Penn Elcom, always at the cutting edge of this specialist industry, has developed this completely unique software to offer its distributors, dealers and their clients the best and most efficient possible design, order and build service.

The fully visual graphical interface enables Penn Elcom customers to plan and visualise potential new case designs in both 2D and 3D, and view in full 360 degree rotation.

CaseDesigner enables Penn clients to generate a quote for themselves, and within literally a couple of minutes, have all the facts available to produce that case at their fingertips.

Thomas Mostert, CEO of Penn Elcom GmbH, the distribution arm of the Penn Elcom Group in Continental Europe and programmer Klaus Koppenhoefer who previously owned his own case company, are the driving forces behind CaseDesigner.

Says Mostert, "This has been developed in response to our growing business and our desire to keep at the forefront of the industry.

We need to be agile and deliver information quickly and accurately to our customers. This both empowers and is also a tool that is great fun to work with!"

Simultaneous to showing the evolving design onscreen, CaseDesigner will generate a full list of components needed to build the case, including the sheet cutting sizes, etc., and a total cost.

Users can either create a fully bespoke case from scratch, or select from a large library of standard pre-set cases, to which they can add dimensions, tweak, and also customise if required.

As soon as any measurement values are added to the drawing, the case can be viewed onscreen, together with accurate details of the costs, labour and time involved can be calculated - all in a matter of minutes.

Clients can decide from there if they need to make modifications to fit their budget and delivery timescale.

The CGIs can be incorporated into other documents or lists at the push of a button, or can be saved for presentations.

A comprehensive list of Penn Elcom flightcase fittings and accessories (catches, handles, grills etc.) are predrawn and can also be added to the designs at this stage, together with some user-defined parts. The case can

be specified with or without dividers or foam interiors, and other extras like custom parts and third party services can also be calculated.

Case fittings can be added to the drawings with millimetre adjustment, so precise details of the required case/ s can be discussed in real time with customers as their case evolves right in front of them.

The time and material calculations are meanwhile going on in the background and output so you can get everything needed for production - including all the 'hidden' items like rivets, dividers, foam inserts etc. which are not specifically required to design the shell of the case.

CaseDesigner regular users can create their own library of cases which can be recalled any time for the basis of a potential new case design. From these, new variants can be produced in seconds, and added to the library.

The CaseDesigner roll out will be regionally specific to ensure that all the accessories (e.g. extrusions) and measurement units are correct, and the necessary price variations will also be incorporated. An Order module is integrated into the programme which allows the user to create an appropriate order comfortably and easily. Pressing the Send button uploads the order to the Penn web server, from where it is fetched and read into Penn's internal ordering system. The electronic transfer of information ensures that the information remains exactly as per the order.

The first region in which Penn Elcom's CaseDesigner is being operated in is continental Europe. The reaction to it at the recent Prolight+Sound exhibition in Frankfurt was "Phenomenal" reports Mostert.

The next roll outs will be in the UK, USA, South America and Australia.

On the left is Klaus Koppenhoefer (CaseDesigner developer) and on the right, Thomas Mostert, CEO of Penn Elcom GmbH

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L-ACOUSTICS - 74 KUDO Cabinets & 16 LA-RAK Amplified Controllers L-ACOUSTICS Rental Network Agent and Certified Provider Norwest Productions has added 74 KUDO cabinets and 16 LA-RAK amplified controllers to its existing inventory, which already includes 118 KUDO boxes. The equipment was delivered directly to Doha for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Pan Arabic Games, whose sound designer, Auditoria's Scott Willsallen, extensively specifies KUDO for his projects due to its adjustable horizontal cue, which provides even coverage over a large space.

Norwest, which now owns the largest KUDO stock in the world, has vast experience of using KUDO on major sporting events, including the Delhi and Melbourne Commonwealth Games opening and closing ceremonies, Doha Asian Games opening and closing ceremonies, Singapore National Day events, Sydney World Youth Day and Singapore Youth Olympic opening and closing ceremonies.

"Norwest was an early adopter of LACOUSTICS KUDO, purchasing the initial order in 2006 for the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and many other events since," says Chris Kennedy, Norwest's

group sales director. "Due to the strong demand for this product we have elected to purchase another 74 cabinets with LA-RAKs, taking our total KUDO inventory to 180. Our local demand for KUDO is such that we can no longer afford to send large quantities away for several months for a big event such as Arab Games - so more were needed."

HK Audio Introduces New Linear 5 Speaker Cabinets Range German pro audio manufacturer, HK Audio, have revealed their new series of high-performance speakers cabinets, Linear 5.

Linear 5 was designed, according to the company, to delight ambitious musicians and DJs as well as hire companies.

Certainly, the cabinets pack some punch with no other system in the 1 inch class able to match the Sound Pressure Levels (SPL) produced by the Linear 5. This matched with the tough birch housing and surprisingly affordable price tag means that the Linear 5 range will be appealing to many.

The Linear 5 series is exceptionally versatile. By combining just two L5 112FA enclosures users are able to set up a full-fledged, fullrange stereo system. Similarly, with the two stackable subwoofer models available, they also cover applications which demanding lower-ranging bass response. In addition, the tops can also serve as delay line monitors-the XA modeland as speakers for decentralized sound reinforcement systems.

Currently, the company have already released five powered models with passive counterparts being released in May 2012.

The fullrange top HK Audio L5 112 FA comes with a 12 inch speaker and 1 inch driver is able to deliver the most powerful bass performance in its class. The L5 112 FA also comes with a switchable EQ. What is more, is can be deployed as a stand-alone cabinet, in stereo pairs or as a satellite paired with a Linear 5 subwoofer.

The HK Audio L5 112 XA-which also comes with a 12 inch speaker and 1 inch driver-is able to handle a high SPL of 135 dB max peak and is also equipped with a switchable filter.

The substantial range of the L5 112 XA means that it would operate as an excellent top unit as well as being paired with a Linear Sub 2000 subwoofer.

The HK Audio L5 112 XA can also serve as a superb monitor. It is able to handle plenty of gain before feedback occurs. What is more, with the rotatable 60째 x 40째 CD horn it is also able to provide top-draw coverage and directivity.

The HK Audio L5 115 FA is another fullrange top delivering 1,000 watts as a stand-alone cabinet. This leaves it the loudest reference speaker in its class. In addition to its 15 inch speaker supported by the 1 inch driver it features an asymmetrical horn ith an optimised coverage pattern. This is wider up front and grows more directed with distance.

This helps the L5 115 FA achieve greater range.

The 1,200-watt HK Audio L Sub 2000 A powered subwoofer features a 2.5 inch voice coil, two high-excursion 12 inch subwoofers and sixth-order double bandpass crossover. This is assisted by advanced cooling technology and a dual spider suspension that keeps it perfectly centred for ultra-precise tracking.

The 1,200-watt HK Audio L Sub 1200 A is an ideal subwoofer for band PAs. Compact, light and housed in a bass reflex enclosure it is packed with two 10 inch woofers and an effective 1,200 watt, Class-D power amp. The L Sub 2100 can also drive a connected passive L5 210 Sub.

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HK Audio SoundCaddy One New from HK Audio, the SoundCaddy One system is said to be the world's fastest PA, offering the benefits of a line array / woofer combo in a compact and portable format. The self-contained SoundCaddy One boasts three 6-inch bass speakers, six 3.5-inch mid / high drivers, a 600W Class-D amplifier, and a complete fourchannel mixer.

Ideal for both speech and music in smaller concert venues, the single SoundCaddy One unit provides plugand-play functionality in an easy to transport format. The SoundCaddy One can be moved into position on its built-in wheels, and a firm push on its top releases the mid / high array, which rises from the cabinet on a pneumatic lift. Once adjusted to the desired height, it can be twisted to lock into place.

You can access the full four-channel mixer via the back panel, which also hosts the mono channels (Mic In and Combi In), each of which are equipped with a Neutrik XLR / Guitar combo input, a volume knob and a tone control. Next to those are two stereo channels (Line In, Aux In), each offering a Volume and a Contour control. The Combi In channel features two Neutrik combo inputs, while the Aux In provides both stereo RCA jacks and a single stereo 1/8-inch input.

Using the XLR Line Out, a second SoundCaddy One can be connected to create a fuller stereo or dual-mono system. Recording Out (RCA Stereo) jacks allow connections to other equipment, and the Bass Level control makes it easy to balance the highs and lows.

As far as power goes, the SoundCaddy One houses a 600W Class-D amplifier.

Three 6-inch bass drivers provide a tight, deep low-end sound. Likewise, the pop-up line array contains six 3.5inch broadband speakers designed to deliver excellent reach, intelligibility, and an easy-to-aim 70-degree horizontal dispersion that provides deep coverage while eliminating unwanted reflections.

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The SoundCaddy One's 19 mm birch cabinet construction features cutaway handles, integrated wheels, and protective skid guards. A protective cover is included.

Main features: All-in-one system 600W Class-D power Integrated 4-channel mixer Modern linesource technology 3 x 6" subwoofer 6 x 3.5" mid / high speaker

AMX Launches Enova DGX Digital Media Switchers announced the immediate US availability of the Enova DGX 16 and Enova DGX 32 Digital Media Switchers.

The modular matrix switchers are proving to be an industry first for end users seeking a future-proof HDMI/ HDCP solution that can perfectly scale to any resolution without being limited to a pre-determined list of resolutions. The DGX Switchers feature exclusive AMX technologies SmartScale, InstaGate Pro and built-in NetLinx control to serve as the centerpiece for today's networkcentric installations.

Record demand for the Best New Product at InfoComm 2011 is largely due to advances like SmartScale, found on every video output and eliminating the challenges that can occur when sources and displays have different supported resolutions. It outsmarts competing scaling technologies by independently responding to each display's declared EDID information and scaling video to

optimal resolution and parameters without manual setup.

"I get a kick out of watching the excitement of dealers trying out the DGX for the first time and it hits them, 'all you do is plug in cables and no matter what source you're sending or what combination of resolutions you are outputting - a simply beautiful, perfectly scaled picture appears on every display, without delay,' " said AMX Product Manager Paul Hand. "HDMI/HDCP installations and sub-par scaling options have been a time-consuming nightmare and finally with the DGX, a solid, reliable solution is here."

Also eliminating HDMI/HDCP frustrations is InstaGate Pro from AMX. Onboard every Enova DGX Switcher, InstaGate Pro lets installers integrate HDCP into system designs with plugand-play simplicity. Installations are finished in record time without delays or key constraints. "The number one request I heard from our dealers was for a switcher that can distribute HDMI/HDCP without complicated workarounds and costly tools," said Rashid Skaf, AMX President & CEO. "I went to our engineers and asked for a digital media switcher that would allow an installer to plug in any source and it just works. I couldn't be happier with the end result. The DGX simply delivers."

Another crucial aspect for dealers is the proficiency gained by the built-in NetLinx Controller. As the only digital switcher with an embedded controller, installations are further simplified and perform in flawless orchestration.

"The Enova DGX line is the first 'real' solution to the AV/IT installation challenges integrators are facing, and importantly its architecture is enduring for the future," said AMX Chief Technology Officer Robert Noble. "The Enova DGX has an embedded Ethernet switch and support for AMX DXLink which allows connected AV devices to be centrally managed over the same cable used to distribute media."

The initial Enova DGX shipment includes the DGX 16 and 32 Switcher enclosures, the DGX Input and Output Boards for HDMI and DVI, plus the Audio Insert / Extract Expansion Boards.

Robe Launches Five New Products Czech Republic moving light manufacturer Robe launches five innovative new LED based products at the 2012 Prolight+Sound exhibition in Frankfurt.

These are all in Robe's eco-conscious ROBIN range - with the emphasis on smaller, brighter, lighter and utilising genuinely more energy efficient technologies - underlining Robe's "Think of the Future - consider Nature" initiative.

variable frost, dimming and strobing of the LED lightsource, etc.

ROBIN 100 LEDBeam

It is very quiet in operation and is designed for theatres and TV studios as well as all live applications.

The ROBIN DLF

All of the products also use high powered RGBW LEDs. This eagerly awaited product from Robe is a very valuable addition to the range - small, hugely bright and super-light at just 4.4 Kgs - almost handbag sized!!

ROBIN DLX

To complement and widen the already comprehensive ROBIN range, Robe launches the DLF which is a fresnel wash fixture. This is aimed at theatre, TV and all professional markets needing very versatile fresnel style lights.

It has a unique zoom that starts at 5.5 degrees and goes to 60 degrees with absolutely no distortion, and a diffusion filter extends the zoom range yet further to 75% making it ideal for covering cycs and other large surfaces.

The ROBIN DLX Spot is the world's first RGBW LED Spot moving head .

Its smooth and seamless colour mixing is achieved by using the RGBW LED system, with a virtual colour wheel and a series of pre-programmed 'real' whites at 2700, 3200, 5600 and 8000 degrees Kelvin.

The DLX's output in colours is as strong as the 575 / 700 series 'conventional' discharge source units .. while the average power consumption is only 250 Watts.

The fixture has all the moving head spot/profile features that you would expect, including rotating gobos, iris, 10 - 45째 zoom, 3-facet rotating prism,

It has a beam shaping module consisting of four blades which is fully controllable that can emulate the behaviour of a barn door. The whole beam shaping module is rotatable and indexable to plus or minus 90 degrees.

The shaped beam has a soft edge, and due to the very fast blade movement, it can also simulate fabulous aerial effects.

Warranty Robe is offering a warranty based on 3 years or a lifespan of 20,000 hours on all its ROBIN DLX and DLF products whichever comes first. In reality, this means that the lightsource should never be replaced as it is expected to last up to 7 - 10 years, depending on the use.

Robe waited for the right LED lightsources to come on-stream before developing the LEDBeam 100, as the new Robe standard is to use only RGBW technology in the current LED range of products.

With the arrival of the newest multichips on the market, Robe forged ahead with the product development and finished this very small compact fixture, which has extremely fast pan / tilt movement.

The LEDs are controllable in three zones - top half, bottom half, and middle - for producing eye-candy effects, zone strobing, colour chasing, etc. It has a nice tight beam angle of 7 degrees making it excellent for high-impact concentrated, collimated effects.

ROBIN 800 LEDWash The latest addition to the ROBIN LEDWash family pushes the technology forward yet again with the addition of beam shaping - making it the world's first LED wash light with beam shaping.

The LEDWash 800 is a truly multipurpose luminaire designed for all professional applications - concert touring, rental and staging, theatre, TV studios and production, conferences, presentations plus live events and installations of all types.

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This brand new product utilises all the proven and highly reliable technology of the moving ROBIN 600 LEDWash.

The Actor 6's Pan and Tilt can be altered mechanically for highly accurate focusing, and the fixture features the latest RGBW LEDs arranged in three concentric rings, all of which can be individually controlled. The zoom is an impressive 8 - 63 degrees.

The beam shaping module is both rotatable and indexable to plus or minus 90 degrees, and it has a zoom of 8 - 63 degrees - which, apart from being awesome - is very useful as it can be transformed from a wide wash to a neat, tight spot, making the fixture extremely dynamic.

There are three-zones of individual LED ring control - a popular feature on the LEDWash 600 - and the zones can also be very effectively strobed and colour chased for wild and wacky results!

The colour range - including all the high quality 'real' whites are the same as those in the hugely successful ROBIN 600 LEDWash.

ROBIN Actor 6 This is a version of the ROBIN 600 LEDWash which has been specifically developed for the theatre, performance and TV / broadcast industries due to massive demand from those sectors for a fixed LED wash lightsource without motorised pan and tilt.

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Colours are pre-programmed using the virtual colour wheel, complete with the range of pure whites including 2700 and 3200 degree tungstens, which perfectly simulate 'red shift' tungsten behaviour, complete with soft dimming curves.

All aboard the Robe Rock 'n' Roll tour-bus Following its fashionable and fun debut at last year's Prolight+Sound exhibition, Robe will once again have its rock 'n' roll nightrider tour bus parked just outside the show as part of the extended hospitality / meeting facilities. This can also give anyone who's not experienced it - and is keen / curious to find out - a glimpse into living on the road!

Sat Series from Studiomaster The Studiomaster Professional Sat series is a new range of high quality active reference monitors. The word 'Sat' in Sanskrit means 'the absolute truth', in the same essence the

Studiomaster Professional Sat series is designed to reveal absolute truth of mixes. The series consist of Sat 5 - An Ultra Linear 5" 75W Full Range Monitor Speaker & Sat 10S - A Punchy 10" 100W Powered Subwoofer for the Sat Series.

The speakers incorporate high quality Aramid glass fiber cone LF speaker & smooth soft dome HF speaker. The speakers are bi-amplified and have an integrated electronic crossover for lower Signal to Noise Ratio, Total Harmonic Distortion & maximum linearity. Great attention has been given to ensure the monitors have a flat frequency response with a very natural & transparent sound. The Sat Series of an Ultra wide frequency range (Sat 5: 53Hz-20kHz & Sat 10S: 35-150Hz) & wide sweet spot. The input section has Balanced TRS/XLR & Unbalanced RCA input connectors.

The Sat 10S subwoofer also has selectable crossover from 50Hz to 150Hz & Âź" crossover output to connect to the full range monitors.

An essential feature housed in the Sat series is the HF Adjust provided to tweak the speakers as per room acoustics, making the speakers truly versatile. Magnetic shielding allows placement near computer screens.

The Sat 5 is available in two colours (Rich Black & Classy White) & the Sat 10S is available in black only. The Sat series strikes a right balance between the growing demands for better monitor performance at more realistic prices, making it an ideal solution for DJ's, Musicians, Recording Studios, Hirers, Installations.

