UK - The d&b audiotechnik GB team has scheduled another installation showcase on Thursday 11 January 2018. The presentation, exploring the latest pro audio solutions for optimal sonic results and unobtrusive design, is hosted by the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (RCSSD) at 11:00 and again at 14:00 at the Embassy Theatre in Swiss Cottage, London. “This is another great opportunity for anyone who would like to know more about the dedicated installation products and what can be achieved, even in the most challenging of venues,” says Steve Jones from d&b Education and Application Support. “With lots of listening, we’ll experience the smart and scalable xS-Series loudspeakers – the 10S, 12S and the 2016 release 24S, alongside their counterpart subwoofers.” The presentation will also cover the d&b 10D and 30D amplifiers, with their installa
Poland - DirectOut has appointed LP Systems SP as its distributor for Poland. LP Systems managing director Paweł Mathia comments: “In the current era of remote productions, budget limitations, and increasing quality and reliability in radio, live and television productions, DirectOut products will be used heavily in the future. Based on IP, MADI and other sophisticated technologies they are ideally suited for achieving the ambitious goals that LP Systems has been pursuing since its beginning. The DirectOut products and solutions meet the challenging media market demands and will be a cornerstone of the market's transition.” “We are always looking for technically experienced and motivated distribution partners, who act as consultants and service providers in addition to the pure sales business - and LP Systems meet these requirements perfectly,” says Jan Ehrlic
Germany - Astera LED Technology’s AX1 Wireless PixelTube won a PLSN Goldstar Award for the Best New Battery-Powered Light at LDI 2017 in Las Vegas. The German manufacturer’s pixel controllable LED RGBW baton has 28W of LED power and reaches almost 700 lumen output. Its RGBW LEDs are individually calibrated to reach a CRI of 88, and the fixture’s built-in lithium-ion battery pack offers a 20-hour runtime on a single charge. Each of AX1's 16 pixels can be controlled individually via W-DMX or CRMX. In addition, the fixture’s IP65-rated housing enables safe outdoor use and LDs can use the AsteraApp to create programs on the go and to set up the AX1 for DMX usage and monitor the lights during operation.
South Africa - Michael Taylor-Broderick of DWR Distribution presented the company’s two-day Theatre Lighting Workshop in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, covering a range of topics from stage lighting to elements of design. “I am passionate and I absolutely love what I do,” said Michael, a lighting designer for over 15 years. “Every time I walk into a theatre I'm aware of how special and magical it is. I treat it with great respect and the idea is that other people should do that too. All forms of performing arts, all kinds of live performance are indebted to the theatre and its demands in some way.” The course covered essentials such as the properties of light and colour, lighting positions and angles, lighting instruments, design and theatre language. “I try to instil that lighting is not about the lighting designer, but actually about what’s on the
Canada - EM Acoustics’ Canadian distributor Contact Distribution delivered a presentation on the challenges, merits and benefits of fixed versus floating point DSP algorithms at the Toronto chapter of the AES. For over two decades the mandate of the industry has been to achieve higher sample and bit rates. Now that 192 kHz is possible, the question is whether clients need it or appreciate it, especially in view of the cost of the increased performance. The evening was hosted at Revolution Studios in Toronto. Contact provided two pairs of HALO-Cs stacked on top of two EMS118 subs per side running off the four channels of an EM Acoustics DQ20 amplifier for a unique ‘ears on’ demonstration of the differences between 48kHz versus 96kHz and fixed and floating point architectures from Donny Chow, president and chief engineer of Xilica Audio. “Apart from being a
Israel - Israeli singer Rita Yahan-Farouz is back on the road with a new album Transparent Miracles and a new lighting and visual design by Ronen Najar featuring Robe Spiiders and BMFL Spot moving lights. The tour started at the Yakum Kibbutz Hall just outside Tel Aviv, where Ronen was engaged in five intense days of pre-programing before revealing the magic and mystery creating a stunning looking show for Rita and her 12-piece band. Ronen, who has worked with Rita for around 16 years, discussed the show concept with the signer who came up with the basic live concept in terms of the music, rhythm and pace of the set. From this, he produced the essence of the design with the idea for a curved structure upstage of the band. Visiting a wide variety of venues, from 500 – 3,000 seaters, the rig had to be scalable and the structure capable of being flown, grou
