Singapore - The Singapore community had every reason to celebrate in a big way at this year’s Chingay Parade. The annual event honouring the Chinese New Year was not only celebrating its 50th anniversary, it was also returning to a live extravaganza format after the pandemic minimised the festivities for the past two years.
CSP Productions, a Clear-Com global rental group partner in Singapore, provided intercom support for the 2022 Chingay show, deploying a Clear-Com Eclipse HX Digital Matrix solution with FreeSpeak II Digital Wireless systems. The equipment’s flexibility and performance were a match for the challenging production requirements, scope and timeline of this year’s festival.
The Chingay Parade started in 1973 as a street parade and has evolved into an

France - The world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean International’s Wonder of the Seas will have four Robe RoboSpot systems installed in its 1,600-seat capacity Main Theatre, and two more in Studio B, which is the Royal Caribbean ice rink.
The four RoboSpot BaseStations in the Main Theatre will be controlling eight Forte moving lights from Robe, each running in conjunction with four motion cameras. Meanwhile, the two BaseStations in the ice rink will be used with four Esprite LED Profiles.
This installation builds on the success of RoboSpots installed as a remote follow spotting solution in the Two70 venue aboard Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas, which commenced service in 2021.
The Wonder Main Theatre show will be an all-singing, all-dancing Broadway-style production, complete with aerialists, drones, and complex automated scenery, with lighti

The Netherlands - HOF has appointed Podiumtechniek as a distribution partner in the Netherlands. Podiumtechniek specialises in custom-made stage technology solutions.
Bob Ages, co-founder of Podiumtechniek, comments: “We believe that with creativity there are no limits to what is possible on stage and at events and that there is a solution to everything - either with regular products or with tailor made solutions - and often a combination of both. HOF is one of the rare companies that offers both and we are glad to have the HOF products in our portfolio now and a manufacturer in our network that can design and deliver custom made solutions.”
Edwin Duivelaar, export & sales manager at HOF, adds: “With Podiumtechniek we share the same philosophy which is that no project is impossible and the crazier the idea the better. We are impressed by the creativity of Po

Alienating Audiences - Expensive ticket prices risk alienating audiences and exposing theatre workers to “further vulnerability”, BECTU head Philippa Childs has warned. The union boss was addressing recent uproar caused by the West End production of Cock increasing its top-priced seats to £400, before reducing them to £175 following a social media backlash. Childs described the “steep rise” in ticket prices as “deeply concerning for a sector that is trying to get back to pre-pandemic audience levels”.
“When faced with soaring ticket rates amid the ever-increasing cost-of-living crisis, audiences will have little choice but to cut back on the expense of going to the theatre, leaving productions out of pocket and exposing workers to further vulnerability,” she said.
The BECTU head also argued that increased ticket prices were not being reflected

USA - 64 Audio has announced the launch of its new hi-res headphone extension cable. Now shipping, the cable will be featured during the 2022 NAMM Show in Anaheim next month.
“Designed as an ultra-efficient solution to the cable length problem, our new extension cable is made to effectively extend the IEM signal by an additional 10 feet without any audio degradation,” says Vitaliy Belonozhko, 64 Audio founder and chief sound designer. “It is built to match the quality and low-resistance nature of all 64 Audio cables for complete sonic transparency.”
The extension cable is suitable for use with personal monitor mixers, rather than using low-quality extension cables that severely degrade the quality of sound compared to a direct connection. It can also be used in a live audio setting as well as by studio professionals, gamers, and audiophiles.

UK - Evo by Audient has announced the launch of the latest product in its range, Evo 16. A 24 in/24 out audio interface, the release features eight Evo preamps, advanced converter technology as well as the Smartgain feature which can be used on all eight channels simultaneously, and continues to ‘make recording easy’.
“Building on the success of Evo 4 and Evo 8, we wanted to super-size the Evo concept,” says marketing director, Andy Allen, describing the new audio interface which is designed to fit either on the desktop or in a rack. “Evo 16 offers the intuitive user experience, professional sound and technical quality you’d expect from parent company Audient, with plenty more I/O than its smaller counterparts. And yet it still fits firmly into the ‘affordable’ audio interface category.”
Evo 16 features a high resolution, full colour screen built int

USA - RCF will exhibit many new products at NAMM 2022 at the Anaheim Convention Centre in southern California.
Arturo Vicari, CEO of RCF states: “After so much time with limited personal contact and conversation, we are delighted to collaborate in the reopening of the industry with our presence at NAMM.”
Products on display will range from the new XPS 16K power amplifier with DSP to the versatile ART 9 AX Series, TRK PRO audio interfaces, new TT and NXL speakers, subwoofers, new products for installed sound and more. Live demos will take place in Demo Room 201 D.
Tarik Solangi, VP of RCF USA says: “It’s been a rough time for all in our industry, and we’re grateful to be here and to have the opportunity to meet with friends and customers. We have many new products and some disruptive technologies to show and we look forward to receiving feedback. We’re

