USA - Audinate has introduced Dante Studio, a platform solution for advancing AV production capabilities and streamlining workflows. Resident on this platform, apps from Audinate will provide integrators and end-users with professional-grade tools for better, specialized video networks. The first tool on Dante Studio, Dante Video RX, enables Windows PCs to receive video simply and seamlessly from any Dante AV-enabled source. According to Joshua Rush, Audinate chief marketing officer, this introduction is a critical phase of building out the Dante AV ecosystem. “Dante Video RX completes the end-to-end video workflow - It complements the growing ecosystem of Dante AV hardware products including cameras, encoders and decoders and allows Dante AV signals to be easily ingested into PC platforms and software applications. Dante Video RX facilitates a wide variety of networked vi
USA - The transformative atmosphere of the almost century-old Tampa Theatre was never lost on designer Peter L. Spadaro III when he lit shows there. So, when he was called on recently to light a show for singer/songwriter Citizen Cope at the theatre, he was determined to weave its distinctive Renaissance revival style architecture, complete with statutes and gargoyles, into his design. “I always believe in extending my design out into the environment rather than limiting myself to just the stage,” comments Spadaro. “Tampa Theatre is a gorgeous historic site built in the 1920s. The architecture inside is truly stunning, and it definitely influenced my work. I was really trying to get the audience and the facade of the theatre fully engulfed in light when I could.” Spadaro accomplished this in part by playing with different light angles from the Chauvet Professio
USA- Chauvet Professional has appointed Brian Craft as content marketing manager. Craft recently served as director of marketing & outreach at Manatee Performing Arts Centre, director of marketing & communications at Realize Bradenton, and in public relations with IHPR in New York City. Craft serves as creative director on the Board of Florida Public Relations Association, and as a founding board member of Project Pride SRQ. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work alongside such a driven and dedicated team,” says Craft. “I have followed Chauvet for as long as I can remember, and I look forward to continuing the standard of excellence the team has achieved and amplify the impact and messaging of the house of brands.”
USA - Bandit Lites has promoted Scott Wesson to facility foreman where he will oversee integral day to day functions including de-prep of all incoming equipment as well as maintaining the organisation of hardware, cable, truss, and road cases. He will also coordinate with Bandit’s project managers to assist with preps, hardware and truss needs. Wesson came aboard at Bandit in 2014 where he toured as a lighting tech with artists including Rascal Flatts and Jason Aldean. He also provided extensive support for multiple festivals ranging from Bonnaroo, Firefly, and Electric Forest to Lollapalooza. “Having been a touring technician for many years, Scott has a detailed understanding of how the Bandit machine works as well as ideas on how to be even more efficient,” reflects Bandit Lites’ director of technical services, Jake Tickle.
UK - To provide rock band Nothing But Thieves with expressive visuals for their sold-out UK arena tour, lighting designer Sam Tozer crafted a dynamic rig featuring Martin Professional lighting solutions, provided by Christie Lites. The tour, which kicked off at the Birmingham Academy on 10 October 2021 and included shows at London’s O2 Arena and Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena, promoted the Essex band’s latest chart-topping album, Moral Panic. For Nothing But Thieves, a staple on the festival circuit, the tour marked its long-awaited return to live performances, as well as its arena debut, and so the band wanted to provide audiences with an especially memorable and high-quality live experience. However, with no opportunity for dress rehearsals due to pandemic restrictions the lighting rig needed to be reliable and adaptable in order to adhere to the strict
Japan - Building on the success of the R2 Supperclub in Tokyo's lively Ropponghi district, the venue's owners have expanded their hospitality portfolio with the launch of the R3 Club Lounge, a colourful “hybrid venue” that combines trendy dining with a DJ-driven nightclub experience. Designed to offer spatial diversity, R3 Club Lounge provides guests with a range of ways to soak up its immersive ambience, whether in a standing lounge and dance floor, or its opulent and individually themed VIP Room located by the stage area. Helping to accentuate the club and its different microenvironments is a versatile lighting design by Hibino Lighting. The Hibino team used lighting to give each space a distinctive appeal while pulling everything together into a unified look. Helping them accomplish this was an impressive collection of Chauvet Professional products including s
UK - The National Youth Theatre raised £350,000 during a fundraising gala dinner, with support from production experts Light Fantastic Production Services. The event, called Nostalgic Fantastic, was a fundraiser for the charity as well as a grand reveal of the newly renovated National Youth Theatre building. As such, the NYT team recognised that technical production was going to be key to showcasing both their cultural value and readiness to welcome the next generation of theatre talent. Based within easy reach of NYT’s North London HQ, LFPS provided an extensive lighting, power and audio package to ensure the event’s success. LFPS managing director Rob Myer is a former member of National Youth Theatre, and other NYT alumni in attendance at the gala dinner included Rege Jean-Page and Robert Rinder, as well as patrons Rosamund Pike and the Earl of Wessex.
