USA - Behind the Scenes reports that NATEAC, the North American Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference, has made a $10,000 donation to support the work of the charity. NATEAC is a quadrennial conference which had been scheduled to take place in New York City last summer and was turned into a highly successful virtual conference held 20-22 July, 2021.
On presenting the cheque, NATEAC founder, Bill Sapsis, commented, “All of us at NATEAC are very happy to provide this donation in support of the terrific work the Behind the Scenes Foundation offers through its grants program and mental health initiative.” In 2016 NATEAC donated the proceeds from its conference dinner at Sardi’s to the charity. In 2021 the pandemic forced NATEAC to cancel the dinner but the conferen

Germany - ARRI has announced the release of ARRI LightNet, a new software platform designed by ARRI’s Solutions Group to offer ‘smart, logical, and at-a-glance centralized monitoring, fault-finding, and management of broadcast studio lighting networks from anywhere’
This tool enables broadcast facilities to streamline the management of their lighting network in one platform. As remote, decentralized, and socially distanced working becomes more popular and established, ARRI LightNet provides comprehensive, user-friendly monitoring of lighting networks and will be offered with all ARRI Solutions Group tenders and projects.
ARRI LightNet has been developed as a powerful, visually intuitive, and flexible tool to assist the smooth and efficient operation of contemporary studio facilities with both IP-based and DMX-controlled lighting systems. Features include a very

UK - Data Strategy has announced the availability of a Replacement Computer Package to address an unusual circumstance.
Known globally as a quality assurance and electrical safety workhorse, early adopters of QC-Check workstation were supplied with computers running Microsoft Windows 7. This operating system, released in 2009, went into an end-of-life programme in January 2020 and, for security reasons, best practice is to update to the current version of Windows. The QC-Check Replacement Computer Package is a quick and simple solution that is shipped ready to go.
Customers including Nottinghamshire-based Trans-Sport, London’s Royal Opera house and The NEC Arena, Birmingham, have already benefitted from the Replacement Computer Package for a secure and streamlined continuation of service.
Managing director of Trans-Sport, Shaun Cope, confirmed, “Outwardly we

Canada - Érik Nowosielski-Lamoureux lit a Canada Day celebration at the Saint-Ours Canal National Historic Site, about an hour out of Montreal.
Faced with a relatively large stage for the size of his rig, Nowosielski-Lamoureux relied on his own ingenuity to stretch his fixtures in a way that ensured that the three musical acts and procession of speakers at the event were all shown in the best light. Helping him achieve this feat was a collection of Chauvet Professional Rogue and COLORado fixtures supplied by RobinSon Productions of Quebec.
“Our mobile stage was 32ft by 24ft, which was rather large for what we had; but with all the band gear, you quickly lose a lot of space,” said Nowosielski-Lamoureux. “So I spread the six Rogue R2 Beam units in my rig across the stage, placing two near the drum stand on 8-foot truss, two more on road cases, one on each side of

Germany - Known for its flagship software products, Silverstack and Livegrade, Pomfort has been simplifying digital movie production workflows for over 10 years. Most recently, the German software manufacturer has extended Livegrade Studio, its leading app for live grading and integration of digital imaging processes on-set, to export 3D LUTs (Look Up Tables) directly to Brompton Technology’s Tessera SX40 or S8 processors via a network connection.
This makes use of the 3D LUT Import feature offered by the latest Tessera v3.2 software. Livegrade users can now send 3D LUTs in near real time using Brompton’s API, thus taking full advantage of Livegrade’s powerful live grading features when working with LED screens using Brompton’s Tessera processing.
Essential in applications such as image editing, film and video, 3D LUTs are used to remap the input colour values
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ETC Halcyon Silent

High End Systems Halcyon Silent builds on ETC’s legacy of fanless automated fixtures by incorporating features from the highly sought-after Halcyon family. Halcyon Silent perfectly balances silent operation with brilliant output of 18,400 lumens and high-impact features. 

