The Netherlands - Audinate, developer of the Dante media networking technology, is celebrating key adoption milestones at ISE 2017. Over 350 manufacturers have now licensed Dante, an increase of 75 since this time last year. Recent licensees span a broad spectrum of markets, including installed sound, live sound, broadcast, transportation and CEDIA, and include notable brands such as Beyerdynamic, Clear-Com, JBL, Lawo, Panasonic, Riedel, Sony and many more. “The continued adoption of Dante by AV manufacturers such as these shows that Dante truly has become the market leader in audio networking,” stated Lee Ellison, CEO of Audinate. “Manufacturers are responding to market demand and recognizing that they need to offer Dante to remain competitive.” In addition, the company has announced that there are now over 1,000 different commercially available products on t
USA - InCord has become the newest Behind the Scenes Pledge-a-Product Partner by designating a percentage of profits from sales of their Orchestra Pit Safety Netting Systems to benefit the charity. InCord’s Orchestra Pit Safety Netting Systems (http://www.incord.com/orchestra-pit/orchestra-pit-safety.htm) are hand-crafted in the USA by skilled artisans, are safety tested to exceed all applicable industry standards, and are custom designed by professional engineers to perfectly fit your orchestra pit according to your technical and aesthetic requirements. InCord takes great pride in their products, and their reputation for providing exceptional craftsmanship is known nationwide. Upon announcing the pledge, Joe Menhart, InCord’s theatrical sales manager, stated, “Bringing InCord and Behind-The-Scenes together is a perfect match. InCord is in the safety business and
UK - Lighting designer Andy Webb seized a recent pantomime production of Aladdin staged at the Grand Theatre in Blackpool as the opportunity to design an all-LED moving and specials lighting rig which was all Robe. Andy had been working on an LED lighting concept for the last two pantomime seasons with an increasing percentage of the rig becoming LED, and this year he felt the time was right to make a complete switch to LED moving lights and specials. “Robe currently has an excellent selection of LED products which are suitable for any theatre or performance show,” he commented, after making Robe’s DL4 series, LEDWash 600s and Spikie moving lights plus their PARFect 100s central to this design. The demands of panto are quite specific. Lighting has to be colourful and psychedelic to mimic the outlandish fantasy sequences at the core of the genre, and
UK - Scala in Kings Cross has played host to everyone from Coldplay and The Foo Fighters to Ray Lamontagne and Sheryl Crow over the years. In addition, it has become a mecca for the capital’s clubbing community, regularly opening its doors for drum’n’bass, reggae, rock and garage nights. As part of a recent significant upgrade to Scala’s in-house audio system, the venue has invested in an Allen & Heath dLive S Class digital mixing system at front of house. Featuring a dLive S5000 surface partnered with a DM48 MixRack, the set-up also employs a Waves V3 audio networking card to allow laptop-based multitrack recording (up to 128 tracks) of live events via a single CAT cable. The inclusion of an iP8 remote controller also increases flexibility with its ability to control the dLive MixRack in conjunction with Allen & Heath’s Director software for an ultra
UK - Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance has been given the power to award its own degrees. Her Majesty’s Privy Council, following a recommendation by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), has written to the College to confirm that it has been granted Taught Degree Awarding Powers (TDAP). This means that, from September 2017, students will be able to study for a taught degree awarded by the Sidcup-based College. Rose Bruford College principal and chief executive, Professor Michael Earley, said, “This is a significant milestone in the College’s 66- year history and means we can develop our own degrees which respond quickly to the needs of our students, existing partners and other organisations within the performing arts and creative industries sectors. “The awarding of TDAP is a college-wide achievement, and I would like to thank our staff, stude
Europe - Elation Professional is now offering the complete ArKaos product line of software and media servers in several European countries and serves as the main value-added dealer of ArKaos Pro products in the UK. ArKaos professional solutions for the show and lighting market are used all over the world by leading designers and rental companies. Elation Europe’s first opportunity to represent the ArKaos Pro product line will be this week at the ISE trade show in Amsterdam on Elation Stand 12-F40. The ArKaos Pro product line of software and media servers meets today's needs by giving lighting designers and operators rock-solid, professional control of their shows. ArKaos products deliver unrivalled performance in speed, effects and manipulation of real-time visuals. Elation offers several products compatible with ArKaos Kling-Net protocol to allow the distribution o
