USA - For the second year in a row, Georgia's Savannah Music Festival is an all-Meyer Sound event, with sound systems reinforcing all five venues for amplified music. With more than 100 performances scheduled through 9 April, this year marks the debut of Meyer Sound's Leopard linear sound reinforcement system at the festival, providing sound at the Lucas Theatre for the Arts.

Leopard was specified for the venue by Chris Evans, the festival's chief sound engineer. "Leopard really shined for the Pink Martini show," reports Evans. "The band is very dynamic, with pin-drop-quiet classical piano and violin sections followed by upbeat big band parts. I noticed the detail did not change with the loudness level. This is what sets Leopard apart - that ability to maintain clarity and musicality from the softest to the most intense parts of a show.

"During the Irish supergroup The Glo

UK - The Grade II* listed Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, home of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, has recently been transformed by a £14.5m refurbishment. Part of the project has been the construction of a new performance space, Music Room, a 160-250 variable capacity space, designed to host a range of concerts and events which complement the programme in the main 1750 capacity auditorium, as well as being a venue for Liverpool Philharmonic's extensive learning programme.

The major investment in the art deco style Hall has included upgrading the lighting system with Liverpool Philharmonic opting to install an MA dot2 XL-F console. Liverpool Philharmonic's head of production, Gail Wroth said: "Whilst looking at the fixtures, fittings and equipment lists for our exciting new Music Room venue, Rob Beamer from Stage Electrics who were completing the install, offered

Australia - The CMC Music Awards 2016 were held at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), with some of the biggest names in country music including superstars Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line, Australia's own Adam Harvey, and rising country star Kelsea Ballerini taking to the stage to perform.

Broadcast live on Foxtel's Country Music Channel the event celebrated the music and artists who are most-loved by their dedicated country music fans in Australia.

Mandylights were responsible for the production design, production management, stage management, lighting design and operation. Lighting gear came from Crystal Productions, Resolution X and Mandylights themselves.

The event was the first time Scenius, Clay Paky's moving head spotlight, was used in Australia as Crystal Productions had received fourteen a few days prior.

"We are among the first companies i

UK - Robe continues its support of students involved in the technical and creative aspects of lighting, and once again made nearly 40 moving lights available for the 2016 Concert Lighting Project at Rose Bruford College in Kent, UK.

This practical module offers second years on the BA (Hons) Lighting Design course at the leading UK theatre and performance college the opportunity to explore and engage in non-theatre lighting genres like live music.

Covering a period of about four weeks, and mentored by leading industry designer Dave 'Biccie' Lee, the programme culminated with the design of a real lighting rig programmed and operated by the students - Will Steggles, Sam Woolass, Stacey Sandford, Andrew Budge, Matt Bevan and Mitch Andrews - for a ticketed concert at the college's Rose Theatre.

The Concert Lighting Project idea was initiated by the college's programme direc

Indonesia - Straightpoint has named Batam, Indonesia-based PT Rigspek Perkasa as a distributor of its force measurement, load monitoring and suspended weighing load cell range across a key region of Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Rigspek will keep load cell stock at its 15,000sq.m headquarters on the island of Batam, but it also has facilities in Jakarta and Balikpapan, offering a myriad of lifting technologies in addition to related training, inspection and testing services.

Alexander Silalahi, business development manager, Rigspek, said, "The new government has confirmed plans to invest US$360 billion into a series of projects over the next five years, primarily in the infrastructure and power sectors."

He continued, "We have lifting and rigging stock worth about US$600,000 in monetary value and anticipate that Straightpoint's equipment will enhance that product offerin

UK - Innovative new cable dramatically reduces truck packs, shipping costs and much more while giving crews far greater speed and flexibility on site

Everyone is familiar with that feeling: when the cable doesn't quite reach to the light, or the speaker, or the video projector. Not by much, but by just enough that, after a vain tug or two in the hope that some slack will mysteriously appear, you have to interrupt what you're doing to go find an extension cable. Which will always be too long, and so have to be tidied away on the bar or truss.

Now, combining the twin goals of providing creative solutions backed by technical excellence that has driven the company throughout its history, specialist entertainment technology supplier WL has created a solution: StretchCable.

