UK - Veteran American sound engineer Ken Newman carried on where he left off in the States when Barry Manilow's One Last Time tour arrived in the UK on its trip around the globe - with Martin Audio's premier MLA providing the arena sound.

Making his MLA debut with Delicate Productions' system on the North American leg, the sound engineer was adamant that he wanted the same production rider in the UK - and his first port of call was Martin Audio rental partner, Capital Sound.

Capital supplied the rig, but unlike the previous dates, the 10 UK shows had the advantage of being run digitally. With MLA tech Russ Cunningham and PA/stage tech Nick Cook in support, the main PA comprised 11 x MLA and an MLD Downfill each side, while the side-fill component started with hangs of 12 x M

UK - A single media server - the powerful Ai S8 from British manufacturer Avolites - drove the entirety of the video and graphic element on trance act Above & Beyond's recent international tour.

The band, who have been voted into DJ Magazine's 'Top 100 DJs' six times, started their Acoustic ll tour on 5 May at London's Royal Albert Hall and finished on the 6th of June at the Sydney Opera House. The tour included two sell-out dates at the Greek Theatre, Los Angeles. Its spectacular visuals, designed by Neil Marsh, featured a mix of video, graphics and live camera footage from six on-stage robotic cameras.

David Kyle, video operator for the tour, made good use of the compact Ai S8 to run Marsh's multi-sourced design.

Kyle explains, "My role was to look after all video elements of the show and make sure we delivered what was required in terms of Neil's design. Ai provided

UK - As the Central Church of the Royal Air Force, St Clement Danes Church on The Strand in London is a living memorial to those who have died whilst serving their country, and it has recently been further restored in preparation for the RAF's 100th anniversary celebrations in 2018.

A major part of the restoration was to install an audio system which would allow a full congregation in the main church and on the balcony to hear every word that is spoken, as well as to enjoy both recorded and live music. But in a Grade 1 listed environment, this had to take into consideration the aesthetic requirements of the building, with speakers delivering quality sound without being obtrusive, and cable runs being all but invisible.

Ashdown AV, a Bose pro partner with extensive experience in introducing discreet audio into heritage buildings, were selected to install a system designed b

UK - Stufish Entertainment Architects supply the creation, design and delivery of many shows and events in the entertainment industry. Their work expands across the globe, with recent clients including The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Queen and One Direction. This year they have teamed up with the National Centre for Circus Arts in the creation of a new show concept, SOHO. With its strong reputation in theatre, along with nurturing young artists, WL was called upon to provide the technical equipment support for the production.

The show follows one character's journey as they spend an evening wandering the streets of London's West End. Chris Hynes, Stufish's creative producer, comments, "With this show, we wanted to celebrate the diversity and excitement that is Soho. So much goes on in what is a relatively small part of the capital so it's fascinating to be abl

UK - The Association of Lighting Designers (ALD), has announced the winners of its prestigious Michael Northen Bursary Award, at an awards ceremony aligned with the recent recent ABTT trade show. The Michael Northen Bursary is awarded annually to students or recent graduates of lighting studies in the UK, who have demonstrated strong, imaginative and creative lighting design. The award is bestowed in collaboration with the Mousetrap Foundation, alongside the generous support of sponsors Electronic Theatre Controls, and Stage Jobs Pro.

Committed to the ALD's vision to springboard shining new talent in the arena of live performance lighting design, these supporters have enabled the expansion of the bursary from one to three awards. The awards were judged by a panel comprised of ALD-member Lighting Designers and Industry professionals from a variety of different disciplines and b

Switzerland - Acclaimed as the longest and deepest in the world, the new Gotthard rail link tunnel has just officially opened in Switzerland, with extravagant opening ceremonies taking place simultaneously at each end. These involved elaborate dynamic spatialisation sound designs based around TiMax SoundHub audio showcontrol processors plus a TiMax Tracker system, specified by award-winning designer Thomas Strebel and managed by a team of skilled engineers and operators from his resource company audiopool GmbH.

After almost two decades of construction work, the 57km (35-mile) twin-bore Gotthard base tunnel will provide a high-speed rail link under the Swiss Alps for efficient freight transit between northern and southern Europe. At peak capacity it could handle over a third of a million tonnes of goods per day, the equivalent of 15000 shipping containers.

The ceremonies to

UK - Quantum Special Effects provided confetti, streamers, and pyrotechnics for three major headline acts at one of the muddiest Glastonbury Festivals on record.

Battling against pouring rain and mud that threatened to swallow flight cases, the Melksham-based company is proud to have survived and serviced its biggest Glastonbury festival to date.

With trends in special effects rapidly becoming a staple of festival entertainment, the Quantum team were called upon to supply bespoke visuals for Foals, Muse, and Adele on both Friday and Saturday night.