UK - 7thSense Design has claimed two awards at the 2017 Made in the South East Awards. The creative software and technology company which manufactures the Delta Media Server was presented with the Export Award and Digital Engineering Technology Award at a finalist event on 23 November (Thursday). 7thSense will now stand as finalists in the in Export and Digital Engineering and Technology categories of the 2018 Made in the UK Awards to be held in Liverpool on 20 June. Matt Barton, managing director of 7thSense, commented: “The competition this year was especially tough, there’s so many ambitious organisations and a great deal of innovation in the region. We are so honoured to have be recognised with both awards and this was yet another occasion where we can proud of our incredible team.” Now in their fifth year, the annual Made in the South East Award
India - Multinational flight case hardware and 19-inch racking manufacturer Penn Elcom has launched a new distribution centre in Mumbai, India. It will be based in the Vasai area and headed by Rodney D’Monte. Penn Elcom chairman Roger Willems says: “Mumbai is a major commercial and cultural hub and a great strategic location with a very positive future and we enjoy its vibrancy and energy. That’s exactly where we want to be.” The opening of this distribution hub follows other recent major investments in Penn Elcom’s global manufacturing and sales network in Canada, the UK and China. The Indian operation will first focus on the racking and hardware elements of Penn’s business, and will also manufacture and distribute products utilising brands such as Amphenol cables and Neutrik connectors. It will also source its basic hardware from the Ch
UK - The stages used for Adele’s 2017 stadium tour in the round became the first events industry designs to win a coveted Structural Award. Designed by OPS Structures for Star Events, the VerTech Ultra stages claimed the Best Small Projects (of between £1-3m) gong at the annual Structural Awards organised by the Institution of Structural Engineers. The stages were developed, built, tested and shipped to Australia in just four months and suspended 90t of production equipment at 25m above the ground. The judges praised the structures’ design, which allowed easy transportation and erection, minimised work at height and enabled unobstructed views by negating traditional bracing. A spokesperson for the judges said: “The Adele 25 Stage engineering took account of the vast constraints and design drivers to produce a safe, efficient, elegant and reusable structure. The
UK - Edinburgh-based Live Systems is the latest UK company to become an Adamson certified reseller. Established in 2000, Live Systems has grown to become a significant force in the events and integration markets in Scotland and the North of England providing sound, lighting, staging and video and offering their services to a varied client base including the live music, theatre and corporate markets. The company invested in an Adamson S10 line array earlier this year. It has been used on a diverse range of events including the Meadows Festival and the Edinburgh Mela where it has impressed customers and sound professionals alike. Steve Robb, managing director of Live Systems comments: “We have always looked to promote products that offer something different - either in terms of technology, features or quality. The Adamson brand really does tick all of these boxe
Sweden - Microphone manufacturer Milab has acquired Pearl Microphones in a deal that sees the two companies joining operations again after 40 years as separate businesses. The merger will synergise Milab and Pearl's production and R&D services and the brands will continue to exist individually for marketing reasons. The two microphone manufacturers share a common heritage that goes back to 1941 when PML was founded by Rune Rosander in Stockholm, Sweden. In the late 1970s, PML was divided into separate business units that became Pearl and Milab and eventually led to a permanent separation. Thomas Nöjdh, who will continue to serve as Milab’s CEO, says: “The opportunity to bring these two companies back together after 40 years is a matter of great pride to us all. With the acquisition of Pearl, Milab will strengthen its position as one of the world’s
South Africa - The country’s first strictly dry hire company, Guquko Technical Rider, has been established by a young entrepreneur, Phumzile Sibanyoni. Guquko is the Zulu word meaning ‘to turn around’ or ‘to reform’, a pertinent name for a company that hopes to bring a fresh wind of change to the industry. Making an investment of 12 Robe Spiiders, 24 Longman 4 Ups and Prolyte stage decks purchased from DWR Distribution, the objective of the company is to rent out high ticket line items that are specified by lighting designers on a daily basis. “Because we were just starting out, we looked at gear that would be beneficial to the growth of Guquko,” said Phumzile. ”The company has started trading and with the Robe Spiiders currently high in demand on shows, their units are out already creating revenue.” Duncan Riley of DWR says, “Phumzile was wi
