The Netherlands - Leiden NL based Audio van Hooidonk, one of the country's most respected and historical rental firms, took delivery of yet another Outline Doppia II 9075 + DBS 18-2 set.

Just one year after company owner Anton van Hooidonk attended an Outline demo at The Audio Specialists headquarters, they ordered a second Outline Doppia II set. More specifically, the system in question is made up of four Doppia II 9075 and four DBS 18-2 subwoofer systems. All are driven by Outline's T-Series amps, whilst signal processing is handled by an Outline Genius 24

Anton van Hooidonk explains, "When I heard this FOH set for the first time, I could not believe that such small lightweight cabinets were able to produce such an amount of SPL without any compromise in headroom and fide

USA - Elation Professional has introduced the EZ6, a high-resolution 6mm indoor LED video display panel whose affordable price, light weight and modular quick assembly make it suitable for visual displays at nightclubs, concert venues, live stages, exhibit halls and public spaces who want the excitement of a video screen without overstepping their budgets or getting bogged down by complicated installations, says the company.

Powered by high-quality Tri-Color 3528 SMD LEDs, the EZ6 will impress viewers with its uniform colour, high contrast and sharp, clear picture, making it a video superstar. It features 6mm pixel pitch, 1,800-nit brightness and 960 Hz refresh rate, producing high-definition graphics, text, logos or images -- limited only by your imagination! Wherever it's used, the EZ6 offers reliable performance and easy setup. The 22.7" x 22.7" (576mm x 576mm) squa

UK - A special customised version of ShowLED Animation supplied by UK Distributor S+H Technical Support is being used on the current David Ian Productions and Ambassador Theatre Group UK and Ireland touring version of the hit Priscilla Queen Of The Desert The Musical.

The Animation Cloth has been supplied to the tour's video contractors XL Video after being specified by their project manager Ed Cooper.

It measures 8m wide by 7m high and was specially manufactured by S+H for the tour with a 130mm grid matrix of pixels as opposed to the standard Animation Cloth where this is random.

The modifications were needed to display the specific Priscilla content being played through it in a certain manner to give it a very 'clean' finish.

The Animation Cloth is flown mid stage and is in for the first 15 minutes of the show, until the famous Priscilla bus is revealed.

It come

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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!

UK - Sennheiser has released new headphones specially created for conference and visitor guidance systems. The lightweight HP 02, NP 02 and EP 01 headphones provide "the perfect complement to the audio specialist's existing solutions for the market", and were unveiled for the first time at InfoComm in Orlando, USA. They feature optimum speech intelligibility and reliability as well as high hygiene standards.

Clear and intelligible sound is essential for successful communication, whether in a meeting, at a governmental summit or during a factory tour. The Sennheiser conference and visitor guidance solutions help customers get their message across - even in noisy environments. "Being optimized for speech, the flexible HP 02, NP 02 and EP 01 headphones perfectly round off our conference and visitor guidance portfolio," explained Jens Werner, portfolio manager at

Canada - Meyer Sound has been named the official sound reinforcement sponsor of the Montréal International Jazz Festival 2013 in cooperation with Montréal-based Solotech. Solotech will provide festival-wide audio support using a variety of Meyer Sound systems, including a Leo linear large-scale sound reinforcement system for the festival's largest stage, Scène TD.

Ranked by Guinness World Records as the world's largest jazz festival, the Montréal International Jazz Festival will span 10 days starting Friday 28 June, featuring 3,000 artists who will perform over 1,000 concerts, including 300 free shows.

"Our main goal is to maximize the quality of the experience for every festival goer," says André Ménard, artistic director for the festival. "Working with Solotech and Meyer Sound gives us a peace of mind in that respect. The co

UK - The new Amanda Restell Academy of Dance Harlequin Activity sprung dance floor has helped to transform an antique shop in Leigh-on Sea, Essex, into cutting edge dance studios as part of the relocation of the Amanda Restell Academy of Dance - one of Essex's premier dancing schools.