Harman's JBL Professional Debuts PRX400 Series Portable PA Loudspeakers HARMAN's JBL Professional announced the European introduction of its PRX400 Series of passive portable loudspeakers, designed to bring true professional-quality performance, power handling and durability to more affordable price points. The new JBL PRX400 Series includes the 15-inch PRX415M, 12-inch PRX412M and dual 15-inch PRX425 loudspeakers, as well as the 18-inch PRX418 subwoofer.

The PRX415M and PRX412M can be used as either mains or monitors, and when used with the PRX418 subwoofer, provide a sat/subwoofer system capable of delivering 135dB of full-range, high-quality sound. The PRX425 dual-15-inch, 2-way speaker is ideal for DJs and bands that require powerful low-frequency extension from the convenience of a standalone cabinet.

"Since their introduction, our PRX600 Series portable PA loudspeakers have been tremendously popular with touring musicians, DJs and in a variety of live performance venues," said Richard Ruse, Senior Director of Worldwide Sales, JBL Professional.

"Our new PRX400 Series models offer the same exceptional sound and rugged reliability in a passive loudspeaker format, at pricing that offers outstanding value in its category."

JBL PRX400 loudspeakers are designed to work hand in hand with Crown Audio's powerful and innovative XTi2 Series amplifiers. Crown XTi2 amplifiers incorporate enhanced pre-set performance tunings for PRX400 Series loudspeakers, including crossover points for a sat/subwoofer setup, and optimized parametric filter that bring out the full potential of PRX400 Series loudspeakers. JBL PRX400 tunings will also be available in the dbx DriveRack速 PA+ signal processor/

complete loudspeaker management system.

JBL PRX400 Series loudspeakers utilize extremely high-quality, tour-tested drivers and components to deliver clear, detailed and dynamic sound for bands, DJs, nightclubs, schools, houses of worship or other professional touring and installed sound applications. They feature Neutrik SpeakON combination connectors and are built from lightweight, yet extremely tough 18mm birch/poplar multi-laminate hardwood covered in JBL's resilient DuraFlex covering. All PRX400 Series models feature rugged 16 gauge steel grilles.

JBL PRX400 Series loudspeakers offer versatile installation options. All fullrange models incorporate twelve M-10 suspension points and hardened steel eyebolts for safe hanging in light-duty installations. Built-in dualangle pole-mount sockets enable the PRX415M and PRX412M to be mounted either straight out or at a 10degree downward angle to deliver the best audience coverage pattern. With a 10-degree down angle, the speakers can be aimed down at the audience, keeping sonic reflections off the back wall for better clarity and more efficient coverage. In addition, all PRX400 models feature ergonomic handles made from road-tough, lightweight glass-filled nylon.

In common with all JBL Professional products, PRX400 Series loudspeakers have survived JBL's 100-hour power test, in which they are submitted to 100 hours of continuous, high-level input. The speakers also go through a barrage of unforgiving environmental and strength tests including harsh temperatures and humidity, ensuring they will perform perfectly anywhere.

All PRX400 models incorporate JBL's Sonic Guard speaker protection circuit that automatically attenuates the signal going into the high-frequency section of the speaker if too much input signal is detected, and restores normal operation when the overload condition passes.

HARMAN designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets - supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG, Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon and Mark Levinson. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 13,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia

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David McKinney to Lead Harman Operations in India Continuing its program to develop emerging markets and provide channel partners and end-users with not simply the best AV technologies for their markets, but also the best organizations to support their businesses, HARMAN Professional has announced the promotion of David McKinney to Senior Director, Operations - India for the Professional Division. McKinney, an 11year veteran of HARMAN Professional with a demonstrated capacity to build and lead organizations in emerging markets, previously established HARMAN Professional's Asia Regional Sales office in Kuala Lumpur where he achieved significant success at establishing the organization and growing the business. The announcement was made by Blake Augsburger, HARMAN Executive Vice President and President, HARMAN Professional.

"David McKinney has done an excellent job for HARMAN and our partners in the Asia sales region. Now, as Senior Director, Operations - India for the Professional Division, I am confident that he will be a great asset to our partners there and that his skill set and experience will serve as an accelerant for our business and that of our partners and customers in India," Augsburger said. "I am similarly pleased that the Asia sales office is well-organized and under strong leadership with Thomas Marcher now serving as Director Of Sales, Asia Regional Sales Office."

In his new role, David McKinney will report to Lakshmi Narayan, HARMAN India Country Manager, and will be based at HARMAN's Bangalore offices.

Lakshmi noted McKinney's suitability to the role. "David McKinney is uniquely positioned to understand the needs of our customers and distribution partners and to find solutions that address those needs. I look forward to working with David as we plan our future in this market, grow our business and support our partners with the best technologies, the most advanced integration and the industry's most progressive support."

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Commenting on his promotion, McKinney noted, "This is a compelling opportunity in a remarkable culture at a time of growth. I am very honoured to lead such an impressive team; to work with such dynamic, industrious distributors and with an infinitely creative community of end-users in installed sound, portable PA, recording and broadcast and tour sound."

David McKinney has a Bachelors Degree in Electronic Music & Electronics from Keele University in the United Kingdom. Since 2003 McKinney has been based in Malaysia, initially as Director of Sales for HARMAN's Signal Processing Group and more recently he led the start-up for the Professional Division Regional Sales office there.

Extron Now Shipping 800 Watt ENERGY STAR Qualified Power Amplifier Extron Electronics is pleased to announce the immediate availability of the XTRA Series XPA 4002-70V two

channel power amplifier. This compact 1U, convection cooled amplifier delivers 400 watts rms per channel for 70 volt distributed speakers. The XPA 4002-70V is an ENERGY STAR qualified amplifier with an Extron exclusive, highly efficient, advanced Class D amplifier design. It also features patented CDRS Class D Ripple Suppression technology that provides a smooth, clean audio waveform and an improvement in signal fidelity over conventional Class D amplifiers. The XPA 4002-70V is half the size of comparable amplifiers, conserving rack space and weighing only 9 lbs (4 kg). The Extron exclusive, high efficiency design generates very little heat and allows the amplifier to be convection cooled.

"The ENERGY STAR qualified XPA 400270V delivers a unique combination of high power output and very efficient operation," says Casey Hall, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Extron. "It is ideal for driving a large quantity of distributed speakers in large spaces such as auditoriums and houses of worship, while consuming less energy, running cooler, and taking up less space than other models."

The XPA 4002-70V includes an auto power-down feature that automatically places the amplifier into standby after a period of inactivity, and consumes 30 watts or less when idle and less than 1 watt in standby mode. It also has an ultra low inrush current draw to prevent power circuit overload that occurs when multiple amplifiers are switched on simultaneously. This feature eliminates the need for power sequencing in systems with multiple amplifiers in large centralized equipment racks, and prevents other equipment from experiencing power interruption from associated power surges. Additionally, the XPA 4002-70V amplifier features very low thermal dissipation under full load, which keeps racks and equipment cabinets cool.

ADLIB Installs Sound System for BMX Centre Liverpool, UK based ADLIB's busy specialist installation division has completed the design and installation of a new CODA Audio sound system at the BMX Centre, part of the country's National Cycling Centre in Manchester.

It follows on from the highly successful CODA system supplied by ADLIB last year to the adjacent Velodrome track.

ADLIB was asked back by Manchester City Council, to deliver a permanent multi-purpose audio solution for the first ever permanent indoor BMX track in the UK. The ADLIB team was led by Roger Kirby and John Hughes, and overseen on site for them by Alex Burke.

CODA was specified for several reasons including continuity with the Velodrome system, and due to the positive response from the initial events. The system also offered the sonic range and dynamics demanded by the BMX Centre - which stages a whole range of events including those organised with local community groups, such as Urban Expression, a weekly youth night focusing on urban sports and music - as well as numerous other national and international BMX track events.

"The main objective was to provide a very flexible system that could handle loud music and hyper-enthusiastic commentators without excessive breakout whilst minimising environmental disturbances to the very near residential properties," explains Kirby.

So the starting point of the design was to optimise audio coverage and reduce the likelihood of environmental noise pollution - a task for which ADLIB worked closely with the venues preferred acoustic consultants (Sound Space Design) who endorsed their system design.

Another requirement was that the system was simple enough to be operated by the general events staff on a day-to-day basis.

As a precursor, ADLIB provided a temporary sound system for the first

large event in the new venue in November, which enabled the sonic characteristics of the space to be analysed, after which a final design was confirmed.

The speakers were configured to minimise reflections within the space's challenging acoustic environment.

To cover the centre of the main seating stands, four hangs of four CODA Airline LA8 speakers were installed, each with an Airline LA8 sub at the top of each hang, complete with all the necessary flying accessories.

For the main stands' front left and right positions, four CODA G712 / 96 speakers were introduced, and for the extreme rear left and right corners of the stand, two CODA G308 delay speakers were deployed.

At the starting gate positions on both ramps are four ADLIB AA81i speakers, with a pair located beneath the start gate of each ramp.

To minimise the sound spillage, the whole system is configured as ten independent sound zones across the stands, which allows fine tuning of the levels and the speaker operations in these spectator-only areas.

The LA8 loudspeakers enhance the overall spectator listening experience with their uniform cross-axis frequency response featuring planar technology, their coherent spectral response and their high output gain. The light weight - in relation to physical size also offered many advantages in terms of hanging options, effectively

simplifying the installation into a point-source speaker solution.

For control ADLIB specified a BSS Soundweb 'London Architect' system network incorporating a BLU-100 device with BLU-LINK connectivity for the simultaneous broadcast of audio signals and microphone sources via Ethernet. The Blu-100 will be used as the source feed for event commentary, DJ systems and visiting sound mixers to tie into the installed system. An intelligent system processor with onboard calendar configuration allows complete control and sound level limiting, and can be programmed with different pre-sets for times of day and days of the week, etc.

The 19 metre trim height of the structural ribs in the building's ceiling, from which the sound system is flown, meant that the installation work had to be undertaken with the help of a self-propelled aerial working platform.

The timescale between confirmation of ADLIB's design and the need to get the system installed for the National Series in mid-January was a massive challenge to ADLIB's installation engineers, all of whom worked tirelessly to make the deadline and ensure that the process ran smoothly and with no hitches.

John Hughes sums up, "We were delighted to secure the BMX Centre work following our successful installation next door at the Velodrome. CODA Audio has been extremely supportive on both projects and helped massively in working with us on the tight deadlines!"

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Crestron Installs 50,000th DigitalMedia Switcher Crestron, the digital media pioneer, announced the installation of its 50,000th DigitalMedia switcher. The revolutionary DM solution is the standard in commercial and residential digital media applications. Leading AV solutions provider, Whitlock installed the milestone switcher at a U.S. Army base in Newport News, VA. DigitalMedia is the groundbreaking technology that flawlessly manages and distributes all digital content. The market leader for more than seven years, DM was the first solution to respond to the impending analog sunset, ensuring that high-definition audio, video and computer signals go where they're intended, without compromising quality or impact. In a few short years, DM has become the industry standard with 50,000 switchers installed and tens of thousands of completed installations and customers to date. The success of DigitalMedia wouldn't have been possible without great partners like Whitlock.

The U.S. Army needed a digital solution for their training facilities across the country and called on trusted dealer, Whitlock to provide the solution. DM was selected because it is the only proven digital solution that accepts both analog and digital signals and meets the stringent security and reliability requirements of the U.S. Army. Whitlock's partnership with Crestron and extensive knowledge of the DigitalMedia line has been instrumental in the integrator's growth and success. Whitlock has been able to put more than 130 employees through certified technical training programs, and has significantly increased its technical awareness and expertise with regards to digital systems integration.

"Our partnership with Crestron was fundamental in creating the new digital standard for the U.S. Army," said Doug Hall, Whitlock CEO. "DigitalMedia provides the digital infrastructure for the U.S. Army training command, ensuring that our military is receiving the best possible training using the latest technology."

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Robe ROBIN DLX Spot Wins SIEL Award Robe's new ROBIN DLX Spot LED moving light has won a prestigious Award for Technical Innovation at the 2012 SIEL trade exhibition in Paris France's leading international expo for the professional lighting, sound, video and entertainment technology industry.

The DLX Spot was entered into the 'Lighting' category by Robe's French distributor, Paris-based Axente.

"As with any installation of this scale, a multitude of components were necessary to create a seamless solution," added Landon Lovett, Crestron Director of Federal Government Markets. "DigitalMedia is the only complete end-to-end solution that features a full line of matrix switchers, transmitters and wall plates, HD-SDI and 3G-SDI, DSP input cards, and receivers with built-in power amplifiers. The native solution means that you don't have to worry about mixing and matching other components. Our products work together seamlessly."

Whitlock has worked closely with Crestron for more than twenty years.

They were one of the first integrators to adopt and champion the DM product line, which addresses the challenges of the digital AV era.

Whitlock installs DM in military and government facilities, as well as corporate and education facilities. The integrator has truly embraced and invested in DM, implementing hundreds of DigitalMedia systems for their clients. It is only fitting that the DM supporter marks the success of DigitalMedia with the installation of the 50,000th switcher.

The wildly popular DigitalMedia solution has been embraced by the industry and has secured a permanent place in commercial and residential markets. Crestron and Whitlock are proud of the digital experience and credibility they bring to the AV industry. Both look forward to continuing their partnership and increasing awareness of the new digital standard.

The Awards were judged by an independent panel of industry experts, including lighting designers, technical and creative directors and representatives from top rental companies - who closely examined each nominated product, before conferring and making their final decisions.

Over 60 originally entered products where whittled down into 24 'finalists' which were examined by the judges, who selected nine winners, five in Audio and four in Lighting The ROBIN DLX was selected as the winner for its intensity, colour mixing capabilities, homogenised lightsource and power saving capabilities - all qualities that greatly impressed the judges, and make it an ideal fixture for multiple applications including rental and staging, studios and installations.

The ROBIN DLX Spot uses a new and unique RGBW LED light source and offers a colour output brighter than a 575 Watt discharge unit, but with the very eco-friendly average power consumption of only 250 Watts!

The optical system produces a very smooth, high quality light output of rich, beautiful colours with no shadows utilizing a versatile zoom of 10 - 45 degrees.

Robe Installed at De Nieuwe Doelen, Gorinchem Robe is once again proving itself to be the moving light of choice for multipurpose installations, with a brand new package of ROBIN 600 LEDWashes and ROBIN MMX Spots delivered to De Nieuwe Doelen, a 560 capacity venue in Gorinchem, The Netherlands.

The popular and well patronised theatre is both a producing and a receiving house with a busy programme of over 200 shows a year featuring all types of live performance from music and dance shows to dramas and comedy nights.

Technical manager Peter Visser - also the main in-house lighting designer was asked by the theatre's Director to produce a plan to upgrade their lighting rig. They were regularly renting in moving lights for their own productions, and this situation reached a point where it became a more cost effective solution to purchase.

"We wanted a high quality brand," explains Visser, who included his full team of seven technicians in the decision making process.

They conducted several shoot-outs in the theatre. Robe was the clear winner and so they confirmed the deal for six of each type of fixture.

Apart from the excellent performance and all the features and functionality offered by both the LEDWash 600 and the MMX Spot, the units were also very competitively priced.

On top of this was the "Fantastic" service and support they knew they could rely on from Robe's Benelux distributor, Controllux, adds Visser.

"Robe's LEDWash 600 is definitely the best LED wash light on the market at the moment" he continues, saying that he's well impressed with the light output - both in quality and quantity together with the seamless colourmixing system.

The light weight of the fixtures is a big advantage and very popular with all technicians! With the maximum legal weight liftable by one person in a venue in the Netherlands being 25kgs,

'smaller, lighter, brighter' keeps everyone happy .. and the LEDWash 600 is a mere 10.6Kgs. Silent running was another consideration as this is essential for drama shows, the spoken word, recitations and talks / lectures / discussions. Once again the LEDWash and the MMX scored highly.

The fixtures can be moved around De Nieuwe Doelen. They are rigged on a series of automated fly bars that are part of the main grid above the 10 metre wide by 8 metre deep stage.

Another great benefit of the new LEDWashes is the reduced running costs - no replacement lamps or gels and less on-going maintenance will be needed. Combined with less electricity consumption, this has the dual advantage of being kinder to the environment, an attribute also true of the MMXs. The lights were supplied by the Dutch office of Controllux via locally based rental company Match Audio & Vision,

who have their own rental stock of Robe fixtures. Match's Robert Pigeaud coordinated everything with Controllux' sales manager, Gerrit Schottert.

Although this is the first time that they have acted as a re-seller for Controllux in this way, Match Audio & Vision has been involved with supplying technical elements to Die Nieuwe Doelen since the 1990s, which has included several phases of lighting and sound refurbishments and upgrades.

The new Robes are all controlled by a Road Hog Full Boar console. Their first show was an Awards event honouring the Gorinchem area's Sportsmen and Sportswomen of the Year.

Visser and his crew are absolutely delighted with the lights.

He reports, "Apart from the scope and versatility they give for our own shows, it means we can offer top quality production values and the latest technology to each and every visiting production".

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VWV Invests in Robe MMXs And Helps Save The Rhinos Johannesburg-based VWV, One of South Africa's leading production companies - responsible for the spectacular closing ceremony of the 2010 Soccer World Cup amongst many other events - has invested in Robe's new ROBIN MMX Spot moving light fixtures.

"They are currently building up a carefully selected stock of their own lighting technology, which is starting to expand," explains VWV Technical Director Jonathan "Jonno" Royston, who co-ordinates all the company's technical requirements.

The purchase of the eight MMXs is the start of an expansion in the kit they own. The units were supplied by Robe's South African distributor, DWR, also based in Johannesburg.

Royston first saw the MMXs in action on the Robe stand at the PLASA 2011 lighting and sound exhibition in Earls Court, London. He was "Highly impressed" with the gobos, the animation wheel functionality and the high light output, and recommended that they make the investment. "I believe that you don't need so many of them to produce a really great lighting show, either using them as front projected gobo effects or punchy back lighting - or a combination of both!" he comments.