UAE - Audio-Technica has announced the opening of a new sales support office in Dubai, aimed at increasing the level of service to its distributors, integrators, consultants and corporate end users in the professional audio field across the Middle East region. The office is located at Dubai Airport Freezone Authority (DAFZA), well placed for business throughout the Middle East and well-served by world class infrastructure. Technical product manager Ahmad Abuzannad (who began his Audio-Technica career in the company’s EMEA applications and support team) will head the office staff. Central to his activity will be increased levels of product training and demos – of particular importance to customers evaluating solutions in the conferencing market – in the Middle East and in conjunction with Audio-Technica distributors across the region. Abuzannad will also sup
Swift Sales - After just four days, Taylor Swift sold more albums in the US than any other artist this year. The star's sixth album, Reputation, sold 1.04m copies in the US over its first four days on release, says Billboard magazine. That puts her ahead of 2017's previous biggest-seller, Ed Sheeran's ÷, which has shifted 919,000 copies to date. Reputation also becomes Swift's fourth album to sell a million copies in the space of a week, following 1989, Red and Speak Now. In fact, only she and Adele have sold a million copies of any album in a seven-day frame since 2012. Extended Role - Edinburgh International Festival has extended director Fergus Linehan's contract for an extra three years, meaning that he will run the festival until at least August 2022. Linehan joined EIF in 2013, directing his first festival
UK - The Association of Lighting Designers (ALD)’s latest event took place at the Arts Theatre, courtesy of Chauvet and White Light, suppliers of the event’s lighting. ALD Members were invited to see cult rock musical The Toxic Avenger and to hear from the show's lighting designer, Nic Farman, and programmer / production electrician, Clancy Flynn. Over the summer, events have included an evening with Ambersphere at London’s National Theatre, alongside insight tours to the West End’s latest rock musical, Bat Out of Hell Olivier Award-winning Jesus Christ Superstar at London’s Regent’s Park Open Air theatre, and to 42nd Street at the Drury Lane theatre. Matt Cowles, Ambersphere’s technical sales manager, stresses the importance of meeting ALD members in this environment. “For us at Ambersphere, the chance to chat with technici
Hungary - A range of Mojo Barriers aluminium crowd safety barriers are now based in Budapest with the announcement of a new Mojo distributor giving convenient, cost effective barrier rental for festival organisers and tours coming to Eastern Europe. A stock of Mojo Barriers will be permanently located in Budapest for rental and it has already been hired out to create the front of stage barrier for the Gorillaz concert, in Budapest, Papp Laszlo Arena. Mojo’s project and touring manager Stanley Jilesen states: “With the expanding live events market in Hungary and Eastern Europe, Mojo Barriers is proud to support organisers with local resource to help keep their events safe. Having worked with Sziget Festival for several years we are delighted to work with the innovators in this region pushing for higher standards.” The new Hungarian distributorship is the co
South Africa - Robe Lighting showcased its MegaPointe moving head in South Africa in November. The launch was attended by the company’s international sales director Harry von den Stemmen and product manager Ondrej Hegar, who presented the product in Johannesburg and Cape Town, while DWR Distribution also hosted a launch event in Durban. Von den Stemmen says: “Industry professionals are raving about the feature packed, ultra-compact yet extremely powerful light and the quality of the product. I see the same evolution coming for the South African market, and there have been enthusiastic reactions and comments to its recent launch, like everywhere else.” Hegar agrees: “The fixtures have been really well received across the globe and we have had positive feedback on the unit. Already specified on a huge amount of shows and tours in the upcoming year, the Mega
Ireland - Galway-based stage lighting equipment supplier Cue One Ireland has invested in the Chroma-Q Color Force II luminaire for servicing its theatrical and corporate events clients. Cue One Ireland wanted to replace its existing battens and dimmable fluorescents stock with an all-in-one fixture and after looking at various colour-mixing battens on the market, Cue One Ireland's managing director Kieran Cooney placed an order for eight Color Force II 48 battens. "We chose the Color Force II for the quality of light and colours produced, particularly its ability to achieve difficult pastels,” he reports. “The end results stood out against a number of other cycs and battens that we looked at." Since investing in the fixtures, Cue One Ireland has supplied them for a number of high-profile theatrical and corporate events. Kieran adds: "The Color Force I