Australia - Launched this week is Additive, a new design collaboration that offers “a fresh take on creative direction and production design”. Based in Melbourne, Additive consists of Ben “Bosco” Shaw, Paul Lim and Tom Wright who between them offer a wide range of skill sets. After years of working on productions and festivals around the world, these three experienced professionals, and close friends, have joined forces to harness their collective industry experience and technical knowledge. "Whether it’s an innovative design, a complex activation or an expansive festival, concert, theatre production or event, we offer experience, knowledge and creativity to deliver an elegant solution tailored to any budget or timeline,” commented Tom Wright. “Additive is a design and technical production house made up of good guys who want to see your project evolve and
Europe - Shure has announced the three winning bands in its recent EMEA-wide band competition Call for Legends – Live. The first prize winners are the Lehmanns Brothers, an eight-piece soul/funk band from France. The competition ran from September to December 2016 and the requirements were that bands entering had to be based in the EMEA region (Europe, the Middle East, or Africa) and to have a strong passion for live performances. To prove this, bands had to upload a video of a gig in front of a live audience, along with a band biography. The winning groups receive Shure equipment worth thousands of Euros, and the first-prize winner additionally has the opportunity of playing live at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival, and of taking home a professional audio and video recording of their festival performance. The competition has exceeded all expectati
UK – Impact Production Services (IPS) has added nearly 200 aPix2 high resolution indoor LED video panels to its inventory, supplied by A.C. Entertainment Technologies Ltd (AC-ET). IPS, which offers equipment dry hire through to complete technical production services for events, approached AC-ET’s specialist Video sales division when it was looking to make a significant investment in a high resolution LED screen system to service the latest needs of its rental clients. AC-ET recommended the aPix2 panel due to its 2.9mm pixel pitch, which is suitable for today’s applications demanding ever higher display resolutions – such as corporate / AV presentations or other types of content benefitting from a smoother look. The Video sales division supplied IPS with 198 x 0.5sq.m aPix2 LED panels, plus related screen processors and flybars, creating a total display ar
USA - Nestled in the northwest corner of Dallas County, Texas next to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, the City of Coppell is home to nearly 40,000 residents. To more efficiently communicate news, events and information, the City has invested in a digital signage network powered by Navori Labs’ QL digital signage engine. Utilizing digital media has been a clear benefit for disseminating important information to both staff, residents and guests who visit the municipal building on Parkway Boulevard. Powered by an on-premises QL Professional solution, the multi-seat software offers a flexible content creation, management and playout toolset for the dissemination of information to approximately 25 screens – including messages tailored for specific departments such as Facilities Management, Parks and Recreation and Human Resources. Perhaps more importantly,
USA - Effective 3 February 2017, Audio Biz has been appointed to represent Community Professional Loudspeakers in the Midwest region, comprising Northern and Central Illinois, the Eastern half of Wisconsin, and the state of Michigan. Founded in 1991 by Randy Stenson and Les Murin, award-winning Audio Biz, Inc. represents leading manufacturers of professional audio, video and lighting products. The company is located in Ingleside, Illinois and operates a 4,000 square foot office facility, which houses administrative, training, sample warehousing and demo fabrication areas. “We represent, sell and support the best manufacturers in the industry, so we are proud to be partnering with Community and look forward to supporting their team in this region of the country,” said Beth Mickel, sales manager at Audio Biz. Steve Young, Community’s North America sales direc
South Korea - South Korean based LIVE-LAB has recently learnt and used to great effect the CueCore1 and CueCore2 products. Lotte World theme park is one of the largest in South Korea. LIVE-LAB specified and installed the CueCores for solid-state architectural lighting control within the theme park and also for a special themed event for Halloween in October. The CueCores were used to control the lighting fixtures within the Halloween House. When visitors walked in they could select a button that would activate a strobe and “kill” a zombie. After these first successful installs in the theme park, LIVE-LAB has gone on to use the Visual Productions products in a couple of other installations. In Samcheok (a province of South Korea) a CueCore was used to control the lighting of projections in the window of the main Cinema here. More recently in Yoeju, the CueCore was