This is VWV's first Robe purchase, but Royston has been familiar with the brand for some time and also seen

various Robe products in action on their diverse rosta of shows and events.

DWR and the Robe lighting factory in the Czech Republic turned the delivery around in lightening quick time, so the eight new units could immediately be used on a 'Save The Rhinos' event for the Wildlands Conservation Trust's Rhino Conservation Project staged in Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton, Johannesburg.

Here, they were mounted on vertical trussing 'totem' towers concealed behind a wooden hide - where interested parties walked-in and talked to Rhino experts about the animals' plight, and discovered how they can be proactive in contributing to the campaign to save them.

Six of the MMXs were used to project a selection of fabulous patterns and 'liquid' animations on the front face of the Sandton Library building at the end of the Square, with two units swirling around a couple of striking Rhino logos.

The nightly show was programmed by lighting designer Sean Rosig, and it ran for three weeks to raise awareness of the need to save these wonderful animals from extinction.

It was Rosig's first chance to use the MMX Spots - although he has used Robe products on many of his designs in recent years. He also really liked the units, saying, "They are great for dazzling aerial effects as well as more moody things like fire, water and snow effects".

He adds that features like the DMX controllable hot spot are extremely useful, which means you can get a nice even light field, even when the beam is irised right down. Although he didn't really use this for the Save the Rhino's show, He says it will be "Amazing" for rock and music gigs.

He thinks the projection quality is excellent, appreciates the smooth optics and of course, the dual animation wheel - which is a hit with all designers!

VWV's MMXs were the second batch to be delivered in South Africa. Pretoria based Retail Company Blond Productions took delivery of the first to add to their growing rental stock.

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Full Points for Robe in Estonian Eurovision Selection An impressive rig of 70 Robe moving lights designed by Rene Jõhve and Meelis Lusmägi of Cuu Club provided a stunning visual setting for the final round of Eesti Laul, Estonia's 2012 Eurovision national qualifying competition.

The event was staged in the Nokia Concert Hall in Estonian capital Tallinn.

Presented by high profile comedians Tiit Sukk and Taavi Teplenkov, it was broadcast live nationwide on the Estonian public broadcasting channel ETV1 and also enjoyed by a live audience of 1800 who saw the 20 finalists battle it out.

It was Jõhve and Meelis's first time designing lighting and set for the event, winning the project after presenting imaginative and fresh ideas.

Using previous Eesti Laul competitions as their creative starting point, they took all the classic requirements of the TV show / competition, and combined these with a set of new and different visual concepts for 2012.

The Robe fixture count was 20 x ROBIN 300 Spots, 22 x ROBIN 600 LEDWashes, 12 x ROBIN 300 LEDWashes, 12 x ColorSpot 1200E ATs and three ColorWash 1200E ATs - all specified by Jõhve, who is a firm fan of the brand. The units were supplied by a combination of Cuu Club and E&T. "We have used Robe fixtures for a long time, and found them to be reliable and innovative", confirms the

designer who has been integrating Robe into his work since 2005.

The trusses were arranged in an arc around and above the stage, for an overall theatrical look which also worked ideally for the TV. The ROBIN 300 and 600 LEDWashes and the ROBIN 600 Spots were on the rear overhead trusses, used for multiple effects and strong colour-rich backlight looks on camera, while the ColorSpot and Washes were rigged on the venue's fly bars, used for artist contra-light and front lighting.

Each competitor had their own distinctive lightshow, a task relatively easy to achieve with all the Robes up above, but that required some intense programming to perfect in a short timeframe.

Jõhve likes many features prominent on the Robes, in particular, the fast iris, the smooth colour mixing and the individual pixel rings on the LEDWashes which are versatile and interesting, always looking good on camera as well as to the eye. He comments that the colours and the way the units handle is "Beautiful" Rene Jõhve programmed and operated the show himself, using an Avolites Pearl Expert console Singer Ott Lepland took the top slot in a very close contest with his ballad "Kuula" (Listen), which was judged by a combination of the jury and public tele-voting. He will now represent Estonia in the Eurovision second semifinal at Baku, Azerbaijan, in May.

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QSC at Spanish-Speaking Church in Texas Iglesia Mundo de Fe, a Spanishspeaking church based in Coppell, Texas, has installed QSC Audio KLA series line array systems along with K series loudspeakers as part of a revamp of the church's sanctuary.

Mundo de Fe's 1500-seat main sanctuary had the KLA line arrays installed in two hangs. Each hang is composed of four QSC KLA12 12 inch, two-way loudspeakers. On the ground the church has installed six QSC KLA 181 18 inch subwoofers-three stacked on either side.

There are also installed three QSC K12 12 inch, two-way active loudspeakers.

These are set-up in a distributed ring and provide the venue with delay coverage.

The QSC system-which was installed by Fort Worth, Texas-based ProAudio.com's installation division Church Audio Video-now provides the church with increased headroom. This reflects the importance of music at the church.

"As a church, we are so happy with the QSC K Series Line Array," explained Mundo de Fe/LifeChurch's Pastor, Tom Holland. "In my mind, there is no better quality available on the market at this price point. The sound is powerful yet clear. Our church is very pleased with this QSC product. It rocks!"

What is more, the entire rig was a breeze to set-up.

"Flying the KLA12 speakers took next to no time," added McLeod. "It was real easy. Using the KLA AF12 Array Frames made it effortless."

Sound Change Brings Joy to Chicago's Moody Church

"They are a modern, rock 'n' roll, Hispanic church, and it's very high energy," explained Church Audio Video's Managing Director, Jeff McLeod.

The Mundo de Fe church-which shares its location with LifeChurch-seem absolutely delighted with the results.

Laying claim to being the largest nonpillared auditorium in Chigago's metro area, the oval sanctuary of Moody Church has recently replaced a 20-year-old main cluster with a new Meyer Sound Mina line array system.

'To the untrained eye, the new cluster doesn't look that much different,' says Michael Arman, the church's audiovisual technical coordinator. 'But after the first Sunday, our senior pastor [Dr Lutzer] told me that a number of people had praised him on his voice being in unusually good form.

Apparently, they were hearing nuances they'd never heard before.'

Built in the mid-1920s, the sanctuary accommodates more than 3,700 worshippers and has been fraught with audio problems. For those seated in about 80 per cent of the seats, Dr Lutzer's 'revived' voice was carried by

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a single array of ten Mina loudspeakers. Worship services also call on contemporary and traditional music, including an amplified band, full orchestra, and 70-voice choir.

'Mina was clearly the right tool for the job,' says TC Furlong, President of project integrator, TC Furlong Inc. 'The loudspeakers offered vastly better performance and coverage, and aesthetically they fit into the same mold as the old system.'

The balance of the main cluster hang comprises two UPJ-1P VariO loudspeakers as side fill, rear-facing choir fills of a UPA-1P and two UPA-2P loudspeakers, and four 500-HP subwoofers in a cardioid configuration.

Three UPM-1P loudspeakers on the chancel cover the front rows and hold the audio image down, while a Galileo loudspeaker management system with two Galileo 616 processors provides system drive.

According to Arman, the new system also provides greatly improved uniformity of coverage throughout the church: 'I find that I don't have to overcompensate when I'm mixing anymore,' he says. 'Before, I' would force myself to mix brighter where I was sitting, because I knew people 30ft away were in a dead null spot. Now I am far more confident that everybody is hearing what I am hearing.'

The worship services feature a blend of contemporary and traditional music, including an amplified band, full orchestra, and 70-voice choir. Touring artists have also noticed the sanctuary's sonic improvements.

The new Meyer Sound loudspeakers complement the existing front-end system at The Moody Church, including a Yamaha M7CL digital console, Shure wireless microphone systems, and Aviom personal monitor mixers. Together, they provide greatly improved serive to both the curch's regular speakers and performers, and visiting performers.

'We had Keith & Kristyn Getty in here with their full band after we put in the new system,' Arman reports, 'and their FOH mixer told me we had the bestsounding mono rig he's heard.'

Santa Ana's Galaxy Theatre with Acoustic Treatments Orange County's 40-year-old Galaxy Theatre changed ownership back in August and has now undergone a significant metamorphosis into two separate live performance spaces: the intimate 350-capacity Constellation Room and much larger Observatory, which can accommodate an audience of over 1000. One of the primary improvements made to the venue in the process was the installation of an L-ACOUSTICS KARAi line source array system provided by Certified Provider Rat Sound Systems, Inc. of Camarillo, California.

Jon Reiser, along with business partner Courtney Michaelis and a third silent partner, are the team behind transforming the Galaxy from a lackluster aging venue into an edgy hipster hangout that consistently attracts some of the brightest up-andcoming acts like Foster the People, Crystal Castles, The Naked and Famous, Young the Giant, Tyga and Warpaint.

Reiser is no stranger to SoCal's indie music scene having previously spent five years as a partner and talent buyer for Costa Mesa's Detroit Bar. Shortly after purchasing the Galaxy, Reiser brought in L.A.'s Foster the People to play the newly dubbed Observatory. Knowing that the club's pre-existing PA system wouldn't be adequate to cover the crowd for such a popular band, he turned to Rat Sound to provide a temporary dV-DOSC rig

while simultaneously initiating the design process to permanently integrate a new KARAi system.

Today, the Observatory features left and right arrays each comprised of six KARAi elements flown adjacent to two SB18i subs. Four SB28 subs are also located down on the floor--two housed in bunkers inside the stage plus one on each side of the stage. A custom enclosure built across the front of the stage houses four coaxial 8XT front-fill speakers, while a single 115XT HiQ flown in the center of the house two feet downstage of the stage lip serves as a downfill. All systems are powered and processed by LA8 amplified controllers housed in racks at the monitor mix position.

Rat Sound provided not only the installation of the L-ACOUSTICS system, but the rest of the venue's sound and lighting systems and acoustic treatments as a full turnkey package. Rat Sound Director of Installations David Myers notes that the rental dV-DOSC system helped minimize the venue's downtime to only two nights despite the significant amount of remodeling and equipment upgrades.

"With the new acoustic treatments and KARAi system in place, the Observatory sounds phenomenal," says Myers. "KARAi is extremely coherent; it's like having the artist right in front of you in a studio environment. And the bands, engineers, promoters and audiences are all loving the sound. The Naked and Famous recently played the room and their front-of-house engineer told us after the show that we had totally spoiled him for the rest of the dates on their tour."

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JBL VRX for Jet Blue Airlines Concert Jet Blue Airlines launched its unique Live From T5 Concert Series in August 2010, Firehouse Productions has supplied HARMAN's JBL VRX Constant Curvature loudspeakers for the ongoing promotion, held periodically at the Jet Blue T5 terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York.

Leading European trussing, roofing and staging manufacturer MILOS continued its busy schedule of trade fairs and exhibitions, enjoying a very busy and successful Prolight+Sound Exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany.

The company showed many new and innovative products, together with the most popular elements of its extensive standard ranges in Hall 11 of the Frankfurt Music Messe.

The Live From T5 Concert Series offers free entertainment for ticketed passengers waiting to board their flights at the new post-security stateof-the-art Jet Blue terminal, equipped with free Wi-Fi and an abundance of food and beverage options. To date, the concert series has hosted famed performers including Taylor Swift, James Blunt, Robyn, Jason Derulo and Raphael Saadiq, among others.

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Products highlighted included x.Truss, the MT05 tower system, OV50 ramps, crowd barriers, staging and roofing systems, the T12 modular connection system and a water tank.

With limited space and the need for a compact setup to fit through the airport's security checkpoints, the JBL VRX Series loudspeakers are the perfect fit for the job, said Simon Welch, Head Systems Engineer at Firehouse Productions. "We are able to stack two VRX932LA-1 loudspeakers on top of two VRX918S powered subwoofers on each side for the main PA." Welch explained. "Since we need to direct sound to a specific zone in the terminal, we are able to do so by setting the speakers at head level outward from the stage. Another pair of VRX932LA-1 loudspeakers are used as side fill, directing sound to the side areas of the stage."

apart even faster, which is important as we do not want a lot of distractions at the terminal."

The main challenge of the Live From T5 Concert Series is time, Welch explained. "All the gear has to go through security which takes about two hours, so obviously the less equipment, the better," he said.

"There isn't a lot of labor, especially with the VRX Series. We are able to get everything set up quickly and taken

HARMAN designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets - supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG, Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon and Mark Levinson. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 12,500 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia.

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MILOS Enjoys Successful Prolight+Sound

The light weight of the VRX loudspeakers only adds to the quality of the system. "They are the most efficient boxes we have," said Welch.

"They provide great vocals and the ability to project sound deep with such a small array is perfect. HARMAN and JBL are such highly regarded brands that everyone who has used the system is extremely happy."

"We are excited at what is left to come of the series and glad to be a part of this unique experience," Welch summed up.

The x.Truss attracted much interest.

This is a series of very useful and flexible connectors and mounting devices that interface with MILOS popular QuickTruss systems and ideally suited to exhibitions, conferences and trade show applications. The x.Truss extras allow for the mounting of a diverse selection of materials both vertically and horizontally onto the trussing spans, visibly or invisible, quickly and effectively. They are extremely straightforward to use, and like all MILOS products, are robustly quality engineered.

The new light loading OV50 ramps also generated lots of inquiries. This is a lightweight solution for loading equipment and materials of up to 800 Kgs, and comes complete with an antislip surface for additional safety in all environments.

MILOS' MT05 tower is another inventive product, a light-duty tower with integrated base and legs, designed for use with MILOS' M290, M390 and QuickTruss trussing elements. It is perfect for small events and ground support systems. It can be supplied with various accessories and erected either utilising a hand winch, chain block or electric hoist.

MILOS SRO Launches New Website

All visitors were impressed with the design and aesthetics of the MILOS ranges and the exhibition grade quality of all their products - even those built to meet the tougher and more exacting demands of rental and staging markets.

MILOS also presented a brand new sales catalogue at the show which was extremely well received.

The sales team was led by Vladimir Hasman and Milan Kolousek, and the stand was constantly busy for all four days of the exhibition. In fact, it was the busiest and most successful Prolight+Sound to date for MILOS, "The number of visitors and their quality seems to be increasing year on year" comments Kolousek They saw a massive amount of international guests, especially from Asia and the Pacific Rim, representing all sectors of the entrainment industry including audio, video, rigging, staging and lighting worlds. As well as catching up with lots of existing customers and meeting up with many their own global dealer network, MILOS also made important new contacts, and several deals were also closed during the show.

Prolight+Sound is becoming the most important European trade fair of the year for MILOS' concludes Kolousek.

Leading European trussing manufacturer MILOS announces the launch of a brand new corporate website: www.milosgroup.com.

convenience of MILOS' customers from wherever they happen to be at the time, giving instant access to MILOS' renowned service and fast turnarounds.

This features a cool, contemporary design and a fresh new, intuitive userinterface, slickly optimised for fast, straightforward navigation by product, market sector and application.

www.milosgroup.com will include all details on MILOS's comprehensive range of aluminium trussing products including QuickTruss, xStages, temporary roofing systems and rigging towers, ground and video screen supports, plus the numerous accessories including corner and angle blocks, cell clamps, etc.

A number of unique features have been developed to ensure that MILOS clients and users have access to a powerful, constantly updated online portal, containing a wealth of information to make purchasing or planning for upcoming projects and investments quick and simple.

A New Products section will highlight the latest innovations from the MILOS design team, currently including : •

T12, an inventive new modular trussing system - with LED lightsources integrated into the structural tube profiles to create backlit displays, luminescent counters or special spaces contoured with light.

•

xTruss - an intelligent line of accessories compatible with all QuickTruss systems, which allow the simple mounting of a diverse selection of materials - visibly or invisibly, horizontally or vertically - sustainably and effectively.

Brackets, clamps, fabric profiles, and panel clips offer clever, simple solutions to increase the versatility and aesthetic appeal of QuickTruss.

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Ramps - robustly constructed, and ideal for all markets and structural projects

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Crowd barriers

These include •

Expanded Photo and Design Galleries to help inspire the creative process and illustrate the many possibilities using the dynamic product ranges

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A full set of high quality instructional videos - arranged by product - are available for download

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Complete product specifications, catalogues and CAD blocks are available for instant download in convenient formats

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Detailed showcases of recent MILOS projects

A new Shopping List feature soon to be activated will dispatch the customer's 'Shopping List' directly to one of MILOS' sales consultants to streamline and prioritise the ordering process. This is designed for the ultimate

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New World Record Attempt at Buckingham Palace London, UK based The Projection Studio, headed by visual artist Ross Ashton, designed and created the recordbreaking video artwork featuring 32 animated mosaic portraits of HM The Queen that is being projected onto Buckingham Palace this week.

The 'Face Britain' project was instigated by The Prince's Foundation for Children & the Arts and brought to life by PhotoBox. It has enabled over 200,000 children to make their faces famous on the front of one of London's most iconic landmarks.

It is also the first time that video projections have ever been used on the front of the Palace.

Ashton has previously projected onto the building three times - famously for the first time during the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002 for which he used PIGI projectors. This time, leading UK video rental specialists Creative Technology (CT) have supplied the 24 Barco and Panasonic 18K and 20K video projectors.

The video montage of the 32 portraits is attempting to break the Guinness World Records Title for the Largest Collaborative Artwork, that is the most artists working on the same art installation. The previous record stands at 28,267 artists.

Ashton says, "I am hugely proud and absolutely delighted to be involved in this collaboration, and naturally it's a great honour to work directly for the Prince's Charities. There have been plenty of creative and technical challenges and it's very satisfying to get the opportunity of pushing the boundaries and breaking new ground".

