France - Now in its ninth year, Hellfest has grown to become one of the three largest festivals in France, attracting more than 150,000 metal fans over its three days. For the second year, rental company Melpomen brought the Nexo STM modular line array down to the peaceful town of Clisson (near Nantes), for a spectacular line-up of rock and heavy metal legends - Aerosmith, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Status Quo, Rob Zombie, Megadeth and Soundgarden.

Although there are six venues at the Hellfest, the big names appear on the famous twin stages, Main Stage 1 and Main Stage 2. The action alternates between these two, and the PA systems effectively run as one, continuously.

Both stages were equipped with identical STM systems; each had a dedicated L/R main hang of 15 x STM M46 Main Modules and 15 x STM B112 Bass Modules per side; 60 x S118 Subs were ground-stacked in g

Australia - Greenroom Productions supplies all of the in-house audio and lighting to Canberra's ANU bar as well as other small events around the city. Recently the company purchased a Soundcraft Si Performer 2 console along with a Vi Stagebox as a low-cost expansion option.

"We use the Soundcraft Si Performer 2 at the ANU bar as a foldback console," remarked Garry Peadon of Greenroom.

"Chris Neal at Canberra's Eclipse Lighting and Sound owns a Soundcraft Si Performer 2 and he told me how good it was and that was good enough for me. They know their stuff and if they say something is good, you know it is. It also stood apart from its competitors because you could expand it."

However, when it comes to expressing his initial thoughts on his new Soundcraft Si Performer 2 console, Garry isn't shy in coming forward. "At first I wasn't too sure of it because

Poland - Production company Gigant Sound Letus recently deployed part of its new Outline GTO inventory at a major gathering in Warsaw.

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of Freedom Day, marking the end of communist rule in Poland in 1989, this remarkable global gathering saw US President Barack Obama plus 50 European heads of state, the Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski and various royalty attend a special concert in the capital's Castle Square.

Gigant Sound Letus specified a compact nine-per-side GTO main system supplemented by eight GTO-SUB modules, all powered by Powersoft T11 amplifiers. Company founder and owner Jurek Taborowski said, "The GTO system, with a DiGiCo SD5 at FOH, delivered perfectly-controlled audio for both live music and the speeches. At the mix position, some 65m from the stage and 2m off the ground, the audio reproduction was perfect. During the c

UK - One Direction is presently in the midst of a global tour that began in South America and has now landed in the UK and Europe. This is a full on stadium tour with all the production values that accompany it. The hardware for Paul Normandale's lighting design comes courtesy of Lite Alternative and the followspots chosen as the first option for both FOH and on truss are Robert Juliat fixtures that come from exclusive UK distributors, Ambersphere Solutions.

With a 30m thrust stage into the centre of the stadium and the most video screen yet to be toured with an artist, the choice of followspot was a key component to a successfully lit show as Normandale explains, "My design was really determined by the set and the video - I put lights up that I knew would be able to perform against so much screen and sunlight. There is no front truss and the boys spend most of the set on t

The Netherlands - A new reality format is breaking all the records in the Netherlands: Utopia is a hit with both TV and Internet audiences. Devised by John de Mol and produced by Talpa, Utopia has invited 15 inhabitants to leave their usual lives behind for a full year to create an ideal mini-society of their own in Blaricum, near Hilversum.

Multimedia company Dutchview was faced with the big challenge of covering a 12,500 square metre area with both video and audio recording equipment to follow the Utopia inhabitants. In order to provide coverage to this vast area with an RF wireless solution, they turned to Sennheiser Benelux for assistance.

Since the start of Utopia on 6 January, the people of the Netherlands have been watching in droves to discover whether the 15 inhabitants will manage to create the life of their dreams - or whether their ambitious pr

USA - Robert Juliat and A.C.T Lighting have entered into a strategic agreement for A.C.T Lighting to become the exclusive distributor for all Robert Juliat products in the US.

The RJ USA Wallingford office will remain operational through the end of the year, but A.C.T Lighting will manage all sales and customer service issues going forward. RJ USA's Fred Lindauer and Pete Engel will join the A.C.T Lighting sales group and the entire team will work together to provide a smooth and seamless transition.

Founded in 1993, A.C.T Lighting is a leading distributor of entertainment lighting equipment used in the concert touring, theatrical, and architectural industries.

