UK - City Theatrical will be demonstrating its latest technology at PLASA on stand H50 at Olympia.
DMXcat makes it easy for anyone to control, analyse, or test any DMX lighting fixture, whether it’s a simple LED PAR or a complex moving light. The system consists of a small hardware dongle and a suite of mobile applications. Together, they combine to bring wireless DMX and RDM control plus several other useful functions to the user’s smartphone.
The DMXcat solves the problem faced by all users of modern lighting equipment: How to turn on and test DMX lighting gear without using a complicated lighting console. The DMXcat works with both Android and iPhones.
SHoW DMX Multiverse can broadcast up to five universes of DMX data in the 2.4GHz band (for use worldwide) o

UK - Robe is delighted to be back in London at Olympia for the 2017 PLASA exhibition – which sees the event and the organisation celebrating 40 years at the forefront of the vibrancy and innovation of the entertainment technology industry.
Robe’s focus will be on its just launched MegaPointe all new multi-purpose moving light - globally launched just 10 days ahead of PLASA - which is its first international trade show.
Another show-stopping lighting design can be enjoyed by all visitors on Stand D40 which will put the drama and excitement of theatricality and live performance at its core. Those blown away by the stunning lightshow featuring on the MegaPointe launch video will be able to see it up-close on the stand.
Robe is once again a platinum sponsor of PLASA in recognition of the great energy and buzz that has always been at the heart of the show, which i

Germany - Since 1997, Berlin's Stars in Concert at the Estrel Hotel and Convention Centre has brought a wide range of musical theatre acts to over four million spectators, making it one of the most successful live shows in Germany’s history. To provide a permanent wash lighting solution to the long-running series, which features shows such as the Beatles’ All you need is Love and Elvis Das Musical, the Estrel Festival Centre recently added 18 Rogue R2 Wash and 10 COLORado 1 Quad Zoom fixtures from Chauvet Professional, supplied by Fischer.
Both the Rogue and COLORado fixtures were positioned on trussing above and to the sides of the stage to add a full spectrum of wash lighting to complement the existing rig. While the Rogue fixtures provide powerful and dynamic wash lighting across the vast 15m- wide elevated stage area, the COLORado fixtures provid

UK - The new £57m Birmingham Conservatoire building has officially opened its doors. This milestone development elevates the Conservatoire facilities to world-class status and includes a recording and live sound production infrastructure without compromise, and with SSL very much at its heart. The new equipment list includes four SSL Live consoles and five SSL SuperAnalogue consoles, connected with a facility-wide Dante network.
With a history dating back to 1859, Birmingham Conservatoire is one of the leading music and drama academies in the UK. Part of Birmingham City University, the development boasts five new public performance spaces, which include a 500-seat concert hall, a 150-seat recital hall, and a 100-seat organ studio. It also includes The Lab, a cutting edge, completely flexible black-box studio, the first permanent jazz space in any UK conservatoire (the 80-se


UK - Stage Electrics has supplied over 120 new lights to Liverpool’s Royal Court. The range of lights supplied included a selection of, ETC Lustr Mk2 Spots and Fresnels, ETC ColorSource PAR Deep Blue, ETC Smart Rack power controls, an Interspace Cue Light system, Chauvet Ovation battens as well as Smoke and Haze machines, Green Go comms and GDS Blues system.
After this update to their performance lighting rig the Royal Court Liverpool calculated its production lighting energy saving to be in the region of 70%; this is a shining example of the benefits that can come from LED lighting.
The entire order was delivered to fit in around the venue’s current re-fit and busy production schedule. The delivery was met on site by the venue crew who set about unpacking and rigging it immediately for their in-house show ‘The Royal’.
Rob Beamer of Stage Electr

