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09 October 2024

USA - Plainfield Public Schools, located in Plainfield, New Jersey, recently hosted a ribbon cutting for its $4m renovation of the Plainfield High School auditorium, new eSports gaming arena, and black box theatre. PureTek Group, of nearby Boonton, New Jersey, designed and installed Electro-Voice sound reinforcement systems for each venue.   

“The auditorium was completely refurbished to serve as a hub for school performances, community events and assemblies,” explains Dan Litvin, president of PureTek Group. “We outfitted the auditorium, which seats 1,525 people, with left-right Electro-Voice EVA line arrays to cover the main seating area and EVC loudspeakers for balcony fill.”

Each EVA line array comprises three EVA-2082S/906, two EVA-2082S/1220 loudspeaker elements and two EVA-2151D subwoofers. EVA’s efficient crossover and driver desi

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08 October 2024

Denmark - Robe moving lights – Esprites, Spiiders, iSpiiders and iForte LTXs used as followspots – all had impact on the lighting and set designed by Simon Corder for Opera Hedeland’s La fanciulla del West (Girl of the Golden West) by Puccini, which is set in a Gold Rush prospecting town in 19th century western USA.

Opera Hedeland offers Denmark's largest permanent outdoor stage, and an elegant 3,000-capacity amphitheatre sculpted into the landscape, a haven for opera lovers with open minds where they can imbibe an extraordinary site-specific experience each year with a series of special performances. The beauty of the former gravel quarrying area – now returned to natural heathland and forests – permeates the venue which nestles amidst a 15sq.k recreational area, approximately 20km out of the central Copenhagen hustle.

Th

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08 October 2024

Canada - Salle Odyssée, the cultural performance theatre at the Maison de la Culture complex in Gatineau, Québec, has installed a wide range of Ayrton and Robert Juliat lighting fixtures and a new grandMA3 console provided by Perfecson, also in Gatineau. All three brands are exclusively distributed in North America by ACT Entertainment.

Salle Odyssée is a busy venue which daily hosts a variety of shows, including music and stand-up comedy. The new equipment is part of a CAD$5m project for a state-of-the-art upgrade of the theatre.

An AV equipment rental facility, integrator and production services company, Perfecson worked closely with Salle Odyssée to provide the right equipment for the upgrade. Perfecson also continues to supply local labour to supplement the small team of in-house technicians during performances.

“The theatre was usi

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07 October 2024

UK - Production company, RG Jones Sound Engineering, needed to pull out all the stops when RG Live and Merlin Entertainment staged a mixed programme of four back-to-back concerts within the medieval setting of Warwick Castle. It was the perfect ‘picnic on the lawn’ scenario, and an occasion which challenged the Martin Audio MLA loudspeaker array to the maximum.

Opening with The Music of Hans Zimmer vs John Williams – an epic showdown between the film composers – the programme journeyed via Ministry of Sound Classical to McFly, before soaring further into the atmosphere with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds as a finale. As a bonus for the audience, joining Gallagher were Smiths’ guitarist Johnny Marr and The Waeve, featuring Blur’s Graham Coxon and ex-Pipette Rose Elinor Dougall.

All played out through Martin Audio’s flagship PA, whi

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07 October 2024

UK - Holotronica provided a bespoke Hologauze installation for the Island in a River exhibition created by Matthew Rosier at the refurbished Yarm Town Hall Heritage Centre in Stockton-on-Tees.

The Island in a River film was designed to be viewed from outside at night. Reflections of the river Tees are projected onto the Hologauze and float past a canoe, connecting river use past and present.

The exhibition features a collection of local artefacts interpreted by 10 films, created by the artist in collaboration with local residents. The objects are displayed inside the exhibition centrepiece – a replica iron age canoe, carved by local volunteers throughout summer 2023.

The exhibition room is open to the public in the daytime, and so the installation was designed so that the Hologauze could be deployed each night for the Island in a River film

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04 October 2024

Denmark - At the heart of its northern city Aalborg’s cultural life is the Aalborg Kongres & Kultur Center (AKKC), one of Scandinavia's busiest entertainment and convention venues. Hosting concerts, theatre, ballet, exhibitions, and conventions, it welcomes over half a million guests annually.

After years of relying on traditional incandescent lighting, the venue decided to upgrade to a more versatile and energy-efficient LED system to better accommodate its diverse events. AKKC lighting technicians Jakob Krøyer and Thomas Nowakowski were instrumental in the search and eventual specification of a new LED lighting system for the venue’s main performance space, ultimately opting for Elation Fuze Max Profile and the KL Profile FC luminaires.

