Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025
Doughty - Banner - from 6 June 2025

Business

Details
Kazakhstan - Belgian-based WIcreations, working for Italian production company Balich WS, was asked to engineer and fabricate the large, elegant and stylish 'Cup of Hospitality' for Kazakhstan's recent 550th anniversary celebration show in the capital Astana.

The event - attended by five heads of state, VIPs and dignitaries and 7000 public - took place in the new Ice Palace venue. For innovative engineering specialists WIcreations, the project followed hot on the heels of their work at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2015 European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan, and WI's team of five was led by Yves Vervloet.

The cup was based on a traditional Kazak drinking goblet and was required to fit under the stage in a depth of just 500 mm from where it had to rise out of the floor, appearing as if by magic, be flown up and disappear into the roof of the venue.

Yves and the team

Details
Germany - Shure Europe, in collaboration with London's Academy of Contemporary Music and Metropolis Studios, has announced details of Vocal Mastery, a new competition designed to find the best up-and-coming vocal talent in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Open to any vocalists in these territories, provided they are of legal age and aren't already earning regular income from vocal work, the competition will offer an exciting set of prizes to the five winners, who will be named Shure Vocal Masters in January 2016. Each will net themselves Shure equipment worth 1000 Euros, and will be flown to London for two days to attend a Masterclass at ACM Academy of Contemporary Music and a recording session at Metropolis Studios.

To enter, contestants simply need to upload their own song featuring a vocal performance to the competition web site, www.shure-vocal-mastery.eu, at any time b

Doughty - Banner - from 6 June 2025

Details
Canada - The Parliament Buildings in Ottawa recently served as the backdrop for Northern Lights, a free outdoor sound and light show that brings to life key figures, events, and achievements from Canadian history. To provide an immersive surround experience, a 9.1 Meyer Sound Lyon linear sound reinforcement system was deployed to deliver narration, sound effects, and a powerful score supporting spectacular images projected against the 30-storey-high facade of the Centre Block and Peace Tower.

"Lyon is light, small, efficient, and performs beautifully," reports Jean-Sébastien Coté, NEO6 technical director, who co-designed the system with colleague André Biron. "For Northern Lights we need lots of throw as the audience is sometimes far away, and the center channel, mostly used for voiceover, has to cover a wide area."

The new Lyon-based s

Details
World - Flight case and speaker component manufacturer Penn Elcom has invested close to two million pounds in new manufacturing plant and technology across the group's international operations in China, Mexico and the UK.

Over a million dollars alone has been ploughed into upgrading the powder coating lines at all sites, part of a planned reinvestment strategy in Swiss made Gema spraying equipment designed to increase efficiency and output worldwide for Penn to keep abreast of the current growing demand for its products.

The powder line installed at the factory in Guangdong Province, China, is completely new and replaces the previous one with the latest air cooled technology. This will enhance the working environment for the 30 employees as well as being more energy efficient, kinder to the environment and more cost-effective to maintain and run. The plant is also run on re-cy

Details
Europe - Martin Audio has changed its distribution arrangements in the Nordic countries, appointing Norwegian based Elektrik Solutions as their exclusive representative, with effect from 1 September.

In so doing, they have reunited with °ystein Wierli, an experienced sound engineer and system tech, who for many years worked closely with the British manufacturer while at his previous company, EM Nordic.

Martin Audio had sought a company with a smaller portfolio to give the brand more focus, and at the same time increase market penetration in all their core sectors. Based in Drammen, and set up in 2010 as a full event technology and staging operation, Elektrik Solutions were considered the perfect option.

"Martin Audio products fill the entire spectrum within sound reproduction," commented Wierli. "It is one of the leading pro audio brands, recognised throug

Details
USA - Attending a concert by the Australian Recording Industry Hall of Fame band The Church is described by many as an ethereal experience. That's to be expected from a group whose signature hit is the often-covered and widely acclaimed Under The Milky Way. Currently touring the US in support of their Further/Deeper album, The Church is remaining true to form, taking fans on an otherworldly journey, courtesy of some spacey guitar riffs that blend 12 string acoustics with electric instruments, surreal vocals and a dazzling celestial-like lighting display from Chauvet Professional's Rogue R1 Spot fixtures.

LD Victor Zeiser of Squeek Lights (New York) and lighting director Kirby Naylor are using eight of the LED moving fixtures in their touring rig. The positioning of the Rogue R1 Spots has varied depending on the configuration of the stage in the 25-city plus tour, w

Details
UK - London's O2 Arena, previously used for the 2012 Summer Olympics, is now a venue of the Rugby World Cup for a duration of seven weeks. For this event, The O2 has transformed into a canvas for the world's largest projection in terms of light output.