USA - This summer, the centennial celebration of Cleveland Metroparks featured fireworks, events, and activities honouring the past and celebrating the future of Cleveland’s green urban landscapes. On a July evening, city dignitaries hosted a gala event which included dazzling outdoor lighting, supplied by ILC, and controlled by W-DMX wireless devices.
“We utilized our new W-DMX G5 units to drive data for Elation Q5 Volt fixtures,” explains Renee Herbert, business development executive at ILC. “The event took place in the Brookside Reservation and was host to over 500 dignitaries and supporters of the Cleveland Metroparks. Around the event’s entrance area, we utilized 50 fixtures to light trees and foliage in Cleveland Metroparks’ green and gold colors.
“The W-DMX units transmitted reliable data over 500 feet and ran consistently for several hours. This p

Ecuador - Ecuador’s Centro Cristiano de Guayaquil (CCG) recently installed a dLive S Class mixing system and ME personal monitoring system as part of an upgrade to the church’s audio equipment.
The largest evangelical church in the city of Guayaquil, CCG hosts a variety of events including services, conferences, live music shows and theatrical productions. It has a 3,800-capacity auditorium, with additional space for Christian Education and Children's Ministries, and has grown to more than 7,000 in weekly attendance.
Comprising a S5000 Surface and DM64 MixRack, the Dante-enabled dLive system is installed at FOH in the auditorium, and manages FOH, monitors, recording and broadcast, along with a ME system, comprising a ME-U hub and 5 ME-1 mini mixers, to provide performers with personal monitoring facilities.
"We needed a mixer that was compact yet powerful eno

USA - Paul McCartney’s long-running One on One World Tour has added 21 dates in the US this summer and fall. Claypaky fixtures help showcase the evolution of his music from the 1960s to today. The US leg of the ongoing tour kicked off in Miami in July and will conclude in Detroit in October.
Lighting designer LeRoy Bennett is tasked with highlighting “a vast array of musical styles over the decades” during the course of the three-hour show. High-tech AV solutions, including layers of transparent video, LEDs and lasers, form a backdrop for the history of the former Beatle’s music but remain unobrustive to fans. “While we use many aspects of technology you never see them all at once, and they are never overpowering,” notes lighting director Wally Lees.
Upstaging provided the tour with 12 Claypaky Scenius Profiles, 12 Scenius Unicos and 96 Sharpys. The
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France - On 12 July at Lille’s Stade Pierre-Mauroy, L-Acoustics deployed an L-ISA Live hyper-realistic sound system for the singular performance of Verdi’s Requiem by the Orchestre National de Lille (ONL) and the Choeur Régional Hauts-de-France. The 30,000-capacity stadium, normally home to Lille’s football club, was a spectacular yet fitting venue for a performance intended to bring classical music to the widest possible audience.
Founded by Jean-Claude Casadesus and the Nord-Pas de Calais region (now the Hauts-de-France region) in 1976, the ONL has resolutely focused on ‘bringing music wherever it will be heard’ ever since, performing both in Lille as well as in over 30 countries around the world. After spending 40 years at the head of the ONL, conductor Jean-Claude Casadesus continues to lead three series each season, while also forging a stellar interna

UK - Audio-Technica has announced the recruitment of Jason Williams to a newly-created role as the company’s business development manager, conferencing professional audio for UK and Ireland.
Williams’ arrival continues the expansion and evolution of Audio-Technica’s UK professional audio sales team, following the recruitment of Rich Soper, business development manager for live touring and rental and Tom Macklin, area sales manager, commercial north and Alex Farell’s move to commercial sales manager south.
With 27 years of engineering and consulting experience in delivering AV and multimedia solutions across a number of vertical markets, Williams has focused on the conference market for the last eight years. Previous roles include senior positions at Brahler and Taiden, where he collaborated with Audio-Technica, rolling out over 600 UK courtroom installations fe

UK - After 34 years in the entertainment lighting industry and 33 years with Avolites, Steve Warren has changed his role within Avolites, moving away from day to day operational tasks and is now focusing on business development for Avolites.
Steve has now extended this service to a complementary organisation under the umbrella of, Lighting Distribution Consulting Ltd, a new company Steve has formed.
Lighting Distribution Consulting Ltd is exclusively assisting Chroma-Q by developing international sales and distribution channels of the award-winning Chroma-Q Range of LED fixtures. Interested parties should contact steve@chroma-q.com to discuss the new opportunity and benefits of international Chroma-Q distribution.
(Jim Evans)

