USA - The city of Nashville was already well-known as a centre for artists and artisans, but due to a 2009 fire that robbed the community of its music centre (known affectionately as the Little Opry) county officials sought to build a venue that would draw top touring artists.
In an effort to craft a lighting system that would match the talent they sought, Brown County commissioned Bandit Lites, trusting the sales and integration team to make the space usable for touring acts. From rigging to backstage layout and ultimately the lighting controls, Bandit’s team elevated the lighting to match the vision of the centre.
“We wanted the stage to be a first class, state of the art lighting package,” explains project manager Doug Harden of Miller Architects. “Bandit del

Croatia - House music pioneer David Morales continues to produce and to play to packed clubs all over the world and his current rider specifies a KV2 Audio ES System as his preferred monitoring setup.
Morales has also been using a KV2 setup at home for a while - he currently has two EX10s and two EX2.2 subs which he loves - but hadn’t used a KV2 system on a gig until his show at the Boogaloo club in Zagreb, Croatia on St Valentine’s Day this year. He tried out a full ES System comprising an ES1.0 high power active mid/hi loudspeaker stacked on a pair of ES1.8 high output subs per side, powered by two EPAK2500R control and amplification units (one per side).
“These speakers sound amazing!” he enthused, “and I’m in a big room – this is not a small intimate club!” Indeed, Boogaloo has been a cult club in Zagreb since the mid-80’s and with a capacity of 1

Japan - Alcons Audio has announced the appointment of Osaka-based E’Spec Inc. as its Japanese distributor. Established in 1990, E’Spec has offices in Osaka, Tokyo and Nagoya.
Initial talks between the companies had started at ISE 2019 when E’Spec approached Alcons with an interest to become its distributor for Japan.
“For the past 20 years, there have been very few systems which feature truly innovative technology,”comments E’Spec’s Yoshiaki ‘Yoshi’ Yamaguchi. “Currently there is almost no difference in the system quality from different manufacturers. Equipment choice is based on slight differences in sound quality, cost performance and usability.
“The beautiful high frequency range at high SPLs and minimal listener fatigue produced by Alcons pro-ribbon systems are powerful advantages, which we know will interest many Japanese live sound e

Portugal - Located on the bustling boulevard of the Avenida de República in the Saldanha district of the Portuguese capital, Mercantina Bistro 37 is the third Mercantina restaurant to open in Lisbon. The elegant building was formerly home to Café Cubana, the favourite watering hole of a coterie of Portugal’s famed surrealist artists.
Seven decades later, the interior with its striking murals and rich colours designed by architect Tiago Silva Dias, offers echoes of the building’s surrealist past. Distribution and AV integration specialists, Garrett Audiovisuais, designed and installed a zoned audio and control system across all areas of the bar and restaurant, based on Genelec 4000 Series installation loudspeakers.
According to Garrett’s Alain Pierre who managed the project, Mercantina’s owners were frequent clients at JncQUOI - a Lisbon restaurant already eq

Canada - Every day when health care professionals enter Chicoutimi Hospital, Saguenay, Quebec, they get ready to face the realities involved in caring for patients afflicted with COVID-19. Now, they are also greeted with a rainbow of colours intended as an expression of gratitude from the Fondation de ma Vie (Foundation of my Life) and LSM Ambiocréateurs.
Spearheaded by project leader Ricky Ricken of LSM, working closely with the Fondation de ma Vie, the display covers the entire width of the hospital’s entrance side in brilliant blues, oranges, yellows and purples from a collection of over 70 Chauvet Professional COLORado 1 Tri Tour IP fixtures from LSM’s own inventory.
Placed at the base of the building and on ledges at various heights, the RGB fixtures cast their glow to the top of the hospital’s two the six-story wings. Light from the COLORado units also sh

Denmark - The annual music competition to find Denmark’s Eurovision entry reached its finale in March at Copenhagen’s 16,000-capacity Royal Arena. Known as the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, hopefuls battled it out against a striking stage design made up of 450sq.m of LED screen, shaped into ever-expanding triangular shapes. These were fed visuals by a chorus of Green Hippo Hippotizer Karst+ Media Servers.
Hippotizer aficionado 4K Projects, which is based in Copenhagen, was commissioned by Danish national broadcaster Danmarks Radio to project manage the video and lighting aspects of the show. The company’s Mikkel Samuelsen and Balder Thorrud have been involved with Dansk Melodi Grand Prix for a decade, and are well-versed in creating memorable visual feasts.
The 2020 heats were held without an audience, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite this, TV viewers at home wer

South Korea - TechDataPS recently equipped Incheon Seongsan Methodist Church with a Harman Professional networked AV and control solution.
Previously named Hwajeong Church, the house of worship took its current name in 1968 and consist of three separate buildings: the chapel, training centre and parking structure. Previously using an audio system that was equipped for small events and speeches, the church contracted TechDataPS to install a world-class audio solution that can accommodate bigger productions.
“Seongsan Methodist Church asked us to deliver a modern audio system that enhances the main chapel with high-quality sound and is suitable for hosting large-scale events,” said a spokesperson at TechDataPS. “The previous system consisted of an ageing JBL SR 4733 main speaker as well as ceiling speakers that matched the color of the walls and complimented the ch