Krøyer explains the specific lighting requirements: “We needed an ellipsoidal fixture for static fron

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03 October 2024

The Netherlands - Located in Baarn, in the Utrecht region right in the centre of The Netherlands, Speeldoos Theatre is a vibrant local and national hub for culture including film screenings and all types of live performing arts. Last year, the venue, which has a 343-seat theatre space, invested in Robe T1 Profiles as part of a lighting upgrade.

Overseeing this was technical manager Kevin van Boeijen, who explained that they will typically stage over 100 events across a year, screening movies on Mondays and Tuesdays with live shows the rest of the week including opera live streams. Discos and parties are often hosted in the foyer, bands also play in the bar area, and the spaces are available for private events. There is constant activity.

The 16 x T1 Profiles were purchased to replace all the theatre’s generic PC and profile front light in the theat

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03 October 2024

Malaysia - The Hilton Kuala Lumpur hotel’s grand and junior ballroom, as well as its meeting room, have replaced their audio system with a cost-saving new setup powered by Powersoft’s Mezzo, Duecanali and Quattrocanali amplifiers.

The hotel, located in the Malaysian capital’s transportation hub in the vibrant Kuala Lumpur Sentral area, wanted to refresh the sound system in order to have high-quality and clear-sounding audio in its newly renovated function spaces.

After winning the tender, Concept Audio chose Powersoft’s Mezzo, Duecanali and Quattrocanali amplifiers to play a central role in the audio overhaul, selected to meet the diverse requirements of each venue within the hotel. “We chose Powersoft due to the amplifier flexibility and enhanced efficiency, as well as the seamless integration they provide,” says Castrit Lim Lit Seong, m

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03 October 2024

Japan - At FUL Kyoto, a restaurant, bar, and lounge in the Kawaramachi district, customers are surrounded by a collection of greenery from South and Central America and gentle sounds to create an appropriate ambiance.

FUL is a ‘sound forest’ where you can savour natural wines and cocktails while immersing yourself in music that flows like forest rain. FUL’s ‘sound forest’ concept was inspired by 1 Sound’s American-made loudspeakers.

Sound forest is the brainchild of multidisciplinary producer Tomoyuki Tanaka, better known as Fantastic Plastic Machine. As a DJ, he has performed at Coachella and the Reading & Leeds Festival in 1999. As a music producer, his songs are featured in an Austin Powers movie (1999), the British sitcom Spaced and recently, he earned acclaim as the music director for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

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03 October 2024

Europe - On 22-23 August, the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra hosted two outdoor concerts in its home city, offering a magical experience for both musicians and audiences alike – under a customised ‘invisible’ Milos roof.

Partnering with Creative Technology Norway, Milos engineers designed and installed a one-of-a-kind venue featuring an arched roof constructed from Keder profiles and transparent canopies. This innovative design allowed the orchestra to perform under the open sky while being fully protected from the elements, ensuring the show went on without a hitch – rain or shine.

“This bespoke design was so successful that we are now working to have this unique roof system included in our catalogue,” says Milos.

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03 October 2024

Belgium - The organisers of Brussels’ Listen Festival selected the three-tunnel complex under Marie Louise Square as one of the sites for their city-wide event.

Fans crowded the tunnels to see international stars VTSS, Crystallmess and Mary Lake, along with local favourites like CJ Bolland and Nosedrip. Setting the visual tone for the shows was a dramatic lighting design by the John & Jane team that accentuated the intensely raw aesthetics of the tunnel structure.

“This was the third year in a row that we provided sound and light for multiple stages of Listen Festival,” said Lowie Lesage, technical supervisor of the project. “Listen Festival is known for their unusual locations. This year, having the festival take place in tunnels was a fun challenge. Our successful cooperations rely on good equipment and light and sound designs that matc

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01 October 2024

Germany - Berlin's Uber Arena has installed an L-Acoustics L2 professional sound system – the first sports facility L Series installation in the world. Home to the Eisbären Berlin ice hockey team and Alba Berlin basketball club, this 17,000-seat multipurpose venue hosts up to 180 events annually, ranging from championship games to chart-topping concerts.

The venue has hosted acts such as Metallica, Coldplay, Barbra Streisand, U2 and Foo Fighters, and high-profile events including the Euroleague Final Four, NBA and NHL games, the European Men’s Basketball Championship, the IHF Handball World Championship, and the MTV Europe Music Awards.

