Belgium - A renowned Belgian rehearsal studio has kitted out its main performance space with a series of HK Audio Elements Line Base systems.

ST Events, which regularly plays host to some of the country's most famous musical performers and acts, decided to replace its previous sound systems for musicians, and invited a number of companies to show them the best solution for the future.

The clear winner for pure acoustic sound was Elements, as ST Events explain, "We tested a lot of different systems in different price categories. HK Audio's Elements was the best - no discussion about this. We loved the 'warm' sound, the styling and the fact that it's a very compact system.

"In particular, the sound of the vocals was the best of all the systems we tested. And that's very important in rehearsal studios. AB Music, HK Audio's Belgian distributor, was very supportive in helpi

USA - Riding a wave of success with a breakout EP and hit single Gold, singer-songwriter Kiiara made her television debut 15 September on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and had a back line of Elation ZCL Series lighting fixtures to support her. Used for backdrop visuals in the form of columns of eye-catching vertical lighting effects was Elation Professional's ZCL 360i single beam moving effect light.

"We chose to use the ZCL 360i because we needed a stand-out lighting element that had a variety of effects and one that could respond to the demanding cadence structure of the song's tempo," said Michael Keeling, vice president of entertainment at SEIBO LLC, a leading production and event company based in Palos Verdes, California.

"For those that know my design work, I like to have an illumination source that provides a simple but dominate statement," Ke

Germany - Attracting more than 900,000 visitors and 1000 exhibitors, the IAA Commercial Vehicles Show is the leading international trade fair for transport and logistics.

At the 66th IAA, held recently in Hanover, Germany, an 11,000sq.m exhibition space was the stage for an impressive presentation from the biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles in the world, the Daimler Group. Several brands from Daimler's successful portfolio were represented, including Mercedes-Benz, Fuso and Setra. A carefully selected combination of 650 ETC Source Four fixtures illuminated the dedicated Daimler area, and the 70+ trucks, vans and buses displayed within it.

The Daimler exhibition space incorporated two stages, three distinct brand worlds and a striking 'media ring' that stood a staggering 90m wide by 3.5m high. PRG was appointed as technical service provider, while rgb GmbH was entr

UK - It's not often you bump into Jimi Hendrix in a former Victorian main railway terminus, but then the Co-op is no ordinary organisation. How it chooses to celebrate the reinforcement of Co-operative values by its employees through the Pioneer Awards is a reflection of its special character.

This year's annual event, staged at Manchester Central, featured a reception area themed around an ice palace and a breath-taking 50m wide projection screen in the main function area to ensure everyone felt like they had a front row seat. The whole evening was topped off with a performance by the Kaiser Chiefs followed by a late night DJ-hosted after show party elsewhere in the building just for good measure.

Manchester Central has its own particular demands when it comes to staging a prestige corporate show of this dimension, one reason why event specialist Black Arts engaged the se

UK - VME and sister company Creation Live joined forces with We Are The Fair recently, to provide full production for the opening launch of the new BoxPark Croydon retail event venue at East Croydon railway station.

The new retail space, filled with eateries and drinking establishments, provided a backdrop for this venue, a space allowing for 2,000 people to come and be entertained by Headline Hosts for Saturday's Eskimo Dance, while for the Sunday NME hosted its latest Future Sounds of London event. Both events were broadcast through VME's premium Martin Audio MLA Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array.

VME and Creation Live had previously worked with We Are The Fair at Gottwood Festival where MLA was also used in 2015, and this was the centrepiece of a fully integrated production provided by the Manchester based specialists for this high profile opening launch. MLA was chosen

France - Paris's famous multi-purpose Bercy Arena has recently been transformed into the flexible AccorHotels Arena following a makeover costing around €150m.

Originally built in early 1981, and affectionately known as 'POPB' (a derivation of Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy) the maximum seating capacity has been expanded to 20,300, making it the world's fourth largest arena. The integration of an Optocore / BroaMan digital fibre network in the new look facility allows for 30 different room configurations, enabling it adapt to the range of sporting events and concerts with ease.

While the main design team was led by architects, DVVD and engineers, Populous, the new technical infrastructure was provided by ENGIE Ineo. The company responded successfully to an audio-visual delivery tender issued by project management company, Astell, under the direction of Patrice Buniazet.<

New Zealand - Southward Car Museum in New Zealand recently purchased an Allen & Heath Qu-16 rackmount digital mixer as part of an upgrade to its events audio equipment.