South Korea - To provide intelligible sound throughout Busan’s Eun-pa Church, TechDataPS Co outfitted the worship space with advanced JBL Professional loudspeakers and Crown amplifiers.
Established in 1971, Eun-pa Church has been providing worship services for more than 50 years. The church’s current facility was built in 2004 and required renovation after almost 20 years of use, including structural reinforcements to increase safety as well as a new sound reinforcement system for improved sound quality and flexibility.
TechDataPS reports that their client wanted the highest quality-audio system within their budget and was not satisfied after receiving quotes from multiple brands. They added that after visiting TechDataPS' showroom, the church’s pastor personally selected the JBL VTX A8 loudspeakers because he was satisfied with their performance.
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UK - IPS has added over 30km of power cabling and 300 distribution units to its hire stock. This significant stock increase has already been hard at work supporting both IPS productions onsite, as well as meeting the needs of IPS’ range of trade hire customers.
Over the last few months, IPS have been working hard to increase hire stocks all the hardware needed for the distribution of temporary power at events. Close working relationships with suppliers have been essential whilst battling supply restrictions and varying lead times along with all the other pressures associated with coronavirus, along with tireless work from Joe Martin who leads the IPS service department.
“It really has been a non-stop few months for me and the team, but despite all the obstacles, we are pleased to now have an expanded and upgraded range of fully tested cabling and power distributio

UK - Bristol-based event supplier Enlightened has recently invested in a stock of Ayrton Perseo Profile IP65-rated fixtures to service its busy schedule.
Enlightened specialises in full production services, supported dry hire, design, and delivery of permanent installations, as well as sales, skilled repairs and maintenance to a diverse range of clients and venues.
“Corporate and private parties and events, large outdoor events in winter, festivals in the summer, installation, sales - basically, we do everything for everyone!” says head of hire and production, Dave Thorpe. “Bristol is a good hub for small to medium companies to which, along with many small companies and theatres all over the country, we cross hire equipment. We therefore make a point of only investing in the very latest in top quality entertainment technology.”
Enlightened’s diverse fie

UK - When Dean Graves and the team at Bigabox Productions added the new Chauvet Professional Color STRIKE M to their inventory earlier this year, they had some definite ideas on how they were going to use the motorised strobe/wash to enhance their clients’ shows.
“We took on this fixture, because we were super impressed with its output, functionality, and IP rating,” said Graves, adding that the later feature was especially important given the number of outdoor festivals that rely on Bigabox supplied stages. “Aside from the fixture’s ROI potential, we were quite impressed with the kinds of looks designers could create with it. In our minds we could see it being sensational at big outdoor shows.”
Graves’ vision came to fruition in April when lighting designer Michael Seeverens of TwofiftyK used 12 of the high output fixtures to create dazzling visuals for

USA - Monitor engineer Pasi Hara came from Helsinki’s Finnish metal community of the 1990s and 2000s, working with Helsinki goth-rockers H.I.M., starting as their FOH and “everything” engineer, later becoming the band’s monitor mixer. And that’s the role he’s settled into since, for artists like Slash/Guns N’ Roses, The Cult and Tower of Power. He is best known for manning System of a Down’s monitors over the past decade.
What being around the serious sonic horsepower that heavy-metal music engenders has taught Hara is that anything he can do to make the monitoring environment for his musicians safer, more comfortable, and more accurate - but without sacrificing impact - he’ll gladly do. And the KLANG immersive in-ear monitor mixing system has become his primary tool of choice to accomplish just that.
“I first heard about the KLANG platform when it

UK - For the recent Genesis tour The Last Domino?, Roland Greil, co-lighting designer with show designer Patrick Woodroffe of Woodroffe Bassett Designs, chose five MDG theONE dual haze and fog generators, citing the need for an excellent canvas of haze on which to paint their lighting design for this iconic band’s potentially last tour (see LSi May 2022 for an in-depth report on the production).
Thoughout its history, Genesis has built a reputation for pushing boundaries with its show designs. The visual impact is a crucial, signature part of the band’s shows and a feature that Greil and Woodroffe were keen to maintain. Their show and lighting design inc

UK - Boutique hotel The Londoner located in the heart of London’s Leicester Square, with six of its 16 storeys extending over 30m underground. The Londoner combines aspects of a luxury boutique hotel with a range of bespoke meetings and events spaces.
Its award-winning AV installation was designed, supplied and installed by Visual Systems (part of the Myriad Audio Visual Group and CP Partnership), with Arup acting as consultants for the client.
To equip the hotel’s ballroom - the largest pillarless ballroom in London's West End - Visual Systems turned to the Martin by Harman lighting catalogue for a lighting system, featuring Martin ERA Series, MAC Aura Series and ELP Series. All Martin products were supplied by Martin’s UK distributor Sound Technology.
“We’ve operated in the hospitality sector for over 35 years, but this is by far and away the most