No fewer than 96 G-Spot IP65-rated LED moving heads from SGM now adorn the dome's canvas, joining forces with 68 video projectors covering the 1km circumference of the roof. The G-Spots provide a petal-shaped wash while the projectors combine to create a 360° video image. The interactivity of the project enables fans to have their tweets projected onto the venue by using the hashtag #WearTheRose.

This high-profile project is designed by Projection Artworks and the lighting element is designed and programmed by award-winning lighting designer Tim Routledge. HSL Group supplied the SGM G-Spots. Together with MD Simon Stuart, th

Details
UK - Sennheiser has teamed up with LSi to offer our online readers a chance to win an evolution wireless D1 microphone in a prize draw.

Sennheiser's evolution wireless D1 features automatic frequency management, easy operation and reassuring reliability. It prevents interference, using intelligent channel back-up to allow operation in environments where Wifi and Bluetooth are in use; Up to 15 compatible channels can be sued in the licence-free 2.4GHz frequency band; It is fully automatic: frequency management saves laborious searching for available frequencies; It offers integrated audio effects - equalizer, de-esser and automatic gain control . . .

Visit our Special Offers page to take part in this exclusive offer.

Details
UK - Aurora Lighting Hire has returned to the studio with award winning lighting director Chris Rigby for the new series of Alan Carr Chatty Man.

Recorded in front of a live audience at the ITV London Studios, Chris has used a variety of light sources across the stage to compliment the stylishly decadent set. Versatility is key throughout the installation, with proceedings staying clear and bright in Alan's sofa area, whilst the audience also remain illuminated. Additionally, a 'rock and roll' approach has been taken to lighting up the weekly musical performances.

To help keep things looking suitably glamorous, Aurora supplied an extensive LED package which has been integrated throughout the interview area. Pulsar Chromabatten 300 and Chromastrip X3s have also been incorporated to light up the set pieces, with Martin Aura Wash units hung overhead to provide additional w

Details
Spain - The prestigious CERES Awards Ceremony takes place each year in the stunning Roman Theatre of Mérida in Spain - a 2000 year old Roman venue still being used for live theatre productions.

Roland ProAV products have been supporting the event for the past three years but this year was the first time that a full Roland setup was specified with the new M-5000C controlling the monitors and the M-5000 at the heart as the FOH console. The Mérida Theatre has been home to the Festival de Mérida (Festival of Classical Theatre of Mérida) since 1933, the oldest of its kind celebrated in Spain. For the fourth year the CERES Award Ceremony took place at Mérida at the end of the run of ten summer productions at the theatre with the awards presented to those involved.

Mixing the live theatre production, broadcasting live for Spanish television and mixi

Details
South Africa - A theatrical performance of song and dance infused with African emotion and humour, made Elixir the Musical an absolute delight. The show opened in Mamelodi Community Hall on 19 August, to a large audience who experienced musical theatre in their own community hall.

The official opening was at the Breytenbach Theatre in Sunnyside on the 26 August and formed part of Tshwane University of Technology's Hello Community Theatre Arts Festival, sponsored by City of Tshwane, National Arts Council, Breytenbach Theatre, Blond Productions, MJ Event Gear, Blackmotion, DWR Distribution, Production Projects and 93.6 Tshwane FM.

TUT's Breytenbach Theatre in-house lighting equipment was utilised for the performance and included nine Robe Robin 600LEDWash, two Robe ColorSpot 250, 22 Longman LED PARs, Philips Selecon Pacific Followspot, six Philips Selecon SPX Profiles. Th

Details
Ghana - Lincoln Community School in the Ghanaian capital of Accra has taken delivery of a new dot2 core console, which will be used to control LED lighting in their multi-purpose hall, which is utilised for various sporting activities as well as to stage productions and general events.

Lincoln's high school drama and film studies teacher Iain Cowieson was searching for a company to deliver and install a new lighting system for the hall, and discovered DWR Distribution, MA Lighting's South African distributor, based in Johannesburg, on the internet. DWR technical African sales representative Johnny Scholtz just happened to be in Accra working on another project when the office received the call, so was able to visit immediately and access the situation.

He met Iain and the school's chief procurement officer Anthony Quainoo, who discussed their needs and invited him to propose a

Details
UK - Bristol-based technical solutions company Fineline provided lighting for four main music performance areas at the 2015 Somersault festival, a five day extravaganza of music, fun, food, discussion, debate and outdoor adventure located amidst the heart of South West England, in the picturesque environs of Castle Hill country estate near the north Devon coastline.