UK - VER supported award winning grime artist Skepta with a one off, sold out show at London’s Alexandra Palace. Delivering an intense homecoming performance in front of a receptive crowd, the North London artist was joined onstage by an array of collaborators including Kano and Wretch 32 for a blazing hot, career spanning retrospective including tracks from the Mercury Prize winning fourth album, Konnichiwa. Streamed live to a worldwide audience via Apple Music, the show rocked the 10,000 capacity venue with trademark social comment and intelligent beats resonating against a towering backdrop of dazzling imagery and vibrant colour. Supporting the show via their full service London operation, VER supplied a large 23m x 7m (5888 x 1792 pixel) upstage LED wall, created using over 600 LED tiles to deliver stunning 6K video, flanked by twin sets of LED video
Norway - Sousan Azimrayat, commercial director and Peter Stewart, technical director from ASL - Application Solutions (Safety and Security) Ltd, joined the Prime Minister of Norway, local dignitaries and media at official opening event for Holmestrand train station in Norway. Arriving by train at Holmestrand station guests were greeted by the local Mayor of Holmestrand and Knut Edmund Knutsen, project manager for Jernbaneverket (Bane NOR), the Norwegian government agency for railway services. Holmestrand train station is a new station engineered into the mountainside of the Holmestrand municipality along a tunnel 12km in length. The celebratory events in December marked the completion of more than six years of constructions works, numerous transport interruptions and regular noise pollution to the residents of this otherwise rural town in Norway. Sousan Azimraya
USA - Coming off a year of touring with EDM artists like The Chainsmokers, Cash Cash and Tritonal, designer Aaron Kovelman was accustomed to creating big slashing looks with lots of intense beams, crazy truss angles and ample helpings of eye bleeding audience lighting. Taking on an anniversary concert for his hometown friends and jam band legends The Bridge, however, required him to wear a different more subtle lighting design hat. He donned it very well too, creating some pure live band looks with help from Chauvet Professional Rogue fixtures. “Coming off a lot of electronic dance music shows I was very excited to light up a full band of musicians,” said Kovelman. “I wanted to go for as clean of a setup as possible, with straight lines of fixtures – something very simple, but also super sophisticated, yet still with its share of crazy looks.” Kovelman
UK - Shermann Sound Systems continues to go from strength to strength, recently supporting many shows within and around their home city of Glasgow, Scotland. Shermann is a prestigious brand renowned for over 30 years, especially within the UK, for their professional enclosures, and it was recently acquired by Sono Vie Ltd. This Scottish pro audio company offers PA equipment for rental and touring used in several performances. "Audiences appreciate hearing the difference,” says Alan Beattie, the owner. "Customers once again are choosing Shermann Audio products for their outstanding vocal clarity as enjoyed by audiences at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival.” The festival featured 16 performances and in excess of 18,000 visitors, with artists and performers including Dylan Moran, Julian Clary, Ohmid Djalili, Adam Hill, Paul Merton etc. "Glasg
USA - The new Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land is everything you’d expect of a performing arts centre in Texas: big, bright and bold. The $84m venue, which officially opened in the Houston metro area this month with a strong line-up of events including Jerry Seinfeld, Don Henley, Dave Matthews, Reba McEntire and the touring production of Dirty Dancing, comprises 20,000sq.ft that combines the programmes of concert hall, civic centre and theatrical centre in a single shape-adjusting venue. But the new Smart Financial Centre Performing Arts Centre at Sugar Land also has Texas-sized sound thanks to an L-Acoustics K2 line array system installed by LD Systems and designed by consultant Scott Bray of Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon & Williams, Inc. (WJHW). “This is a premier performance venue for the entire region, so they wanted the absolute best sound possible, and
UAE - Nearly 200 Robe fixtures were used by award-winning lighting and show designer Terry Miranda of Lighthouse Productions to light a special production of musical Fakhrak Ya Watan (The Pride of a Nation) for the 2016 Ras al-Khaimah National Day Celebrations on the eve of the United Arab Emirates 2016 National Day event. Ras al-Khaimah (RAK) is one of the seven Emirates making up the UAE. The spectacular, performed by a cast of over 800 singers, dancers, actors and poets of all ages, was attended by His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council member of the UAE & Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, plus a host of dignitaries and VVIPs as well as 10,000 members of the public. The show, which included eye-catching projections mapped across a 92m wide set and performance / presentation area, celebrated UAE’s achievements over the last 45 years and pres