Italy - K-Aarray has teamed up with Simai SpA, a Milan-based electric tractors and flatbed transporters manufacturer, to develop an electric vehicle with a professional audio speaker system.
Named Cricket PE30, the vehicle will be marketed with short and long-term rental solutions by Toyota Material Handling Italia and is launching in July.
Massimiliano Bariola, managing director of Simai SpA comments: “We immediately accepted a role in this innovative project proposed by K-array, as it will allow the Simai brand to position itself within the niche of live entertainment and musical events in general.
“In K-array, we have found a partner with our same enthusiasm and spirit of adaptation to difficulty despite the current situation. And this special project - precisely within the context of social distancing and proximity to urban areas which are the most diffic
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USA -The Production Equipment Rental Group (PERG) has released a draft of its return-to-work guidance for the safe resumption of camera and lighting rental services.
The PERG Safe Return to Work Guidelines provides recommendations for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 and was created by a task group who took into account recommendations from the CDC, OSHA and public health officials and applied them to rental operations, equipment and facilities.
The draft will undergo a public review process from 19 May through 9 June, providing an opportunity for materially-affected parties to participate in the development of these industry guidelines, ensuring that they reflect an industry consensus.
Feedback is welcome from all stakeholders, and instructions for providing feedback are included with the download. Comments will be reviewed by the task group for r

Spain/Italy - Prolights has announced the appointment of Seesound as its new distributor in Spain with immediate effect.
Nacho Alberdi, CEO of SeeSound, comments: “To me, working in this kind of industry means to carry on my family legacy, as in 1880 my grandfather started manufacturing pipes for church organs. That’s why we aim to continue doing what we do with passion and in the most professional way, taking care of the quality of the work done by our team. This should allow us to offer the best solutions to our customers and partners.
“When I first approached Prolights, I was fascinated by the ambition and dedication I could see throughout the headquarters, from the R&D department, production, logistics right to the sales and managements departments. Prolights boasts a broad portfolio and a one-of-a-kind product design, which will grant us to provide innov

UK - Knight of Illumination Award winning live video director Ben Farrey (previously Miles) sadly passed away last week. Sharing the news, Coldplay – just one of many high-profile bands and artists Ben worked with throughout his career – paid tribute to a ‘beloved’ member of their crew in an emotional post shared across their social media platforms on Thursday 14th May.
The message, signed by all members of the band, reads: “We're sad to report that we lost one of our most beloved and talented crew members last night. Ben Farrey was our live visuals director. He was in charge of everything that you saw on the screens at our live shows. If you ever made it to a show, you’ll know that he was ridiculously good at his job. He was also one of the kindest and most generous-spirited people you could ever meet. We love you, Ben.”
The message was accompanied by

Global Warning - Shakespeare's Globe Theatre has called for urgent funding to avoid going out of business due to the "devastating" impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The London venue has been shut since 20 March and has warned MPs it is "critically vulnerable and at risk of closure in the wake of COVID-19". It said it would need at least £5m to get back up and running.
It was ineligible for Arts Council England's relief and said it had been "left without any emergency support". In evidence to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee, the theatre said: "Without emergency funding and the continuation of the coronavirus job retention scheme, we will spend down our reserves and become insolvent. This has been financially devastating and could even be terminal."
Conservative MP Julian Knight, who chairs the committee, said in a letter to Cultu

UK - The charismatic singer/song writer Mika’s Revelation tour in support of his fifth studio album, My Name is Michael Holbrook, may have been postponed midway through due to the current coronavirus crisis, but it wowed audiences from autumn through to this spring. Lighting designer for the tour was Vince Foster who, with an impressive CV which spans well over thirty years, requires little introduction.
Foster’s design for Mika’s ‘Revelation’ was clean and uncomplicated: plenty of floor lighting, significant numbers of side fixtures and trusses in the most effective of locations. His choice of fixtures was similarly unambiguous: just four different fixtures and overwhelmingly from Ayrton. Alongside around thirty Ayrton Magic Blade-FX fixtures were approximately one hundred and twenty of one of Ayrton’s newest moving heads, Khamsin-S.