USA - Clair Brothers has appointed two new distibutors - Rocketerias in Mexico and VTècnics in Spain - to its growing international distribution network. Rocketerias and VTècnics will sell and distribute all Clair Brothers products across the two markets. Rocketerias owner Alejandro Barbosa Calderon comments: “Clair Brothers is a great brand, everybody knows it, and the sky’s the limit. So, joining with them is a powerful complement to our mission to deliver on the promise of offering the kinds of products our customers can be proud to own.” “Clair Brothers has been a good friend to VTècnics, referring us many times to new customers,” states VTècnics production manager Josep Maria Serra. “When the timing and opportunity for real professional growth in the industry presented itself, we recognised the immediate need to be more competitive in the mar
Europe - Community Professional Loudspeakers has appointed DV2 as its distributor in Belgium, Luxembourg and France. Effective immediately, DV2 Belux has become Community’s exclusive distributor in Belgium and Luxembourg, while DV2 France will be the American brand’s French distributor from 2 January 2018. DV2 France was founded in 1997 by Didier Dal Fitto and Guy Vignet and is distributing a range of pro audio brands in France, including Adamson, Lab.Gruppen, Lake, MDC, XTA, Tannoy, WaveCapture and DiGiCo. In 2014 DV2 opened its office in Belgium to serve the Belgium and Luxembourg markets. Community’s EMEA sales manager, Jamie Ward, comments: “DV2 is a major player in France and Belux and this partnership will substantially strengthen our distribution in these key European markets. Although it brings two markets under one company, DV2’s separate offi
USA - In 1997, race car driver Geoff Bodine put the pedal to the metal and reached 197.479 miles per hour on the famed Atlanta Motor Speedway. No-one has ever equalled that speed on the big course since, but the action was probably even more blistering on the weekend of 22-24 September, as nearly 100,000 fans descended on the site for the Imagine Festival. Nowhere was the action hotter than on the Inferno stage, where Deadmau5, Flux Pavilion, The Floozies and other stars jammed under the intense output of Chauvet Professional Rogue fixtures supplied by 4Life Entertainment. Designed by Incendia, with consultation provided by 4Life Entertainment, the stage featured eight Rogue R2 Spot, 16 Rogue R2 Beam and 24 Rogue R1 Wash fixtures. Drawing on the output of these fixtures, the rig provided an eye-popping level of brightness that blended well with the incessant pyr
Italy - K-array's held its global distributor meeting on 25-27 October at the K-hall in San Piero a Sieve, Italy to discuss the latest strategies for 2018, including soon-to-be-launched new products. There were 62 guests from over 30 countries visiting the small Tuscan town in the Mugello countryside where the event was held. A networking and a loudspeaker assembly teambuilding challenge were the first initiatives of the evening on Wednesday, followed by dinner and a jam session. The plenary session kicked off early the next day with the theme Changing Perspective introduced by astronaut and aviator Maurizio Cheli who participated as mission specialist in the 1996 STS-75 Tethered Satellite mission with NASA. After a recap of sales figures presented by Alessandro Tatini, co-founder and president of R&D, the day’s agenda dived into strategic planning
USA - Cleveland-based Eighth Day Sound has officially joined Adamson Systems Engineering’s sales network on the back of significant installations at the corporate headquarters of a US-based Fortune 500 company and the University of Buffalo. Eighth Day Sound has also provided Adamson loudspeaker systems for tours by major artists like Shawn Mendes, The 1975, and Nick Cave, as well as events including Drake’s OVO Fest and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ sold-out 2017 dates in Dublin, Ireland, while the company’s director (touring services) Owen Orzack was instrumental in introducing Adamson’s compact S-Series loudspeakers to the touring market. Jack Boessneck, executive vice president of Eighth Day Sound, says: “Adamson’s reputation in the live sound industry is second to none. We’ve enjoyed a very rewarding relationship with them on the touring side of our busine
USA - The 51st Annual Country Music Association (CMA) Awards brought together some of the biggest names in country music for an evening of memorable performances which was broadcast on ABC to 14.3m viewers. Sennheiser microphones and wireless systems were present throughout the broadcast, which was reportedly the channel’s most-viewed Wednesday night programme in three years. Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley hosted the evening, both speaking and singing through a Sennheiser SKM 5200 handheld transmitter and MD 5235 capsule combination - all running through a Sennheiser 3732-II receiver. Underwood also received a nomination for Female Vocalist of the Year. After an understated a cappella rendition of Amazing Grace by Eric Church, Lady Antebellum and a bevy of other performers joined Darius Rucker for a rendition of erstwhile Hootie and the Blowfish hit <