"Our previous system, installed in 2008, had served us well but was no longer meeting the demands of today's events," says Sebastian Rossman, director of venue operations at AEG, who manages the arena. "We needed

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01 October 2024

UK - Sound production company 22live returned to the Creamfields North site on Daresbury Estate, in the Cheshire countryside, where they made their debut last year on one of the stages.

With 10 high-profile stages set for the huge, four-day dance music festival, the Martin Audio rental partner this year doubled its account. This year they were entrusted with delivering optimum sound for a second stage in a large-scale Big Top. This was in addition to the 14,000-capacity Steel Yard stage which they also equipped last year. This industrial super structure was described as the largest in Europe when originally designed by Acorn Events.

Boasting a huge overhead video screen, Steel Yard really comes into its own after 1am on the Saturday night, when it runs through to 4am, and this year saw electronic music icon, Eric Prydz, headlining.

22live dir

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01 October 2024

UK - Doughty Engineering was the supplier of choice for BH Sound & Lighting hire when they were contracted to provide lighting for An Evening with Chris Packham and Martin Simpson this summer. Having used Doughty products since the company’s formation in 2011, sound and lighting engineer Finlay Ryan-Smith knew that they’d be well-designed, engineered and built-to-last products.

Ryan-Smith commented: “We were initially asked to provide lighting for a small series of concerts at the Church of Lady St Mary’s for the Purbeck Guitar Festival this June. We spec’d this job in line with the requests of most of the artists, which were passed onto us by the client – it was key we were able to find a middle ground between being able to fill these criteria, whilst also keeping costs low for the client, as they were on a limited budget.

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01 October 2024

Dynamic Pricing - Oasis have announced they will ditch dynamic pricing for the American leg of their reunion tour, after it caused "an unacceptable experience" for UK fans. The system raises the price of concert tickets at times of high demand. When Oasis' UK dates went on sale, some fans were charged more than £350 for tickets with an initial face value of £150. The band faced significant backlash, and the UK's competition regulator launched an investigation into whether Ticketmaster breached consumer protection law.

In a statement announcing dates in the US, Canada and Mexico, the group's managers said they wanted to "avoid a repeat of the issues" faced by fans in the UK and Ireland. "It is widely accepted that dynamic pricing remains a useful tool to combat ticket touting and keep prices for a significant proportion of fans lower than the market rate an

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27 September 2024

Malta - Two of the country's most distinctive dining establishments have elevated their culinary experiences with the installation of L-Acoustics professional sound systems. LOA, a South American-inspired seaside venue in St. Paul's Bay, and Aki, an Asian fusion restaurant in Valletta, now boast audio environments that complement their atmospheres and cuisine.

LOA, nestled near the historic Wignacourt Tower, draws inspiration from the ancient Río Loa River and Loa goddesses. This bright seaside venue offers a culinary journey through Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Mexico, blending exquisite flavours with Mediterranean charm. Aki, situated in Malta's capital city, presents a modern twist on Asian cuisine in a sleek, stylish setting.

Both venues required audio solutions to enhance their distinct characteristics and accommodate their transition from backg

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27 September 2024

Italy - Founded in 1902, Milan’s Bocconi University is a leading European teaching and research institution with a strong international orientation. A recent expansion of the university's facilities encompasses the Bocconi Sport Centre, including an Olympic-sized swimming pool, fitness area and the multifunctional Bocconi Sports Arena.

Studio Sound Service led the integration of a suitably innovative AV system at the new facilities, in collaboration with Laser Entertainment and VideoGecom. Audio solutions from the Italian brand, K-array, were key to providing a high-quality PA system that would withstand the challenges of a multi-sports facility.  

“The goal of the project was to establish uniform, high-quality sound diffusion without using loudspeakers that were excessively large or visually impactful,” explains Donato Masci, CEO and technic

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27 September 2024

Switzerland - In a collaborative effort, WSDG worked alongside Wibrandis Stiftung and a team of architects at Vécsey*Schmidt Architekt*innen as well as other partners to implement acoustic treatments throughout the Oekolampad Gemeindehaus in Basel, a 1930s building purchased and repurposed for the community by the Wibrandis Foundation.

Every one of the 50 rooms in the building has benefitted from carefully engineered acoustic treatments, from the electro-acoustic solutions in the brand-new Theatre Box to the acoustic curtains in the children’s play area. This partnership ensured that every part of the project has been thoughtfully designed to ensure acoustic independence for the community groups that use it, with the highest possible standards of design and implementation across the whole venue.