Children aged 4 - 16 were invited to produce their own self-portraits by Face Britain encompassing all levels of skill and in any medium, including drawing, photography, textiles, painting and graphics. These were uploaded to PhotoBox .

Ashton came up with the idea of animated mosaics. He worked with Moscow-based Boris Glazer to create a bespoke version of his Mazaika

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software to encode all the photos and then compose the 32 images of The Queen from the 200,000 or so selfportraits that were submitted.

Ashton specifically wanted to see the individual photos making up each portrait montage flying together as they formed onto the fascia of the building.

When compositing the 32 portraits into the 32 minute long video file which runs as a loop, Ashton treated each individual portrait of the Queen as a separate colour way, containing 6,400 children's portraits. This enabled him to get the desired movement effect.

The template portrait of The Queen was supplied by the Sun newspaper's legendary royal photographer, Arthur Edwards. The Queen herself had to approve all stages of the creative process!

Ashton worked closely with CT's Scott Burgess to design the projection system and CT supplied all the

hardware including weatherised hides and crew for the installation. The projectors are ensconced as unobtrusively as possible behind the pillars of the Palace's front wall.

The video is run via a Watchout control system programmed by Dave Boeck. The overall image covering the Palace is 110 metres wide and 25 metres tall. Filling the spaces around the actual Queen's head portraits are a series of animated backgrounds and other picture frames.

In addition to the Buckingham Palace projections, the 32 portraits are being simultaneously shown for 24 hours on BBC Big Screens in 18 public locations nationwide.

Face Britain celebrates the UK's children and young people in the run up to HM The Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Entec Struts its Stuff at London Fashion Week Leading UK lighting and sound rental company Entec supplied lighting production for three high profile shows at London Fashion Week - Paul Smith, Mulberry and Moschino. A projection system and media server was also provided for Paul Smith, and all three projects were once again managed for Entec by Adam Stevenson.

Paul Smith featured the largest lighting rig and was the biggest space, staged in the Lawrence Hall of the Royal Horticultural Halls in Victoria, central London. It also accommodated one of the largest audiences of the whole event. Entec has supplied lighting for Paul Smith's LFW shows for at least the last eight years, working with several different lighting designers in the process.

Lec Croft was Paul Smith's LD for this season (and also last), who has an illustrious LFW history dating back to the late 1980s! The creative brief this time continued on from the summer collection showcase in September staged in the same room - and this was to make it completely different and a total contrast.

So, this time around it all went darker and blacker for winter. The show's creative director Kamran Khavari and producers Miller Khavari wanted to recreate the tone and feel of an intimate one-on-one small studio photo shoot - even though it was a massive space - and this required very precise lighting.

The set - comprising the entrance wall and 'back' wall of the square runway circuit - were identical and diametrically opposite - with video / photography platforms at the end of each long run.

A massive 21-leg, seven arch ground support system was installed into the venue to get lighting positions in the required places, which Entec commissioned Actus Events to provide.

This was 24 metres wide and 50 long, with 6.4 metres of headroom. Made from shiny, strong mini-beam trussing, it provided a very stylish juxtaposition

to the room with its domed ceiling and dramatic curved architecture.

Entec supplied over 200 ETC Source Four Profiles with various different lenses which were placed along the central spines of the trussing, with two banks of front light behind the two photography platforms.

A hundred and twenty of the Source Fours with 50 degree lenses were all tightly shuttered and focused down onto the catwalk, creating the perfect photographic lighting conditions all the way down the two 100 ft 'long' sides of the runway. These luminaires were all fitted with linear frost gel to stretch the light that bit extra.

The profiles on the end banks ranged from 10 to 50 degree and these also had Âź frost to provide a slight softening of the hard edges while still remaining focusable.

The control console was an Avolites Sapphire 2004, which was programmed by Fraser Elisha and run

by Lec Croft for the show.

Lec comments, "Entec are really a dream to work with! Nothing is too much trouble and both Adam and Noreen (O'Riordan) really go the extra mile every time to ensure that you have everything you need on site, that all the details are covered and that you're taken care of perfectly".

A key part of the brief was to project a series of unusual and off-beat colours onto the entrance and end walls - a pair of identical large flats with Scannachrome printed surfaces and

selected splashes of white 'light' effects - Entec supplied four Barco R10+ projectors, which were run as two doubled up pairs. Together with content stored on a Hippotizer media server, these were set up and run by Entec's Ryan Brown.

Brown created masks in the Hippotizer so the content could be fully concentrated on the white areas of the flats for the desired effect, and four bespoke colours were chosen to be projected to match the winter collection.

Entec's crew were co-ordinated on site by regular LFW crew chief Simon Honnor and consisted of Sven Jolly, Tim Matthews, Andy Emmerson, Steve Clements and John Cope - in addition to Brown and Elisha and a 5 person Actus rigging team.

Also supplied were a quantity of 4way Kino Flo fluorescent units and stands for the preparation area.

The Mulberry and Moschina shows were staged in Claridges' Ballroom and 29 Portland Place respectively, and both lit by Simon Tutchener - another LFW maverick designer.

The Mulberry show utilised Entec's brand new Robe ROBIN 600 LEDWash moving lights which were specified by Tutchener, together with ETC Source Fours, and was put together and managed on site by Entec's Pete "Pepper" Schofield. Simon lit Moschino with a selection of MSR fresnel heads and ETC Source Fours, and this was run for Entec by Andy Mountain.

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Big-O Show with Christie Visual Solutions Christie, the official contents sponsor for Expo 2012 Yeosu Expo, is pleased to announce the Organizing Committee for Expo 2012 has selected Christie Roadie HD+35K projectors for its signature multimedia night show. Set against the natural backdrop of the Yeosu Sea, the 47-meter high Big-O is the world's largest water curtain and the landmark installation at the expo.

Designed and directed by Francebased ECA2, who were involved in shows such as the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1998 World Cup in France and the Eiffel Tower Millennium Show, the "O" stands for the ocean and resembles the numerical zero to illustrate a new beginning for the sea. The show is expected to remain as a permanent centerpiece after Expo.

Two sets of triple-stacked Christie Roadie HD+35Ks, the world's brightest and best DLP projectors, project a short animated film about ocean conservation onto the water screen at the internal rim of the "O," which is located about 100 meters away. To complete this show, the "Fountain Show," staged by the US-based WET Design, also utilizes four sets of dualstacked Christie HD+35Ks projecting content onto three sets of fountain jets located at distances of 20 meters, 25 meters and 30 meters respectively.

The nightly multimedia show also includes other special effects such as moving water jets, mist, flames, lighting, and laser works.

"Christie HD+35K projectors are wonderful. They're bright and offer superior quality. We're getting a brightness level of more than 200 nits, which is more than what we expect.

Even under strong wind conditions which affect the water screen, we're still getting the clarity and the exact image focal point," comments Guillaume Duflot, chief of operations & technical director, ECA2. "We have an excellent ongoing relationship with Christie, having collaborated with them on many projects in many parts of the world including Singapore and China over the last five years. As a

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company, they're ultra-responsive and offer products of the highest quality."

"Projecting onto moving waters is a challenging task. The Christie projectors are able to fully maximize the potential of our fountain show by adding a surreal touch. We're very happy with the results as they really bring the whole show to life," comments Helen Park, senior vice president, WET Design.

"The images projected by the Christie projectors are visually stunning and they have definitely met or even surpassed the requirements set out by the Organizing Committee for Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea for the Big-O show.

I've always been working with some of the world's best companies and, in this case, Christie is the company who can offer the best visual solution for this show," comments Yves Pepin, creative consultant to the Yeosu Expo 2012 Committee on the Big-O project.

"We wanted the best possible solution for the Big-O show and all the companies that we were working with - including ECA2, Electrosonic and Wet - unanimously proposed Christie. In this case, we decided to select Christie as a partner for this event. We would never be able to forget the visual impact that the show had on us when

we first saw it. The projected images were brilliant and crisp even when we did the trial projection in the rain. The visual projection not only tells an entertaining story but most importantly, it helps to visually convey the expo's core message - the need for ocean protection," comments Berni Cho, Project Manager, Big-O installation.

Under the expo's theme "Living Ocean and Coast," various promotional locations and pavilions at Yeosu Expo have deployed close to 250 Christie visual solutions for the 93day event taking place May 12 to August 12, 2012. Christie J Series, Christie M Series, Christie E Series, Christie Roadie HD+35Ks, Christie Roadster S+20Ks, Christie LX Series and Christie速 MicroTiles are used to help visually convey the message about the need for ocean conservation to an estimated turnout of eight million visitors from around the world.

"We're very fortunate to be selected as the contents sponsor for the Expo 2012 Yeosu Expo and to be involved in one of the biggest events in Korea this year.

Most importantly, we're able to transfer our knowledge and experience gained from our strong participation in the similar expo event in Shanghai during 2010," comments Lin Yu, vice president, Christie Asia Pacific.

As early as May 2011, Christie MicroTiles were selected by the Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea Organizing Committee to promote the event at the Incheon International Airport and Gimpo International Airport. These visual solutions will remain in use until the end of Expo.

World Cup Skiing with Electro-Voice New sound reinforcement concept featuring multiple Electro-Voice line arrays. TC Showtechnik of Weilheim was responsible for the sound production at both the races and the show stage. The equipment used included XLC and XLE systems, TG7 amplifiers, and N8000-1500 matrix controllers from Electro-Voice.

For two weekends running, GarmischPartenkirchen (Germany) was home the elite of the alpine skiing world: on January 28 & 29 for the men's downhill and super G, and February 4 & 5 for the women's speed disciplines. Once again, the small resort in Upper Bavaria found itself cast in the role of capital of the skiing world, and as in previous years, TV and radio stations the world over were providing coverage of the competitions unfolding on the dreaded Kandahar run.

Another constant was the participation of Weilheim-based production company TC Showtechnik.

This was the eighth time the company led by CEOs Martin Schulze and Stefan Rehthaler had been charged with responsibility for the sound reinforcement, both piste-side and in front of the show stage in the Kurpark.

That much experience has its advantages, one being knowledge of the venue and its demands and another being an awareness of the risks posed by the extreme weather conditions that prevail in the Bavarian mountains in midwinter. Of course, knowing about them and being able to cope with them are two different things...

"This year, the caprices of the weather were almost beyond belief," reports Schulze. "When we were setting up, the temperature was above zero and it was actually raining. By the second weekend, we were looking at temperatures of -26 degrees Celsius on the piste! Sound systems capable of enduring fluctuations of that order are not ten a penny, which at least one of the reasons why this year TC Showtechnik once again opted for loudspeakers and amplifiers bearing the EV logo, which, as he puts it:

Electro-Voice XLC line array with 12 XLC127DVX forming the centrepiece and 6 Electro-Voice XLE181 and 10 Electro-Voice Xsubs the ancillary elements of the set-up.

"would appear to be impervious to extreme weather conditions."

Whilst the EV logo may not have changed, the specialists did come up with a slightly different sound reinforcement concept this year, based on multiple line arrays of different sizes all united by a powerful ElectroVoice N8000-1500 controller matrix.

"The aim was to provide separate coverage for multiple zones, each of which could be controlled independently," says Schulze. "The various zones were designed to complement, yet never interfere with, one another. And the plan worked!"

To provide homogeneous coverage for all the spectators following the competition live, the team from TC Showtechnik assigned two line arrays to the grandstands, with further enclosures hanging from six strategically positioned towers.

For the closing straight alone, 28 XLE181 two-way loudspeaker elements and 8 XCS312 cardioid subs from Electro-Voice were used, as well as 12 D8 loudspeakers from DYNACORD. To provide powerful coverage of the entertainment programme on the show stage in Garmisch's Kurpark, the TC Showtechnik team deployed an

The nerve centre of the production was the N8000-1500 matrix controller from Electro-Voice - a tool with which Martin Schulze is particularly taken.

"It's my pet device," he confessed. "Its capabilities are astounding. The main L/F mix was routed initially from the front-of-house position to an N80001500 and from there, via Dante network, to a second, with sixteen analogue and eight digital audio signals eventually finding their way to the amp racks. Via IRIS-Net, we were in a position then to control at will the levels, delays and filtering of all the zones from a single screen. Perfect!"

Another innovation for the 2012 World Cup production was the use of XCS312 cardioid subs from ElectroVoice. The baptism of fire - or in this case, ice - for the 3 x 12" cabinets turned out to be a triumph. "With the XCS312, we were able to ply spectators in the grandstand with full sub-bass," reports Schulze. "In the sensitive TV area, however, nothing of that was audible. Our clients were aware of what had been achieved and were highly appreciative."

So, too, were the various performers gracing the show stage in the Kurpark in the course of the two weekends, who showered the TC Showtechnik team with thanks and praise for their efforts.

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Stadium in Rennes, France Equipped with Meyer Sound After 100 years of hosting soccer games, Le Stade de la Route de Lorient in Rennes made the decision to install 64 Meyer Sound loudspeakers, making it the first major stadium in France with a complete Meyer Sound self-powered audio reinforcement system.

With seating for more than 31,000, the stadium is the home of the top tier league Stade Rennais Football Club.

The structure has undergone several renovations since it was inaugurated in 1912, with the last major reconstruction in 2004. Unfortunately, the sound system installed at that time proved difficult to maintain and inadequate for the demands of today's high-energy incidental music and video soundtracks.

Spectaculaires, a diversified event technology company based near Rennes, was called in to consult on a system that would improve coverage and reliability, supply power and bandwidth for convincing music reproduction, and also meet stringent requirements for use as an emergency voice alarm system.

"We have been using Meyer Sound self-powered loudspeakers for our large-scale events throughout Europe and the Middle East," remarks Xavier Pitois, Spectaculaires' technical director and project manager for the installation. "In fact, we had used Meyer systems for several productions at the stadium, so the management was familiar with the quality. Then the challenge was to design a system that delivered the required performance while staying within the budget."

Using the MAPP Online Pro acoustical prediction program, Pitois drafted several system options. The new distributed system employs over-under clusters of two-each UPQ-1P loudspeakers with a total of 36 for the deeper grandstand sections on three sides. A shallower grandstand on the fourth side is covered by 24 split front and rear UPA-1P loudspeakers.

Fourteen 600-HP subwoofers are

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installation like this, it's a very good long-term investment."

Although Stade de la Route de Lorient is the first stadium installation for Spectaculaires, the company's expertise spans a wide range of entertainment and event technologies. Spectaculaires is split into two operating divisions: one specializes in technical logistics and system integration including light, sound, video, and staging, while the other division provides complete event conceptualization, design, and production services.

AMX’s Enova DGX for US Military Installation

evenly spaced around the perimeter. A point-source cluster of two MSL-4 loudspeakers, intended primarily for emergency voice alert, is aimed out onto the pitch. All loudspeakers are fully weather protected and are equipped with the RMS remote monitoring system. The custom rigging brackets were designed by Spectaculaires.

"Compared to the previous system, they now have much more power, more definition, and excellent coverage at all seats," states Pitois.

"Also, the subwoofers make the system adaptable to many special events, and they also provide spectacular sound for advertising in conjunction with the videos."

Pitois also extols the unique advantages of self-powered systems coupled with RMS remote monitoring.

"We can confirm instantly that everything in the system is working properly, and know exactly when and where any fault occurs. In an

AMX, the leading provider of solutions that simplify the implementation, maintenance, and use of technology to create effective environments, announced its first Enova DGX 16 and Enova DGX 32 Digital Media Switchers were delivered to AVI-SPL by Rashid Skaf, AMX President and CEO. With industry-first technologies like SmartScale, InstaGate Pro and builtin NetLinx Controllers, DGX Switchers are proving the model hub for AV's increasingly networkcentric installations.

AVI-SPL will be installing five of the DGX units in a classified military facility in San Antonio, Texas.

Details about the installation cannot be disclosed due to security restrictions. The installation will consist of a mix of Enova DGX 16

and 32 Digital Media Switchers.

"We chose the Enova DGX for this client because they will be pushing high resolution images to remote locations throughout the facility and conducting video conferences requiring high resolution image support," said AVI-SPL Account Manager John Sublett. "It was important that the DGX be simple to manage. Our clients are warfighters, not AV technicians. They needed the ability to plug-and-play any HDMI/ HDCP supported source and know it would immediately show on any display regardless of size or supported resolution."

Intuitively resolving digital installation snags, the Enova DGX features exclusive AMX technologies like SmartScale. Found on every video output, SmartScale eliminates the impasses that can occur when sources and displays have different supported resolutions. It's the only technology that supports any source and display resolution and optimizes the picture on every connected display automatically.

Also featured is InstaGate Pro technology. It smartly addresses key constraints and delays posed by HDMI/HDCP, drastically speeding installation time.

"When I found out that the first Enova DGX 16 and 32 models in existence were going to an installation sold by AVI-SPL, I was thrilled to be able to visit their office and deliver the first units personally," said Rashid Skaf. "AVISPL is one of our most successful channel partners and this order shows why - they've built a reputation on specifying the right equipment to consistently meet and exceed their clients' needs."

The Enova DGX 16 and 32 Switcher enclosures, the DGX Input and Output Boards for HDMI and DVI, plus the Audio Insert / Extract Expansion Boards are currently shipping. Further enhancements to the DGX 16 and 32 are on schedule to deliver in the coming months, including DXLink Input and Output boards and DGX Optical Fiber boards.

National Theatre of Scotland Embraces LED with Chroma-Q Color Force The National Theatre of Scotland (NTS) have recently invested in seven Chroma-Q Color Force 48" / 1.2m LED battens to provide wash lighting effects for their various stage productions, including "Knives in Hens" and "An Appointment with the Wicker Man".

The Glasgow based theatre received a grant from the Wolfson Foundation to replace their existing cyc lights with energyefficient LED versions. They wanted a high quality, powerful and easy to set up LED lighting solution.