Malta - The Junior Eurovision Song Contest (JESC), the youth version of the international televised music competition, took place at the end of 2016, with lighting designer Anton Borg Olivier designing a fully networked Avolites control and dimming system to power broadcast-ready stage and green room lighting. Hosted by Malta in the capital city of Valetta, JESC '16 reported a total live average audience of 3.9m viewers across 14 markets; the biggest audience for four years. With viewing figures this size, Anton relied on Avolites' advanced Timecode functionality to ensure creative director Ismael Portelli's multi-layered show went off without a hitch. "Avolites Titan version 10 software makes running a timecoded show very easy," he explains. "Since all songs are given a different start time, all I had to do was choose the page of required playback faders and the desk
South Korea - Amadeus has announced the install of a massive speaker system, featuring the newly-released PMX 12 D self-powered active speakers, within a new multi-disciplinary institution, the Arts & Creative Technology Centre (ACT), in Gwangju, South Korea. ACT Centre puts Gwangju at the forefront of global art, design, and culture dialogue. Launching with a major festival and exhibition in November 2015, ACT Centre commenced a dynamic year-round programme of activities that brought together leading Asian and international talents to share, collaborate, and inspire. Located on the site of the former provincial government building in Gwangju, ACC hosts several institutions and facilities that include the ACT Centre, the Research Institute for Asian Culture, Library & Archive, Centre for Children, multiple theatres, and exhibition halls, and the May 18 Memoria
UK - RCF UK has announced the first of two showcase events, specifically focused on its burgeoning D-Line HDL series. This will take place in Hall One at Sage Gateshead on 14 March, between 12 noon-6.00pm, hosted by Nitelites. Set demos will take place at 1pm, 3pm and 5pm. The launch of the HDL10-A reinforced the huge success earlier of the original HDL20-A active composite enclosure - since when the series has gone from strength to strength. Now RCF is offering the first opportunity for European pro audio professionals to listen to the much smaller process-controlled HDL6-A and at the same time attend the first UK demo of the large-format HDL50-A, complete with control package. These will line up alongside the HDL10-A and HDL20-A - both permanently installed at Gateshead Sage - as well as NX and TT product. Dean Davoile, head of RCF UK comments: “This is
UK - The Earth Hall at the Natural History Museum was selected as the venue for the exclusive book launch of Rutland Hall Publishing’s Timeless Treasures, an illustrated hardback showcasing regal Indian weddings. The Museum welcomed over 300 guests who spent the evening exploring the regal culture of Indian marriages, characterised by abundant gift-giving and lavish displays of jewellery and textiles. The Earth Hall provided an inspirational backdrop for the canapé and drinks reception, welcome speeches and glittering showcase of new high-end fashion collections from Sabyasachi and Cartier. Guests were invited to purchase signed copies of the new release and offered the rare opportunity to privately view the Earth’s Treasury collections throughout the course of the evening. Maia by The AC’s project manager Charlie Womack oversaw the venue’s event
UK - Blackout has appointed the event industry’s first Trailblazer Live Event Rigging apprentices, with a double appointment, January 2017. The drapes and rigging specialists welcome Roisin McClearn and Bridie Lane to its team. The Trailblazer Live Event Rigging Apprenticeship, part of the governments’ Trailblazer scheme encouraging three million new apprentices by 2020, was launched by the National Rigging Advisory Group (NRAG) in September to provide formal training to new recruits, supporting them beyond the National Rigging Certificate Level 2, and to plug the gap in trainee numbers to fill increasing demand throughout the rigging industry. Blackout selected Rosie and Bridie from over 70 eager applicants, to become the first individuals in the UK to embark on this groundbreaking events industry training. Following an online application process, the pair proceed
Europe - Belgian sound engineerJan De Rycke has just finished the second leg of the In the Shadow of Toon Hermans tour, carrying a dLive S Class digital mixing system, comprising a dLive S5000 Surface and DM48 MixRack. "dLive sounds great and has a huge amount of processing power, flexibility and useful plugins. Details like the selectable and steep HPF - the most underestimated parameter on any sound desk - and the gain reduction spectrograph, show Allen & Heath has got it right,” says Jan De Rycke. "Another main benefit for me is the full redundancy throughout the system, which is essential in high end live sound." This leg of the tour visited 34 cities in Belgium and The Netherlands, celebrating the centenary of the birth of renowned Dutch comedian, singer and writer, Toon Hermans. The tour saw his friend and manager, Herman Van Hove, collaborate with singer,