Founded in 1994 with just two classes and six pupils, the Amanda Restell Academy of Dance has grown over the last 20 years and now schools more than 600 children from the age of two. As part of its expansion and to accommodate the growing student numbers, Amanda moved the academy to the former antiques shop at the 100 year old Elmworks Studios building.

During a complete renovation and modernisation programme to bring the new studios up to 21st century standards for safety and comfort, Amanda turned to Harlequin Floors for their expert advice.

Harlequin supplied over 150m2 of Harlequin Activity

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The Many Looks of Zeo

Delivering ultimate brightness and unique looks, Zeo’s distinct face design is defined by a central LED monolith and four reflectors, backed by four RGBW engines. As a blinder or strobe, Zeo promises powerful impact with 30,000+ lumens. With its sheer brilliance and playful effects, Zeo is ready to amplify the energy on any stage.

Germany - Over 200 Robe moving lights helped rock the house and showcase the very best of Berlin's sizzling, emerging DJs and techno, house, electro and minimal talent who made some serious summer noise in four aircraft hangars at the Templehof Airport site for A&P's 2013 Berlin Summer Rave.

The party was enjoyed by a capacity audience of 20,000 with a production lighting design created by Martin Kuhn. The Robe fixtures were central to the night of action in the Ostfunk, Planet Bass and House Floor arenas.

Berlin and Mexico based Kuhn - a high profile designer with vast experience working across multiple disciplines - was commissioned by event promoter A&P on this occasion to create a fantastic visual ambience for the Summer Rave.

He has used Robe products in his work for some years. He specified the brand on this occasion for its flexibility, reliability and the wide

USA - Originally built in 1949, San Antonio's Freeman Coliseum has hosted everything from rodeos, boxing and hockey to expositions, circuses and concerts over the years. Now, Bexar County and the facility's management team are in the middle of a multi-year initiative to update the venue, the most recent phase of which included the addition of a new ARCS Focus arena loudspeaker system installed by L-Acoustics certified provider LD Systems.

According to Garth Hemphill, sales engineer for LD Systems' Houston office, Nelson Wilcox served as the project manager with project engineering handled by Tom Smith and Whit Whitworth. Following a careful evaluation of the 11,700-capacity arena's needs, the LD Systems team worked closely with Andrew Nagel, L-Acoustics' head of application, install, to ultimately specify a system comprised of 40 ARCS Focus enclosures paired with 16 SB18i subs.<

Israel - Waves Audio's popularity is growing among live sound engineers. One front-of-house engineer who has recently adopted Waves' SoundGrid live platform is Tom Wiggans (UB40, Squeeze, Wet Wet Wet, and Roni Size & Reprazent), who is currently using SoundGrid and Waves plugins on tour with Irish alt-rock mainstays The Cranberries.

He notes, "I ended up using SoundGrid especially for problem solving. The most impressive thing for me is the Waves C4, since it is the first multiband compressor that I have used that I can actually hear working when making the subtlest of changes. I use it on the main vocal, backing vocals and bass. I also use the GTR3 guitar amps and stomp pedals on the DI outputs."

He continues, "I like to work at getting the source as correct as possible and apply effects/dynamics as a last resort, but in cases where this isn't possible Waves pl

UK - Creative England invites PLASA members to the 'Creative England crew night' in partnership with Equity on Thursday 11 July from 6pm-8pm at The Sharp Project as part of the organisation's nationwide programme of networking evenings for industry professionals working in film, TV and digital media.

"Hosted by the Production Services team we aim to bring together crew, production and facility companies with broadcasters, talent executives and film makers as well as those in the digital and creative market," says a statement.

Creative England is a national agency that invests in and supports creative ideas, talent and businesses in film, TV, games and digital media. The engaging event is being held in partnership with Equity, the performers' trade union, as part of its on-going relationship with Creative England. This collaboration for the Manchester event provides a

UK - The Pet Shop Boys have received rave reviews for the first two dates of their 2013 Electric tour. Capital Sound Hire deployed its Nexo STM system for the shows in London and Manchester, the largest they have undertaken to date, using the first three-wide configuration of the modular line array, requested by FOH engineer Holger Schwark.