For more information visit us at www.etcconnect.com

UK - The award-winning Leeds Playhouse is the largest regional repertory theatre in the UK outside London and Stratford and has earned an international reputation as one of Britain's most exciting producing theatres. The Playhouse has been welcoming audiences for over 50 years and most recently underwent a £16m transformation which includes improved access to and around the theatre, a new city-facing entrance and the addition of a new studio theatre, the Bramall Rock Void.
The theatre’s continuing investment in its audio infrastructure has seen the recent purchase of 24 channels of Shure’s Axient Digital wireless systems from Autograph. Tom Cuthbertson, deputy head of sound at Leeds Playhouse, comments: “Our old RF systems were in need of replacement after many years of use. Unfortunately, we also lost the use of around half of them in the most recent Ofcom frequency

USA - PRG has incorporated L-Acoustics L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound Technology into its Los Angeles Virtual Production Studio. This advanced audio technology pairs with PRG’s extended reality setup to offer an array of tools for multi-sensory immersive experiences.
In addition to the L-ISA technology permanently available in the Los Angeles studio, which includes an immersive loudspeaker configuration and processing hardware, the new L-ISA Studio software suite, launched in April, makes it easier for sound creators to design immersive audio with 3D control interface and audio processing, all available on a personal computer. Creators can use L-ISA Studio software from any computer, listen to and prepare their content in binaural sound using headphones, and then bring their creation to the PRG Los Angeles Virtual Production Studio where it will seamlessly translate to L
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Create new traditions – Cameo P6 - High Output Full-Spectrum Ellipsoidal

Cameo's P6 is a future-proof LED profiler with a powerful 600 W RGBACL engine and 16,000 lumens. It’s an energy-efficient replacement for 2.5 kW halogen profile lights in theatres and venues. With excellent light quality and natural colour rendering, it fits perfectly in theatres, musicals, TV studios, congresses, and live events.

With an LED life of 50,000 hours and low power use, the P6 cuts energy costs and supports the EU’s ‘Green Deal’ goals for climate neutrality by 2050. It also meets updated eco-design rules for lighting.

www.cameolight.com/p6profile

Virtual Fundraising - Musicians including Annie Lennox, Ed Sheeran and Sir Mick Jagger will join with Bollywood stars to raise funds for Covid relief work in India. A virtual fundraising event entitled We For India: Saving Lives will take place on Sunday 15 August, in both London and Mumbai.
The three-hour event, ran by social impact enterprise The World We Want, will be livestreamed over Facebook. It will feature more than 80 Indian performers such as composer AR Rahman. Nile Rodgers, Sister Sledge, Jay Shetty and Nancy Ajram will also take part in the event. Rajkummar Rao, star of Oscar and Bafta-nominated film The White Tiger, will host the event.
Prohibitively Expensive - Theatre heavyweights Cameron Mackintosh, Michael Harrison and Sonia Friedman have criticised the government’s recently announced insurance scheme, labelling it “prohibitiv

UK - One of the first things that visitors to Wembley Stadium will see in 2021 are the bespoke LED screens created by LG Electronics (LG) as part of the remodelling of the stadium’s entrance that has seen the old concrete pedestrian flyovers replaced by a new set of Olympic Steps.
A joint project developed in partnership with stadium owner the Football Association, Brent Council, and surrounding landowner and developer Quintain, the most eye-catching aspects of the new design are the giant LED screens that dominate the entrance. Composed of one enormous 460sqm screen mounted on the inside of the Great Hall facing outwards, dubbed the Large External Screen or ‘LES’, and flanked by two 230sq.m displays, nicknamed the ‘Ears’, the screens are the most visible part of an enormous project undertaken by FA partner LG that will also see the venue’s 1200 plasma screens al

UK - Having given their new RCF HDL 30-A rig an auspicious debut at Rutland Water recently for the Frankie Valli tribute act, Frankie’s Guys, JPS Sound & Light were in action again at the Colesdale Farm festival site near Potters Bar for the now firmly established Zimfest Live - a colourful celebration of Zimbabwean music.
Working alongside Gareth Wildman’s Stage Tec as they frequently do, John Southee’s Peterborough based company populated the 12 x 10m Alidome stage with two hangs of eight HDL 30-A active two-way line array modules. These were underpinned with two 18 RCF SUB 9006-AS on the ground in front of the stage, while across the stage lip were RCF’s NX 15-SMA reference monitors.
Wildman, who has known John Southee for the past 20 years, has increasingly turned to the sound system specialist for his deployment of RCF’s control tool, RDNet.
W