USA - The Chauvet Professional Maverick series has been making its presence felt on tours and festivals, as well as at clubs, with its moving spots, beams, washes and hybrids. Now the groundbreaking line will be turning up at an even wider variety of applications with the introduction of the Maverick MK2 Profile.
The first profile light in the Maverick series, the 440W LED moving yoke fixture has been designed to perform a wide variety of functions in theatrical, house of worship, touring and event applications. With an illuminance of up to 14,981 lux at 5 meters and a zoom angle of 14° to 36°, the new fixture has the output needed for large venues and the ability to produce a range of beam sizes.
Featuring a four-blade framing shutter system with rotation and dual axis movement for each shutter, the Maverick MK2 Profile allows users to shape and size beams with grea

UK - As the exclusive UK sales, service, support and training provider for four of the premier manufacturers of lighting for the industry, Ambersphere Solutions is excited to announce an unmissable line-up of products at Stands K40, K40a and K32 from Ayrton, Claypaky, MA Lighting and Robert Juliat.
The Ghibli from Ayrton is making its world debut at PLASA. The LED spotlight features an 8:1 zoom range, is compact and stylish yet delivers enough punch for the largest arena production.
The MiniPanel FX combines both a powerful beam and wash light with Ayrton’s renowned endless pan and tilt rotation. Housed in a 2 x 2 lens array structure, this is the perfect fixture for the creative designer to explore its endless applications.
Two brand new fixtures will sit alongside the highly successful Scenius Unico hybrid from Claypaky. The Axcor Profile 900 offers Claypaky

USA - ADJ Lighting will be opening the doors to its Miami showroom on 28 September to unveil a massive new programmed lightshow, mingle with customers and spotlight their latest technologies.
Hurricane Irma circumstances permitting, the event will run from 1-6pm at the ADJ Miami location; 13185 NW 47th Avenue, Opa-locka, FL 33054. ADJ has programmed a brand-new lightshow in their large Miami warehouse showroom. They will also offer food, drinks and a prize giveaway for attendees.
The new lightshow will demonstrate the capabilities of ADJ products for nightclub and church installations, lounges and bars, events and productions, and for mobile entertainers.
“We are thrilled to relaunch our showroom in Miami,” said Alfred Gonzales, national sales manager of ADJ USA. “We took 200 fixtures down and put 350 new fixtures back up for a fantastic programmed lightsho

Sweden - For the 15th consecutive year, Swedish LD Palle Palmé has provided spectacular lighting for the Diggiloo outdoor summertime tour, with 80 X4 Bar 20’s from GLP dominating the ever-changing stage set.
Having worked on the event since its inception in 2003 (when it appeared only in Båstad), Palmé says that despite the number of famous artists appearing all receive equal billing - “and that is the success of Diggiloo”.
Heading the roster this year has been Robin Bengtsson, winner of the Swedish Eurovision Song Contest, performing alongside Tommy Nilsson, David Lindgren, Wiktoria, Charlotte Perelli, Jessica Andersson, Bruno Mitsogiannis, Andreas Johnson and Özz Nujen throughout the 22 gigs.
Palle Palmé has again turned to GLP’s super-versatile X4 Bar battens - an effect he has used on at least five occasions since November 2015. “I was original

Italy - Powersoft continues its successful series of Webinars, with a new programme that commences on 4-5 October at 3.00pm GMT.
Following on from the successful training forum presentations by Dave Rat and Steven Kemland, the next sessions will highlight all aspects of designing an audio system for TV programmes such as X Factor Italy, where live music and broadcast audio are the key fundamentals, and how to overcome them. It will also look at how Powersoft can invigorate the PA on the live touring circuit.
Both Webinars will follow the same format as previously, with each host explaining the use of the technology followed by a live Q/A session where attendees can ask questions.
How to reinvigorate the PA with X Series amplifier platform in live tour of Australian Pink Floyd. Wednesday 4 October from 3.00-4.00pm GMT; conducted by Robin Conway, Ca

