USA - After dominating the country music charts with 35 number ones, more than 60 career singles and a dedicated fan base, Alan Jackson has chosen Nashville-based Elite Multimedia Productions (EMP) to handle all lighting, video and LED for his 25th anniversary, Keepin' It Country tour, which is sponsored by Kubota Tractor Corporation.

The tour, which kicked off in early January in Fort Myers, Fla. and continues through the summer, has production needs that vary with the many different types of venues it plays. Lighting and video play a major role in the country icon's production so that audiences feel the camaraderie that is driven home through Jackson's songs.

Account manager Peter Streiff assisted in compiling lighting gear from Vari*Lite, Martin, Clay Paky and PixelFLEX LED video curtains that are all serviced through EMP, and help to creatively deliver those goals p

USA - When lighting designer Tyler Santangelo decided that floating diamonds would look better than squares on the stage for the Irish Christian experimental group Rend Collective, he simply adjusted the Nexus panels on his rig and created a new look. This was the first (but certainly not the last) time that Santangelo got to appreciate the versatility of the intense COB LED panels from Chauvet Professional.

As the LD on the Rend Collective tour, which has crisscrossed the globe from Sioux Falls to West Sussex and Manhattan to Budapest, Santangelo has frequently called on the Nexus panels to create new looks to fit different venues and keep pace with spontaneous flow of the group's performance.

Rend Collective, which reached the top of the Billboard Christian Album charts (and number 13 overall) in 2014, has played in venues ranging from small churches to large arenas. "A

USA - To commemorate the 150th Birthday of famed Danish composer Carl Nielsen, Denmark-based Dacapo Records is releasing The Nielsen Project, a collection of Nielsen's symphonies and concertos as performed by the New York Philharmonic.

During production, TimbreMusic tonemeister Mikkel Nymand, recording engineer on the project, relied on DPA Microphones' d:dicate 4015S Wide Cardioid and 4006A Omnidirectional Microphones to accommodate the unique audio requirements at Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center and to achieve a natural quality of the live ensemble.

As one of the most famous concert venues for classic performers, Fisher Hall has a history of presenting audio challenges for symphonic music, namely diffusions that fall short of producing a rich natural sound and an imperfect early reflection pattern. To account for this, Nymand tested the acoustics of the venue during pre

Korea - Allen & Heath's iLive digital system and GL2800 analogue mixer were installed in Korea's new Incheon Asiad stadium, built to host the 17th Asian Games.

Taking three years to construct, the gigantic stadium is capable of holding up to 62,000 people and was used for the Games main sporting events, as well as events before the Games, such as Korean Pop (K-POP) concerts. As many as 13,000 athletes from 45 countries competed.

The organiser was looking for a stable but flexible multi-purpose audio system, which would satisfy the need for both digital and analogue technology. Allen & Heath's South Korean distributor, Sama ProSound, suggested an iLive-144 Control Surface with iDR-48 MixRack to serve as the main system, with a GL2800 as the sub system.

"iLive was chosen because it has both the capability and flexibility to manage the audio system, and it can be controlle

USA - Victory Preparatory Academy in the Denver suburb of Commerce City, Colorado is a new charter school for middle school and high school students. Successful applicants to VPA score in the top ten-percent on state tests, making it an elite place of learning for nearly 500 students ranging from sixth grade to tenth grade.

To ensure the growth of its recently-kindled school spirit, school district officials hired Audio Visual Colorado to design and install a high-impact sound reinforcement system in its combination gymnasium/auditorium. AV Colorado obliged, giving VPA a pair of high-fidelity Danley Sound Labs SM-100F full-range loudspeakers, whose pattern control keep energy on the students in the bleachers... and not on the untreated walls.

"The client wanted a high-energy system," said Jeff Brotherston, president and design engineer at AV Colorado. "When you'

Mexico - L&P Service is a new technical services, production and rental company based in the vast and vibrant urban expanses of Mexico City which has recently invested in Robe moving lights.

It was founded in 2013 and is headed by Mariano Alfaya who is also a lighting designer, and his business partner Jose Luis Torres who is a sound engineer and production manager in addition to their duties running a busy and fast growing operation.

The two first met some years back during a tour with hugely popular Mexican pop duo Camila. Mariano was doing lights and Jose Luis audio and production - so together they made a great team. They also worked for and on numerous other companies and projects before deciding to pool resources, talents and experience ... and set up L&P Services as a customer-focused, service-driven high quality venture.