The result of a top secret, highly intensive research project begun exactly one year ago today, Stretc

UK - Philips Lighting has announced a full install of Philips Selecon PL LED luminaires into the performance space of amateur dramatic group the Winslow Players.

The Winslow Players put on three productions a year at the Winslow Public Hall - a play in spring, a play in autumn and a pantomime each February. An important part of the community of Winslow and its surrounding areas, the group has been running for 45 years.

National Stage Technology, which recently acquired Oxford-based Lancelyn Theatre Supplies, supplied and carried out the install. It comprised eight PLprofile, 10 PLfresnel and 5 PLcyc fixtures, providing a more flexible and energy efficient alternative to the previous tungsten system.

"The Players wanted an up-to-date lighting system that was dynamic and easy to use as the performance space is host to a variety of activities," explains Reg Berry, directo

Australia - The four-day WOMADelaide festival, now in its 24th year, which celebrates world music and dance, is held in the beautiful surrounds of Adelaide's Botanic Garden shows no signs of age.

The 11-14 March event smashed previous attendance records as 95,000 attendees took in performances from acts as diverse as Angélique Kidjo, Calexico, Violent Femmes, De La Soul, Kev Carmody and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

A first in 2016, Novatech Creative Event Technology supplied all seven stages of the festival using world class audio, lighting, and video production equipment, backed by their expert personnel.

The aptly named Novatech Stage was supplied in its entirety by Novatech, utilising their stage and roofing system. The all-important Foundation Stage, which functioned as the festival's main stage, was serviced by Novatech's new Avid S6L digital mixing console, wh

USA - Rapper Pitbull performed his latest single Bad Man on NBC's Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon during Grammy week filming in Los Angeles in February and added visual punch and energy to the performance using Elation Professional's new ACL 360 Roller effect lights.

After performing and winning at The Grammy's the night before, Pitbull was joined on the Tonight Show stage by Robin Thicke, Joe Perry and Travis Barker. "Pitbull songs need a big look to support the energy he brings to the stage and we needed a bright and quick fixture for the song Bad Man," said remotes lighting designer for the show Mick Smith.

"Adding in Travis Barker, Joe Perry, and Robin Thicke is a powerful combination that demands a major lighting presence. We knew these were going to be key fixtures for this musical act when [Elation's] Eric Loader and John Dunn showed them to

UK - An integrated asset management system with electrical safety testing at its core is helping a leading supplier of technical services to outdoor events and festivals meet its quality control and safety compliance obligations.

The team behind Figure of Eight Events Ltd has had roles in many major music events such as Glastonbury and iTunes Festival with involvements in a wide range of similar high profile public events such as the Olympic Games and Formula 1, both at home and abroad.

The company provides technical services and support for events, including the supply of power, sound and lighting systems, in addition to staging, rigging and set design.

As part of a continual development in its quality control and compliance procedures, Figure of Eight Events has recently equipped itself with a Seaward Apollo 600 appliance tester to verify the safe operation of all el

UK - Read any contemporary review of a concert by Savages and you're likely to encounter the words 'thunderous' and 'bass'. While not the defining characteristic of the band, these two terms were certainly upper most in the mind of sound engineer Matthew Farrar when contemplating a visit to London's famous Roundhouse.

"I'd played the Roundhouse just once before; last time it was for the Mercury Awards with Savages (Album of the Year shortlist 2013), then we were in and out, one song, thank you very much. So for this show on 17 March that concluded our European tour at least I already knew it was a tricky room with some big low end that can rumble around."

Farrar has been mixing front of house since leaving his positon as head of sound at Glyndebourne in 2004. Having set himself the goal of investing his time and skills at the cutting edge of emerging talent, he has been as

Russia - Founded in 1939, the Penza Regional Philharmonic is one of the most prestigious philharmonic organizations in Russia. Thanks to a large equipment upgrade, installed by ETC dealer Imlight, its theatre is also one of the most technologically advanced. The Philharmonic marked its 75th anniversary with a new lighting system that includes ETC control desks, networking, architectural controls and power controls.