In close collaboration with the individual production teams, Quantum worked tirelessly over the weekend to ensure each act had its own stand-out programme of SFX to entertain the crowds. Starting with Foals on Friday night, Quantum provided 30kg of white confetti alongside four stadium shots of white and blue streamers for t

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UK - PLASA will host its 2016 AGM & Members Lunch on Tuesday 26 July at the magnificent Jacobean stately home, Hatfield House, just 20 minutes by train from London's King's Cross. All PLASA members are invited to attend and contribute to this key event for the Association, whilst enjoying the chance to network with fellow members.

At the meeting, the association's new managing director, Peter Heath, will be outlining his plans for the development of PLASA during this time of change and renewal. Peter commented: "I am looking forward to meeting many industry colleagues and friends at my first AGM in charge of PLASA. The AGM is our big opportunity to bring members together, to communicate our aim to grow PLASA and clearly explain the benefits this will bring to all."

PLASA members will be encouraged to ask questions and participate, and, perhaps most importantly, to come tog

Soundtrack for a Generation - After a gap of 27 years, Carole King returned to the UK stage to play her classic album Tapestry in full as part of the BST festival in London's Hyde Park. The crowd, who had paid up to £249 for the show, seemed to know every word. And the critics were impressed. "King was in London to perform her 1971 classic Tapestry, in full, for the first time, making history with an album that made history," wrote The Telegraph's Neil McCormick. "Tapestry was the first mega selling album ever, a record that every household with a hi-fi had to own. Comparison might be made with the way another female singer songwriter, Adele, rules the contemporary music world but it would be inadequate. For her moment in the early 70s, Carole King was like Adele, The Beatles and Elvis rolled into one gentle, intimate, heartfelt, feminine package." The Evening S

UK - As part of their ongoing growth and expansion into new territories, international theatre consultancy practice, Theatreplan, has recently welcomed several new members to the team: practice manager for the London office, Wioletta Ziemba; compliance and training consultant, John Young; and Revit technicians, Paolo Ribichesu and Andrea Martin Gonzalez.

Wioletta Ziemba joined the team earlier this year to replace Paul Connolly who is now managing the Theatreplan's Hong Kong office. An experienced office manager and passionate about the performing arts, Ziemba is also a gifted linguist fluent in six languages. Her enthusiasm and attention to detail are much appreciated in the London office which is home to the biggest of Theatreplan's three teams.

"Keeping track of all the projects we have on the go at any one time and providing the necessary support to our consultants out

Italy - ETC has appointed Enrico Nobile as European rigging sales manager, a new position devised by the company to fuel the growth and development of its rigging division in Europe.

In his role, Nobile will be based out of ETC's Rome office, with much of his time spent in the sales territories of ETC GmbH and ETC Ltd, working in collaboration with distributors, dealers and integrators.

Nobile's involvement in the industry began in 1979 when he established the design and installation company Elettrosistemi. Six years later, he accepted a position with ARRI Italia and developed the technical department while working alongside Fulvio Cotogni, the former ETC regional manager for Southern Europe and the Middle East. Subsequently, Nobile served as a project manager for Strand Lighting, and later for the Manfrotto Vitec Group, before setting up the TEYCORIG rigging brand in 2011

Denmark - DPA Microphones has announced that Kalle Hvidt Nielsen will become the company's new chief executive officer on 1 September, 2016. At this time, Nielsen will succeed interim CEO, Thorsten Reuber, who has managed the company since January 25, 2016.

"I'm thrilled to join such a strong and talented team," says Nielsen. "DPA sets the standard for professional-quality microphone solutions and I am thrilled to lead the company as it continues to innovate the audio industry."

Nielsen comes to DPA Microphones from Topsil Semiconductor Materials A/S, where he has held the CEO position since 2011. Previously, Nielsen occupied CEO positions at Bang & Olufsen A/S and Br

UK - This week sees the launch of the HUB at Fulcrum Projects where a new range of sales stock will be available to order online.

Fulcrum is a long established provider of temporary power distribution and related services for live events. Working predominantly in the technology events sector Fulcrum are always on the look-out for the latest products and are now able to offer a great range that can be ordered online via the HUB.

The product range currently includes Infofloor cable management flooring system; the Pulse, Pluto and Powerbox desktop power units; PowerCON True1 16A cabling and connectors; Defender cable crossover; a range of universal adaptors and Wieland GST18 leads.

Products from the following brands can all be found at the HUB - Adam Hall, Neutrik, OE Electrics, Wieland, Infofloor and Brennenstuhl. https://sales.fulcrum.uk.com is designed to be informativ

USA - The Maverick MK2 Wash is now available. Part of the Chauvet Professional Maverick series, the fixture is powered by 12 OSRAM 40-watt RGBW LEDs and features a custom designed optical system, along with full spectrum colour mixing, to offer an impressive combination of performance capabilities.

