The Netherlands - As part of their recent move to expand Podium Victorie’s audience capacity, the owners of the Dutch club recently decided to move to an inner-city location.
The venue’s owners wanted to install a state-of-the-art lighting rig to provide visiting bands with the most modern powerful high-energy support. Dutch distributor Rolight upgraded the club’s stage lighting using Chauvet Professional Maverick, Rogue and COLORdash fixtures.
In total, 20 Maverick MK2 Spot LEDs, 61 Rogue R2 Washes, six Rogue RH1 Hybrids and 36 COLORdash Par-Hex 12 RGBAWUV fixtures were specified for the stage. The versatile lighting rig ensures a practically unlimited selection of looks to fit a whole manner of needs, from bold rock ‘n roll looks to subtle theatrical scenes.

USA - Sky-Skan recently installed a complete audio solution by Harman Professional at the newly-opened Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science.
Sky-Skan created a design that features an 8K 3D projection system with specialised Christie Digital projectors that deliver 30,000lm of brightness, making it one of the brightest projection systems on the planet.
To complement the video system, Sky-Skan needed to design a high-fidelity audio solution capable of delivering crisp, powerful and natural-sounding audio. After careful consideration, Sky-Skan designed and installed an integrated Harman solution made up of JBL Professional CSX F35 loudspeakers, Crown power amplifiers, BSS Soundweb London signal processors and AKG microphones. The design also features Martin wash lights and Martin system controllers that control both the audio and lighting systems.
“We w

Spain - Clair Brothers’ Spanish distributor VTècnics has upgraded its touring PA to the new C12 system.
Since the upgrade, VTècnics used the C12 for concerts of popular Catalonian bands La Pegatina, Sopa de Cabra, Oques Grasses, and Doctor Prats, as well as at mass political events, a fashion show in Barcelona, and the MotoGP motorcycle event.
Josep Maria Serra, VTècnics production manager, says: “We are always looking for top-quality, distinctive products and at the time we were searching for a new PA system. The first brand that came to mind was Clair Brothers. It’s a company with a renowned name and heritage because of the great products they design.”
“At about the same time we began to evaluate the idea of approaching the Clair Brothers team about distribution,” continues Serra. “We had our first meeting with them at their headquarters in Man
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Strictly FX, Pushing Boundaries

Strictly FX was founded in 1996 by industry veterans Mark Grega and Ted Maccabee. Our expertise and knowledge of the world’s leading pyrotechnic, laser, and flame manufacturers allows us to curate astonishing live events. With over 500+ shows performed a year, there’s good chance you’ve seen some of our work!

France - Elation Professional has appointed Best Audio & Lighting as its new distributor in France.
The agreement is set to go into effect on 15 February.
Marc Librecht, head of sales and marketing for Elation in Europe, says: “A partnership with Best Audio & Lighting was the next logical step for us to move forward in the French market. Establishing our brand in such an important European country is an important piece of our growth strategy and we are proud to have the opportunity to work with such a well-known and well-respected company that belongs to the Dushow Group.”
Best Audio & Lighting’s Sébastien Nicolas comments: “To better serve our business and existing customers it became very natural to offer not only sound but also light. We are very excited to be working side by side with Elation and feel it is a very important partnership fo

Australia - Effective from 1 January, Jands has become L-Acoustics new certified distribution partner for Australia.
Jands will offer technical and design support to customers and product training for contractors and end users. The team comprises production and installed product specialists with decades of combined experience.
“My first introduction to L‑Acoustics was when, along with Peter Ratcliffe from JPS, I visited the factory in 2000,” says Paul Mulholland, Jands’ managing director. “It was clear from our first introduction to the V-DOSC speaker cabinet that L‑Acoustics was destined to become a dominant force in live sound. JPS became the L‑Acoustics rental network partner for Australia and I watched as the pioneers of line array continued to develop ever more innovative products. I am proud that Jands now represents L-Acoustics and excited that our