"We are very proud to add Robert Juliat lighting products to A.C.T roster," says A.C.T Lighting chairman Bob Gordon. "Robert Juliat has long been a leader in the field and has established an excellent r

UK - The Knight of Illumination (KOI) awards has announced that East London's art deco Troxy will host the ceremony for the first time, on Monday 5 October.

The venue, once one of the largest cinemas in 1930's England, is a grade II listed building that has played host to stars such as Vera Lyn, Jarvis Cocker and London Grammar. The KOI awards will take place during PLASA London.

Pio Nahum, sales and marketing director at Clay Paky, one of the organisers of the event says, "We are really excited to move the awards to this popular new venue. We wanted to give a new feel to the awards, something edgy and unique rather than stark and corporate. Lighting design is all about creative vision and personality and that is what we wanted to reflect in our choice of new venue."

The KOI awards is celebrating its seventh year in 2014, and recently gained national media attentio

The Netherlands - The Purple Group in Schijndel is one of the most respected entertainment technology rental companies in the Netherlands and celebrates its 25th anniversary this year having built its reputation on offering "fantastic service by fabulous people with the right attitude and a passion for their work ... together with continual investment in the best brands" - which in recent years has included Robe.

The company was founded by the charismatic Harry Zinken in 1989. By the time he was in his late teens he was already a seasoned entertainment professional, having launched his mobile DJ career at 14. This was a great success and ran in parallel with his studies which included electronics engineering.

On leaving college he initially embarked on a regular job as an electrician, but soon became bored of a 9-5 routine and quit when 21 to devote his considerable

The Netherlands - W-DMX by Wireless Solution Sweden brought beautiful light to the latest performance of the Leidse Koorboeken (The Leiden Choir Book) concerts in The Netherlands. The concerts are from the six choir books that are kept in the Dutch Leiden Archives, made in the sixteenth century and written for church. They make up Europe's largest collection of its kind. The concerts run for four days across The Netherlands and are always a popular attraction.

W-DMX dealer and client Keylight Design & Supply took charge of the 2014 production, using W-DMX built into 30 Clay Paky GlowUp fixtures, which were used to light columns and architectural features for the performance.

Lighting designer Gary Yates of Keylight said, "The biggest challenge W-DMX solved was that this production was crewed by just one person with a load in time of just two hours. W-DMX has helped solve

UK - Sir Elton John recently partnered with UK charity SportsAid to deliver a solo concert at Stoke Park Country Club in Buckinghamshire. London based lighting specialist White Light was chosen to supply lighting solutions for the special event, which raised more than £300,000 to help young athletes in their pursuit of Paralympic or Olympic success.

White Light worked closely with production manager Mark Berry and technical manager Jon Ricketts to ensure the event's success. Lighting designer Andy Pygott, Elton John's regular LD, determined the lighting plan for the stage to be consistent with the look and feel of previous Elton John performances. Lighting designer Quentin Jarman looked after the design for Katherine Jenkins' concert, held the following night, using the same lighting rig.

Planning for the project began six months ahead of the event. With Andy Pygott alre

UK - Digital Insanity have recently taken their Hippotizers to the European movie premiere of the new Godzilla. Directed by Gareth Edwards, as his second feature film after Monsters, this version of the Japanese classic has been much anticipated by movie lovers worldwide.

The premiere took place in London's Leicester Square on 11 May 2014 and saw the red carpet rolled out in front of the Odeon Theatre, just days prior to the film's official release.

Digital Insanity mapped the eight huge LED screens, all supplied, rigged and spread across one side of Leicester Square by rental company VER. Each screen had one of the letters G.O.D.Z.I.L.L.A. masked onto the front which created an impressive light box effect and they were programmed with lighting chases and effects including footage from the movie in question.

Richard Bagshaw of Digital Insanity explains, "U

Malta - When is an opera house not a house at all? Well, a visit to the centre of Malta's capital city Valletta will soon answer the question. In the very centre is the site of the Royal Opera House, in its heyday a landmark building designed by British architect Edward Middleton Barry who is best known for designing Covent Garden Theatre.

From its opening in 1866 it remained the cultural centre of Malta until 1942 when it suffered extensive damage during a bombing raid. Since then there have been several attempts to reconstruct the site, all of which came to nothing.