The renowned museum houses a collection of over 400 vehicles, as well as three aircraft, and hosts various events from balls and festivals to conferences.

"We need to offer our clients a professional service, including good quality audio equipment. The A&H mixer is a no brainer - it's easy to operate from setup to pack down," comments Levi Hampton, booking & events coordinator at the Southward Museum Trust.

Staging at the venue alters depending on the type of event and its requirements.The Qu mixer's simple dSnake Cat 5 connection allows the venue to install the console wherever it is needed.

"For me, Qu's greatest assets are the touchscreen interface, which makes tasks such as EQ-ing and routing ve

Namibia - Robe BMFLs, LEDBeam 1000s, Pointes and other moving lights provided by leading Namibian technical production specialist dB Audio illuminated the Namibia Breweries Ltd (NBL) site in Namibian capital Windhoek for the launch of the country's first biomass boiler.

The boiler was inaugurated by Namibian Vice President Dr Nickey Iyambo in a high profile ceremony for which dB Audio provided full technical production for Sindana Communications who delivered the project to end client, NBL owners Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group.

The dB Audio Namibia team was led by event producer Zellmari Brandt, with the event space lighting design created by Ramon le Roux and Gillroy Barmann, assisted by Natangwe Ndenge. The three young designers collaborated to produce a walk-through lighting spectacular spanning 200m of the ultra-modern brewing facility, leading from the main NBL receptio

UK - When Peter Daffarn was first offered the opportunity to work as a lighting consultant for some new London studios, little did he know at the time that he'd be specifying kit for one of the biggest names in the industry - YouTube. "I was approached by a broadcast consultant who was unable to name names, but it sounded like an exciting project so I got on board and, based on the project brief, I immediately knew that I'd be getting Doughty Engineering involved too," explained Peter.

The brief was to kit out three studios, two of which were double height. It is in these studios that YouTubers with more than 10,000 subscribers can book free studio time to create the content required for their channel. Peter drew up all the designs and prepared all the documents, sending them through to the client, ready to go out to tender. In a twist of fate, the job never went out to tender

UK - Students and performers at theatre company Chickenshed will now be performing and rehearsing in newly refurbished spaces, thanks to Unusual Rigging which, as a long-term supporter of the company, has contributed to a much needed make-over at the venue.

Unusual has installed a new auditorium floor in The Rayne - Chickenshed's main performance theatre as well as donating a floating stage platform for this year's Christmas production, Adventure to Oz and all the rigging equipment required for the installation.

Frances Thomas, head of theatre management at Chickenshed commented, "We are delighted to be supported by such a prestigious company as Unusual and the changes they have made to our venue are massive. We are an inclusive theatre which means that we have some performers with varying access requirements, including impaired vision and mobility problems etc. Unu

Italy - The first tour in Italy to use Nexo's STM Series modular line array has enjoyed great success, with over 200,000 tickets sold. Aldo Giovanni e Giacomo are three well-known Italian comic performers, currently celebrating the 25th anniversary of their comedy career.

The 2016 tour, which also featured live orchestral music from the Good Fellas, was an important one for sound rental company Joint Rent, based in Ravenna. To service the extensive tour, the company invested in Nexo's STM Series modular line array, purchasing the new omnipurpose STM M28 cabinet to use as the main module alongside B112 bass and S118 sub modules.

"From the beginning, we believed in the potential of the M28 and the STM concept. For a tour like this, it was definitely the right PA product, offering complete modular assembly, very fast rigging and ease of set up," said Gianni Fantini, CEO of Jo

USA - With its 3,500 capacity, tiered seating and intimate design, The Myth Live Event Centre has earned a well-deserved reputation as a venue that provides big name artists with an opportunity to connect to fans. Prince enjoyed performing here; so too have rock icons like Counting Crows and ZZ Top.

Given its history, this suburban St. Paul music hall served as an ideal setting for a recent concert by Hardwell, the Big House star who elevated fan-artist connectivity to new heights this summer by creating a first-of-its-kind Facebook Messenger Bot that gives his 8.5m followers direct input into his weekly international radio programme.

Ryan Warffuel and Max Koehler of Antic Studios supported Hardwell's connectivity to his Myth Centre audience with an expansive video wall and floor package that featured products from Chauvet Professional. The pair used the company's P

UK - Blitz|GES, the audio visual provider to live events, has been selected as an official supplier to the UK tour of Sister Act.