USA - Lumileds has announced the appointment of Jeff Henderson as senior vice president of corporate development, effective 8 January. Henderson has over 25 years of experience in numerous executive roles, most recently at Keysight Technologies.
“As our business continues to scale, Jeff will be critical to our long-term development as he will be responsible for facilitating the process of defining, supporting and executing upon our corporate growth strategy,” said Mark Adams, CEO of Lumileds.
Prior to joining Lumileds, Henderson was at Keysight Technologies, where he was responsible for leading corporate development for the $4B electronic equipment, software and services business, which spun out of Agilent Technologies in 2014.
“My passion is helping businesses grow and maintain relationships that are vital to our company’s success. I look forward to w

South Africa - DWR Distribution has announced the appointment of Shannon Fagan as accounts manager.
Born in Zimbabwe before moving to South Africa, Shannon studied accounting and has had four years’ experience in the workplace. “I am very excited to be here,” said Shannon. “It’s definitely an opportunity to grow.”
As DWR has expanded over the past 11 years, it has become necessary to ease the load of the accounts department. “We are delighted to welcome Shannon to the team and know she will fit perfectly into this family,” said Duncan Riley of DWR. “Shannon has a wealth of knowledge and skill, and more importantly, a great attitude. We hope that she will spend many happy years with us.”
(Jim Evans)
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ETC Halcyon Silent

High End Systems Halcyon Silent builds on ETC’s legacy of fanless automated fixtures by incorporating features from the highly sought-after Halcyon family. Halcyon Silent perfectly balances silent operation with brilliant output of 18,400 lumens and high-impact features. 

For more information visit us at www.etcconnect.com

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) will be showcasing many UK-exclusive and other product highlights from its extensive portfolio of over 200 brands, at PLASA Focus Glasgow 2018 (stand B1)
A leading one-stop provider of professional equipment to the entertainment industry, AC-ET’s expert lighting, rigging, audio and video sales divisions will showcase how they can supply and advise on leading brands from each major product category, to offer customers access to complete technology systems suitable for touring, theatre, venues, education, film & TV, corporate and other markets.
The company’s lighting division will feature highlights from its massive portfolio of industry-leading and popular-selling brands, which cater for a wide range of budgets. The stand includes LED washlights, hybrid luminaires, blinders, moving lights, lanterns and profiles from U

USA - Lighting designer Herrick Goldman, principal of HG Lighting Design, announced last summer that he would be donating a portion of his design fees throughout the year to Behind the Scenes and he recently presented his first cheque to the charity.
HG Lighting Design is the first firm to make an ongoing pledge of a portion of design fees to the charity and Behind the Scenes applauds Herrick for his leadership. HG Lighting Design provides lighting services for a wide variety of markets including theatre, dance, and corporate events, as well as for permanent installations and museums.
Herrick Goldman stated, “HG Lighting Design is thrilled to be a Behind the Scenes Pledge-a-Service Partner and we are proud to be the first design team to do so. We hope that many other designers will choose to join us in this worthy cause. As HGLD grows and adds team members and collab

Europe - Sarah Brightman relied on Allen & Heath dLive systems for both FOH and monitor duties on her Royal Christmas Gala tour.
The two-month European tour saw Brightman perform her own hits, alongside popular Christmas carols. The show included a full band and orchestra, five solo singers and the eight-member Gregorian choir. Allen & Heath's dLive S7000 surfaces performed both FOH and monitor duties, combined with two DM64 MixRacks, plus DX32 and DX168 I/O expanders.
The monitor engineer was Lewe Redlin, who also mixes for Jan Joseph Liefers, Alvaro Soler and the Gregorian choir project.
"The particular challenge of this production is its size," explains Redlin. "My dLive has 120 inputs connected. On top of the inputs from the stage, we have three different click tracks and various talkback channels that allow communication between all parties and the m