Europe - Robe Esprite luminaires and RoboSpot remote follow spotting systems – the first installed on an ocean-going liner – are providing a flexible solution for the Two70 Theatre space aboard the new 1,138ft long, 169 gross tonne Odyssey of the Seas, the latest Ultra Quantum-class ship launched by Royal Caribbean International.
Built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, the technical specifications for the various onboard entertainment spaces were coordinated by Christopher Vlassopulos, Royal Caribbean’s sound, light and AV systems manager for new build projects. The installation was completed by media technology specialists and integrators, Amptown System Company (ASC).
Two70 is featured on all four of Royal Caribbean’s Quantum-class ships, and fitting traditional follow spots into these was always a challenge. Due to the steep angle of the sea

Italy - Sound engineers chose Point Source Audio's CO-8WL omnidirectional waterproof lavalier microphones for the immersive production of Puccini's Tosca, staged in the courtyard of Palazzo Farnese in Northern Italy's city of Piacenza.
Due to the necessary social distancing of the audience and performers, this production called on many more technical elements than you would usually find in an opera. From the projection mapping around the facade of the courtyard used for the staging to the immersive audio environment created by the Outboard TiMax system, this was a performance where technology came to the forefront to transport the audience back to Napoleonic Rome.
Creating the kind of audio environment where every nuance could be reproduced naturally and precisely required premium components at every stage of the signal chain.
"Point Source Audio's CO-8WL

Denmark - Copenhagen’s Østre Gasværk Theatre is staging a revival of the 2017 Danish production of Green Day’s iconic American Idiot sung-through drama directed and choreographed by Tim Zimmerman, which is proving to be every bit as popular as the original show.
Once again, the technical discipline of automation is crucial to Benjamin la Cour’s dramatic, stark scenography and production design, and a Kinesys Apex automation system - a combination of 1,250kg and 500kg Apex motors with Vector control - is at the heart of delivering the elegant millimetre-perfect movement control, advanced safety requirements plus other cool features like silent braking that are essential for the delivery of this captivating show. The hoists are moving three large scenery pieces making up a concrete-look scenic floor, which also transforms into separate ceiling pieces that work t

New Zealand - After more than a year of lockdown, the wait was finally over when the multi-platinum selling band, Six60, embarked on a massive tour across New Zealand. The Six60 Saturdays tour culminated with a historic ‘first’ when they became the first ever band to play at the Eden Park stadium in Auckland, with over 50,000 fans gathering to see the live show.
Video production and equipment supplier, Big Picture, provided a complete video system package both for the tour and the inaugural concert at Eden Park, which included Brompton Technology’s Tessera LED processing.
“Coming out of a year of Covid restrictions, we were excited to be given an opportunity to put together a video system package for the upcoming Six60 Saturdays tour,” says Paul Carppe, general manager – NZ at Big Picture. “We have a close working relationship with Eccles Entertainment (

UK - Audient has announced a partnership with The VoiceOver Network. As part of the pairing, Audient is contributing to the voice over industry Buzz magazine, the associated podcast and the monthly Voiceover Hour webinars, as well as offering discounts to members.
Started back in 2013 by Rachel Naylor, The VoiceOver Network provides a friendly and supportive hub for voice over professionals of all levels to share and develop their expertise in this booming industry.
Audient’s marketing director, Andy Allen says, “We are proud to have partnered with The VoiceOver Network and look forward to working closely together in supporting the fast-growing VO community. With more content than ever being made, we are dedicated to ensuring all voice over artists have access to and understand the benefits of using professional grade audio products when recording.”