Germany - Wireless LED lighting specialist Astera’s product focus will be on the new Astera technology launched last year - the award-winning PixelBrick, the AX9 PowerPAR and AX2 PixelBar - plus the NYX Bulb which is suitable for shows, sets and installations. The massively popular and omnipresent flagship Titan Tube family of products will also be on the stand. Additionally, the new Astera HydraPanel will be previewed. Under wraps until the show, this ‘pixel panel’ product offers an extensive range of features not found elsewhere in its small, powerful package, complete with wireless and wired DMX options, plus many beam-shaping modifiers. PixelBrick offers flexibility and multi-functional light source with the power of Astera’s Titan LED engine coupled with the practicality of its popular AX3 LightDrop product, all in a completely new and fully adaptable hou
Germany - MDG looks forward to welcoming its friends and customers at Prolight+Sound, Frankfurt in Hall 12.0, Stand D81 after a break of two years. MDG will be bringing its most popular fog, haze and low-fog products including its ATMe and ATMe WPE haze generators, members of its Me Series fog generators, its ICE FOG Q HP low fog generator and theONE dual-mode haze and fog generator in its touring cradle. Appearing for the first time at Prolight+Sound will be MDG’s bespoke Vertical Flight Case. Designed to carry MDG’s ATMe haze generator, or either of its Me1 or Me2 fog generators, plus everything needed to operate under production conditions, this flight case not only provides rugged, safe transport for the generators, but allows the entire unit to be rolled onto stage and simply plugged in for instant use. Each Vertical Flight Case is fully equipped with d
Germany - Ayrton will celebrate its 20th anniversary at this year’s Prolight+Sound exhibition. Founded in 2001 by Yvan Péard, Ayrton has established itself as one of the leading LED lighting manufacturers in the industry. The company will launch several new products in Frankfurt, including the first long throw IP65-rated fixture in its 9 Series, Domino LT. Domino LT is the first all-terrain LED luminaire in Ayrton’s long-throw range, and is designed for intensive outdoor use in long-distance applications that require high precision. It combines the minimalist design of Domino Profile with the colour mixing capabilities of Huracán Profile and the IP65 weather-proofing of Perseo. Domino LT’s 225mm diameter frontal lens produces an ultra-intensive beam with a 15:1 zoom ratio and a zoom range of 3.5° to 53°. Equipped with an all-new high-efficiency 1,000-w
Germany - Robert Juliat is celebrating its return to PL+S with the launch of new products and premiere showings on its all-LED stand in the Lightpower Village (Hall 12.0 Stand C60). Prolight + Sound will see the world launch of Sully 4C, a new range of LED zoom profile and Fresnel spots with colour mixing which marks a major step forward in Robert Juliat product development. The Sully 4C Series builds a new four-colour LED source (Red, Green, Blue, Lime) into a full package of lighting tools, including a removeable lamp compartment as a quick and easy solution to upgrade RJ 600SX tungsten profiles to coloured LED sources, a Profile series offering the same zoom range as the 600SX Series range (650SX 4C) and a single lens Fresnel luminaire. Launched in 2020 but not exhibited until now, Sully White is Robert Juliat’s complete family of high-quality 115W white LED
Germany - Elation, distributed in Germany through LMP, will launch a number of new products as it returns to European trade show participation. The Proteus Brutus is a powerful 70,000-lumen LED wash fixture with IP65 rating designed for piercing beam looks and high-intensity washes in any environment. A high efficiency 1200W 6,500K white LED engine works with CMY colour mixing, variable CTO and 6-position color wheel while a complete FX system features rotating gobos, animation, iris, and frost. An optional indexable framing module is also available. With a zoom range from 4° to 45° and an impressive 220mm (8.7”) front lens, the Proteus Brutus cuts through at great distances. The Proteus Excalibur is a powerful IP65 beam moving head offering extreme power (20,000 lumens), super narrow 0.8° beam (3.5° Expander Lens available), and wide front aperture. It houses a
Germany - At the upcoming Prolight+Sound tradeshow, Robe is set to launch five new products - Painte, TetraX, iBeam 250, Spikie+ and the Anolis Calumma. The company will also showcase five products launched in 2021 - the Forte, Cuete, LEDBeam 350, T2 and T11, all of them presented physically following their digital launches last year. Robe also has a further surprise up its sleeve that will be located outside the exhibition hall and will be related to its Robe on the Road activities. Painte is a compact moving light that delivers a quiet, quality profile solution for short to medium throw scenarios in theatrical, television, installation, live or corporate settings. The impressive 12,000-lumen fixture output has a sparkling, clear white light, with boundless colours via the advanced CMY colour mixing system. The iBeam 250 is the latest in Robe’s constantly gr