Camila remains one of their regular clients, a

South Africa - Lighting designer Francois van der Merwe incorporated 16 Clay Paky Mythos fixtures to his spectacular design at the 14th Metro FM Music Awards, hosted at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Conference Centre (ICC) in Durban on 28 February 2015.

Dream Sets were the set and technical supplier of the event, which had a live broadcast on SABC1, while rental companies Black Coffee supplied 12 newly purchased Clay Paky Mythos units and Insane Sound & Lighting made available another four.

"I like the Mythos," commented Francois van der Merwe. "I prefer them to the Sharpyss and they are nice and bright. The beams and gobos make a difference and they are fast. I would use them again." Robert Hoey from Dream Sets shared his sentiment.

The Mythos units were placed standing on the stage deck and created brilliant beam work, punching upright through the air.

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Ghana - Deeper Christian Life Ministry in Accra, the capital city of Ghana, have purchased a GDS system from South African distributor, DWR Distribution, for their 20,000 seater church, one of many branches throughout Africa.

The church building has taken some 20 years to build and the brief from the client was simple. To have a lighting system that would not be flamboyant, but would provide white light for church services and for camera work, as many meetings are recorded for television.

Johnny Scholtz from DWR Distribution was asked by GDS to oversee the project. "Power was something everyone had to consider when deciding on which product to utilize," said Johnny. The power grid in Accra is often on for 12 hours and off for 24 hours. Deeper Christian Life Ministry run off a large generator.

"GDS fixtures are energy efficient and don't draw much power,"

South Africa - Francois van der Merwe from Wizardry Group has been recognized and approved as an International Vectorworks Trainer by Nemetschek. The announcement came during a Vectorworks Training Week from 9-13 March, presented by Francois at DWR Distribution, the official Vectorworks distributor in Africa. Many players in the industry attended the course.

"It's very exciting," commented Francois. "We had been talking about it for a while and I had to send Nemetschek Vectorworks details on the course and previous training I had presented, my history as a lighting designer and also feedback from DWR."

Francois has always been passionate about Vectorworks and believes in the product. He also believes there is wonderful talent and experience in the South African industry, and with Vectorworks, a good foundation level can be put in place.

"Everyone has

UK - When members of the British progressive rock band Lifesigns decided to make a live show DVD, they called on lighting designer Chris Curran to make them look as good as they sound, a feat he accomplished with the help of Martin Professional MAC Quantum Wash light and M6 controller.

Lifesigns' two-night performance at the London rock venue Under The Bridge in January was selected for the DVD to be filmed because of its location, an LED screen at the back of the stage and the presence of existing Martin fixtures. Curran, however, was eager to make the performance a true experience for both attendees and fans, the latter of which crowd funded the DVD's production. So he got in touch with David Stewart, key account manager for Martin Professional UK, who sourced Curran with the M6 and 12 Quantum Washes for the shows.

"Under the Bridge had an array of Martin MAC 401s but I

UK - Adlib has designed and installed the first Coda Audio ViRAY sound system in the UK into one of Liverpool's landmark venues - the Grade II-listed Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, home of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and one of the UK's premier arts and entertainment venues.

Adlib's installation director Roger Kirby and MD Andy Dockerty worked closely with Coda Audio UK's application engineer, Edgar Krueger, while the installation and system commissioning was co-ordinated by Adlib's system technician George Puttock working alongside Gilbert-Ash Limited, the main contractor for the on-going £13.8m refurbishment of the venue, which commenced in May 2014 and is set for completion in autumn 2015.

Roger Kirby, stated, "'Multi-functional' had to be right at the essence of any new system design for Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. Flexibility was also crucial, tog

UK - West Midlands-based Central Presentation Ltd (CPL) supplied full technical production - lighting, video, audio and rigging - for the 2015 SEMTA Skills Awards, an annual event that celebrates the achievements of people, businesses and training partners in the engineering, science and manufacturing technologies sectors, enabling UK industry to compete on the global stage.

The event, a 450 capacity gala dinner, was staged in the ballroom of the Riverbank Park Plaza Hotel in central London and presented by TV presenter Michael Underwood. It was project managed for CPL by Lee Gruszeckyj, and was the second time that CPL, working for producers Eclipse Communications, was involved following the event's inauguration last year.