For both the O2 Arena and MEN Arena, Capital's sound design presented a main left/right system in a 'double bass' configuration, with each array having a hang of 15x STM M46 main cabinets in the centre, and two hangs of 15x STM B112 bass units, one on each side of the mains. The out-fill arrays covering the sides of the arenas used 15x M46 main cabinets per side. There was also a flown line of nine STM S118 subs per side, and nine S118s ground-stacked per side.

Holger Schwark explains his decision to go with STM for the two concerts. "

USA - Along with LeBron James & Co., some other sharp shooters were on hand to ramp up the excitement at the Miami Heat's NBA championship celebration - Platinum Beam 5Rs from Elation Professional. Fifty-four of the Elation ACL effects thrust hard-edge, fast-moving beams overhead and onto the stage at American Airlines Arena, as the team received its championship rings in front of its most devout fans.

The breathtaking lighting design, which captured the thrill of a hard-fought victory, was created by David McCranie, using gear supplied by Everlast Productions.

"Elation is honoured that our Platinum Beam 5Rs were chosen to light up such a spectacular event as the Heat's victory celebration," said Eric Loader, director of sales for Elation Professional. "The Platinum Beam has been one of our 'winning' lights since it was introduced, and we're proud to have it ass

UK - The BroadWeigh load monitoring system provides essential measurements of force to help operatives avoid overload of design parameters.

UK technology company Mantracourt Electronics has launched a new range of load monitoring equipment that targets the requirements of the entertainment industry.

Mantracourt's BroadWeigh system provides accurate, wireless, real-time load monitoring of stage equipment and has been designed to assist rigging professionals within the entertainment sector.

Central to the design of the system is a wireless shackle equipped with a high accuracy load pin that is able to report data wirelessly to a computer or a handheld display. The system is able to monitor multiple loads and trigger an alarm should a load exceed a preset parameter.

"BroadWeigh has been especially developed for riggers to provide simple, effective, accurate and easy to u

Australia - Chauvet Professional Nexus 4x4 impressed again with its capabilities and reliability, this time at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney, spicing up Timomatic's first live performance of his new single Parachute. Nigerian-born Australian singer-songwriter and dancer Timomatic gained fame as a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance Australia. His debut single Set It Off was certified triple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association.

Josh Moffat of Events Infrastructure designed, operated and specified the lighting equipment, and also supplied the visual technical support for the 2013 State of Origin Game 1 pre-game entertainment. Moffat also has a long-standing relationship with the event producers at Time Square Productions in designing unique looks that work for both television and the live audience. Showtools International supplied the Ne

UK - Manchester-based dbn Lighting helped to bring an ancient legend to life for a landmark event in the UK's first City of Culture, Derry Londonderry.

dbn designed and supplied rigging and lighting for a breath-taking recreation of the famed Loch Ness Monster - which played a starring role in the Showdown on the Foyle finale to the weekend-long celebrations entitled The Return of Colmcille.

Showdown on the Foyle was a specially commissioned public performance written by Frank Cottrell Boyce, created by Walk The Plank and played out over 30 hours on the streets of the UK's City of Culture. Artist Francis Morgan's water bound Loch Ness monster ensured a gripping finale for the tens of thousands of spectators gathered along the banks of the Foyle River, with dbn's lighting bringing the beast to life in spectacular fashion.

The showdown saw Colmcille, a key figure

Australia - Each year, Sydney's famous landmarks take centre stage at Vivid Sydney, a two-week celebration of light, music and ideas. Headlining the show are the glorious sails of the Sydney Opera House which becomes the canvas for a spectacular display of architectural mapped projection.