UK Lighting and rigging supplier TSL has added 32 of Martin’s new VDO Atomic Bold hybrid creative LED fixtures to their rental inventory. TSL is the first rental house in the UK to do so, according to the manufacturer’s UK distributor, Sound Technology. The Martin VDO Atomic Bold is a versatile creative LED hybrid fixture and the newest addition to the VDO Atomic family. It includes a wide range of functionality to support a myriad of applications and can be used as an audience blinder, strobe light, creative LED pixel-mapping surface, eye-candy effect light and stage wash - all in a single, compact fixture. Including many of the benefits that made its sibling, the VDO Atomic Dot a popular hybrid fixture, the VDO Atomic Bold retains the same interlocking mechanics, same cabling and a similar look but is a larger fixture with higher, full colour output to offer li
Spain - Barcelona’s fringe theatre Teatre Akadèmia has recently completed a multimedia upgrade to enhance the venue’s technical production capabilities. Alongside new video and lighting systems, a comprehensive Amate Audio sound installation - comprising loudspeakers, power amplifiers and digital audio processors from the company - has provided the venue with both a new FOH PA and surround sound EFX capabilities. Award winning theatre sound designer Roc Mateu and Amate Audio’s industrial designer Guiu Llusá worked together to address the theatre’s specific sound design challenges; in particular with respect to the design of the venue, incorporating a ‘thrust stage’ with raked seating on three sides. “The sound design objectives were those required to provide a room with the distinct layout of the Teatre Akadèmia,” says Llusá, “With sound equipmen
USA - Full Sail University recently equipped its flagship venue, Full Sail Live, with Martin Professional LED lighting fixtures and creative video elements powered by Martin’s P3 control system. Full Sail offers accredited degrees in the fields of music and recording, film and television, art and design, games, communications, sports broadcasting, emerging technologies and business. Full Sail’s sprawling campus includes a variety of classrooms, labs, studios and performance venues equipped with the latest technology, offering students the opportunity to learn on the same equipment and software they’ll encounter in their careers. When it came time to upgrade the lighting rig at the university’s flagship venue for live events, Full Sail Live, staff had high standards for solutions that would benefit students and outside clients alike. Being long-time users of Ma
UK - Leading lighting design and rental house Siyan has invested in additional rental stock of Martin by Harman’s creative LED family of products, supplied by Martin's UK distributor Sound Technology. With an existing large rental inventory of Martin VDO Atomic Dots and VDO Sceptron, Siyan’s stock has been expanded with the addition of a large quantity of Martin’s VDO Fatron fixtures plus 50 new MAC Aura PXL moving heads. Tom Grant, business director, Siyan, commented, “With its large face, high output and selection of versatile internal FX, the MAC Aura PXL fixture fits perfectly into our inventory alongside our stock of other LED wash fixtures and suits a wide range of applications across our core markets - concert touring, festivals and events.” The MAC Aura PXLs have already been in action with Siyan supplying The Kooks UK Tour 2022, where the PXLs
UK - Avolites has been chosen by systems integrators Visual Systems to power the lighting control at The Londoner hotel. Billed as the world’s first “super boutique” hotel by owner Edwardian Hotels and located on the southwest corner of Leicester Square, the hotel has quickly become one of the few hotels to devote as much thought to the behind-the-scenes audiovisual fabric. “Not many hotels I've seen in my 30 years in the industry have this amount of AV equipment,” says Ray Sappal, a director with Visual Systems and The Londoner’s AV project manager. “Ballrooms very rarely have in-house production lighting. In this case we selected and installed an integrated house light control with the production lighting control to give the lighting engineer complete control over the whole room via the lighting desk.” While a lighting console was in the client’s or