Head of Lighting, Paul Claydon and Technical Manager, Niall Black conducted extensive research before inviting four leading LED brands to do a shootout at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow. Also attending the shootout were a number of LDs with whom NTS work with.

"As soon as the Color Force battens were switched on, to us they absolutely blew all the other products away, especially in terms of their intensity and quality of light" states Paul, adding that it was "a bit of a moment!"

"It was a collective decision" recounts Paul; NTS work with at least 12 different LDs every year, so it was "Important to invest in a batten that would keep all our LDs happy."

Apart from the remarkable 8,000 lumens power of the Color Force, other features impressing everyone included the smooth washing effect, homogenised lightsource and lack of hotspots. Collectively, everyone liked the quality of colours, and was very impressed with the batten's ability to produce a high-quality selection of the entire colour spectrum, including a good white - an area where some LED fixtures are known to struggle.

The ultra-bright Color Force LED batten range has a custom developed lens system, ensuring smooth and even coverage across large areas, easily

washing up to eight metres. The advanced ColorSure RGBA colour and control management technologies offer a massive enhanced colour palette, colour consistency, a high CRI of 92 and theatrical grade dimming making the fixtures ideal for multiple types of applications, ranging from subtle hues for theatre and opera lighting to vibrant effects for live events.

The first production for the new units was "Knives in Hens", where they were used to light an upstage cyc made from back projection screen material.

They were rigged on floor based trussing around which the back projection screen was wrapped.

Paul explains, "They are absolutely perfect for venues challenged for depth and space", a circumstance in which NTS often find themselves working, he adds that "They are an excellent lighting solution which will be in constant use."

Other productions that have used the Color Force battens have been, "The Wheel" at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, and "The Missing" at The Tramway in Glasgow.

The Color Force fixtures were supplied

by Chroma-Q's exclusive UK dealer, A.C. Entertainment Technologies (ACET) Ltd. AC-ET also co-ordinated a flight casing solution for NTS, which was designed by 5 star cases.

Paul comments that AC-ET were "really helpful" throughout the entire process.

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Colour Sound Chills

Below Zero at ICEBAR The design team at London lighting rental company Colour Sound Experiment (CSE) have installed their new proprietary BT36 LED screen as well as a new Anolis lighting scheme for the latest cool ice sculpture installation at the ICEBAR BY ICEHOTEL London in Heddon Street, London W1.

The lighting is project managed by CSE's Steve Marley. The company has worked with the venue for three years and the lighting spec and site fit-up is overseen for CSE by Jon Rickets, who works closely with the ICEBAR BY ICEHOTEL London team, including general manager Matthieu Bourgogne.

The elaborate and intricate ice sculptures - created by designers from the original ICEHOTEL in Sweden - are changed annually along with the lighting, which is an integral part of the whole vibe of the space.

During the second year lighting the ice, CSE added 21 Anolis ArcLine RGB 36 battens to up-light the main ice walls.

These LED sources and the quality of light they emit have proved perfect for

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making the minus five degree environment truly magical.

A long bar forms a major part of the design and this is lit from below by six new 24-way ArcLine RGB units added this year. A punky head is a major detail of this year's ice sculpture and this is highlighted with a single ArcLine 18.

In the roof for general lighting, 18 of the new Anolis ArcSource 12 Multichip units - each one featuring a single cell emitter - are used for general washing and down lighting.

Further boosting the coolness and unique ambience of the space are two Anolis ArcLine 36 Warm White strips, which sit above the ice wall at the back of the bar, highlighting the sign and logo.

Also behind the same ice wall are four panels of CSE's BT37 LED screen. These are fed with content from a media server, and produce colour sweeps and other funky effects, adding some movement and dynamics into the mix.

All the Anolis elements are controlled

via a selection of ArcPower drivers two ArcPower 360s are running 10 each of the ArcLine 36s. An ArcPower 144 is running the other ArcLine 36 and three of the ArcLine 24s, with another ArcPower 144 driving three more 24s and the ArcLine 18 unit. The ArcSource 7s are powered by an ArcPower 16 x 6, and all of these are squeezed into the very limited space available for control gear.

All the installed LED lighting is programmed on to an Avolites Azure console with an Environment Wing, spec'd by CSE. A series of colourful static lighting looks are used as standard, with colour chases and other scenes available for special events, all

• INSTALLS • easily selectable for playback by the ICEBAR BY ICEHOTEL London staff.

Anolis was chosen because Rickets has worked with the brand before "It's easy to install and very reliable," he comments, and it was also recommended to him for the harsh environment by others. As the sister company to moving light manufacturer Robe, he was also reassured that the engineering quality was excellent.

The original Arcline 36s have now been in place for two years, and they have not had a single issue with any of them!

Apart from the extreme cold - never an easy working condition - the tight fit for all of the kit in the space was the other main challenge explains Rickets.

The venue was shut for a week this year to allow the changeover to the new ice and its lighting, with cabling going in first before being followed by the lighting fixtures and LED screen panels - all ahead of the ice.

ICEBAR BY ICEHOTEL London is one of a number of current prominent CSE installations in London, which also include The Box in Soho and The Electric in Brixton.

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LED and Control Solution for

Whitworth Art Gallery Manchester based DBN Lighting has supplied a custom LED and control solution to the city's Whitworth Art Gallery which will run for three months as part of the "Cotton : Global Threads" exhibition - a compelling story about the production, consumption and global trade in cotton.

The light work is designed by artist Liz Rideal and involves the illumination of nine large windows on the top storey at the front of the building, with

video material from a film - 'Light Curtain' - which is played back via a media server also supplied by DBN. Challenges included having to fit all the necessary LED lighting equipment to light the windows into a 30 cm deep space, keeping each window's physical lighting installation completely self-contained within its recessed space.

DBN's Nick Buckley is project managing. DBN has worked for the Gallery several times in the past, and

this project started last year when they were asked to look at how the windows could be lit from inside to create the specific colouration, texturing and effects that Rideal had in mind.

A number of options were explored, from which they chose the most practical and reliable, involving Chroma-Q DB4 LED battens and Chroma-Q ColorSplit fixtures - the latter offer a double bank of RGBA LEDs. First, the windows were all masked precisely with frosted gel.

There is four of each type of fixture per window. The ColorSplits are positioned at the bottom of the window on the ledge with diffuser lenses lighting the lower half of the surface area. They are focussed and angled to minimise any hot spot areas.

The DB4s are rigged onto crucifix shaped pieces of scaffolding, and highlight the top half of the window.

The metalwork is propped into the window area with scaffold-jacks and

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• INSTALLS • all contained within the 30 cm depth of the window frame.

Each window is about three metres high and 1.5 metres wide, and all the lighting fixtures have been optimised to produce the smoothest, most even coverage of the target surface.

and enhancing and extending the visual impressions, perception and experience of the work to encompass the whole building.

Says Nick Buckley, "It is a real pleasure to be working with Luke Lovelock and his team at Whitworth Art Gallery, in a

real combined effort as well as with Liz Rideal, whose work is accessible and highly acclaimed. It took some 'out of the box' thinking to achieve what she wanted, but the results create something completely unique and different for public enjoyment."

The installation took two days to complete, and was diligently executed. Another requirement was that it did not damage or impair the glorious Victorian fabric of the building - which is listed - in any way.

However, dbn is used to working under these exacting conditions.

Limited power was also a challenge, but one of the beauties of using LEDs is that the entire installation runs on three 13 Amp sockets ….. with plenty of headroom.

Rideal's films are also being projected onto two screens in front of the building each evening, bringing the vibrancy, suggestion, detail, colour, textures and movement of cloth production and the creation of saris to the imagination of viewers.

The same footage is played back via a Hippo Critter media server through the LED units, animating the windows

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Lights for

Megastar Show

Manchester lighting and visuals rental company dbn supplied lighting equipment and crew for two major UK shows - at London's Wembley Arena and Manchester MEN Arena - for Pakistani singer and megastar Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. dbn's Nick Walton project managed and also designed a production lighting rig to fit the show, which was based around Khan's very distinctive

delivery. His performance features a lot of ballads and intricate songs and a very close communication with his audience.

Born into a musical family, he sings a mix of Qaawwali, a devotional music of the Muslim Sufi's along with some ghazals and other light music. He is also a prolific and renowned Bollywood backup singer, has recorded over 50 albums, won several

awards and toured internationally since his early career.

For the Wembley show, dbn worked in collaboration with London based rental company Colour Sound Experiment (CSE) to supply the gear as it made logistical sense. It also reinforced the spirit of co-operation which exists between some of the UK's more progressive thinking rental operations.

Walton knew that CSE could supply similar equipment and could source all that he specified, and says, "We were very happy to collaborate with Haydn (Cruickshank) and his team on this, we are all like-minded and have a similar approach to work and business".

The lighting rig was based around four straight trusses flown above the stage and six vertical truss towers on the floor at the back, varying between 16, 14 and 10 feet in height. These were all clad with dbn's own Heartwell Media 18mm pitch LED screen panels, providing an additional layer of visual dimension.

In Manchester these towers had Robe ROBIN 600 LEDWash fixtures on the

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• INSTALLS • top and a pair of Clay Paky Alpha Spot 300s positioned either side, further down the tower.

In the air were 24 x CP Alpha Wash 575 THs, 24 Alpha Spot 575 HPEs and two Alpha Spot 1200 HPEs. These were all used to light the main performance space below, which featured a backing band of 16 seated musicians. The action was very much concentrated here, and the trim height of the whole rig was only 8 metres, a request from the artist, to reinforce the intimacy and intensity of the show. dbn provided a 60 ft wide by 26 ft deep white cyc for a backdrop onto which Think events projected visuals and graphics.

The cyc was also lit with a row of Chroma-Q Color Force 72 LED battens.

Walton made particular use of being able to soft-blend the Colour Force's together and light the entire surface evenly and spectacularly with a wide array of colours, particularly pastels.

Two Griven Sky Roses - high power, wide angle multi-beam effects - were placed at the back of the stage to produce some glitzy effects, and the spangley bits continued with three large mirror balls, two on the first upstage truss and one on the front truss.

The only generics on the rig were a row of 4-lite Moles, clamped to the front truss to highlight the audience.

The show was operated by Mark Strange from Strange Design using a Chamsys Magic-Q console. The LED panels were fed content from a vision mixer supplied and operated by Universal Live from Bradford, which were then scaled and formatted via a Barco Folsom Image Pro video switcher before being output to the screen panels.

The same design and spec was replicated from the Wembley show.

The challenges for both gigs were getting in and going straight into a show with no rehearsal time, and keeping it looking different and dynamic throughout the three hour performance.

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Giant Truss at

Preston Passion dbn supplied three giant truss crucifixes used as a dramatic and eyecatching backdrop for the BBC's live broadcast of The Preston Passion.

The event re-telling of the Crucifixion of Jesus was instigated by Preston Guild, directed by Mark Murphy and hosted by Fern Britton for the BBC on Good Friday at Preston Bus Station.

The outdoor and live mass participation elements of the event were produced by innovative arts / performance company Walk The Plank, Each crucifix was 9 metres tall with a 4 metre cross piece, and was constructed on the top floor of the multi storey car park above the Preston Station.

The crosses were clad in wood, painted black, and erected one at a time using an electric chain hoist and selfclimbing tower methodology. This was choreographed to happen while three short sections of pre-recorded drama were shown simultaneously on large LED screens, interlaced with the live action taking place in the bus station, which included the participation of thousands of local residents.

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dbn was asked to help realise this very special scenic effect by Nick Clarke of Walk The Plank. dbn project manager Nick Todd set about designing the crucifixes and rigging system from Slick Mini Beam trussing.

The brief was that nothing should be visible above the car park's external parapet which was about a metre high and that the crucifixes should come into vision only when raised. All the

engineering required for the lifts had to be at floor level and this was a major challenge.

Todd worked with Ian Hall and Chris Cronin of the Total Solutions Group and their structural engineers to design what was effectively a very low level ground support system. A test rig of the proposed lift procedure was built at dbn's warehouse in central Manchester to ensure that the concept

• INSTALLS •

would work before the design was signed off.

Once on-site, wind speeds were constantly monitored and trends logged with dbn's new Broadweigh wireless load and wind load monitoring system.

The large base structure with extended outriggers using dbn's own customised ground support base plates was built in the car park, also out of Mini Beam. This was extended back about 11 metres to brace between the front and rear walls of

the car park, accommodating the three crucifixes in a horizontal position until the moment for their erection came.

The base of each of the three crucifixes was hinged at the front end and a 1 tonne motor attached. Due to the very limited space in front of the structure, a small de-mountable lifting block had to be installed at the front end of each one which, when the cue came, increased the chain height enough to allow the crucifix to be lifted. Even so, the dynamic load was about a tonne

as the lift commenced. This lifting block was detached when the crucifix was in place, and additional guy wires attached to keep the erect crucifixes stable. dbn's crew had a 10 minute window to raise each crucifix while the VT was playing back, and the two-person operation in reality took about two and a half minutes to achieve - getting the crucifix up and secured neatly and efficiently.

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• INSTALLS • durability and stability. The top is made out of 4cm-thick Plexiglas to offer clear sight of all meters and displays. Power, record, stop and volume functions can be controlled through the housing, which is waterproof up to 100m and weighs 10kg, including the recorder - beneath the water its buoyancy is just slightly negative, which can be adjusted by additional buoyancy bodies depending on what you attach to it.

Underwater Adventures in Sound Recording As one of the loudest animals on the planet, pistol shrimp live in colonies of up to 16,000 and can snap their claws so quickly that the water around them vapourises. They also create bubbles, which implode with a loud cracking sound. The cracking noises, along with vibrant imagery of the shrimp, form the basis of a groundbreaking film.

'We knew we wanted to use Sound Devices recorders when we created our complete surround underwater rig because they are extremely compact, very rugged and have excellent sound,' Klinge continues. 'We created the underwater housing in order for the 788T to operate efficiently underwater.'

'The underwater world is not a silent one,' says Ambient Recording Marketing Manager, Timo Klinge.

'Coral reefs are filled with millions of sounds just like a jungle or a summer meadow.'

The Ambient Recording housing designed to accommodate all Sound Devices 7 Series recorders - is made out of hard anodised seawater-resistant aluminium, which is then PTFE-coated, giving it the highest possible

Creating a specific underwater housing (SD-UW) for the audio recorder, Ambient Recording set out to capture the sounds for first commercial documentary to feature underwater surround sound.

The German company cast Sound Devices' 788T multitrack digital location recorder in the starring role for recording off the shore of the Caribbean island of Bonaire for a documentary entitled The Cannon Crackers of the Pistol Shrimp.

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In addition to the two Sound Devices 788T recorders, Ambient Sound used a Sonar Surround RS5 underwater surround rig attached to the Sound Devices underwater 7 Series housing with four Sonar Surround DS30 directivity spheres, each equipped with an Ambient TC4042 hydrophone.

Three Ambient TC 4013S hydrophones were attached to one of the camera housings and one Ambient TC4032 hydrophone was used to record distant sounds.

'Selecting Sound Devices 7 series as the recorders to design our underwater housing around was definitely the right choice,' Klinge adds. 'We have tested the rig over and over and Sound Devices' gear has consistently exceeded our expectations.'

Sound Devices 7-Series family of digital audio recorders includes the two-track (702, 702T, 722), four-track (744T) and eight-track (788T) units, which record and play audio files with either 16- or 24-bit depth at all professional sampling rates up to 192kHz (96kHz on the 788T). They support multiple storage media, and have analogue/digital I/O and highspeed computer connectivity.

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NY's SoundCheck Republic Recording Studio Relocates Relocating his SoundCheck Republic Recording Studio gave owner/ engineer Seth Powell the opportunity to use the latest methods of sound isolation and control. He called on Pro Sound Associates… who turned to Auralex Acoustics.

As the new studio was to be located on the second floor of a large historic home in a residential area of East Greenbush, NY, sound isolation was a key consideration. In order to provide a space that was acoustically accurate, the room was completely gutted and redesigned to ensure the flow and wall configurations are correct. The main isolation component was Auralex's SheetBlok.

Made of a dense, limp-mass vinyl material, SheetBlok is around 6dB more effective than solid lead in stopping sound transmission. It acts as a thin, dense sound barrier layer in walls, ceilings or floors and is most effective when used as one component of a multi-layered construction scheme.

'SheetBlok made a huge difference in keeping the sound isolated to the studio,' says Pro Sound Associates owner, Dominick Campana. 'We pretty much went all out in sealing the room and even created custom inserts for the windows. After installing the SheetBlok, we had a full rock band practice in the studio and it measured 124dB inside the room and there was absolutely no sound outside.'

A range of Auralex treatments played an important part in the studio's construction phase, as well as postconstruction. Along with the SheetBlok barrier, Auralex RC-8 Resilient Channel and U-Boat Floor Floaters were installed. Wall treatments followed, including Auralex's WavePrism and QuadraTec bamboo diffusers, along with

Studiofoam Metro acoustic foam.

The RC-8 24-ft x 8-ft resilient channels were used ensured that the walls were separated from the actual structure, while U-Boats were used to support the framing, and isolate and decouple the walls from the surrounding structure.

'A predominant feature of the studio is its use of bamboo,' says Campana.

This is served by WavePrism and QuadraTec diffusors (part of Auralex's Sustain Bamboo Sound Diffusor Series), along with theenvironmentally friendly 4-inch StudioFoam Metro, which is used throughout the space. The QuadraTec's tiered design provides scattering, giving a musical character to the dispersed sound. The WavePrism, meanwhile, eliminates flutter echoes and other acoustical anomalies without removing acoustical energy from the space. The differing heights of protrusions of the acoustic Studiofoam Metro products serve to spread sonic energy out in the time domain, as well as each absorbing a slightly different slice of the frequency spectrum 'The Auralex bamboo diffusors were the perfect match both aesthetically and acoustically for the project,' Campana explains. 'The use of the diffusors provides the ability to open the space up in a really natural way, resulting in a response associated with much larger rooms.'