The Gemeindehaus Oekolampad is the first initiative

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26 September 2024

Germany - Following the successful Las Vegas production Weekends with Adele, the British singer took on the challenge of a month-long residency in a Live Nation-backed, purpose-built, 80,000 capacity open-air arena in Munich.

The singer, who has sold over 100m albums to date, told fans via her Instagram: "A one-off, bespoke pop-up stadium designed around whatever show I want to put on? I couldn't think of a more wonderful way to spend my summer."

The ambitious concert series was led by production manager Paul English and sought technical expertise from a variety of disciplines within the Clair Global organisation, overseen by account executive Andy Walker.

"A great thing that Andy did was get the IT team on board, supplying fantastic internet across the site. It made our lives easy throughout the entire backstage area, which is an im

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26 September 2024

USA - Three Powersoft Quattrocanali 8808 DSP+D and one Quattrocanali 2404 DSP+D amplifiers are at the heart of a new audio system delivering maximum power, efficiency and connectivity to worshippers at Upstate Church Haywood in Greenville, South Carolina.

Elevate AVL, founded by Jordan Tripp, is a specialist AVL design and integration firm based in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Focusing primarily on houses of worship, the audio, video and lighting upgrade for Upstate Church Haywood is its latest project with Upstate Church, a Baptist church with locations across upstate South Carolina – many of which are equipped with Powersoft amplifiers, Elevate’s ‘go-to’ amplifier platform for HOW installations, explains Tripp.

“When it comes to reliability and performance at an affordable price point, Powersoft amplifiers are hard to beat,” says Tripp,

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25 September 2024

UAE - West Midlands-based event design and production agency Taylex Group has announced its strategic expansion into the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This international expansion marks “a significant milestone for Taylex Group”, aiming to “bolster its support for existing clients while tapping into new opportunities in the dynamic Middle Eastern market.”

Recent Taylex projects include delivering the Media Oasis event in Paris hosted by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Media within the Pavilion at Place Vendôme, plus the installation of the Saudia Arabian Ministry of Sport Pavilion in the Rome-based Saudi Village through HQWS.

Lee Forde, general manager at Taylex Group UAE, brings over 30 years of industry knowledge to the expansion, with a track record including being former general manager of Creative Technology Middle East.

“I’m th

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24 September 2024

Spain - The initial phase of Gran Canaria Studios, one of Europe’s largest virtual production stages to date, has been completed, offering an environment for international content producers looking to “leverage Gran Canaria’s film location incentives”.

Located on the 1,200sq.m stage 1 of the Gran Canaria Platos studio lot, the virtual production infrastructure has been designed and delivered by ARRI Solutions, integrator Video Cine Import (VCI), and ROE Visual. The Economic Promotion Agency of Gran Canaria (SPEGC) commissioned the studio to accommodate both independent and high-end national and international productions.

“The film industry is one of the region’s economic pillars; we are very committed to the development of this industry on the island and Gran Canaria is spearheading efforts to become a leading hub for TV and film,” stat

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24 September 2024

UK - Assembly is right at the heart of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and an integral part of this celebration of arts and culture.

The 2024 event saw Assembly – one of the largest venue operators at the Fringe – operating 26 venues featuring over 240 diverse shows embracing multiple entertainment genres, with lighting managed by Martin McLachlan, Assembly’s Festival Fringe head of lighting since 2018.

This year, McLachlan specified an abundance of Robe moving lights for several of Assembly’s key venues.

The Assembly Festival Fringe operation involves over 90 technical staff (covering sound and stage management in addition to lighting) over a six-week period, which includes two weeks of build and rehearsal before the three-and-a-half-week festival. McLachlan, together with a small team of four, oversees the house stage lighting and cre

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24 September 2024

USA - One of the more unusual events in Soundworks of Virginia’s busy summer concert schedule was the recent show at the spectacular Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, NC, when the Flaming Lips performed Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots live in concert.

Referring to the title of their latest album, the psychedelic band played two distinct sets. After performing the album faithfully from front to back, they followed up with a typical concert set from their general repertoire. The long-serving band held the stage throughout, with no support act.

Hired by the venue (and working with the band for the first time), Soundworks brought with them Martin Audio’s WPC line array. Nestled in a grove of stately pines, and owned by the town of Cary, Koka Booth Amphitheatre is different. “It seems they cleared just enough of the forested area to plunk do