UK - Mainline Show Productions have invested in both Martin Audio’s Wavefront Precision WPS and WPM rigs.
The Manchester-based event providers, described as a one-stop shop for most technical aspects of live production and dry hire, decided to extend their capacity rather than simply replace existing PA. “We saw WPS opening up more possibilities for us on small to medium festivals, so went for 16 boxes. WPM will give us flexibility on smaller gigs in its own right, or as fill for WPS-rigged stages, so we opted for eight enclosures,” states Director, Rob Lorton. He confirms that the company will also be pushing further into corporate and installation work as the industry emerges from lockdown.
Carrying on the festival theme, he says, “We're confident the kit list should double our capability for a reasonably sized independent festival stage or major festival su

Austria - Austrian Audio is now shipping the new Hi-X15 closed-back headphones and the Hi-X25BT. They’re designed for ‘studio, stage, rehearsal room, on tour, or practising at home’.
The folding design of the Hi-X15 makes them easy to store and carry. They are extremely robust, thanks to the durable all-metal hinge and bow. The closed construction and insulation of the Hi-X15 headphones open up many areas of application: in studio recording sessions, as a monitor on stage, and as a reliable companion in the rehearsal room, says Austrian.
The Hi-X25BT gives ‘ultimate listening flexibility’. You no longer need to change headphones for different tasks or locations. If you’re wearing them in the studio, working on a record or a mix, you'll connect with analogue or digital audio.
The Hi-X15 and the Hi-X25BT headphones use the award-winning drivers of the H

USA - Robert John Baker was called upon to light the award-winning Andrew Lippa musical based on the famously eccentric Addams Family, at the historic (121-year-old) Casino Theatre in Vandergrift, PA.
“Before designing this show, I went back and watched some of the old Addams Family programmes and the film to see the world through their perspective,” he said. “The way they saw the world was quite different than what we deem to be normal. I wanted that to inform my design.”
Baker’s empathy for the characters in the Addams Family is readily apparent in the way he uses light to distinguish their unique personalities, express their hopes, and accentuate key moments as their stories unfold in this darkly funny musical comedy.
Helping him convey the family’s emotions, while creating a sense of mystery around them were the Chauvet Professional Ovation E-910

Germany - Neumann has introduced the KH 750 AES67 subwoofer, a product variant of the KH 750 DSP for AES67-based environments. Thanks to its DSP power provides access to Neumann's Automatic Monitor Alignment MA 1, thus allowing for room adaptive correction of the entire monitoring system, including even the connected analogue Neumann loudspeakers – in amplitude and phase.
“The compact KH 750 AES67 is suitable for all areas in which audio over IP in existing AES67 infrastructure is to be routed all the way to the loudspeakers in a redundant and lossless manner. Its AES67 interface allows to address not only the subwoofer but the entire stereo system, including the speakers connected to the KH 750 AES67,” explains portfolio manager Markus Wolff. “Its dual AES67 audio network connections are fully compliant with broadcast standards such as ST 2110 and ST 2022-7 redundan

UK - A South-West event production company has successfully delivered the UK leg of international yacht race, SailGP, which was hosted in Plymouth for the first time.
Cornwall-based JHAV worked with SailGP’s UK event director and global team to design, organise, and manage the event, which took place on 17-18 July.
Known as the F1 of sailing, SailGP saw eight international teams from Australia, France, USA, Great Britain, Denmark, Japan, New Zealand, and Spain compete in front of more than 4,000 fans each day at Plymouth Hoe.
John Hibdige, JHAV’s production manager, said: “We’re well known for our AV services, though we also specialise in production and event management, tailoring our services to client’s needs. Our team provided a full event service for SailGP, and I’m really proud of the outcome.
“Plymouth Hoe is one of the world’s best na

UK - TV lighting specialist Version 2 has launched a new Lighting for Radio podcast series that offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of some of the UK's leading TV & film lighting professionals.
Each episode will talk to some of the industry's leading lighting experts as they share first-hand experiences and lessons on how they reached the top of their profession.
Nick Edwards, managing director of Version 2 explains the concept of the podcast. "Born out of a lockdown idea, this behind the scenes podcast series will give listeners and I hope In particular students’ ideas for their future career paths,” he says.
Hosting every conversation is broadcaster Nia Visser, whose career credits include work as a radio presenter with the BBC and currently Jazz FM.
The first episode, which is available now on all popular podcast apps, talks to Nick Edward

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