The stage show is adapted from the award-winning film and stars Alexander Burke (X Factor) in the lead role with direction and choreography from Craig Revel-Horwood.

Blitz|GES worked with the production team behind Sister Act earlier this year, when they provided sound equipment for the tour of Tell Me on a Sunday.

"I always enjoy working with Blitz|GES," said Richard Brooker, sound designer to the Sister Act UK tour. "The team understands the requirements of modern touring and the way in which they assemble the equipment ensures that we keep to the demanding schedule for this tour. It is excellent to be working with the team again and I'm confident Sister Act will be a hit."

Chris Jordan, head of sound and th

UK - TiMax developers, Out Board, claim 'the busiest summer ever' following this year's prolific run of outdoor shows using the unique TiMax SoundHub spatialisation and TiMax Tracker performer tracking automation systems.

Kicking off at Erfurt Domfest, TiMax SoundHub and TiMax Tracker brought Tosca to glory with rental partners Neumann and Muller. Switching from the traditional to the ultra-modern, the next role for TiMax was at the opening ceremonies of Switzerland's ground-breaking, Gotthard Tunnel. With world leaders in attendance, Basel-based audiopool provided sound production and put TiMax Tracker to work imaginatively, but most atypically, as a visual cueing aid to manage audio localisation down the length of the elongated arena.

TiMax was specified in the most picturesque locations: Switzerland's large-scale Thunersee Festspiele with its stunning Swiss lakes

Germany - The Daimler AG booth was illuminated with the latest fixtures from GLP at the world's most important trade fair for commercial transport and logistics, which took place in Hannover in late September.

The world market leader in commercial vehicles presented 70 trucks, vans and buses from brands Mercedes-Benz, Fuso and Setra. The premieres were brought to life thanks to an impressive 144 GT-1 discharge lamp fixtures from GLP. And with more than 16,000 m² of exhibition space at their disposal, an additional 24 GLP impression X4 and 280 impression X4L were used to create a vibrant atmosphere on the stand.

rgb gmbh was entrusted with this extensive production task. In fact, they were responsible for the lighting design and technical planning, including rigging, for the entire exhibition stand. The technical service provider for the lighting and rigging was PRG from H

USA - Anew Communications Technology, Inc. (Anew C.T.), based in Centennial, CO, has been appointed the sales representative for VUE Audiotechnik in the Southwest region of the US. This territory covers California, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.

Anew C.T. will handle VUE's entire range of products, from the compact integrator focused i-Class systems, through the Truextent Beryllium-based h-Class Premium Powered Systems and al-Class Scalable Line Arrays featuring Continuous Source Topology (CST).

"Anew C.T. is proud to be selected as the sales representative firm for VUE in the Southwest," says Nelson Brugh, president of Anew C.T. "There is great synergy with our current line of video and audio manufacturers, and VUE lets us offer our customers a range of unique, world class products! We're excited to have the opportunity to work with the VUE team, especial

Ghana - musicXchange Ghana, is an international nonprofit organization which provides a platform for local musicians in Ghana to showcase their talents while giving them the chance to positively impact their local communities. With the help of DPA microphones, Federico Masetti, CEO of musicXchange INC., is able to provide professional microphones to those who may never have the opportunity to use them.

"During my last year at the Berklee College of Music, I took a three-week trip to Ghana as part of a study abroad program, but also to follow my father's work in the country," says Masetti. "My father is a doctor and was working on a humanitarian project to help build a nonprofit hospital in Kumasi, Ghana. I wanted to find a way to further his efforts and utilize my passion for music to help the people of Ghana.

"That's where the idea of musicXchange first came about. musicX

Italy - The Holy Spirit complex in Porto Torres (Sassari) incorporates a church, several multi-purpose halls and a sports area on a total surface of over 8000 sq.m. The complex was constructed in 2016 as an important point of reference for the local community, at a total cost of of 2m euros.

A critical factor for the choice of sound reinforcement products was the architectural structure of the church: it is an open space, 36 m wide and 16.5 m deep, excluding the choir and chapel. There are no installation points, and the perimeter walls are the only anchor points available.

Two RCF VSA2050 columns have been installed on the side walls, plus one VSA1250 near the altar, to reinforce the front rows. Such a small number of products allows the integral coverage of the large space with its 36m width, thanks to the VSA columns' deep throw and 130° horizontal coverage.

