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01 April 2025

Germany - The Friedrichstadt-Palast is one of those institutions that give Berlin the glamour and glitz of a cosmopolitan city. It has done so for over 100 years. The Großes Schauspielhaus opened in 1919 and was renamed Friedrichstadt-Palast in 1947. When the building had to be closed in 1980 because the foundation pillars had sunk, it was decided in the same year to build a new, no less magnificent theatre.

Completed in 1984, the new Friedrichstadt-Palast was one of the last prestige buildings of the former GDR. Big Saturday night TV shows were also recorded here, and numerous artists from the West also performed.

Today, the Friedrichstadt-Palast is (once again) a revue theatre with spectacular shows. The Grand Shows of the last 10 years have attracted over 700,000 visitors each.

A Grand Show season runs for a period of tw

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01 April 2025

Croatia - With an enviable location on Croatia's celebrated Zrće Beach, Papaya Beach Club has electrified the European music scene since 2002. For over two decades, Papaya has pulsated with the rhythms of festivals and DJs, from Tiesto to Calvin Harris to Paul Van Dyk.

Now, the club has partnered with L-Acoustics to install a professional sound system. "Our vision was to transcend the limitations of rental equipment and create our own dedicated future-proof audio system," explains Luka Udovičić, production manager at Papaya Beach Club. "We sought a system that would allow us to showcase our creative potential for performance acoustics and ensure we remain at the cutting edge of audio technology for years to come."

The decision to install L-Acoustics A Series was driven by the brand's reputation for excellence and the service provided by L-Acoustic

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01 April 2025

USA - The Funeral Portrait, a rock band hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, hit the road once again for their A Hex On The Nation tour following the release of their latest album Greetings From Suffocate City. For the tour, the band’s long-time audio engineer Jesse Stojanovski stuck with his go-to mixing system, Allen & Heath’s dLive.

In his second consecutive year of touring with his own dLive system, Stojanovski was more than satisfied with the performance and versatility the system provides. The mix for The Funeral Portrait’s high-energy rock concerts is handled on a DM32 MixRack equipped with a RackUltra FX card, a DX168 Expander, and a CTi1500 control surface complete with a Waves V3 SoundGrid network card for virtual soundcheck and multi-track recording.

“I’ve been working with The Funeral Portrait for seven years, an

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01 April 2025

UK - The multi-award-winning stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli’s 1988 animated film My Neighbour Totoro is brought to life by the Royal Shakespeare Company, in collaboration with composer Joe Hisaishi. Following its run at the Barbican Centre in 2022, the production has now transferred to the Gillian Lynne Theatre, continuing to captivate audiences with its spellbinding storytelling and imaginative staging.

Having supplied the lighting fixtures for the original production, White Light were approached once again by lighting designer Jessica Hung Han Yun and associate lighting designer and programmer Tamykha Patterson to provide the lighting rig for the transfer.

“The unusual thing about this show is that I’m both an associate lighting designer and a programmer,” says Tamykha. “During the prep leading into tech weeks, I wear my assoc

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01 April 2025

UK - Martin Audio partner, dBS Solutions recently provided sound reinforcement for The Hallé Orchestra at their resident venue, The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. A regular fixture in the dBS Solutions diary, this time the focus was Top Gun: Maverick – In Concert.

This brought back memories of the Tom Cruise blockbuster for a near sell-out audience in the 2,355-cap hall. The show originally premiered at the Royal Albert Hall in late summer, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, attended by Tom Cruise.

In Manchester, under project manager James Roberts, dBS Solutions provided a Martin Audio scalable resolution WPS line array featuring 14 elements a side, driven in optimum 1-box resolution by Martin Audio iKON iK42 amplifiers. Martin Audio FlexPoint FP12 side-fills (two per side) provided foldback for the SFX and dialogue to accompany the

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01 April 2025

Spain - After six years away from the stage, Spanish masters of rock, ska, reggae and rap, La Raíz, made a triumphant return, exceeding all expectations with two concerts at Madrid’s Movistar Arena. More than 30,000 people on the nights of 22 November and 6 December experienced music and lighting worked in harmony.

The anticipation was sky-high, and the band did not disappoint - thousands of fans were treated to an electrifying show where music and lighting took centre stage. A stunning combination of gobos, prisms, and seamless colour transitions helped the band bring their visual narrative to life.

A key element in this long-awaited comeback was the dynamic lighting, which reached a new level thanks to 100 Ayrton Cobra moving heads. Featuring IP65-rated laser beam technology, these fixtures delivered a mix of power, precision, and versatility -

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01 April 2025

UK - Microphone manufacturer Sontronics and Abbey Road Institute have announced the new Sontronics Scholarship, designed to support and inspire the next generation of music producers and sound engineers.

This collaboration will offer one aspiring candidate an opportunity to study at Abbey Road Institute London on the one-year Advanced Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering, with Sontronics funding their full tuition.