USA - Audio and AV integration specialists North American Theatrix (NAT) services a wide range of distinguished clients on a host of installations across theatre, cinema, conference, education, stadium and house of worship applications. Some of its recent installations in the education sector featured the deployment of systems from Coda Audio.
Set in a 50-acre campus and founded in 1925 by the Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs, Albertus Magnus College is a Catholic private liberal arts college in New Haven, Connecticut, that offers education to around 1,200 undergraduate students. Last year the college renovated and refurbished its Hubert Campus Center - NAT was appointed to supply and install audio for the project.
Contained within the Center, the Behan Community room is a large, multi-function space used for a variety of college and external functions. Thi

The Netherlands - The Power Of Entertainment, Highlite International’s latest campaign, is well on its way. The campaign contains several product introductions and continues with the presentation of the latest additions to the well-known Performer-series.
Showtec adds seven new Performer models to the already successful Performer range. It starts with a house-light, the Performer Pendant Q6. This offers a six-colour RGB ALC LED engine with which a very broad colour spectrum can be achieved, resulting in a very high CRI level of over 90. It is very well equipped to be used in theatres, auditoriums and more.
The new models continue with three Performer 1500 units, available as Q6, Tungsten and Daylight luminaires. The Daylight version has a colour temperature range between 4000K and 6500K while the Tungsten version starts at 2700K until 4500K. Controlling each unit c

USA - Point Source Audio’s CM-i family of lightweight in-ear intercom headsets has received a design upgrade. The new design - brought to market earlier than initially planned in light of the current health crisis - adds factors such as detachable earbuds for improved hygiene and accessibility to more easily customize with a user’s custom in-ear monitors.
The upgraded design now features a connector common among in-ear monitor manufacturers that will allow for a much quicker change over should the user choose to personalize their headset with in-ear monitors from brands such as 64 Audio or Ultimate Ears.
A further benefit of this important feature is for rental companies and venues that supply headsets for their techs. The comfort and noise-isolation of in-ear headsets are a no-brainer, but no one is comfortable sharing in-earphones no matter how well they may be c

USA - Avante Audio has expanded its Imperio Series by launching a collection of pre-configured systems designed to make the lives of audio professionals easier. Devised around specific applications and methods of deployment, each of the systems include everything necessary to get an Avante Audio Imperio PA up and running, including array modules, subs and rigging hardware.
Imperio is a ‘mini array’ system that offers ‘a powerful, flexible and scalable active audio system that is ideal for installation in mid-size venues as well as for use by production companies working on one-off events or touring productions’. At the heart of the series is the versatile Imperio mid/top module, which offers a 90-degree x 15-degree dispersion angle and an integrated rigging system allowing multiple units to be connected together with splay angles of 0, 4, 8 or 12-degrees.
The c

Europe - As the COVID-19 crisis continues to hit the live music and event industry particularly hard, The Lightpower Collection is determined to continue to donate to organisations dedicated to preserving jobs within the live event industry - organisations that include Crew Nation, Behind the Scenes and Backup.
The Lightpower Collection has therefore teamed up with photographer Neal Preston to release a set of more than 25 previously unseen music photographs. Each of these images is being made available in a limited edition run of just 20 per image.
The Lightpower Collection is proud to exclusively offer these signed and numbered fine art prints for purchase at the special price of only 950 Euros. The new collection can be viewed at www.lightpower-

USA - Michael Longfellow from NBC TV’s Bring The Funny show at the Drive-In Comedy Night represented the first step in bringing live entertainment back to Phoenix, USA’s fifth largest city.
Lighting the stage in the car parking lot where Longfellow and fellow comics Joe Carden and Mike B Dapper performed was a collection of Chauvet Professional Rogue and WELL Fit fixtures supplied by Creative BackStage. John Garberson, who served as the LD for the show, relied on the fixtures to help enliven the stage and create a comedy club feel with deeply saturated colours and a few well-chosen ‘ballyhoo moments’.
At the same time, the lighting also ensured that attention was focused on branding material from the evening’s sponsors, Rick Bronson's House of Comedy and the High Street Association.
“This was a first, a very different experience,” said

USA - Mars Music Hall in Huntsville is changing the landscape of the music scene in northern Alabama. The latest success in an ongoing expansion project at the multi-purpose Von Braun Centre (VBC), Mars Music Hall debuted its Elation Professional lighting rig in early January, an occasion that set an upbeat tone for the next eight weeks of shows before the venue went into COVID-19 hibernation.
The inaugural show, a 3 January sold-out performance featuring Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, highlighted the intimate character of the venue’s broad design with its wrapping balcony overlooking a 50ft wide stage. A variety of events ranging from concerts to comedy acts and everything in between play the new venue.
Justin Young, production supervisor at VBC, designed the lighting system for the new space and worked with Freed Sales to secure an Elation lighting package. Having

UAE - Digital signal processing specialist Xilica has appointed Venuetech as its new distributor for the GCC. Based in Dubai with an experience centre in Riyadh and staff in Kuwait and Egypt, Venuetech will work closely with Xilica to raise brand awareness with AV consultants, systems integrators and IT engineers that specify, install and manage AV systems. Venuetech’s represented brands include Atlona, Barco, Sennheiser and Televic.
“We continue to see rapidly evolving business opportunities in MENA across most AV verticals, and almost every project requires a professional DSP,” said Ismat Assafiri, audio specialist, Venuetech. “Xilica separates itself from other DSP manufacturers with truly modular, plug-and-play designs that can support projects of any size, and they deliver the future-thinking technology that will become integral as our industry moves towards gre

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