Australia - Canberra Theatre Centre is Canberra’s premier performing arts venue comprising of the 1,240 seat Canberra Theatre, The Playhouse seating 614 and The Courtyard Studio, an intimate rehearsal and performance space that seats up to 92 patrons.
The Canberra Theatre and The Playhouse were in need of new house lighting systems and so a tender was released that was won by local Sound and Lighting Specialists Sound Advice, who have extensive experience in architectural and theatrical lighting projects.
“The Canberra Theatre’s existing system had really, really old Strand dimmers dimming PAR38 lamps flown in what were arguably acoustic panels at one point,” said Norman Korte, managing director at Sound Advice. “They were similar to a fiberglass rectangular cloud hanging above the seating and due to access issues, the lights in them were difficult to reach.

The Netherlands - With the return of the Welcome to the Future festival on 22 July, the scenic parklands of Wet Twiske, just north of Amsterdam, once again became a green heart pumping to the beat of visionary house and techno. The annual festival, now in its 11th year, prides itself on providing an intimate atmosphere filled with colourful decorations and the highest quality sounds, so it was no surprise that organisers opted for a Vero sound system on the main stage.
For event director, Carina Kornfeind, the success of the system’s debut at last year’s festival made it first choice for this 2017 outing. "For the second year in a row, we introduced Funktion-One’s vertical array sound system, Vero, at Welcome to the Future, bringing us a new dimension of frequencies and depth and making the experience on the dancefloor more immersive than ever before," she commented.

UK - This year, the PLASA Rigging Conference will move away from its traditional format of a series of presentations to a new structure that encourages conversation, allowing opinions to be voiced and the most current of topics to be discussed.
Following the opening speech from the legendary Morris Lyda - who has worked with artists ranging from Traffic, David Bowie, Genesis, Pink Floyd, The 3 Tenors, and Phil Collins and on special events such as the Barcelona and Sydney Olympics, specialising in building and motivating people to produce extraordinary outcomes - Alan Jacobi, LVO, Unusual Rigging (Platinum Sponsor) will chair the morning panel session, with Mark Surtees, MD, Outback (Gold Sponsor) chairing the afternoon session.
“We want to make the Rigging Conference an event that’s highly topical and relevant to the wider industry, to reach an audience who are no

UK - From this month, David Faulkes will be the new sales manager for Highlite in the south of the UK. David has been in the lighting- and audio-business for more than 25 years. With extensive experience with Martin Professional, Miltec and more recently Chauvet, he brings a wealth of knowledge and customer contacts to Highlite.
David states: “I’m looking forward to working with Highlites broad range of audio and lighting products. They have everything you could possibly need to make a great show; a one-stop-shop. I’m enthusiastic about the new range of Phantom and Infinity moving heads. They are well designed products which can be used in a wide range of applications and are a cost-effective solution.
“Their audio-range is very comprehensive. I like the fact that it varies from small installation components to big outdoor systems. I see great opportunities for

UK - The experienced Dave Ball has joined RCF UK to boost their Technical Support. He will be responsible for the area south of the M62, while Mick Butler will continue to look after the north of England and Scotland.
Ball joins from Polar Audio where he was business development manager. During his long career, Dave Ball has also worked at LMC’s Birmingham office, spent time with KV2 (where he first met Mick Butler) and between 1993-2004 ran his own PA company.
Based between Stafford and Stoke, he says his preference is to work for a single brand rather than multiple brands. “It’s a great opportunity to be involved with a company of RCF’s pedigree,” he said. “This was part of the attraction, and I also wanted to take up a more technical role as I enjoy the training element.”
Of the new appointment, RCF UK director of sales, Dean Davoile, said, “It

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