The Philharmonic's current theatre was built in 2009, in preparation for Penza's 350th Founders Day. It houses the philharmonic ensemble and symphony orchestra and plays host to yearly musical festivals and touring shows. The five storey, 20,000 square metre (215,278sq.ft) venue is known for its architecture that features a glass exterior and an entryway adorned with the names of famous composers. It has rehearsal spaces, costume shops, a recording studio and two mu

Germany - Panasonic has announced the creation of a new European solutions company that will bring together its various business products and develop world class solutions for its customers, offering a single point of contact and accountability.

Panasonic System Solutions Europe (PSSEU), a division of Panasonic Marketing Europe, founded on 1 April 2016, develops market specific solutions that include Panasonic devices, software, connectivity and third party products, delivered with world class design engineering and project management.

PSSEU will initially focus its activities on three distinct vertical markets: utilities, transportation and logistics.

The new organisation will be led by Tony O'Brien who has over 20 years' experience in enterprise solutions, having previously worked with organisations such as Siemens Building Technologies.

"For nearly 100 years, Pa

Benelux - Belgian lighting designer Carlo Zaenan of QBE created another amazing live show in Benelux, using a rig that included 256 Robe moving lights - the 2016 leg of the Symphonica in Rosso concerts, six performances presented by Dutch superstar singer Marco Borsato at Amsterdam's 17,000 capacity Ziggo Dome.

This followed another six shows - all 12 completely sold out - in October 2015 at the same venue, which was transformed into a giant theatre space to present the concept.

Carlo has worked with Borsato since 1999 and since 2011 has been his regular LD and lighting operator. To develop the visual treatment for the 2015/16 Symphonica in Rosso, he worked closely with set designer Anne-Mari Ahola and Marcel de Vré, Borsato's long term show designer as well as the video crew from Visual Solutions and content creator Tom van Gestel from Fabrique Fantastique. Once th

UK - PLASA, the Professional Lighting and Sound Association, has announced that Peter Heath has been appointed to the new role of managing director of PLASA, with effect from Monday 11 April 2016.

Peter brings with him a wealth of industry knowledge and hands-on sales and management experience. He joins PLASA from Roland Corporation, where he worked in various senior roles for nearly 20 years, making a substantial contribution to the sustained growth of its UK music division, where he became sales director in 2009.

In 2006 he set up Roland UK's Pro Audio division, which later became Roland Pro AV after merging with Edirol Video products. He developed his role and in 2012 became pro AV sales and marketing director in the UK. In 2014 he Joined Roland Europe Group as head of Pro AV for Europe. Peter has also worked closely with the Music Industries Association (MIA) and, thro

Germany - At PL&S2016, TiMax and Out Board (Hall4.1-A38) are celebrating a couple of their busiest years ever with five musical shows now on Broadway currently using TiMax, and two of the West End's biggest shows this year about to open in London with TiMax SoundHub and Tracker, plus an ever increasing range of shows and installations across Scandinavia, Europe and the Far East. Out Board's Dave and Robin will be showing some major new enhancements to the TiMax2 SoundHub software just about to be released.

And in a Frankfurt debut, Out Board's PAT test joint-venture associates Data Strategy (Hall3 -G90) will demonstrate the PAT4 Test Processors, CAB5 Cable Testers and RCD Test modules with their QC-Check PAT automation and logging software which is rapidly being adopted by a growing number of the UK's top production rental companies - check in with Iain Roche to learn more.

Germany - Allen & Heath has expanded its Qu compact digital range with the new Qu-SB ultra-compact intelligent mixer / interface. Qu-SB is designed as a Stage Box solution with all the features offered in the Qu series but purely designed for tablet control, freeing the user to mix from anywhere in the venue. Qu-SB provides a smart, portable solution for bands, music venues, project studios, schools and corporate events requiring a pro live and/or recording mixer in a tiny footprint.

A freestanding or rackmount surface-less mixer, Qu-SB has 16 XLR mic inputs, 2 line inputs and 14 outputs but thanks to the powerful Qu-32 core inside, it can be expanded up to 32 mic input channels and 24 outputs, enabling the mixer to connect over a single Cat5 digital snake to AB168, AR84 and AR2412 remote audio racks.

Eliminating the on deck user interface, all control parameters on Qu-SB

USA - The latest rental company to add Elation's Platinum FLX hybrid luminaire to its rental inventory is Glendale, California-based Kinetic Lighting, Inc, an award-winning lighting supplier in the LA area that has also added a quantity of Colour Chorus LED battens to its stock.