Europe - Lighting and video rental specialist Colour Sound Experiment has invested in new Robe MegaPointe moving lights, Blackmagic video control technology and new pre-rigged trusses, all of which is out on the current 2CELLOS tour playing arenas in key capital cities around Europe .
West London-based Colour Sound is providing lighting, video, rigging and crew, working closely with lighting designer Crt Birsa and production manager Chris Griffiths.
The UK performance was a roof-raising extravaganza staged at London’s Royal Albert Hall with the band accompanied by The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. They played out some of 2CELLOS hugely dynamic repertoire which went from the decorum and refinement of assorted film scores to the raucous rock-out mayhem of AC/DC and the Rolling Stones covers.
Crt, a big Robe fan, was delighted when Colour Sound was able t

UK - Britannia Row Productions Training (BRPT) has announced the dates of its 2018 live sound training courses.
The 16-week part-time Live Sound Fundamental and Live Sound intermediate courses will again be run twice in the year both commencing in January and September.
BRPT’s core 12-week full-time Live Sound Technology Course is commencing on 8 May.
The three-year BSc Hons Degree Course in Live Sound Production run with South Thames College and validated by the University of Northampton will be commencing in September primarily from the South Thames College Wandsworth, London campus.
Britannia Row Productions Training’s MD Mike Lowe said, “We are extremely proud that over 200 students from our 2013 - 2017 LSTC courses are now earning their living as live sound professionals around the world with sound companies, venues and as freelancers.

USA - A sense of expectation runs like an open road through the flowing music of Counting Crows. Mike Zielinski, the band’s long-time lighting designer, captured this wayfarer quality on their recent A Brief History Of Everything tour, co-headlined with Matchbox 20, by creating a suspension bridge-style backdrop that spanned the width of the stage. Anchoring the evocative structure were 25 Chauvet Professional STRIKE 1 fixtures supplied by Upstaging, Inc.
“It’s going on 18 years now that I’ve been designing for Counting Crows, and this was an entirely new concept, but it’s something I’ve wanted to do for some time,” said Zielinski. “The bridge represents the band’s Bay-area roots as well as the spirit of its music. On a more practical level, the bridge design also gave me something to punch through the daylight at outdoor venues.”
Dealing wi

Portugal - NEXT-proaudio has developed a new expanded warehouse space to enable an increase in stock holding, as well as adopting a new line for ‘express orders’, using the website.
The registered user, can find on the website distributor´s reserved area an updated list indicating the availability status of products plus the possibility to place ‘express orders’ directly on the online platform.
“We are looking to the future with these improvements to enhance the excellence of the service for immediate needs and provide the best service for our clients,” says Andre Correia, NEXT-proaudio manager.
(Jim Evans)

Poland - One of the biggest New Year’s Eve 2017 celebration was held in the city of Zakopane, in the south of Poland. The team at Aram, an international full-service stage design and production company and a member of the PRG Alliance, worked alongside over 70 additional crew members led by production designer Giorgos Stylianou-Matsis and lightning designer Adam Tyszka, to deliver state-of-the-art video technology and lightning setup for the event.
Following three weeks of construction works, the stage was built at the foot of the Tatry Mountains, with a spectacular design that was fully complementary to the setting and weather conditions, providing a viewing experience to fans on-site and online alike.
This year’s celebration, broadcast on TVP2, was titled New Year’s Eve of Dreams, and it marked the second edition of a popular TV concert that welcomed a

Italy/USA - Outline has announced the formation of Outline US. Newly created, owned and operated by Jeffrey Cox and Jason Farah, Outline US is now the sole representative of Outline Srl in the United States and Caribbean.
This announcement establishes an alliance between Outline Srl in Italy and renowned audio specialist Jeffrey Cox and Jason Farah, the technical and business authority of East Coast-based Special Event Services (SES), North Carolina.
“We insisted upon creating an operation in the US that had direct connection to the mothership in Brescia, Italy,” explains Farah. “When you are working with us in the States, you’re aligned with the factory, man/woman brainpower, technical resources and support of the worldwide Outline organisation.”
“We are taking a similar approach that Cox Audio Engineering utilised in 1993 when introducing L-Acoust