"The MK2 Wash gives designers a new, more powerful and far more versatile tool than was ever available in its category," said Albert Chauvet, CEO of Chauvet. "Its output is far beyond that of any fixture close to its size. As a result, the MK2 Wash is not only extremely bright with the power to punch through stage lighting, it's also very fast with rapid and smooth movements."

Brightness and speed are only two of the attributes that distinguish the Maverick MK2 Wash. The fixture's broad zoom angle of 7°-49° gives it the flexibility to create beam effects as easily as it

Australia - The ENTTEC Aleph2 ET DX 4 (DX4) is billed as a sleek, cost effective and energy efficient RGBW LED fixture that outputs a stunning array of colours.

"I'm incredibly proud of the attractive look of this fixture; the round lenses are reminiscent of the old MR16 strip lights we used for foot lights or toning drops. Unlike those traditional strip lights, the DX4 is low in power consumption and heat generation, making it a breeze to maintain, especially when it comes to the now obsolete chores of lamp and colour changing," notes ENTTEC Americas general manager Jeremy Kumin.

The DX4 has been scientifically calibrated and provides true warm whites as well as cool whites. A total of 64 custom colours can also be created and save via the versatile preset menu. The DX4 comes with 25 colour defaults, including several whites, RGB Yellow, RGB Purple, RGB Cyan plus popular

UK - Studio Two at Abbey Road has been enhanced with cable and assemblies supplied by distributor and manufacturer VDC Trading. Studio Two has been at the heart of popular music since opening in 1931 and was famously home to historic recordings by The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Kate Bush and many more. Its design, warm acoustics and unparalleled history of recording have made it one of the most recognisable and sought after studios in the world.

The purpose of the exercise was to create some isolation booths and a new lounge. This entailed converting a 'technical' room into a large (dividable) room and converting what was the original (1932 - 1957) control room into a smaller 'drums' booth. There has also been a major investment in HD video facilities in studio 2 and throughout the whole building.

As well as extensive use of Van Damme Blue Series multipair audio cable, the cable

The Netherlands - Over 100 Robe moving lights including 40 x of the new DL7S Profile 'full spectrum' LED luminaires joined the craziness and mayhem of the latest series of Professor Nicolai & Dr. Beckand, a popular mad science based TV quiz show recorded in Aalsmeer studios in the Netherlands and broadcast on prime-time Dutch national channel, RTL4.

The show was lit by Martin Beekhuizen of lighting and visual design practice Light-H-Art, with lighting equipment supplied by Eventec, a company based at the studios and a technical service provider for the majority of programmes created there. With over 100 Robe fixtures in Eventec's regular rental stock, shows will often feature the brand's moving lights.

This was the second season of the series and the first made at Aalsmeer - the six episodes were recorded over three weeks.

Martin was asked to light the show by d

UK - Rebound, the new £1m trampoline park in Hull, has been opened by Monkey Bizness, specialists in indoor play centres.

The first in the city, it contains up to 75 trampolines, tumble tracks, foam pits, cafeteria - and a Martin Audio sound system to cover all activities.

Part of a complete integrated audio-visual and lighting package, it was provided and installed by Kent-based Old Barn Audio, who were awarded the contract after carrying out work in previous venues for director, Nick Stevenson.

The brief from the client was clear: that the sound system needed to be as if specified for a nightclub, and should not be bettered by anything else in the area. Therefore OBA had no hesitation in recommending Martin Audio's new patented CDD Coaxial Differential Dispersion installation range.

First, they equipped the ceiling of the large 35m x 40m industrial unit wit

South Africa - Cape Town based Eastern Acoustics has recently joined the MA Lighting family with the purchase of the grandMA2 ultra-light supplied by DWR Distribution.

Eastern Acoustics was found in the eighties and is an audio-visual company that specialises in all types of events from theatre productions to concerts, conferences and festivals.

Yasheen Abdullah has years of working on the MA platform, but recently joined Akbar 'Aki' Khan and his team at Eastern Acoustics as project manager and lighting designer. "Having been a user and having the MA experience, the choice to go this route was not difficult and I was pleased to introduce the brand to Eastern Acoustics," said Yasheen.

"The capabilities of the grandMA2 ultra-light are endless and it's highly interactive. There is the versatility of being able to use the on-board build-in effects or the option to create y

UK - DJs is a newly opened 350 capacity pub / club venue in Ilfracombe Devon, which has just received a major technical upgrade designed and installed by S+H Technical Services, which is based nearby.

S+H MD Terry Murtha was approached by DJ's new management to help create a visual scheme to make the space a vibrant nightspot. The premises had been empty for a year and before then had been a sports bar.

"It's a great brief to have almost a blank canvas and be asked to produce something original and imaginative," comments Murtha, who decided on a fresh visual approach based around using LED screen and video content as the main lightsource.

"I thought video was a great medium to produce a versatile environment," he explained, "It is excellent for creating mood, and used correctly, the dramatic contrasts between bight and dark really enhance atmosphere, especially in an i

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