USA - Following a successful installation at La Grande Boucherie in Midtown Manhattan last year, Bond Applied Technology has again installed Martin Audio’s CDD speaker series in another top New York restaurant.
This time, the action moved to the TriBeCa district of Lower Manhattan, and a new boutique Mexican restaurant called Casa Carmen, which has been equipped with 10 ultra-compact CDD6 enclosures and four concealed SX110 subwoofers.
Collaborating once again with interior designer Julien Legeard (of Legeard Studio) -as at La Grande Boucherie - Bond director, Christopher Mayes-Wright, once again adopted the coaxial differential dispersion technology of Martin Audio’s tried and trusted CDD.
“My experience with CDD speakers has been nothing but amazing every time,” says Mayes-Wright. “I’ve been able to compare them in situ with other similar speakers

UK - Andrew Cushin, Beabadoobee, James Bay, Digga D and the Reytons are among the first acts confirmed for Electric Group’s NX Newcastle, which opens in September.
Formerly an O2 Academy venue, NX Newcastle’s substantial refurbishment will equip it to bring the best out of live music, DJ sets and club nights, emulating Electric Group’s multi-purpose model at Electric Brixton and SWX Bristol.
Enhancing the customer and the performer experience is a crucial element in Electric Group CEO Dominic Madden’s plans for NX Newcastle, where he’s working with creative architectural practice Design At Source to improve sightlines and deliver a sense of intimacy on stage and front of house.
Dominic Madden comments: “While our vision for NX Newcastle fully respects the history of the venue, it’s about putting the artist and fan experience front and centre, clos

Czech Republic - Robe was a sponsor of the Nové Město na Moravě stage of the 2022 Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, where one of the toughest parts of the XCO (cross country) course was designated Rock ‘n’ Robe, and Robe’s new Show Truck concept - providing a fully mobile studio space / meeting hub / demo area / roof deck - was also a major success, attracting considerable excitement.
“It was great to be back with a full audience this year,” comments Robe’s international marketing manager, Pavel Nemec. “It gave us an opportunity to show our support for a fantastic sporting event, to have our branding visible everywhere and appreciate the performances of some of the best cycling athletes in the world, simultaneously demonstrating how our Show Truck can be provide a vibrant and practical event space, a public gallery and a VIP deck.”
B

USA - The DALI Alliance is strengthening its focus on the DALI-2 product certification programme, including D4i, after ending registration of DALI version-1 control gear.
DALI-2 certification builds confidence in the interoperability of DALI-based devices from different manufacturers. As a standardised platform, DALI-2 mitigates concerns around proprietary technologies and vendor lock-in, and enables futureproof luminaire and system designs for sustainable lighting.
Driven by the DALI Alliance and building on the requirements of the international IEC 62386 standard, DALI-2 certification requires rigorous product testing. The test results are independently verified by the DALI Alliance. In contrast, DALI version-1 testing was less detailed and relied on self-declaration, without requiring third-party verification of test results.
DALI-2 certification is now avai

USA - Fulcrum Acoustic and Belgian amplifier manufacturer Apex have announced an exclusive distribution partnership that will see Apex CloudPower installation amplifiers introduced to the US.
CloudPower is a family of four-channel Class-D amplifiers with integral DSP. Available in four models ranging from 350W to 3000W per channel, CloudPower amplifiers can be monitored and controlled remotely from any device without the need for a site visit.
Stephen Siegel, Fulcrum Acoustic president, welcomed the new relationship. “I've known [Apex MD] Paul van Hees for many years,” he says. “When Paul sent us a CloudPower amplifier for evaluation, we immediately saw the potential for these amplifiers in the USA. The combination of pristine audio performance with the ability to control amplifiers remotely makes CloudPower a compelling solution for many applications.”

France - Located only 30 minutes from Paris on a “farm at the end of the meadows,” as its website proclaims, Cabaret Du Bout Des Près transports visitors to another world, beyond the reach of the hustle and bustle of the city, where they can enjoy rustic French cuisine and fine wines in a relaxed setting, while taking in music and dance productions that represent the best of France’s can-can tradition.
The original stone walls and exposed beams of the converted 17th century stable where the cabaret revues are performed take guests back to an earlier, simpler era, while also providing an evocative backdrop to the contemporary and ebullient shows, making the experience at Cabaret Du Bout Des Près all the more memorable.
Enhancing the visual impact of this setting and providing the production teams behind the shows with broader and more powerful creative options i

Costa Rica - PAS Church recently embarked on the task of selecting and installing a new FOH console to manage an increasingly demanding weekly schedule. With multiple services each week, a range of group meetings, broadcast services and a thriving music department, the Church needed a new console that could manage the technical demands of this varied programme.
Enlisting the services of local audio specialist, Mas Música Internacional S.A, the church settled on DiGiCo’s compact, SD12 digital mixing console.
“We were looking to replace our incumbent console, and we needed a robust replacement, capable of withstanding daily use thanks to the Church’s hectic weekly programme of live, virtual and musical events,” explains PAS Community Church’s sound manager, Luca Frugone, who has been in charge of the Church’s audio requirements since 2016. “The brief was t

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