The Electric Canvas has been responsible for the Sydney Opera House projections over the last four years of Vivid, providing the projection technology, technicians and architectural templates that are the backbone upon which the creative content is produced. Each year the guest artist is provided the appropriate templates, format and workflow to create their work for delivery by OnlyView media servers that feed the large array of high-powered projectors.

The Electric Canvas is also solely responsible for the day-to-day operation and maintenance of the projection system's pixel-a

South Africa - The MA VPU (Video Processing unit) recently underwent a complete technology change. MA's Rene Berhorst, accompanied by Michael Althaus, presented training at DWR Distribution, South Africa recently. It was aimed to bring users up to date with the power of VPU over an intense three day period.

"The VPU is the right video tool to offer users," commented Althaus. "And judging from the good feedback, it really is exciting what is achievable.

"The VPU has many functions and possibilities and is an ideal tool for lighting people. As key users already know the grandMA2, they don't have to learn something new or learn new languages. This makes it quick and easy. Next to the functionality, it's the integration we are highlighting. Setting up the server takes fifteen minutes, this saves at least an hour."

The MA VPU allows videos to be displayed

UK - As East met west on the streets of Bradford, Stage Electrics lit the way for a spectacular live to air production of Bollywood Carmen Live.

As part of its commitment to regional broadcast, and in celebration of Bollywood's 100th anniversary, BBC Three commissioned one of the most colourful and dramatic live events the city of Bradford has ever seen.

A free event held in Bradford's City Park, with famous Bollywood actors and dancers flown in from India, plus some well-known faces from the UK, East met West and opera met Bhangra in Bollywood Carmen Live, a truly modern adaptation of Bizet's classic opera. Stage Electrics was there to light the way for this spectacular production, deploying both crew and lighting equipment.

The main challenge was to light a show that took place at nine o'clock in the evening on a date close to the longest day of the year, making it stand o

World - Pink's critically acclaimed The Truth About Love world tour is underway with Clay Paky Sharpys and Chromlech Elidy LEDs accompanying the pop star on more than 130 show dates in North America, Europe and Australia.

The tour features "a multi-screen design with integrated lighting in almost all scenic elements" says Lighting Designer Baz Halpin with silentHOUSE. "The LED screens move during the show and the lighting moves with them. The placement of soft goods, physical scenic structures along with staircases and risers give the stage an asymmetric feeling."

One hundred Sharpys are used "all over the set," he reports. "We have them hung from moving GT truss, LED screens, custom 'octo-truss' and dotted on the floor in and around the set."

During the show 40 Elidy LEDs are used on the downstage truss as audience blinders and

UK - DiGiCo consoles were specified on many band riders for 2013/14. This is reflected across the global festival scene, not least at this year's Glastonbury Festival for headliners Arctic Monkeys and Mumford and Sons, plus Smashing Pumpkins, who played the Other Stage on Sunday.

"Despite the popularity of our consoles, it's still relatively unusual for bands to take their own equipment into a festival, due to the restrictions imposed by the quick turnarounds between sets," said DiGiCo managing director James Gordon. "The fact that three top class bands are insisting on taking their DiGiCos into a festival as vast as Glastonbury shows just how much they have come to rely on the ease of use and great sound quality of our products."

"I only use DiGiCo consoles, so I will be using my SD7, while our monitor engineer John Shearman will be taking his SD10 on

UK - London-based rehearsal facility Music Bank has added a DiGiCo SD9 mixing console to its portfolio.

"When an engineer steps into one of our rooms, they know they will have a familiar rig that they can step up to and use straight away," says manager Jimmy Mac. "Most importantly, it has to have the most up to date features. With so many different makes and models of digital mixing desk in the industry, having a powerful machine like the SD9 and a name like DiGiCo providing support is a winning combination."

Following a training session for Music Bank's studio technicians, run by DiGiCo's Tim Shaxson, the SD9 has been used on a number of sessions, receiving a universal thumbs up from engineers.

"Everyone has commented on the desk's logical use and the freedom to fully customise the layout to fit an individual's needs," says Mac. "Being abl

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