VSA

UK - Stephen Daldry's multi-award winning production of An Inspector Calls has returned to the West End at the Playhouse Theatre. This now famous revival was first performed at the National Theatre in 1992 and has since won 19 major awards across the globe.

Lighting designer Rick Fisher has lit the production since its infancy and returns once again for this latest run. He approached White Light to provide the lighting equipment, which included the GLP impression X4 Bar 20s which the company has recently invested in.

An Inspector Calls is written by JB Priestley and tells the story of a family's dinner party being interrupted by the mysterious Inspector Goole who is investigating the death of a young woman. Rick comments, "What's great about An Inspector Calls is that it's still a brilliant production which resonates with a lot of audiences. Generation

South Africa - Comedian John Vlismas presented Revelations II - The Good Racist to a sold out audience for two consecutive nights at the Teatro at Montecasino in Fourways, Johannesburg. Sound Stylists supplied the full technical and were one of the sponsors of the event. The same set and gear was then used for the for the Savanna Comics' Choice Awards the following week.

John Vlismas is a stand-up comedian and the owner of Whacked Special Project, the producers of the Savanna Comics Choice Awards.

"Lighting the show was a bit of a challenge for me as I'd never done a comedian act before," admits lighting designer Sean Crawley. "When I spoke to John Vlismas prior to the event, asking him what his vision was for the show, he said he was aiming to combine rock and roll with theatrical twist. He enjoys beams, but also required clean looks, and essentially wanted the sta

UK - International image processing specialist Calibre has signed a global distribution and sales agreement with Stampede, the distributor of ProAV products and systems solutions. The appointment ensures that the entire range of Calibre HQUltra 4K presentation scalers and switchers will be available globally.

Calibre's in-house HQUltraFast switching technique allows the HQUltra range to typically switch between input channels in 0.25 seconds, with audio and video streaming features now available Calibre continues to provide best-in-class performance for its customers

Stampede has been a leader in ProAV distribution for nearly 20 years, with dedicated sales and account management teams based in Europe, Latin America, North America and Canada. The agreement was signed on 7 September 2016, so Stampede will now promote and sell Calibre's ProAV products globally, with emphasis

Taiwan - For a three-month showcase starting 7 December 2016 in Taipei City, AVATAR: Discover Pandora touring exhibition is based around the science and technology of the creatures and environments of James Cameron's highest grossing film, Avatar.

Zanim8tion provided the playback and programming using AV Stumpfl's Wings Vioso software suite. The project was fully supported by distribution partner, VIOSO.

As visitors explore the wildlife and landmarks of Pandora, each interactive video exhibit area will benefit from the video playback provided by Wings Vioso, each one remotely controlled with a hand held radio frequency transmitter by a live host presenter. Additionally, Zanim8tion has configured Wings Vioso to synchronize lighting and door controls within each room.

"AV Stumpfl's Wings was the ideal software to use because of its integrated show control elements and th

Spain - For the past nine years, Yamaha Music Europe has organised an annual system designers' conference. In 2007, the first conference attracted 30 delegates. This year over 120 gathered at the Valencia campus of Berklee College of Music, where they witnessed an exceptional cross-industry collaboration between Yamaha, Barco, Dolby and Unique Cinema Systems.

Hosted at the appropriately futuristic-looking Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, Yamaha's annual system designers' conference is an opportunity for delegates to discuss ideas, technology and best practise with other audio professionals from throughout Europe.

The theme of this year's two-day conference was Multi-channel Audio for Entertainment and Professional Communication and, for the first time, it featured multiple manufacturers. As well as Yamaha, participating companies included Barco, Dolby Laboratories, Nexo, Rev

Thailand - A MILOS roof was used to cover a 52m wide stage for the Road to ULTRA electronic music festival in Bangkok, Thailand. The project used M390L (QTL) truss, which supported hundreds of video tiles, two 4x4x2m video screens, two 4x2x2m video screens, one 5 x 3m video screen, as well as additional lights and PA.

The client for the project was the Bangkok-based company One Systems Global Co., Ltd. Project Coordinators were Michal Zykan, Howard Chen, Vanessa Chompoo and the Milos Guangzhou Ltd. Team, who ensured extremely fast realization of the project.

(Jim Evans)

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