Finally, in 2008, renowned architect Renzo Piano submitted plans for an open air venue, built sympathetically among the ruins of the original Opera House. Despite much debate and criticism about the design, the venue was officially inaugurated in August 2013 and named Pjazza Teatru Rjal (Royal Theatre Square) and

Hungary - The Palace of Arts in Budapest (locally named Muvészetek Palotája and abbreviated Müpa) is one of the most prestigious concert halls in Central and Eastern Europe, designed by leading architect Gábor Zoboki in 2005.

Its previous colour-changing lighting system, installed a decade ago, had become outdated and did not provide the deep, highly saturated colouration desired by the architect. Therefore, with TriGránit Management Ingatlankezelö és Hasznosító Kft. on board as investor, a tender was initiated for modernisation of the façade lighting system, which SGM won by engaging with local distributor, Zaj System House Trading.

Their executive director, Tamás Fazekas, explains, "As this is a stand-alone building on the banks of the Danube, which is bordered by one of the busiest bridges in the city, all the façades are of equal importance and

UK - Martin Audio's groundbreaking Multi-Cellular Loudspeaker Array (MLA) system has made Glastonbury history by delivering the highest sound levels to the audience without exceeding noise pollution levels beyond the perimeter.

Making its Glastonbury debut, the system deployed on the Pyramid Stage was impressive in every respect, utilising cabinets from the entire MLA range of loudspeakers. This comprised a total of 72 MLA for the main hangs, eight MLA Compact for stereo in-fill at the pit barrier and four delay positions of 14 MLA each. The latest addition to the range, the MLA Mini, also featured, providing stereo in-fill behind the FOH control structure and onstage coverage of artists' guest viewing platforms. A massive broadside array of 38 MLX stretched across the entire width of the stage to provide sub-bass support to the entire system.

The company's MLA technology enab

UK - The fifth annual PLASA Rigging Conference will be held on Monday 6 October 2014 in the North Hall Gallery Rooms, alongside the PLASA London Show at ExCeL London. For the first time, the conference will be delivered as a one-day package - a move that will improve accessibility and reduce cost to the delegate.

Building on the success of previous years, the programme, which is again curated by Chris Higgs of Total Solutions, will comprise seven sessions in one day, as opposed to eight over two days. The first session details to be announced are that of keynote speaker, Bill Sapsis, who will share his experiences and insights from a 40-year career in the entertainment rigging industry.

Sapsis is a USITT Fellow and a past member of the USITT Board of Directors. He is currently a member of the ETCP Council and Chair of the Rigging Working Group for PLASA NA. Sapsis is the recip

UK - SES worked closely with TV lighting specialists Aurora Lighting Hire Ltd to develop some bespoke IP rated distribution boxes.

Aurora approached SES after an increase in the company's Location work. The company found it was increasingly being asked to handle all aspects of broadcast power for supplying outside broadcast trucks, mobile galleries and satellite uplinks.

Aurora came to SES with an in depth brief incorporating key switchable / variable RCD's to allow total control of all outputs. The units have gone straight into use on the BBC's forthcoming production Tumble at Elstree Film Studios.

(Jim Evans)

Silver Clef Awards - Justin Timberlake won the best live act award at the Silver Clef Awards, beating artists including Arcade Fire and the Rolling Stones. Timberlake picked up half a million votes in the only award voted for by the public. Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page won the 02 Silver Clef prize and told the audience, "Thank you so very much - it's been an incredible day today." Sir Tom Jones was honoured with a lifetime achievement award. The event, which took place at London's Hilton Hotel, raised £531,000 for Nordoff Robbins, the music therapy charity.

Get Back - Sir Paul McCartney has resumed his concert tour after being forced to take nearly two months off due to a virus that left him in hospital. The 72-year-old played an arena in Albany, New York, on Saturday night as part of his Out There tour. "It's great to be back," he told the c

Lebanon - The country's first public television network Télé Liban and pan-Arabist satellite television channel Al Mayadeen have tuned in to the power of Philips Selecon LED and professional studio lighting solutions from Philips Strand Lighting in a major upgrade to existing kit.

State-owned Télé Liban and private Al Mayadeen are both significant channels in the region. Télé Liban is one of the longest established TV stations in the Middle East whilst Al Mayadeen is a wide-ranging news channel, owning offices in Tunisia, Cairo and Tehran, and headquarters in Beirut.

Both studios needed an overhaul of their previous lighting equipment to optimise broadcasting capabilities. Lebanon distributor Prolites supplied and installed 26 Philips Selecon SPX Zoomspot luminaires and four Philips Strand Lighting SD6 Dimmer Packs into two newly renov

South Africa -Spirit Word in Stilfontein, 8km from Klerksdorp in the Northwestern province, recently purchased six Robin 100 LEDBeams and an Avolites Titan Mobile to be used for their live broadcasts and church services.