"There were several things about the Platinum FLX that made us decide to stock them in our rental inventory," comments Kinetic Lighting president David Rosen. "It has the right mix of features - optics, form factor and price - and we get full CMY colour mixing in a hybrid fixture. But we were especially impressed with its output. The FLX is the brightest beam fixture we rent. And while we still rent lots of Elation's Platinum Beam 5R Extremes, and even the original Platinum Beam 5R, the FLX is a great complement to those while meeting the needs of clients who want even more output in a beam fixture."

UK - Baldwin Boxall has announced the launch of a new logo and refreshed look, reflecting the company's ethos of ongoing improvement and evolution of the brand. The new logo has an up-dated look, whilst keeping its traditional, and highly recognisable, blue triangle. The rebranding exercise has included a fully responsive website and modernised exhibition stand.

During the website redesign Baldwin Boxall insisted that there must be no loss of content as the company has always been keen to ensure that it is as informative as possible. To give you an idea of size, the site itself consists of well over 100 pages and contains over 200 items of downloadable content. In addition there is a project profile area, a news blog, customer log-in area and staff news blog.

Despite its size, the website is straight-forward to navigate, with plenty of interesting content, and includes a n

UK - Honouring the talent that the British advertising industry has to offer, the British Arrows Awards this year celebrated their 40th anniversary. Taking place on Wednesday 23 March 2016 at Battersea Evolution, creative technical event production expert, Hawthorn was on hand to make sure this year's event was bigger and better than ever.

The evening, which was hosted by Peep Show actor and comedian David Mitchell, saw 18 gold and 26 silver awards handed out to the cream of the advertising crop, with guest presenters including actor Stanley Tucci.

Hawthorn has delivered the technical production for the British Arrows Awards since 2011, with the design and production values increasing in specification and complexity each year. Working alongside the British Arrows Awards producers, the team at Hawthorn once again provided an imaginative and unique way of using the 4,

China - Five Christie DWU555-GS laser phosphor projectors provided impressive projections on the backdrop of a massive sand table model showcased at a new national heritage park in China - restoring the ancient glory of Luoyang city, China's former imperial capital during the Sui (589-618 BC) and Tang dynasties (618-907 AD).

Wu Zetian was the first and only female emperor in China. A major highlight is the full-scale reconstructions of two iconic towers that symbolised the splendour and opulence of Empress Wu's reign.

During her political heyday, Empress Wu instructed the construction of these two towers, which were described as architectural miracles. And today, the recreated nine-story-high Ming Tang houses a spectacular sand table model of the ancient city of Luoyang, which covers an area of 130sq.m and is built to a scale of 1:800.

The backdrop of the massive sand

South Africa - When it comes to suspending line arrays for large-scale events, In-Harmony Productions rely on ProLyft motors from Prolyte. With six one Ton Prolyft motors in stock already, they recently made an investment of an additional two-ton motor to keep up with demand.

In-Harmony provides a service in two key areas, live technical productions and installations particularly for Houses of Worship, explains Juan Soothill, MD and system designer engineer at In-Harmony. "We own a JBL VTX V25 system, and for massive events collaborate with two other V25 owners. When working on bigger indoor and outdoor gigs, we want to be able to suspend more line array boxes with the focus being on safety."

Earlier this year, In-Harmony used the Prolyft motors for church meetings held in Johannesburg's FNB Stadium (an over 94 000 seater venue) and in Accra, Ghana. The motors then went st

UK - The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Season has been running at the Garrick Theatre in London's West End since October 2015. In the first-ever season led by the BAFTA award-winning actor, it has achieved critical acclaim with hit productions such as The Winter's Tale starring Judi Dench, for which she has just won an Olivier Award, and Red Velvet starring Adrian Lester. The latest show, The Painkiller, which stars both Kenneth Branagh and Rob Brydon, has now opened to rave reviews. As with every other production throughout the season, White Light is providing the lighting equipment on this comedy classic.

The Painkiller tells the story of two men sat in adjacent hotel rooms. One of them is an assassin, whilst the other is suicidal and the only thing that separates them is an adjoining door. The play is a new adaptation of Francis Veber's classic French

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