Kitting out With the build complete, SoundCheck Republic was quickly furnished with equipment and has already been used

by Graham Parker, The Figgs and The Charlie Watts Riots among others.

Based around a Pro Tools 9.1 system running on a Mac Pro (8-core processors) with a Pro Tools HD3 Accell core and two Digidesign 192 I/

O interfaces - recording calls on a Digidesign Control 24 surface, along with a Neve 8816 Analog Summing Mixer and a UAD-Quad Omni Card to support plug-ins. Among a wealth of processing plug-ins are CS-1, Neve 88RS and SSL E Series channel strips.

Monitoring is taken care of by Genelec 1031 and Yamaha MPS5 setups, with a Furman HDS-6 Headphone Distribution System and five HR6 6channel headphone mix stations for musicians.

The extensive mic cupboard includes a Vintage Neumann U47 (restored by Korby), Neumann U87, Royer 121 Ribbon Mic, Sennheiser MD421s a matched pair of AKG C451s. There are also Shure SM57/SM58a and KSMs, AKG D112 Aiwa DM57 (matched pair), Audio Technica 260XL and a Blue Snowball.

Adding to the vintage appeal of the set-up is an Ampex ATR-102 mastering tape recorder and Fatso Jr/ Sr analogue tape simulator and compressor Along with a very large collection of outboard and instruments, all are able to play their full part in the acoustically controlled live and studio areas.

Campana regards the finished facility to be so good that he plans to use the studio as a showcase, bringing in potential clients to show them studio construction examples and the different uses for the Auralex products and product line.

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Regenerates with

High Impact Multiscreen Video

Bristol and West Midlands, UK, based video and AV specialist Central Presentations Ltd (CPL), provided a multi-screen projection design and equipment including media server control for "Regeneration", an amazing seasonal party event created by a leading technology company for over 1000 guests.

The event was staged in the edgy but charismatic Hangar 92, one of a

number of decommissioned aircraft hangars on the former RAF Hullavington airbase near Chippenham, Wiltshire, which dates back to the second World War. CPL's Nick Diacre was asked to design and specify a high impact projection system by Bristol based production company Bright, The initial sense of anticipation started as guests trekked through the bleak and uninviting

landscape of the disused airfield to reach this exceptionally discreet location.

On entering the hangar, they were immediately confronted with a latter day Armageddon scene - apocalyptic mass destruction, a dramatic environment brilliantly recreated through an onslaught of scenery, props, lighting, sound, images, bar staff in NBC outfits, etc., a vivid, alarming, intensely loud, scary immersive experience!

Into this entrance space, CPL supplied a 20 metre wide by 6 metre high sharks-tooth gauze, onto which was projected highly realistic content depicting universal disaster, destruction, explosions, post nuclear landscapes, etc. Combined with lighting and sound effects this highly effectively heightened the rawness.

Within the projection screen was a small baffled entrance - that guests passed through (but could not see around) and went straight into the main 'Regeneration room', a 50 metre long by 20 metre wide fully enclosed draped black box space created within

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• INSTALLS • the hangar … the complete antithesis to the Armageddon!

It was brightly lit in positive colours, and replete with wonderful organic visuals and scenic elements - waterfalls, flowers, birds, growth, life, etc, with avatar-pastiche visuals filling the screens. Living trees and foliage in the space were provided by Living Props.

As the evening advanced, the Armageddon area was gradually toned down simultaneous to the Regeneration area undergoing a series of complete 'transformations' from a nascent, new, developing environment into a vibrant life-giving space, replete with rich flora and fauna, nature, hope and life, which then morphed via a final transformation into a 'Digital' futuristic era - modern, invigorating, high tech and ravey. At which point the DJ kicked in and really got the party started!

In this second black box area, CPL supplied four screens - a 10 x 3 metre Stumpfl wide fast-fold screen behind the stage, with a custom surface to enhance soft-edge blending. This was fed by two 10,000 Lumen Panasonic DZ110 projectors.

Directly above the impressive central bar feature, CPL flew three 12ft 2 inch by 6 ft 11 inch Stumpfl fast-fold screens in a triangular configuration.

They were suspended on steel wire ropes to give the appearance of being floating in mid-air!

created a custom 'soft' screen interface using the Pandora's Box 'Widget Designer' enabling him to set up an individual screen of 'soft' cue buttons to trigger video material for the five 'transformations', all of which were timed sequences It was also used to add in images of fancy dress competition winners and synch the video and audio effects in the Armageddon room. Live bands onstage were followed by a DJ section as the 'Digital' age fully emerged on the evening time-line. At this point, live feeds and content stored on the Pandora's Box server were switched to all screens for the VJ section, via a TripleHead2Go and a MacBook Pro, using a combination of Resolume and MadMapper software. An additional MacBook Pro was used to store slides of the fancy dress outfits and competition award winners that were woven into Diacre's mix.

The striking and realistic video sequences for all the transformations were commissioned and produced by the client. After listening to their brief, Diacre offered access to some of his

personal video clip collections to offer inspiration, and then supplied their in house production department with material, from which they created both 16:9 and widescreen format visuals.

For the Digital phase of the evening, Diacre played his own live clips and library material in VJ style adding to the energy and vibes of the fully 'Regenerated' space.

In addition to the projection system CPL also supplied the EV line array sound system for the Apocalypse room.

Says Diacre, "Working on events like this is hugely exciting and fun, and it's great to see a production company and a client with the imagination to really push the technical production envelope. We combined some of the latest technology available with some of the oldest, classical theatrical techniques to produce great entertainment, with multiple ongoing visual WOW factors keeping the environment alive and changing throughout the evening".

These were projected onto with three Sanyo XP100 machines flown from trusses installed around the room, which also provided technical positions for lighting and sound equipment.

The two wide screen surfaces - in the Armageddon and Regeneration spaces were fed content via a quad-head Coolux Pandora's Box media server. A separate Pandora's Box Player Pro was used to control video footage appearing on the triangulated screens.

Projections onto all five surfaces were managed using the Pandora's Box Media Manager, a highly flexible platform that synched the servers and was operated by Nick Diacre. He also April-June 2012

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Sea Odyssey Giant Spectacular Liverpool based ADLIB's audio division enthusiastically engaged with the amazing "Sea Odyssey Giant Spectacular" event, an epic street theatre production created by French large scale puppeteers Royal De Luxe to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's maiden voyage. It was enjoyed and attended by more than 500,000 people in & around the City of Liverpool over three days last weekend.

ADLIB was contracted by Liverpool City Council's events department, Liverpool Vision to provide PA systems in the 3 key gathering points for the colossal promenade performance, featuring the Little Girl Giant and her Giant Uncle. ADLIB also installed a sound system on the "Brocklebank" Band Boat which accompanied the waterborne part of the show.

ADLIB's Phil Stoker was the project manager & co-ordinated all of the equipment and crew needed and dealt with the logistics. He collaborated closely with Royal De Luxe's sound designer and engineer Stephanne Brosse, ensuring that their very specific system requirements were met.

The requirement was to produce clean, clear audio over large distances to the amassed crowds, and ADLIB was also able to satisfy Royal De Luxe's request for premium French audio brands L-Acoustics and Nexo.

Stoker also worked alongside event production manager Pete McDevitt and overall event technical director Stuart Stalker.

Five PA hangs were deployed over 3 venues including Stanley Park, the Kings Dock and Canning Dock respectively and they were all provided to L-Acoustics K-Standard.

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In Stanley Park the system comprised two arrays of 16 x L-Acoustics V-DOSC plus all amps, cables, rigging and mains distro. The speakers were suspended on two cranes supplied by Such Crane Hire.

For control, ADLIB supplied Lake processing, plus 2 x Soundcraft Vi1 mixing consoles tech'd by Kenny Perrin and Alan Harrison.

The audio signals from the music trucks accompanying the giant puppet 'cast' as they performed around the town were beamed via RF links into the ADLIB arrays at each stopping point.

At the Kings Dock, systems tech's Tony Szabo and George Puttock looked after a system of 40 x L-Acoustics K1,

again split into two hangs and hung on Such Hire cranes.

There were another 2 x Soundcraft Vi1 consoles with system control from the new LA Network Manager 2.0 complemented by ADLIB's recently upgraded Lake LM processing racks.

An additional system was deployed on the Band Music Boat which was stationed at the Kings Dock, and had 24 x L-Acoustics KARA speakers installed onboard in four stacks of six, two in the bow of the boat and two towards the stern, giving a full 360 degree coverage.

This self-contained sound system was completed with 8 x L-Acoustics SB18 subs and a DiGiCo SD8 mixing console.

There was also a full monitor system of

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eight Nexo PS10 wedges, a rack of LAcoustics LA 8 amplifiers, and a full mics/stands and line system, all tech'd

by Simon Lawson.

Waiting for the grand finale of the magical tale of love, loss and reunion at Canning Dock was ADLIB's Kenny Perrin with James Neale, complete with a large hang of 16 x V-DOSC elements also suspended by cranes.

The systems were all powered by local generators.

ADLIB supplied a full site support and back-up team for the weekend who were on hand to flip between all locations as and when necessary consisting of Arron Hatcher, Dave Roberts, Josh Owens, Jack Miller and Tommy Bradshaw.

Phil Stoker comments, "The Sea Odyssey was a fabulous event and a great piece of public art to be involved in. It was incredible to see so many people getting involved and inspired by the drama & performance.

The entire event created a very special and unique atmosphere in the city of Liverpool that will be remembered for a long time".

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Live Public Music at

Museum of Islamic Art

Dubai based event Production Company Kenkaato has produced the first ever live public music event to be staged in the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) Park in Doha, Qatar.

The initial concert in a series of music shows planned over the coming months was headlined by Yusuf Islam/ Cat Stevens - also on his first ever live appearance in the Middle East - and was completely sold out, attracting a capacity audience of 2,800 including 221 VIPs and senior members of the Qatari Royal Family.

Kenkaato is a fresh new company established by Sarah Whitmarsh and Daryl Payne to provide imaginative, turnkey, full production solutions for all types of live events.

Both Whitmarsh and Payne have extensive experience working on a variety of large scale and high profile productions in the Middle East region.

The company's brief for the MIA Park show from the Qatar Museums Authority included the provision of complete event production and coordinating all the technical and logistical elements needed to make it

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happen. The Museums Authority was especially keen to have a single-source production company putting the show together, giving them just one point of contact.

the right places on an event, not just to make everything run smoothly and efficiently, but also to create a great atmosphere and working environment.

In addition to this, Kenkaato dealt with all the logistics, artist negotiation, artist liaison and travel arrangements both locally and internationally. They also advised on a marketing plan and promotion for the series of concerts, which are intended to become a regular Doha cultural highlight.

Whitmarsh and Payne utilised their extensive local and regional contact base to source all aspects needed to stage a successful and 'first' groundbreaking show.

Kenkaato's on-site team in Doha included production manager Chris McDonnell and artist liaison Rebecca Bryant. One of their key beliefs is ensuring that the right people are in

Kenkaato themselves designed the site layout, which included a bespoke roof system, with plenty of space and weight loading to be able to accommodate cutting-edge international productions. This was evolved with the help of Ross Cameron and Al Laith Event Services'

• INSTALLS • Qatar operation, in collaboration with Serious Stages, who engineered the new roof and were onsite for the install.

With the Park and the stage within it, setting the scene for the event, "We wanted to create something unique and completely different, to anything that had been seen here before," explains Whitmarsh.

Specifically, they wanted a construction that would have the right aesthetic impact for the setting and offer all the necessary production facilities.

The result was a standard Al Laith stage base with an elegant, separate, skyward pointing, cantilevered tensile roof structure, the look of which is based on classic Arabic arch architecture.

At 25 metres wide, it has decent headroom of 14 metres and an impressive weight loading of up to 32 tonnes and 2 tonnes on the 7 metre rising cantilever.

The seating - also supplied by Al Laith was an integral to the overall site design, and has created an intimate 'enveloping' space bringing the audience close to the stage, so they can experience a direct communication with the artist and the action.

The roof is finished with white skins on the outside - specifically designed to be illuminated at night - and black on the inside to reduce glare and

reflections bouncing around, and ideal for optimising onstage lighting and video effects. The cantilever was also internally lined in white, allowing another element for light play.

A camera system, PPU and left and right IMAG screens - made from Lighthouse R7 LED - were supplied by CT Qatar for the Yusuf Islam show.

Lighting and sound came from Creative Communications Group (CCG), Qatar's leading professional lighting and sound rental company.

For audio, an L-Acoustics Kudo system provided crystal clear quality sound throughout the venue, together with a really expedient profile, and satisfied all the requirements of the artists' engineers. The lighting included over 50 Clay Paky Alpha series moving heads, assorted conventionals, and was also to the spec of Yusuf Islam's touring LD. Architectural lighting for the stage and roof structure was designed by Michel Khairallah from CCG, who used Griven Kolorado 4K colour changing wash fixtures to highlight its clear lines and distinctive shaping.

A backstage 'production village' included green rooms dressing rooms and production offices, all supplied by De Boer, and the stage and site was powered by two 500 KVA autosynched gennies from Prime Power, overseen by Steve Ford, who also provided a crew of electricians.

The very specific backline requirements were met by Melody House from Dubai.

Kenkaato's remit included formulating a traffic plan for VIP transport, bus routes from the park-and-ride and general site crowd management.

Being the first public music event on the site, Kenkaato found themselves creating a 'scope of the works' in conjunction with the Museums Authority as the site evolved which enabled contracts to be drawn up and signed.

"We really like working in unusual and challenging spaces, so we were very proud to have the chance to be 'the first' in a very special environment and to be able to set standards of excellence to be followed," says Payne.

Yusuf Islam's manager Majid M Hussain commented after the event, "Yusuf, his band the Roadsters and our crew really enjoyed the experience.

Everything was made easy, from the technicals to the hospitality and that's what helped make it such a special first show for Yusuf in the Middle East. The stage was fantastic and it was befitting for Yusuf's repertoire to be out in the open performing his hits".

The concert was a huge success, and became an instant talking-point in Qatar, and everyone is already eagerly anticipating the next one on March 15th headlined by leading Arabic artist, Hussain Al Jassmi.

Says Whitmarsh, "From the beginning, we had a definite look in mind and when all the elements came together, it was exactly what we wanted beautiful, elegant and worthy of the huge team effort".

Director of the Museum of Islamic Art, Aisha Al Khater, comments "The Yusuf Islam concert was talked about all over Qatar as being truly spectacular. As the first major international concert to be held at the Museum of Islamic Art Park, the bar has been set very high, and I very much look forward to collaborating with Kenkaato on making the forthcoming series of concerts a major attraction to Doha's cultural landscape."

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• INSTALLS •

Bangalore’s Lounge Bar Rewinds Rewind located at Bangalore is the latest addition to the long list of Fine Dining Speciality Restaurant & Lounge Bars in the city. Rewind a restobar is the sister concern of Cirrus, another popular bar in Bangalore. Rewind recreates the bygone era and specializes in Mangalorean cuisine among others.

Based on the trust and existing professional relationship between the principals of Rewind and AV Sense, the management of Rewind gave us a free hand in terms of design and execution for the Audio and Video of the project. This establishment consists of 2 zones, one indoor and the other outdoor, so as per the communiqué of the owners separate volume zones was provided for these two areas.

Audio Equipment installed in the Restobar includes Community Veris 8 speakers four placed indoor and the remaining four placed outdoors, Community S series dual 15" Subwoofers placed indoor. The speakers are powered by Ashly KLR3200 amplifier and the subwoofers are powered by Ashly KLR 4000 amplifier. The DSP used is Ashly Protea 3.24CL.

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Rewind is also equipped with Infocus IN 112 , 2700 Lumens DLP Projector and Toshiba 32" LCD TV's, providing a pleasurable viewing experience for the guest of Rewind. Rewind is also

Products used in Rewind are: • Community Veris 8

- 8 no's

• Community S 215s

- 2 no's

• Ashly KLR 3200

- 1 no.

• Ashly KLR 4000

- 1 no.

• Ashly Protea 3.24 CL

- 1 no.

• Infocus IN 112 DLP Projector

- 1 no.

• Toshiba 32" LCD TV

- 3 nos.

• Pioneer DJM 600

- 1 no.

• Pioneer CDJ 900

- 2 nos.

equipped with state of the art DJ equipment consisting of Pioneer DJM 600 and CDJ 900. Also the UPS equipment was supplied by us.

The performance of the Audio and Video system has been recognized and praised by the management of Rewind, delighted with the highly controlled, even coverage across all audience areas. Vishal Raymond, is very pleased with the final outcome of the entire install and congratulated the AV Sense team headed by Ramesh and team consisting of Prasad, Satish ,Omprakash, Purushotam, Subramani & Jesmon. The AV Sense team was supported by the E&E Systems for the install.

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Mega World Tour with XL Video XL Video for “Fallen Empires” XL Video is again supplying all video technical production including LED screen, cameras, media servers and control, to Snow Patrol's "Fallen Empires" world tour, the first leg of which kicked off in the UK. Video director is Blue Leach, and the show's amazing visual design is a tight collaboration of imagination and style created collectively by Leach, lighting designer Davey Sherwin and Catalyst programmer and operator Robin Haddow. The three are dubbed 'The Art Department' on the tour!

Jolly and move into different positions throughout the show, culminating in a giant snowflake the band's logo - at the end of the set.

The undersides of the Pods are all clad with Barco FLX-24 'transformable' LED pixels, for which XL built bespoke PCB mounts that

produce a 30 mm pitch surface. This relatively new product provides an extremely dynamic series of off-beat video surfaces that can work in multiple configurations giving a deconstructed jagged look, and also providing the total contrast of coming together in perfect geometric symmetry.