It was the second year that Fineline has been involved as a production supplier, following their very successful introduction to the event last year via Andy Cotton of TAO Productions. This year, the scope of their work was lighting the Main Stage, The Communion Stage, the Forrest Party non-stop dance experience and the Bandstand.

The Main Stage was 15m wide and housed in a tensile structure with no room to build a ground support system, so a grid had to be constructed between a triangular structure upstage and a b

Details
UK - TSG Policing's first major contract saw the company play a pivotal part in keeping the 600-acre, 200,000 capacity Great Dorset Steam Fair safe this month.

Brought in by the event's operations director, Julian Hubbuck, late in the planning process, TSG built a fast, fluid relationship with Dorset Police. The company's skill set, developed by a former senior training officer for the Met, clearly distinguished its role from conventional show security.

Over the Steam Fair's five days, TSG worked on a number of operations with the local force, cutting the event's impact on core policing off-site and serving as a testament to its capacity to deliver a viable, cost-efficient policing alternative.

Julian Hubbuck comments, "I was looking for enhanced response cover and TSG provided a very competent, highly trained solution."

TSG director, David Boswell, says, "M

Details
Italy - Since its debut edition in 1997, Brescia Summer Festival has hosted artists of the calibre of David Bowie, Joe Cocker, Elton John, Bob Dylan and Neil Young. This year's headliners at the event, staged in Piazza della Loggia, the Italian city's picturesque Renaissance square, were Billy Idol, Van Morrison and Anastacia, in Italy on a leg of her Resurrection World Tour.

As all the other artists on the programme, the Chicago-born singer, with her unmistakable raunchy voice, used an Outline sound system, put at her disposal by local rental firm Cipiesse, founded in 1979.

Festival audio chief Giancarlo Paladini, explains, "The PA was made up of nine Outline GTO C-12 modules per side plus three Outline Mantas on down-fill chores for the front rows of seats, which were close to the stage. We used eight DBS 18-2 subs per side, and four LIPF 082 on front-fill duty.

"

Details
Albania - After an extensive refurbishment, Folie Terrace, the largest nightclub in Albania by capacity, has reopened with several new features including a retractable roof and a new lighting, video and audio solution provided by Harman Professional. Developed and Installed by Albanian Harman distributor, Prosound, the refurbishment comprises of a brand new interior, including over 5,150 lighting and video components from Martin Professional and a complete sound system from JBL Professional.

With a capacity of 1,500 people, Folie Terrace is one of the largest and most popular nightclub/live music venues in the Albanian capital city of Tirana. One of the club's special features is a retractable roof, which can convert the club into an open space or close it off to contain the noise levels to adhere to downtown Tirana's strict noise ordinances. In early 2015, Prosound was contacte

Details
South Africa - Wired Media is a Durban, South Africa based AV rental and production company focussed on bringing the very best production values to a range of corporate events and presentations.

The company was founded 10 years ago by Clint Stevenson, who originally concentrated on audio and AV. As it became successful and busy, Clint realised that a key to maintaining this was to offer his clients a full package including lighting, and so started looking at purchasing some specific elements of lighting.

Wired Media has most recently invested in Robe's Pointes, miniPointes and MiniMe fixtures - all supplied by SA distributor DWR.

The four Pointes were the first Robe purchase, shortly after the unit was launched in 2013. These proved a great hit with everyone, so he followed up buying the four miniPointes and two MiniMes this year.

The miniPointe is a favourite already. 'It

Details
The Netherlands - Pro Media Connect has been appointed by British pro audio manufacturer, Audient as exclusive distribution partner for the Benelux markets. The company will manage all sales, service and marketing for Audient's full product range of mixing consoles, audio interfaces and preamps - with immediate effect.

Leon Padmos heads up the newly created distribution company. He explains, "The people behind Pro Media Connect are well known as successful sales and marketers in the pro audio business. This team was instrumental in the growth of Audient's business in the past and looks forward to continuing on this upward trajectory. In order to be a successful sales team, we need to have outstanding products and with Audient, we see great products with huge potential for the future."

Audient's Simon Blackwood adds, "The last 18 months have seen our business gro

Details
Canada - Community has announced the appointment of CM Tech Group as its sales representative for Canada beginning 1 October.

CM Tech Group is a professional collaborative of three well respected Canadian independent manufactures' representatives: Connect West Marketing, covering Western Canada, BG Media Solutions Inc. for Central Canada and MM Technologie, for support of Eastern Canada. With this combination, CM Tech Group provides national coverage for a uniform line card of well-respected professional AV brands across all Canadian provinces.