The Institute, launched by Abbey Road and Universal Music in 2015, has become synonymous with excellence in music production education.

The Sontronics Scholarship is more than just financial support. It offers an aspiring creator the chance to study at one of the most respected audio schools in the world. The scholarship includes a bespoke package of Sontronics microphones and accessories, providing the recipient with

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01 April 2025

UK - Looking for an “easy and stable solution” when kitting out the new Dolby Atmos rooms at Coventry University last year, Music & Audio Production course director Benoit Granier and his team turned to the Audient Oria when choosing their immersive audio interface and monitor controller.

“The Oria’s simplicity makes it user-friendly, which has significantly improved our workflow and helped staff and students get started easily,” he says. There are currently two Orias installed in two separate rooms. The smaller of the two rooms runs a 7.1.4 ADAM Audio speaker configuration and the other is a 10.1.4 Genelec speaker configuration.

“With the integration of the Dante card, it has enabled us to work seamlessly across our vast Dante studio network, integrating our current systems and hardware. We’re using them in studios that contain bot

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01 April 2025

USA - Mid South Audio, an event production and integration solutions company based in Milton, Delaware, has made a significant addition to its lighting inventory with the acquisition of Elation's new Paragon LED profile moving head. Mid South has also added Elation’s versatile Pulse Panel effect light to its equipment line-up, further enhancing its ability to deliver lighting solutions for a wide range of events.

Founded by Kevin Short in 1989, Mid South Audio has developed a strong reputation for delivering innovative solutions to the production and integration market, with its lighting division continuing to expand through investments in new technology. “There is a wide range of applications for both the Paragon and Pulse Panel, so you will be seeing them on many of our projects going forward,” Short commented. “They are valuable a

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01 April 2025

UK - DiGiCo has released software Version 20 for all Quantum and SD-Range consoles.

The new V20 software update, available for download from the dedicated support section of www.DiGiCo.biz in early April, is equipped with a host of new features, notably including direct Fourier Audio integration for all Quantum console worksurfaces. Users can simply connect their desk to the transform.engine’s control network to synchronise session files and snapshots as well as see and control plugins on their console touchscreen.

Soloing a channel with a Fourier chain inserted displays the plugin chain on the master screen of the console. All of the visual processing is done within the transform.engine, taking no processing power from the console. From this panel, parameters can now be controlled using the touchscreen and the touch turn dial, where this functiona

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01 April 2025

UK - Van Damme’s latest tour-proven solutions are raising expectations for what can be achieved with LMR cables. Following an intensive period of R&D, combined with road-testing on demanding global tours, the VDC240 and VDC400 have been shown to offer the same performance as traditional LMR cables, but with increased flexibility and at a fraction of the cost, says the company.

“All tour professionals know that LMR cables are industry standard for RF transmission but come at an incredibly expensive price,” says Herpreet Kaur Singh, commercial director at Van Damme. “We were certain that there were ways to deliver the performance that is demanded in the industry without the eye-watering prices, so we set about proving it.”

The manufacturer’s technical team spent over a year finding the right components to deliver an LMR cable that would

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01 April 2025

UK - TiMaxSpatial has announced the appointment of Gerry Marrone to the newly created role of product support engineer. Operating out of the new central London TiMax offices and demonstration suite which are nearing completion in Tile Yard, Kings Cross, the role will provide training and support for new TiMax users and existing deployments.

Marrone, known to many in the industry as Gerry Brown, is an experienced sound engineer who has worked for the last two years almost exclusively mixing immersive systems for live experiences, in both end-on formats and in-the-round performances.

In his new position with TiMax, Gerry will harness the customer-facing elements of the role to feedback user-experience to the product development team as well as to develop user training programmes and workshops supported by the production of new training material.

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01 April 2025

Misleading - Ticketmaster "may have misled Oasis fans" with unclear pricing when it put their reunion tour on sale last year, the UK's competition watchdog has said. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the company may have breached consumer protection law by selling ‘platinum’ tickets for almost 2.5 times the standard price, without explaining they came with no additional benefits.

"This risked giving consumers the misleading impression that platinum tickets were better," it said in an update to its investigation into Ticketmaster. The CMA has instructed Ticketmaster to change the way it labels tickets and reveals prices to fans in the future. Ticketmaster said it "welcomed" the advice. "At Ticketmaster, we strive to provide the best ticketing platform through a simple, transparent and consumer-friendly experience," a spokesperson told the B

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31 March 2025

USA/Europe - Meyer Sound has confirmed strategic organisational changes aimed at ‘better aligning the company’s strengths, capitalising on its monumental growth, and reinforcing its leadership structure’. Following a record-setting year in 2024 and 30% growth since pre-pandemic levels, the company says it is positioned to optimise its global operations and accelerate innovation.