PLASA has announced changes to its elected board including the appointment of Adam Blaxill as the new chair.
Blaxill joined the PLASA Board as the Professional Services Representative in 2012 and was elected as vice-chair in 2014. He has been voted as the new chair of PLASA through a simple majority vote.
Blaxill takes over from Ed Pagett who has served as chair for an extended seven years. During this time Pagett oversaw the de-merger with ESTA with the support of an executive committee which included Blaxill as vice-chair and Martin Hawthorn as treasurer. This valuable work enabled the survival and growth of PLASA.
Pagett will continue to serve as a non-executive director, contributing his extensive knowledge and expertise to advise and support the association as it continues its work in the industry.
As a director of Stage Electrics - one of the UK’s leading

UK - PLASA has announced the final additions to the programme for PLASA Focus Glasgow 2018 taking place at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) 17-18 January. Free registration is still open for the show which offers inspiring seminars, technical workshops, and cutting-edge training sessions.
Funktion One founder, Tony Andrews will be hosting a seminar, in association with Steedsy.com, which will delve into the audio quality differences between file formats, file players, sound cards, and mixers using state-of-the-art Funktion One equipment. Observations and questions are welcome throughout the presentation.
KV2 are set to demonstrate their latest loudspeaker products which are already making impressions internationally within theatre, worship, corporate, and DJ sectors. With demonstrations running throughout the show, visitors can inspect the ultra-compact passi

UK - Lesley Harmer, a well-known face in the world of entertainment technology PR, has taken a step back from the industry to embrace retirement this year. The move sees the business change to the new name of Sprand Communications, under the management of Lesley’s colleague Sarah Thomas, and the closure of Harmer PR, the business which Lesley started almost 40 years ago.
Sarah says: “Harmer PR gave me my first job in the industry in 2002, where I stayed for three years, leaving to gain experience in the world of consumer PR. Lesley and I got back together in early 2012, when she closed the London office and I began to work for her again, this time on a freelance basis.”
Lesley comments: “Over the past six years, Sarah and I have known the end goal was my retirement. When I moved to the country a few years back, we began a gradual handover, so there has been no

World - ADJ Lighting’s new LED-powered hybrid moving head fixture, the Vizi CMY300, is now shipping. The unit offers a host of professional features, including CMY colour mixing, twin GOBO wheels, motorized focus, zoom and iris, wireless DMX and two rotating prisms.
Since its debut at PLASA London back in September, the fixture has garnered interest from lighting designers and installers across the globe and was recently presented with the Best New Club Light title in PLSN magazine’s inaugural Gold Star Awards at LDI 2017.
The Vizi CMY300 has a specially-designed 300W LED engine that generates an incredibly powerful beam of light, making it suitable for installation in big venues as well as for large-scale tours and one-off events. As a hybrid fixture, it can function interchangeably as a beam, spot or wash luminaire, allowing designers to achieve maximum effects f

The Netherlands - On stand U265 in Hall 15, at this year’s ISE, Powersoft will launch the new Duecanali 804 and Duecanali 4804, a two-channel amplifier platform with optional DSP and Dante dedicated to the fixed install market, and the perfect answer to system integrators’ needs for a high-performance amplifier solution in leisure and retail spaces.
The Duecanali 4804 provides 2 x 2400W @ 4Ω, a power output suitable to a wide range of projects, making it an attractive and cost-effective solution for small to medium size installations seeking both pristine and reliable sound.
The Duecanali 804 offers 2 x 400W and represents a lower total power solution for installations in retail, as well as bars and restaurants where a single two-channel amplifier is the requirement, without the need for additional channels or power. The range is completed by the existing Duecana

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