XL Video's project managers are Jo Beirne and Phil Mercer. "With Blue, Robin and Davey working together on a project you are guaranteed some spectacular results and a beautiful, thought-provoking, different and intricately constructed show."

Six trussing pods are the architecture centrepiece of the stage visuals. They are all flown on a Kinesys automation system operated by Dave

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• INSTALLS • It was left to Leach, Haddow and Sherwin to decide on the live treatment for each of the clips and how they actually appear onscreen...

And there is never a dull or repeated moment. By the end of the show you feel that they could double the length of the set and still have more than enough headroom to come up with an original video look and feel for each song.

The Pods involved much cooperation between XL's team and the tour's lighting contractors HSL. Both their technical requirements had to be incorporated into the design, which also had to be tourable and practical for fitting into a variety of different sized venues.

The Pods are constructed to split apart, stack, and fit into custom designed dollies for transit and quick and easy deployment / de-rigging in the venue. They are looked after by the two set carpenters Ash Groom and Martin Barraclough. A fibre system is used to connect the Barco DX700 processors running each pod back to the racks side stage.

Upstage is a 60 ft wide by 30 ft deep hang of Element Labs Stealth

transparent screen, which has a gauze hung in front and a grey cyc at the back, so with lighting applied to the different surfaces, it can be completely 'disappeared' for the numbers where no content is playing on it.

The screen surfaces are all fed with a mix of IMAG and playback footage, all of which is output, mapped and managed for the screens via the Catalyst media server operated by Robin Haddow via a Hog PC console.

The content was commissioned by the band and their management from two different production sources - Knife Edge and Atticus Finch- some of it follows song narratives and other footage is more abstract and dreamy.

Leach mixes from the FOH position using a pair of Ableton Novation Launchpad MIDI controllers. It's the complete antithesis of a standard vision mixing set up backstage, and really suits his hands-on, organic mixing style, where video is run 'live', often in chases and scenes, and bumped in and out, or coloured and effected to match / contrast with lighting cues.

Apart from that, working in the same FOH space as Sherwin and Haddow also helps the fluid three-way combination, intuition and teamwork of the evolving 'visual experience'.

He has a total of 15 cameras at his disposal.

Three are manned - a Sony D50 at FOH with a long lens and another hand-held that moves between the pit and the stage, plus a Toshiba TU48 Polecam.

Then there is a four way Sony Robocam system onstage - all in nonconventional positions. The first is under the drum riser which has a section cut out that's covered in scratch-proof Perspex to give idiosyncratic shots of the knees, elbows and the internal workings of the drum kit - areas normally hidden from view. The second is in the roof onstage, another is on the bass rig and the last one is on stage left in front of guitarist Nathan Connolly's rig.

In addition to these are a number of bullet cameras dotted all around, one of which is on lead singer Gary Lightbody's mic, so he appears to be 'wearing' it each time he touches the mic, and there is another on the goose neck clamp of his mic stand to

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• INSTALLS • capture its vibrations and movement.

All the camera inputs go straight into the Catalyst via HD SDI and are mapped to screens from there. The media server is running a special version of software written for the tour allowing them to run up to 20 inputs.

Leach attached a GoPro Sports Cam to Connolly's and bassist Paul Wilson's guitars during one soundcheck, and the output is played back 'as live' during the show.

He also uses his iPad running the Fluid Monkey App to activate certain effects including one where Haddow has keyed out all the whites in a piece of footage, which are replaced with camera footage from the left hand Launchpad. Some Catalyst effects are also activated via a Wii controller adding even more to the touchy-feely analogue modus operandi.

Current 'work in progress' for the show includes footage taken from a remote controlled car along with a never ending stream of other ideas that will be unfolded over coming months as part of the visual Big Picture.

XL Video's crew chief is Roger Nelson, the chief LED technician is Icarus Wilson-Wright, Rob Wick is looking after cameras and operating the Polecam during the show, Al Bollard is also on LED duty and the semi-legendary Myway … is engineering.

XL Video Engages in “Wicked Game” XL Video is supplying curved LED screens and special customised touring frames, video playback control, cameras/PPU, an IMAG projection system and crew for Brit Award winning Il Divo's current, highly successful "Wicked Game" world tour which is on its first UK / European leg.

The elegant production design encompassing the three curved over-stage screens was the concept

of Il Divo's artistic director, Brian Burke.

This follows on from an initial curved screen idea showcased at the group's high profile one-off shows at London's Coliseum Theatre last year with XL also supplying video production. Central to the concept is that the screens should appear to be 'floating' in the air - with minimal or no rigging visible - a task with which XL Video was then challenged to

recreate in a tourable format by tour director and production manager, Andy Proudfoot.

XL's project manager Paul "Macca" McCauley explains, "The main objective was to replicate the curved aesthetic making it as quick to rig and as easily portable as possible - and we are extremely pleased with the results".

The three screens - upstage left / right and downstage - are made up

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• INSTALLS • from a total of 280 modules of Pixled F11 LED surface, mounted in 55 of XL's 2x2 touring frames which have been specially modified to create the curvature.

Two of the screens - upstage left and downstage - each comprise two staggered surface sections one below the other, which required a further customisation to the standard touring frames.

The screens also move up and down on a Kinesys automation system supplied by lighting contractors HSL. XL had rolled metal pipes fabricated to the same radius as HSL's Kinesys trusses which also happened to match the radius of the stage design and layout. These are attached along the tops of the touring frames.

The upstage right screen that is the largest surface area of the three, made up from 160 Pixled F-11 tiles, is stepped out every two tiles by two tiles to make its unique shape, and these stepped sections are also supported by steels running through the touring frames above.

As a finishing touch, XL had lightweight black masking drapes manufactured which Velcro neatly

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and precisely to the back of the touring frames, cutting out any transparency or ambient light leaking through from the rear.

The screen content was commissioned

by Brian Burke and has been formatted exactly to fit the screens. It consists primarily of scenic and ambient footage that adds a dramatic visual texturing to the show.

The screen moves are smooth and seamless - many happening in the blackouts which compliments the pace and vibe of the performance, that is focused on the rich vocal harmonies.

XL is also supplying four Sony DF50 cameras - positioned two at FOH and two on track-and-dolly in the pit - and a Kayak mixer / switcher and PPU for the European tour for video director Stuart Merser who is cutting the IMAG mix.

XL's crew of five are chiefed by Roger Nelson. The semi-legendary Myway is engineering, Tim Bolland and Steve Clarisse are LED techs and they are joined by Saria Ofogba.

Andy 'Paris' Hilton is operating the Kinesys system.

• INSTALLS •

Stadion Miejski Prepares for

UEFA Euro 2012 Readying for the summer staging of the UEFA Euro 2012 Championship, Polish technology company ESS Audio is midway through an intensive development programme that will see the completion of several world-class football stadium.

According to ESS Audio Project Manager Witold Karalow, this project has been one of the most challenging the company has undertaken.

Earlier this year, ESS Audio completed an integrated Harman Professional audio solution in the new PGE Arena in Gdansk, before turning its attention to Stadion Miejski in Wroclaw, the highest Category 4 Municipal Stadium in the country. The ESS technical team engaged in a similar fast-fit installation for the rebuilding of the 42,000-capacity stadium, again sourcing most of the equipment from the Harman portfolio.

Alongside Project Manager Witold Karalow, the ESS Audio project team in Wroclaw comprised System Designer, Wojciech Zielinski; Soundweb Programmer, Konrad Fengler; System Set-up, Wojciech Kopytek and Project Coordinator, Dariusz Kuta.

The team used an innovative architectural concept devised by JSK Architekci and built by German company, Max Boegl -the building is covered by glass-fibre mesh coated with a Teflon fibre net façade. As with the successful PGE Arena design, the company used Ease predictions for system optimisation, dividing the stadium stands into 14 separate zones, and assigning a zone each to the ancillary UEFA, VIP and Incentive boxes.

ESS Audio has equipped the main bowl and stands with JBL PD Series loudspeakers, with rotated horns, specifying a total of 59 PD5200/95-WRX (90° x 50°) and 28 PD5200/43-WRX (40° x 30°), along with 56 PD5125-WRX weather-resistant subwoofers. These are mounted in clusters of five - two PD5200/43-WRX, one PD5200/95-WRX and two PD5125-WRX -. A further three single PD5200/95s fire onto the field, with two single clusters playing in front of the LED screens, aiming 90° down to the lower seating. Two additional clusters, comprising a pair of PD5200/ 95-WRX and PD5125-WRX, are set behind the LED screens for mid and high seat coverage.

With wind a major consideration, ESS devised custom brackets to secure the PD enclosures, and as a further precaution, secured each PD speaker in the cluster with a steel line covered in polymer.

Powering the rig are 47 Crown CTs3000 amplifiers, fitted with PIP USP4 processor modules, and interfaced with a BSS Soundweb London DSP environment - allowing distribution over CobraNet, and for the system to be remotely controlled and monitored via Harman HiQnet System Architect.

The stadium itself is divided into a number of dedicated zones, including 20 VIP boxes, ten Incentive Boxes (and

UEFA boxes), a Business Club, a general esplanade/concourse, a fan shop, team zones (including indoor swimming pool) and media zone. In the UEFA, Incentive and VIP areas, a further 90 JBL Control Contractor 8128 ceiling speakers have been specified, powered by Crown CTs600 amplification.

Amplifier racks are stationed in the four corners of the stadium (each containing a BSS Soundweb London Blu-80 DSP), while an additional Blu800 processor is located in the Skybox.

All five processors are equipped with Input/Output cards.

Each rack also contains an automatic amp changeover (in the event of amplifier failure), an Edimax switch along with several Moxa opticalEthernet converters/switches, making the system fully redundant. This is easily interfaced with the stadium's voice evacuation and fire alarm system via Soundweb London.

Up in the Skybox - where music is broadcast and live announcements made - is the technical control room where a Soundcraft GB4-16 console, a pair of JBL LSR2325P studio monitors, a rack with AKG DMS 700 wireless mic systems, various line devices (players and recorders) and Soundcraft redundant console power supply are located. An adjacent room houses equipment for evacuation procedures, complete with fireman's switch.

The installation meets all required standards (including an STI of 0.5). ESS provided full training including use of the Skybox equipment, System Architect software and general problem solving. They will be able to log-on and carry out regular health checks under strict safety rules.

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• INSTALLS •

Its Robe All the Way Robe for High Profile School of Art Robe ROBIN 600 LEDWash and 300 Plasma Spot moving lights have been installed to illuminate a beautiful 20ft high triple helix glass sculpture created by artist Lyle London, which is suspended in the new Rotunda entrance of the Joyce Eichhorn Ames School of Art in Bloomingdale, Illinois, USA. The sculpture - an intricate work of extreme elegance inspired by nature's recurring spiral forms - was commissioned by the Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU). It is part of a series of Helix artworks conceived by London that are intended for public atriums. His Tempe, Arizona based company Art In Metal has been established for 25 years, and he has been using glass in most works since 2000.

London has used Robe products in the past, most notably to illuminate another Helix series work in 2007 for the Tahoe Tower lobby at the Renown Healthcare campus in Reno, Nevada. When given the go-ahead on this project, he approached Robe Lighting Inc's Jerry Seay for advice on the latest technology available for integrating with his latest Helix.

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Seay - who loves lighting artworks was hugely excited by the prospect, as was London, especially when he realised the true potential of combining Robe's LEDWash 600 and 300 Plasma Spots.

Many ideas were sparked and shared! A major one was that the Helix could be transformed from being an 'exclusive' sculpture hanging in a tower into a living, breathing phenomenon to be enjoyed by all passing through the campus.

Although the Helix itself is not moving, the illusion of movement and kinetic energy is produced by a fusion of colour and animation created by subtly changing effects both from the Robes, and the natural light permeating the glass walls of the Rotunda, and the interaction between the two.

The Helix and its lighting can be appreciated and viewed from any number of angles and distances and at all times of the day and night, and each time something unique and special can be experienced.

Another primary objective of the lighting was to reveal the dichroic colours of the glass and modify them with vibrant colour projections.

London comments, "I knew from experience that the full dynamic colour qualities of the dichroic glass could only be unleashed by using dedicated lighting. The programmable features of the Robe fixtures and the true whites made them an ideal choice to light the sculpture".

Seay also brought Darrell Barnes from Creative Stage Lighting into

• INSTALLS • the equation, to install the Robe lighting system and take care of the programming, which he completed in close conjunction with London.

The three LEDWash 600s are spaced evenly around the middle structural ring of the Rotunda, with the two Plasma Spots on the lower ring.

Robe Rocks The House in Slovenia with DJ Chuckie

Both types of fixtures were also specified for their reliability, longevity and low maintenance - as they are all in difficult-to-access positions. They also draw a minimal amount of power, making it a very eco-friendly installation.

The initial programming of the Robes was done using an Avolites Titan Mobile console, and then transferred to a wall-mounted Doug Fleenor Arch2 DMX playback-only controller.

The lighting presets offer a range of alternative moods and atmospheres for the impressive 35ft high Rotunda space - in addition its effect on the sculpture itself - as this will be used by IWU as a performance, meeting and event space.

London hopes that IWU's theatre students might also be able to use the lighting installation in their future projects, maybe by hooking in their own console and creating their own scenarios, and he's discussing the possibility of adding an interactive sound controller to allow instrumentalists or vocalists to trigger lighting during performances in the Rotunda.

When the Playboy White Invasion dance event hit Ljubljana's Gospodarsko Razstavisce, 6000 dance enthusiasts raised the roof and appreciated Dutch mixmaster DJ Chuckie and others including Arty, Thomas Gold and R.I.O... all illuminated by a Robe moving light rig!

This was supplied by locally based rental company Intralite and designed by their Primoz Kosir.

Kosir wanted to create a dynamic atmosphere lighting to match the vibe and pumping vibrancy of the music, he needed to produce plenty of variety and scope for 'rocking the house' in every shape and form of the expression!

Trussing was installed over the main stage which featured the DJ booth and all performers, with more over the audience, providing lighting positions for zapping beams and effects around the room and immersing the audience in the action.

The Robe moving lights consisted of 16 ROBIN 600 Beams,12 ColorSpot 1200E ATs, 16 ColorWash 575 AT zooms, eight ColorSpot 575 ATs and eight ColorWash 575 XTs.

The Robe luminaires were proposed along with the design to the show's promoter, who was well impressed specially after the event and hearing so much good feedback about the presentation..

Kosir placed the ROBIN 600 Beams and some ColorWashes on the main stage, with 12 of the 600 Beams rigged to vertical trusses behind the DJ booth. The rest of the fixtures were scattered around on the different audience trusses.

The ROBIN 600 Beams were used to achieve long tight 'sword' like beams of light which penetrated right down the other end of the venue and really got the crowds energised.

The ColorWashes were used generally to wash the stage and whiz around the audience and the venue, while the ColorSpots added some spectacular aerial effects which complimented those of the super-bright 600 Beams.

The lightshow was also operated for the event by Kosir using an Avolites Pearl Expert and a Touch Wing, running Titan software.

He really likes the gobo sets of the ColorWash 1200s - which are still going strong after many years of active service for the company. He uses them on their corporate work a lot as well as for the music shows and festivals.

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Robe Gives It Killer Love for Nicole Scherzinger The recent sold out UK and European shows by dynamic US singer / songwriter Nicole Scherzinger featured a lighting design by Scott Warner, who took a selection of the latest Robe technology on the road to all six high profile gigs in a floor specials package.

The performances follow up Scherzinger's chart-topping first solo album, "Killer Love" in an entertaining, high-energy performance, showcasing her singing and dancing talents and very accessible personality.

With a stripped back stage and minimal set - apart from the 'Nicole' backdrop and a set of grey voile stage drapes - and with no video or production rehearsal time - all eyes were on the lighting department to help enhance the drama and atmosphere of the evening in tune with Scherzinger's style and pizazz.

He first worked with Scherzinger on the Pussycat Dolls, whom he lit for seven years before being asked to light her solo work. He been a big fan of Robe products, for some time and used them consistently for the last five years. In particular he has a soft-spot for the REDWash 3 192 - one of the pioneering units

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in Robe's hugely successful LED product range - which he's used inventively on several major acts including Pussycat Dolls, Goo Goo Dolls, David Cook / Gavin McGraw and others.

This time around, he chose all the latest Robe fixtures, specifying 12 ROBIN 600 LEDWashes, six ROBIN MMX Spots, four ROBIN 300 LEDWashes and four ROBIN 600 SmartWhites, all supplied by RM Lighting, together with Warner's grandMA light console.

the dancers bouncing in and out of their light paths.

The LEDWash 300s were small and neat enough to go almost unnoticed along the front of the stage where they provided subtle and flattering footlight effects that Scott liked a lot - he recalled being hugely impressed with their small profile when he first saw them back in the US!.

At each of the six shows - which included London's Hammersmith Apollo - he hooked into overhead rigs supplied by the local promoter.

He also used the near beam-effects of the LEDWashes when zoomed in, and made use of their range of high quality 'tungsten' whites, all contrasted nicely with the hard edges of the MMX beams slicing through from behind.

Warner went for a sassy mix of theatre and rock 'n' roll, plenty of contrasts, shadows, silhouettes and dark 'Noir' elements counteracted with mega bright and assertive beam-work and bold colour combinations.

It was a far more sparse, raw and more rocky lightshow than the slick smoothness of PCD days, with Scherzinger really showing how she has the personality and presence to command the stage as a solo artist!

The LEDWash 600s were positioned along the back of the stage, on the drum riser, on the floor in front of the risers and to each side of the stage for powerful cross stage washes. Four of the MMXs were at the back, right upstage, with the other two at the sides shooting across the forestage, where they were great for catching

Hopefully there will be more to come later in the year!