Germany - ETC will be attending the 2022 edition of Prolight + Sound later this month. The company will showcase a mixture of its latest products on stands C53 and C45 in Hall 12.0, including the newest entertainment fixtures and controls. ETC is attending the tradeshow to connect with its customers and visitors whilst also presenting the latest additions to its product range. Visitors to the stands will have the opportunity to see many new products including the Eos Apex. The recently launched line of flagship consoles deliver new features, and a powerful programming surface. Attendees can also get a glimpse of the new High End Systems Cyberlight LED moving mirror, and they can explore the X8 array as featured in products like the Source Four LED Series 3 and Desire Fresnel. In addition to this, ETC will also present seminars during the tradeshow. Senior techni
UK - Lighting rental and production management company, Limelite Lighting has become one of the first in the UK to take stock of Claypaky’s new Tambora batten. Matthew Mountier, director at Limelite Lighting comments, “We have recently purchased the new Claypaky Tambora Batten to replace our outgoing LED battens. As a dry hire and production supplier for TV, events and theatre, we needed a product that was adaptable for a range of applications and that offered creative possibilities. “We knew we wanted an LED batten that had dynamic pixel mapping and motorised movement. Having extensively researched various batten products by comparing the specs, costs, and availability, we decided the Claypaky Tambora Batten was the most attractive option for us. “So far we are delighted with our decision, and we are already receiving positive feedback from lighting d
USA - The Urshan College 2022 Live Recording was a day-long worship event and celebration of praise music at The Sanctuary church outside Saint Louis. Lighting designer Gabreil Loera tapped into the inspirational qualities of this classic hue when lighting this event, which featured a live concert that was recorded for later distribution. Loera colorised the stage in teal and white at the start of the event, creating one of his favourite looks of the show. (The other was at the end of the evening when he pushed all his lights out into the crowd to finish the concert with a flourish.) In between, he immersed the crowd and stage in colour washes, many in various shades of teal. At times, he created a blanket of teal over the entire stage, seeming to embrace the large number of performers on it in a rejuvenating sea of hope. Helping Loera achieve these transformational lo
Europe - Ayrton is launching Zonda 9 Wash and Zonda 9 FX, the first luminaires in a new family of products for stage lighting. Equipped with a 40W LED source with RGB+W additive colour system, these new products are part of Ayrton’s Multi Sources 9 Series category. For Zonda 9 Wash, Ayrton has developed a silent ventilation mode, to accommodate the quieter environment often required by stage lighting. Meanwhile, each concentric circle of the colour mixing system can be controlled independently to adjust the size of the emitting surface and the luminaire’s power. A complete library of pre-programmed colours - created in collaboration with lighting designers - is instantly accessible. Zonda 9 FX is a versatile luminaire designed for a multitude of applications. It borrows from the main features of the Wash version and offers infinite continuous rotation on the pan a
USA - Christie Lites has welcomed Chris Patton as its VP rentals. Patton’s new role comes as part of a wider expansion of the Christie Lites management team, bringing increased focus to both client and rep support. To that end Patton will join Ken Alexander, senior VP rentals, to lead, develop and support the Christie Lites rental rep team. Huntly Christie, CEO of Christie Lites, says: “As the company expands into new countries and market segments, the additional management capacity that Chris brings will ensure continued focus and consistency in our customer experience. Chris will concentrate on expanding our relationship capabilities and developing sustainable business opportunities across the Christie Lites global network.” A UK native, Patton has 20 years of professional experience, embracing roles including business and team development manager for a large r
USA - Legacy Production Group, a Minneapolis based corporate event production company and AV equipment supplier, has taken delivery of 12 Robert Juliat Dalis 862 variable white footlights. “Minneapolis is a unique market: there’s no single, big lighting house here,” notes Legacy president, Tom Gorman. “We try to keep an inventory of what we can use for our primary corporate event clients as well as what other people in town want for music, touring and theatre. I’ve been hoping to stock the Dalis 862 footlights since I first saw them - they’re an amazing, cool and unique piece of equipment. When we did our first social media post announcing that we had the Dalis 862s we heard from a lot of people who told us they were very glad they were now available in Minneapolis.” Robert Juliat’s Dalis 862 footlight incorporates 48 patented asymmetric reflectors arr