In a broadened role, Meyer Sound senior vice-president John McMahon will now oversee R&D and operations in addition to sales and marketing, while key Meyer Sound regional leaders will assume expanded responsibilities. This strategic reorganisation aims to promote cross-functional collaboration and streamline processes from product conception to manufacturing and distribution, as well as reinforce global customer support as Meyer Sound continues to expand its ecosystems.

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31 March 2025

USA - Matthieu Larivée and his team of production and video designers at Lüz Studio along with LD Roger Grant are making magic happen night after night on the Grammy-winning string virtuoso's current 33-date North American arena and amphitheatre tour.

"Billy Strings' shows are unique," said Larivée. "It’s not your regular Blue Grass show by any means. It’s more like a mix of Grateful Dead and EDM. The show is an all-improv show. There are no setlists. There are six looks within our virtual and real lighting rigs that correspond to the show's six chapters. The crew decides which chapters they will use each night, and then stick to that chapter for a period of time, punting within that world. Those colourful worlds are defined within each chapter with lighting and video. So, it becomes cohesive, while still being very psychedelic and trippy." 

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31 March 2025

USA - As Brevard County's premier performing arts venue, the Maxwell C. King Center has served the community for 37 years, hosting everything from Broadway tours to rock icons. Located in Central Florida, the King Center in Melbourne is the only venue within over 50 miles equipped to accommodate national touring productions, making it an essential cultural hub for the region.

The heart of the multi-venue facility, the 2,016-seat L3 Harris Technologies Theatre, is an acoustically live space with a wide fan shape and a spacious mezzanine level, designed to host a wide variety of events. By 2024, the previous JBL Professional sound system, now 20 years old, had served its time. Recognising the need to stay ahead in delivering unparalleled experiences for audiences, the decision was made to upgrade the sound system.

The variety of events, including Broad

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31 March 2025

Japan - Powersoft’s compact transducer, Mover, and its Quattrocanali and Duecanali amplifiers play a key role in The Moon Cruise, an innovative VR installation in Tokyo that takes visitors on an immersive journey to the moon.

The Moon Cruise opened its doors to the public in November. It offers visitors an unforgettable immersive VR journey to the moon, a view of Earth from space, and the opportunity to walk on the lunar surface and take photos that they can download as souvenirs.

"The Moon Cruise is a free-roaming VR experience permanently installed in a new space experience facility themed around space travel called Space Travelium TeNQ. The space entertainment facility has permanent and special exhibits, as well as workshops to provide visitors with a single world-view learning experience,” says Tsuyoshi Nom

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31 March 2025

Europe - Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the 2025 edition of the exhibition will provide an appropriate platform for ADJ Lighting to showcase its latest innovations. As ADJ marks its own 40-year anniversary, the company is set to present an array of products, including automated luminaires and visually impactful static fixtures.

Visitors to Prolight+Sound 2025 will have the opportunity to experience firsthand the Vizi Pix Z19, the versatile Hydro Flex L7 and Hydro Flex L19, the powerful 40 HEX Panel IP, the retro-inspired Vintage X and Vintage Bar, and the innovative Encore DBX blinder.

Bringing a modern twist to classic lighting aesthetics, the Vintage X and Vintage Bar fixtures blend powerful amber blinder LEDs with RGB backlighting for dynamic visual impact.

Expanding ADJ’s renowned Hydro Series, the Hydro Flex L19 and Hydro

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31 March 2025

USA - DPA Microphones will present a wide array of product advancements at NAB 2025 (Booth N767). Included among these is its Core+ technology. The company will also showcase MicroLock, a microphone connector with a newly developed locking mechanism and compact design compatible with a variety of wireless systems.

DPA’s new 2061 Omnidirectional Miniature Microphone, a high-quality, easy-to-use solution that is great for any live or recording application, will also be available at the show. Finally, the company will also present solutions from its recently acquired brand, Austrian Audio, which will be exhibiting at NAB for the first time.

“DPA has been leading the charge with a wide array of new technologies since last year, and we are excited to showcase these solutions to NAB 2025 attendees,” says Christopher Spahr, vice-president of sales and

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28 March 2025

UK - The Backup Parish Council has announced that tickets for The Fabulous Village Fete, renamed for this year in celebration of Adam Taylor, aka Adam Fabulous, DJ and long-time supporter of the event, are about to go on sale.

Backup partners get access exclusive first access to purchase hospitality packages and tickets from 9am on 1 April, with access for general sale starting on 9am on 3 April.

The Fabulous Village Fete takes place on Thursday 10 July at Daytona Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey. Affectionately known as ‘the industry’s best day out’, this is the industry’s hottest event tickets of the year!

“Epson are once again sponsoring the Manor House, for those wanting a more exclusive experience, there’s the ever-popular Bake Off, Veg Off, and we’re adding a DJ Off where budding ind