The set design was simple and effective, a presenter stage with an awards table flanked by two scenic 'wings' with then two 10 by 6 ft screens on the outer

UK - Britannia Row Productions held its final event at its Osiers Road premises on 19 March, welcoming the Youth Production Network for its third annual Launch Event. Young production crews staged the evening's entertainment - a showcase of up and coming technical and artistic talent with performances from Plymouth five-piece LASTONEOUT, blues/rock duo Mickey & The Milkshakes, and acoustic duo Double Aces.

This followed a day which had featured guest speakers including Barrie Knight (BK40 Productions), Rachel Haughey (Youth Production Network), Ipojucan Icaro & Rogerio de Souza (Spectaculu, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil), Aisling O'Connor (YPN Crew Chief/Cato Academy Graduate) and Mike Lowe (Britannia Row Productions). This year's YPN launch was sponsored by Britannia Row Productions, White Light, RES, Creative Draping and The National Skills Academy: Creative and Cultural Skills.

Fo

USA - Working with lighting and set designer, Will Potts, XL Video supplied a package of scenic LED, LED IMAG screens and accompanying camera system for multi-Grammy award winner Sam Smith's US Arena tour.

The sold-out shows, in support of Smith's 'In The Lonely Hour' album, visited venues across the US and Canada during January and February 2015 including The Forum in Los Angeles, and Madison Square Garden in New York.

Will Potts' show design called for a subtle, classy video setup with Sam Smith's band all situated on varying height risers at the rear of the stage. These risers were custom-built for the tour to house XL Video's ROE MC-18T Hybrid LED, mounted into XL's own touring frames.

Will was able to achieve the specific heights and widths he required for the stepped look of the design by XL Video disassembling the standard ROE tiles and repackaging them in a more flex

Austria - After extensive tests the MG Sound company from Nüziders in Austria (Vorarlberg) decided to invest in loudspeaker systems from ProAudio Technology.

The basis for all systems are the SW18 subwoofers in combination with DELTA14.4- DSP system amplifiers. Together with the MT12 multi-purpose loudspeakers and the horn-loaded HT16 tops these are used to realise high-power complete systems in various configuration levels, depending on the application.

Markus Gstrein, managing director at MG Sound comments, "We have chosen the systems from ProAudio Technology for several reasons. This is a true one-stop supplier, the entire product range is well-engineered and there are competent people standing behind them. Add to this the jaw-dropping performance of the systems with an incredible flexibility and practice-oriented accessories. I think one would be hard pressed to find

USA - Community has welcomed the services of Highway Marketing - a professional manufacturers' representative firm with a 20-year history of supporting the installed sound and video marketplace in the states of Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas. The firm's marketing and technical staff possess a broad range of sales and engineering skills to service the needs of integrators, design firms and end users.

Highway Marketing makes good use of contemporary marketing tools including social media and a recently updated website. But the firm believes strongly in the "old school mentality" of building relationships with integrators, design firms and end users in its territory. To service this base, Highway marketing provides on-site training programs and product demos, sales support for dealers and experienced in-house tech support.

President Scott Baker emphasized the i

The Netherlands - The latest version of Vivien Virtual Event Designer from CAST Software has recently enabled one of Holland's leading events producers to design bigger, better and higher-impact events. This is all thanks to Vivien's 3D pre-visualisation, planning, design and powerful sales tools.

Event producer Joey Wijnen started his company JOW Event Design & Production two years ago and has been using Vivien to successfully win new business and design a range of increasingly ambitious events and product launches, including major new building unveilings and a large-scale All American Christmas Dinner.

"As soon as I decided to invest in Vivien, I started to get more and more projects," says Wijnen. "We design and produce events in Holland, mostly business to business but also in the private sector.

"Our clients, such as caterers and event agencies hire

South Africa - MGG Productions installed JBL VTX line arrays, Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers and Soundcraft Vi Consoles at the Afrikaans is Groot Music Show that was held recently, providing sound reinforcement for some of the most popular artists in the South African music industry today.

Organised by Coleske Artists, the Johannesburg leg of the annual music concert held at the Moreletapark Auditorium in Pretoria that seats more than 7000 people, saw nine sold-out shows.

MGG Productions were the sole technical suppliers for audio and lighting, with their project manager Denzil Smith and his expert team putting in many hours of hard work toward this popular event. Local Harman importers and distributors Wild & Marr were on-hand to provide additional technical support and EASE plots to ensure an even distribution of sound for the audience.