Warner runs his company, Karate Pinky Visual Design, out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In addition to doing lighting, visual concept and production design, he is broadening his creative horizons to making videos.

• INSTALLS •

Large Robe Lighting Rig for the Voice of Germany and shutter effects... and once again reinforcing his need to be adaptable.

While the ColorSpots picked out the set architecture, the Washes functioned as audience backlighters and for sweeping across the set. The ColorBeams were stationed at the back of the stage for maximum impact and funky in-theface camera shots.

All these fixtures were arranged in over around 700 metres of trussing rigged in the ceiling which formed a pitched roof over the entire studio.

Upstage were 16 vertical truss towers at different heights, and rigged onto these were about 30 Robe ColorSpot 2500s along with other lights and LED fixtures.

Over 200 Robe moving lights were used by lighting designer Manuel da Costa on the first hugely successful series of the Voice of Germany (VOG) reality talent competition, recorded at Studio Berlin and produced by Schwartzkopff TV. Da Costa is one of Germany's leading television lighting designers, and he has worked his creative magic on several high profile TV shows including German Idol. For VOG, he wanted to create a live concert atmosphere in the studio, combined with a high-gloss TV show.

He also aimed to add drama and interest to each of the songs being performed every week and to create individual worlds and spaces for all of the performers. He also sought to create an aesthetic flow and harmony between lighting and video elements, all of which wrapped around Florian Wieder's set design.

16 x ColorBeam 2500E ATs were all picked for their intensity and power.

He continues, saying that the ColorBeam 2500E AT delivers an "Extremely bright, strong and punchy" beam light output, while the rotating gobos and prisms are great for building detailed and intricate effects onstage and reaching out to the audience and the frost filter can be used for emulating wash-style beams.

VOG also lends itself to a variety of iris

The moving lights were operated

by Michael Baganz using a grandMA console. The video visuals were programmed and played back

by Stephan Flören and the white lights by Uli Weiss.

Da Costa has been using Robe products regularly since 2007, shortly after he was blown away by his first demo of the brand by Robe's German distributor LMP. Robe is now on the specs of all his major shows.

The lighting equipment for Voice of Germany was supplied by Cologne based rental company, Magic Light & Sound, and the show's production manager was Matthias Wolf.

For all these demands, Da Costa needed a lighting rig that would give him ultimate flexibility, and again chose Robe to be at the core of this, based on his past successful experiences with the brand.

The 98 ColorSpot 1200E ATs were the backbone of the system. These, together with 98 ColorSpot 2500E ATs, 31 x ColorWash 1200E ATs and

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• INSTALLS •

Robe Lights First All-LED TPi Awards Show to the look of the event, which was hosted by BBC 6Music's Stuart Maconie and BBC 5 Live's Danny Baker and attended by over 1000 guests who enjoyed the gala dinner and saw the presentation of 28 Awards.

Hurst worked with programmer Tim Fawkes who also operated lighting on the night using a Road hog Full Boar console. The project was managed for HSL by Thor-Andre "Spantax" Saether .

Nearly 300 Robe lighting LED fixtures were utilised in a groundbreaking lighting design by Andy Hurst for the 2012 Total Production International (TPi) Awards.

The event was staged at the Novotel London West in Hammersmith, and it was arguably the first major Awards event ever to be lit entirely with LED lightsources - and also exclusively with Robe lighting products.

This was the result of a collaboration between the Czech Republic based manufacturer and it's UK operation, Mondiale Publishing, producers of the Awards, and leading UK lighting and visuals rental company HSL, who handled the rigging and installation of the lighting equipment .

The high profile annual TPi Awards honours the best of creative and technical talent, achievements and expertise in professional production and entertainment. The Who's-Who of the industry was there to be impressed by Robe's latest eco-friendly technology in action.

The lighting rig featured - for the first time on any major show Robe's revolutionary new ROBIN DLX Spot.

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This is the world's first RGBW spot lighting fixture with and the ability to produce a complete range of proper high quality variable whites. Fifty-two of these were dotted around the complex trussing system above the stages and audience.

The 52 DLX Spots were joined by 102 ROBIN 300 LEDWashes, 32 ROBIN 600 LEDWashes - Robe's fastest ever selling product - and 19 ROBIN 1200 LEDWashes. The ROBIN series has been designed to be smaller, brighter, lighter, genuinely power saving and more environmentally friendly.

There were also 60 x CityFlex48 a unique fully configurable product from Robe's LED series. The entire lighting rig consumed only 116 Amps of 3-phase power, despite there being almost 300 fixtures on the show, and all lighting, rigging, trussing, distro and cabling fitted into just one and a half trucks! Nice and eco-friendly.

Hurst's design brought a stylish fusion of industrial chic and televisual magic

Spantax comments, "HSL is very proud to have been a supplier for the TPI Awards, and this created a real buzz internally in the company with everyone getting very excited about this show. We had an amazing site crew working under the direction of crew chief Andy Pole, and acknowledging the level of interest and ownership that our crew takes in all shows on which they work, I knew we would be in for a good one.

Mondiale's Event Manager Ben Chadwick commented, "Robe's continued support of the TPi Awards has helped us to develop the event to an ever growing and more international audience.

Through every part of the production process both Robe and HSL have been instrumental in helping to create a memorable event' The entire lighting rig for the TPi Awards was supplied from Robe's factory in the Czech Republic ….

And every single fixture was presold - such is the current demand for these units.

Controllux, Robe's Benelux distributor took immediate delivery of all the DLX Spots, the CityFlex 48s were all spoken for, and 64 of the LEDWash 300s were snapped up

by Norsk Sceneteknikk from Norway... Among others.

REVIEW 13 February 2012 - New Delhi 15 February 2012 - Mumbai 17 February 2012 - Bangalore The InfoComm India Roadshow 2012 presents the Indian market with select innovative solutions for communication, display, entertainment and presentation.

The power of AV at the InfoComm India Roadshow with business transformation solutions for corporate, education, healthcare, banking, retail, entertainment, hospitality and many other industry sectors.

The Roadshow, which features many of the industry's leading companies, has tour three cities - arrived at the Ashok, New Delhi on February 13th, the Lalit International on 15th at Mumbai, and the Lalit Ashok in Bangalore on 17th. The Roadshow has generated, according to sources, required impetus towards contemplating holding a full-fledged exhibition in the coming years.The event(s) besides generically reporting higher numbers in terms of both visitors and exhibitors, had some fascinating products and concepts on demo reflecting a growing positive dynamic between the manufacturers and their user communities.

While the regulars like AMX, Christie, Crestron, Da-Lite, dnp, Epson, Elite Screens, Extron, Harman, Jupitar,

Kramer, projectiondesign, BARIX, Sennhieser brought their latest to the roadshows, this year's event had new entrants such as Green Solutions/ Revolabs, Ind-Agiv, Lamps Centre, Mindstec, Panasonic, Wolfvision and

Wow Vision seeking to explore opportunities from Indian AV dynamism.

That's the generic tenor that has, probably, set the tone for future InfoComm events in India.

Sandy Team

AMX

Christie

Extron Electronics

Harman

Sennheiser

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PREVIEW

Pro VA Roadshow Pro Visual Audio Pvt. Ltd. showcasesits innovative bouquet of brands and products at their Bangalore road show 23rd February, 2011; Bangalore.

Pro Visual Audio Pvt. Ltd. The distributors in India for QSC Audio, Audio Technica, Midas, Klark Teknik, Link and Eurocable held their roadshow inat the Matthan Hotel Main Ballroom in Bangalore.

The road show featured: •

QSC Audio's speakers, amplifiers and processors including the award winning QSC 'House of K' speaker range

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Audio Technica's microphones, headphones and auto mixers

•

Midas mixing consoles including the innovative hybrid Venice F series and the legendary PRO series digital console

•

Klark Teknik's equalizers, processing and DI boxes

•

Link / Eurocable's advanced cables and snake cable solutions

The road show was attended by a broad gamut of AV industry professionals including dealers, system

integrators, consultants, rental companies as well as end users of AV equipment from various industries.

Each visitor was able to experience the bouquet of various product lines and services that ProVA offers to the industry.

Audio Technica was represented by Sajeev Nair, Country Head SAARC. They ran through their respective product lines with brief presentations and extensive hands on demonstrations to the visitors at the event.

In addition to the ProVA staff, QSC Audio was represented by Sushil John, Country Head - SAARC and

Sushil S. John - Country Head (SAARC) for QSC Audio says - "QSC Audio is very pleased with the professionalism exhibited by the ProVA team in organizing this road show. The quality of the people who attend this road show was outstanding. They had the opportunity to see and hear for themselves the why QSC's products sounds great right across its full portfolio of products. We at QSC Audio are looking forward to ProVA in delivering this very same experience to other cities across India".

Natarajan Purushothaman, Managing Director of ProVA says, "ProVA looked at a forum to showcase its entire product range and allow partners and end users an

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opportunity to experience the products hands on, and it was found that the best way was to organize road shows in this format combining the cumulative strength of all brands we represent. We are pleased with the success of this show and will definitelyhave this format as a focus area for our A&P plans.

Robin Ghose, Director Sales of ProVA says, "the show was important to showcase the complete and innovative bouquet of products and services that ProVA has to offer and also gave visitors the chance to experience products hands on to understand the applications that were possible. ProVA is planning to replicate this successful format across the country in a short while."

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31 May - 2 June 2012 Mumbai

PREVIEW

The PALM is not just another show featuring line arrays, sound reinforcement, staging rigging, FOH desks - it's the epicentre of the pro audio business and an annual event for distributors and actual buyers to meet and make purchasing and decisions.

PALM Expo 2012 will cover 12,000sqmts with 140 exhibitors showcasing over 1000 products and technologies. PALM show in its 12th successive year, boasts of the latest products launched in 2012 in the global industry in major segments of pro audio andpro audio-video integration.

globally. Experience the latest in automation and lighting design products.

PALM is divided into 5 segments: •

LIVE SOUND Exhibits of stage sound and lighting solutions for any kind of gig, line arrays, sound reinforcements, staging, rigging, FOH desks, mics, amps, signal processing, monitoring, and the rest of the gear to go live.

•

LIGHTING The range of lighting solutions for the stage and install sound includes every major brand

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MUSIC PRODUCTION Sound recording, multitracking, monitors, microphones, signal processing gear and all of the equation to record the next big album or soundtrack. Leverage the action at the PALM for music recording studios, project studios, mixing studios, on-air studios, dubbing studios' business in the expanding Indian market.

INSTALL SOUND Touch and feel the latest trends in sound for the lounge, bar and disco; DJ equipment and the rest of the solution.

Increase your portfolio of products and discover new business opportunities.

•

•

•

revenue stream with Pro AV at the PALM 2012.

Features of the show : •

PALM Conference & Seminar Sessions

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PALM Innovation Spot light

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Laser & Lighting Show

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Live Mixing Workshop by Sennheiser

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Outdoor open ground Line Array Live Demo

•

PALM Awards &IRA Awards

PRO AV AV integration in the auditorium, corporate space, mall -multiplex, hospitality, educational, Stadiumthe PALM exhibits feature projectors, displays, networking solutions and the rest of the connections - cables and connectors!! Source your next

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27-29 July 2012 Chennai

PREVIEW

Riding on the success of the previous editions, Buysell Interactions Private Limited is organizing the 6th edition of Pro Sound & Light - Cinema Today Expo on 27, 28 & 29th July 2012 at Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai Pro Sound & Light Expo is South India's only largest trade expo dedicated to professional audio, light, music, theatre, auditorium, broadcast, digital cinema, entertainment and systems integration solutions which is held concurrent to the flagship expo Cinema Today.

At the 2012 show, leading manufacturers and suppliers of professional equipment and services will present the latest technological innovations and solutions for use in fixed installations, special events and delivery of worldwide entertainment and news content.

This unique showcase of technologies offers the industry tremendous networking opportunities for industry professionals to exchange ideas and gain insights into the latest advances The expo city - Chennai, is the hub for entertainment industry in South India. It stands as the 2nd largest film centre in India and noted for the excellent pool of talent & advanced technical facilities. Chennai being home to

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various film production houses , film studios, Television studios, besides its own movie theatres, multiplexes and shopping complexes is the ideal location for such an exhibition.

Pro Sound & Light Expo is a networking platform, wherein the industry will be able to meet the target group, not only from Chennai but for the entire South India and

from neighbouring Sri Lanka.

The show has gained a lot of momentum over the years and has become a familiar event in the industry circles. The support of associations, media partnerships and a focused promotional campaign ensures that the target visitors do not miss the event.

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EVENT CALENDAR 2012

PREVIEW 17-19 September 2013 Mumbai

31 May - 2 June Palm Expo Mumbai www.palmexpo.in 31 May - 2 June Integrate Expo Mumbai, India www.infocommunica.com 13-15 June InfoComm Orlando www.infocommshow.org 19-22 June Broadcast Asia, Singapore www.broadcast-asia.com 27-29 July Pro Sound Light Expo Chennai, India www.cinematoday.in 7-11 September IBC Amsterdam, Holland www.ibc.org 9-12 September PLASA London, UK www.plasashow.com 10-12 October Broadcast India Mumbai, India www.broadcastindiashow.com

NSA

November National Symposium on Acoustics India www.acousticsindia.org

2013 11-13 February BES Expo New Delhi, India www.besindia.com 6-11 April NAB Show Las Vegas www.nabshow.com 10-12 April InfoComm China Beijing, China www.infocomm-china.com 21-23 May Palme ME Dubai, UAE www.palme-middleeast.com 17-19 September InfoComm India Mumbai, India www.infocomm-india.com

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After four years of going 'on the road', InfoComm India will become a main event in 2013, a move embraced by several exhibitors at the close of the 2012 Roadshow. InfoComm India 2013 will be held from 17-19 September 2013 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai.

ProAV systems manufacturers participating in the InfoComm India Roadshows in 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012 were 'sold' by the relatively untapped business potential in India which they have observed first-hand, as well as the excellent platform - and professionalism - offered by the trade show and its organizer.

InfoComm India grew cautiously from 10 exhibiting companies in 2008 to 24 in 2012, with total visitor traffic tripling from 500 to 1,569. These figures may seem modest but exhibitors were buoyed by the good mix of trade and end-user visitors, their professional seniority with strong decision-making influence, and their appetite for new technologies. Many exhibitors felt ready to engage more actively in the India market.

Said Mayank Gupta, Director and Country Manager of AMX India, "InfoComm Asia has been playing a pioneering role in India to develop and educate the Indian AV industry. Infocomm's strategy to reach out to end clients through shows like this as well as ensuring systems integrators are up-to-date with technologies that AV

manufacturers have to offer, has worked for us. We look forward to a more intensive effort by InfoComm to develop the India market."

AMX has been a regular participant in InfoComm events around the world. Another frequent exhibitor, Extron Electronics, is equally positive about prospects in India.

Gary Tay, Extron's Consultant Liaison Manager for Asia, noted: "Once again, InfoComm India 2012 is another great success. The show has provided increased awareness and knowledge in solutions available to the AV market and end users in India. I'm sure many more manufacturers will be keen to participate with a larger venue for next year's event."

Even new exhibitors felt the buzz and enthusiasm of the local market at InfoComm India. Terry Baldwin, Corporate Hospitality Director of Baldwin Boxall / DNH, which specializes in industrial and commercial loudspeakers, shared his experience in the 2011 Roadshow: " This was our first visit to India, so we didn't really know what to expect. We found the locals to be very friendly and always willing to chat. Following this, we will have to decide whether to appoint a distributor or a number of systems integrators. We found all three venues to be busy with valid people."

A local first-time exhibitor, Ind-Agiv Commerce Ltd, had this to add. " We had a number of genuine enquiries and expect to convert

these into sales. We were able to meet old colleagues and overall, build our company's brand image amongst the international manufacturers," said Amit Palekar, Head of Audio Visual Solutions.

"While the Roadshow has been a good start in addressing the Indian market, it is now time to have a threeday exhibition in one city. This will attract more vendors and more attendees," said Dorothy Farris, VP Worldwide Sales of Jupiter Systems, which has booked for the 2013 Show, registering the company's continued support for InfoComm India.

Richard Tan, General Manager, said: "As a trade association, InfoComm strives to plug the knowledge gap and

raise the overall standards and professionalism in the information communication industry. We work closely with industry players and pay close attention to market conditions. Trade Terry Friesenborg, CTS, Senior Vice President, International Development Infocomm International (Left) suppliers have Richard Tan, General Manager, InfoComm Asia Pte Ltd (Right) shown they are ready for deeper engagement with Indian economy still growing strongly, the Indian market and industry endInfoComm India 2013 will play a vital users in India are demonstrably role in bridging the information and hungry for advanced technologies. communication technology gap in The conditions are ripe, and with the India."

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX Company

Page#

Product

Email

URL

Anutone

12

Interiors

info@anutone.com

www.anutone.com

Beyerdynamic

17

Microphone

naveen@beyerdynamic.com

www.beyerdynamic.com

Broadcast India

78

Tradeshow

saicomtradefairs@vsnlcom

www.broadcastindiashow.com

Christie Digital

80

Projection

sales.singapore@christiedigital.com

www.christiedigital.com

EV

5

Sound

sales@mrhdigital.com

www.electrovoice.com

Palmexpo

2,71

Tradeshow

info@divcom.in

www.palmexpo.in

Pro Sound & Light

73

Tradeshow

info@buysellint.com

www.buysellint.com

Yamaha

3,79

Audio

info@yamahamusicindia.com

www.yamahamusicindia.com

April-June 2012

75

SS

SS

76

April-June 2012

April-June 2012

77

SS

SS

78

April-June 2012

April-June 2012

79

SS

SS

80

April-June 2012