The ministry was established in 1980 by Pastor Kobus van Rensburg. He sadly passed away at the end of last year and now the outreach continues by his team and his three sons, Kobus, Petrus and Johan who also formed the band, Sons of Life, associated to Spirit Word.

"I was shown the Robin 100 LEDBeams by the tech guys at hand at DWR Distribution in Johannesburg," said Petrus van Rensburg. "We decided to go with it and the units have turned out to be really amazing, better than we initially expected."

The fixtures have been positioned in the Spirit Word auditorium, which is a venue utilised for church services, conferences and also Sons of

USA - At Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, the Department of Theatre strives to entertain, instruct, move and motivate audiences of all sizes.

During their recent production of Shrek: The Musical, assistant professor David Hardy was challenged to live up to this motto through an energetic and compelling lighting design that could bring the full production to life. To do so, he needed extra punch and colour from his lighting tools, so he turned to Philips Vari-Lite and chose VL770 Spot luminaires as his design solution.

"When we first started the design process we hadn't planned on using any moving fixtures, but as we got further into the script, we realized we needed multiple lighting positions and a wide range of color options," began Hardy. "Looking at the automated luminaires available, we didn't have space for large fixtures and they had to

Switzerland - When The Olympic Museum in Lausanne reopened recently after a two-year renovation, it made extensive use of audio-visual and interactive techniques that take visitors on what's been called "a multidimensional journey across the Olympic Universe".

Electrosonic designed the AV system, which is simple for visitors to use and offers maximum flexibility for the museum, under subcontract with media producer Centre Screen Productions of Manchester, England. Electrosonic handled the system engineering and integration under a separate subcontract with Paragon Creative of York, England.

Located on the shores of Lake Geneva, The Olympic Museum is now a greatly expanded, four-level venue spanning more than 32,000sq.ft and featuring over 1,000 objects and 150 screens, which deliver an informative and immersive experience to Olympic fans and the curious from around t

USA - The Roosevelt Road area of Chicago suburb, Berwyn, has its share of up-and-coming music clubs, including recent addition, Wire, which opened last fall in the former Oakwyn Theatre.

Built in 1934 and formerly a mid-century movie house and Teamsters union hall, the 10,000sq.ft space has been completely renovated with an expansive rebuild to house the 400-seat club as well as a mezzanine level with offices, recording studio and VIP area. Further setting Wire apart from the other venues in the area is a RoomMatch loudspeaker system from Bose Professional Systems.

Installed by regional professional audio integrator TC Furlong, Inc., the system is composed of four RM9020 modules, two RM12020 modules, an RM7010 module and two RMS218 subwoofers. These are powered by four Bose PowerMatch PM8500N networked amplifiers and managed by the Bose ControlSpace ESP-00 engineered sound pro

USA - Billed as 'A Very Special Evening With The Dave Matthews Band', the group's latest US shows are giving fans two distinct sets from DMB with no opening act, a first for the group. The tour is also debuting High End Systems' innovative new Shapeshifter automated luminaire to enthusiastic fans across the US. With production support by TMS, LD Fenton Williams and programmer / co-production designer Aaron Stinebrink are putting Shapeshifter through its paces as the fixture serves as their eye candy 'workhorse' during the second set.

Following an acoustic set that showcases classic conventional lighting looks - often during daylight, the band takes a short break then returns for a two-hour electric tour de force, where Shapeshifters add impressive textures and effects to the visuals produced by Williams and Stinebrink.

Aaron explains how the new fixture came to be a featured e

UK - Metropolis Music has announced its intention to make its open air shows in Bristol harbourside into an annual event, having staged two very successful events on 25 June with Paolo Nutini, and 26 June with The Pogues.

Metropolis Music has established the Summer Series concerts at Somerset House with American Express over the past decade, delivering a range of artists in this historic setting and this year launched the first major live events in Bristol's harbourside for ten years.

Flanked by two tall ships with their masts lit for the occasion, Paolo Nutini played a combination of reworked classics and a selection of tunes from his latest album Caustic Love to a sell out crowd of 5000, before heading to Glastonbury for his set on Friday. With Paolo's concert selling out in just three hours, The Pogues were also a hit, attracting 3500 people who danced the night away

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