The audio system featured a total of 32

UK - National tourism agency VisitBritain recently held two distinct trade events in North and Southwest England, both aimed at helping local businesses develop international tourism. The agency turned to event production supplier White Light to provide lighting and projection mapping for both events, using cutting edge technology to complement two unique historic venues in Plymouth and Yorkshire.

Ahead of its Southwest showcase, VisitBritain chose the historic Royal William Yard in Plymouth as the canvas for a special lighting and projection display. The event, held the next day at Bovey Castle, hosted over 100 suppliers from the region matching them with visiting international buyers. White Light was responsible for lighting and AV for the display. Led by Project Manager Phil Gladman, the team created an 18m projection element on the exterior of the Grade I listed building.

USA / Europe -ETC's CUE (Create. Understand. Experience.) professional development conference is set to go ahead again on 26-28 June 2015, and ETC is offering two full sponsorships - which will pay for travel, accommodations and conference fees - to applicants from Europe.

All European residents, especially students and young lighting designers and programmers, are encouraged to apply for the sponsorships. To apply, please fill in the questionnaire at http://cue15sponsorship-international.questionpro.com before 7 April. The winners will be announced at the Prolight & Sound tradeshow in Frankfurt, 15 to18 April.

ETC's CUE conference is an opportunity for lighting professionals and enthusiasts of all experience levels to improve their skills and learn tips and tricks that they can use every day in their careers. CUE is especially beneficial to students and those at the beginning

UK - On 17 March, GMG Network and Pickevent hosted a number of end clients and production managers from across the industry for a panel discussion with leading H&S advisors within the industry (Simon Garrett of X-Venture and Lee Holloway of Freeman) - covering how the impending CDM2015 legislation will affect the events.

It was agreed that this revised part of criminal law will be implemented, whether the industry likes it or not, although the PSA have put up a bold fight for the HSE to present a business case. It doesn't replace existing workplace regulations and purely seeks to deal with structuring the management chain during the planning and construction phases of an event.

It was evident that the phrase "Client is King" will gain new meaning now as they really will be responsible for every H&S aspect at all of their events - this includes all subcontracted work.

South Africa - DWR Distribution and CUE Lighting are sponsors for the St Mary's Battle of the Bands lighting operator competition hosted at the schools' theatre, The Edge in Waverley, Johannesburg. While Battle of the Bands is an annual event schools look forward to, this is the first time this category will form part of the festivities.

An Avolites Titan 1 Dongle, which will transform a laptop or PC into a powerful lighting control instrument, a Leatherman multi tool, LED Laser Torch (each LD has to see in the dark) and a few other prizes like a Robe jacket and rigging gloves are up for grabs.

"We only have space for 12 entrants as there will only be 12 bands in the final," commented Barry Strydom, theatre manager at St Marys and owner of CUE Lighting and Sound. Interested students have to enter before 1 April, and entries will be on a first come first served bases.

USA - Anyone who's ever been to an All That Remains concert knows that this band projects a larger than life image on stage with its fast and heavy death metal rifts, bouncing movements and audience interaction. LD Peter Therrien of JDI Productions has been doing the group's big persona justice on the its current Charming America tour with a lightshow that serves up huge helpings of brightness, colour and sweeping motions.

Unfortunately, the outsized performance of the band and its dazzling lightshow often take place on stages that are decidedly cramped for space. Therrien isn't worried though, because he's been able to conjure up big time lighting impact in even the tightest quarters thanks to some help from Legend moving fixtures from Chauvet Professional.

At every stop on the national Charming America Tour, the LD arranges a group of Legend 412 RGBW moving washes on the dow

Switzerland - Berner Münster was dedicated in the late Middle Ages to St. Vincent of Saragossa, and is the largest and most important late-medieval church in Switzerland. It was built in the Gothic style and was completed in the 19th century. It is recorded in the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Berne-based Kilchenmann AG and distributor GoWild were awarded the contract for renovation of the sound system in the nave. Thirty-three passive Pan Beam PB 8-15 have been installed, chosen for their high speech intelligibility and unobtrusiveness.

The signal processing and distribution are Symetrix DSP's used with Dante modules. In addition to the equalization and time alignment, as well as management of all outputs (speakers, induction loop and recording) all input signals (microphones and players) are controlled mixed and sent to the appropriate destinations by the DSP's.

(Jim Evans)

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