"CM Tech is extremely pleased to represent Community, a brand with an outstanding reputation for innovation and quality," said Bryan Guidolin of CM Tech Group. "While Community has already enjoyed considerable success in Canada, we believe there remains tremendous potential, particularly in large or acoustically challengi

Details
Italy - Allen & Heath has devised a new distribution strategy in Italy, recruiting Exhibo S.p.A. to manage the brand's installation, touring, rental and broadcast sales portfolio, and enabling existing partner, EKO Music Group, to focus on growth in the MI and retail sector.

"Allen & Heath's product portfolio is renowned for being diverse, covering the whole spectrum of audio mixers from pro touring to home studio and DJ. The strategic decision to split representation into two channels will enable our partner companies to expand the brand's reach in the specialist areas where they excel, and service our customers comprehensively," comments Allen & Heath's area European business development manager, Fred Cresson.

Based in Milan, Exhibo will offer a selected range of products such as dLive, GLD and Qu to professional users, while EKO, renowned specialists in MI, will b

Details
UK - The London Club and Bar Awards, an event celebrating the city's nightlife industry, featured an array of fixtures from Chauvet Professional.

Now in its twenty-second year, the awards recognise the biggest achievements by members of the club and nightlife industry within the past twelve months, awarding gongs in 13 categories, including Best Club, Best Bar and Best Party. Having supplied the event for several years previously, London-based Halo was once again tasked with supplying this year's event, which took place at the Intercontinental Hotel. Halo called upon their extensive roster of Chauvet fixtures to create a show worthy of its legacy.

In order to create that classic showbiz look for the event, Halo owner and LD for the awards Yann Guenancia embraced an assortment of Chauvet Professional fixtures, including 10 Legend 330SR Spots, eight Legend 412 moving washes, nin

Details
USA - The summer of festivals continues for Bandit Lites with LouFest, St. Louis's two day music festival. With record breaking attendance of 25,000 both days, and a line-up that included Hozier, The Avett Brothers, Ludacris, Young the Giant, Umphrey's McGee and Billy Idol, LouFest continued its rise as one of the can't miss weekends in live music.

Bandit Lites worked with design firm 3SRcreative to provide the festival lighting for all four stages including the main stage which consisted of a Tyler Truss rig containing VL 3000 Spots, VL 3500 Spots, VL 3500 Washes, Martin Atomic 3000 Strobes, Thomas 8 Lite Moles and Clay Paky Sharpys in groups of four.

"The Clay Paky Sharpy groups served as intelligent ACL bars in a way, but provided great eyecandy with their tight beam and high illumination output," said Carter Harris, one of Bandit's crew chiefs at LouFest.

For t

Details
UK - Arcadia's awesome new immersive spectacular Metamorphosis came alive in a city centre setting for the first time last weekend in Queen Square Bristol, where together with the Lords of Lightening and an array of breath-taking aerial stunts the 30 minute mixed-media show united the energies and experimental spirit of rave and physical theatre with some impressive technical wizardry.

London based lighting and visuals rental company Colour Sound Experiment renewed their excellent working relationship with Arcadia, providing lighting for the 12m high three-legged spider built out of industrial scrap metal. This invigorating project was co-ordinated for Colour Sound by Haydn Cruickshank (H) and Arcadia's technical production manager, Tim Smith, with Stu Barr looking after all the Colour Sound elements on site, working alongside four Arcadia technicians.

Says H: "We

Details
UK - Hit BBC show Mrs Brown's Boys has spent much of 2015 on a major UK and Ireland arena tour, with residencies in 12 cities. Although the roots of Brendan O'Carroll's sitcom lay in a theatre production as far back as 1999, the size of venues on the current tour has meant that production company Adlib has had to deploy a major Coda Audio system.

Taking in arenas in Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Dublin, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield, the How Now Mrs Brown Cow tour is running from March through to December. Adlib has been working with O'Carroll and his team for many years and has used Coda systems on previous tours, so they knew it was the right choice for the current shows.

The entire production is tailor-made to suit each arena, ensuring that audiences always enjoy the optimum performance. Because of this, the

  1. Adventure Combat Ops with Chauvet Professional
  2. Community reinforces World of Speed museum
  3. d&b ArrayProcessing adds to Sónar success
  4. MLA passes toughest test yet at Proms in the Park
  5. Laserworld takes up business in South Korea
  6. Robe Cyclones create 'horror prom' for Charli XCX
Page 1759 of 1803
Astera - Large MPU - June 2025
Sennheiser - MPU - June 2025

Latest Issue. . .