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30 May 2025

USA - At this year’s Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards, innovation wasn’t only reserved for the artists onstage. Behind the scenes at the Ford Centre at The Star in Frisco, Sennheiser’s Spectera was undergoing its own critical test.

While Spectera was being put through its paces in RF testing, the Digital 6000 wireless system, paired with both the MD 9235 and MMD 935 capsules, supported the performances of Blake Shelton, Kelsea Ballerini and the Backstreet Boys as millions of viewers tuned in.

Stephen Vaughn, RF coordinator for Soundtronics, was the engineer tasked with giving Spectera its first high-profile trial run in a live award show environment notorious for difficult spectrum and unforgiving conditions. Vaughn admits he was cautious at first. “Honestly, I was a bit hesitant. Given the environment we were in - a live show - I was al

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30 May 2025

Denmark - The We Will Rock You musical is a massive worldwide success and, since opening in London in 2002, numerous versions have been staged in every corner of the globe.

For the most recent version in Denmark, sound designer and head of sound, Magnus Hansen, has made full use of the DiGiCo SD7 T console personalisation. This preparation work ensures the complex requirements of this high-octane show do not overwhelm his team and leaves space for creativity. The extensive console programming allows engineers the freedom and flexibility to get the most out of the show, night after night.

The new Danish translation of We Will Rock You opened in the Tivoli Concert Hall in Copenhagen ahead of a nationwide tour and is produced by Lion Entertainment. The DiGiCo SD7 T at front-of-house is accompanied by a Quantum 338 and KLANG at the moni

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30 May 2025

UK - At midnight on 31 December 1999, Longplayer, a 1000-year-long piece of music composed by Jem Finer, began playing. This year, British manufacturer of professional loudspeakers, EM Acoustics sponsored the project, donating loudspeakers for a sound system upgrade at Longplayer’s Trinity Buoy Wharf Lighthouse listening post, where it has been playing for the last 25 years.

“Many within the music industry remember Longplayer as part of the millennium celebrations back in 2000,” says Greg Clarke, brand manager at EM Acoustics. “Twenty-five years later, we are thrilled at the opportunity to sponsor this project, which is truly an expression of human and artistic legacy across space and time.”

“Working with EM Acoustics on this new spatial listening post for Longplayer at the Lighthouse has been a real pl

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30 May 2025

Iceland - Founded in 1945 and until recently the oldest operating cinema in the country, Bæjarbíó in the port town of Hafnarfjörður is today a thriving concert and event venue hosting singer/songwriters through to rock bands.

Such a varied programme requires an installed sound system that can shift through the gears to handle any scale of show that comes to town. So, venue operators contacted local AV technology and production services specialists Exton to propose a new sound system that would ensure fans of all musical genres enjoy top-quality sound at every Bæjarbíó event.

“The venue had received a proposal for a system from another manufacturer but, after visiting and taking measurements, we were able to propose a Nexo system that would meet the performance criteria at a significantly lower cost,” reports Exton sound consultant/technic

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30 May 2025

USA - GLP fielded its largest ever deployment of fixtures at Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival for the recent 2025 event – including all its latest in-demand touring products.

The massive global event has been staged successfully across two weekends since 1999 at its Empire Polo Club location in the Californian desert, close to Palm Springs.

Various stages – including the main stage and Sahara tent, as well as the Yuma club tent – were awash with GLP fixtures specified by international LDs, adding extra floor package drama to the existing generic house rigs.

The industry was eager for a first look at the might of the super-powerful Mad Maxx – used by Dan Norman with rapper Travis Scott on the main Coachella Stage – while production designer Rob Sinclair gave a sneak preview of the JDC Burst 1 in a taste of what to

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30 May 2025

France - In the northeast corner of Paris, the sprawling 55-hectare Parc de la Villette has evolved into one of Europe's most dynamic cultural districts where science, music, and art converge. This vibrant urban park hosts a concentration of cultural institutions, from the acoustically renowned Philharmonie de Paris to Europe's largest science museum, the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie.

Dominating the landscape is the Grande Halle de la Villette, with its distinctive 19th-century industrial architecture featuring soaring glass and intricate cast iron framework. Originally commissioned by Napoleon III as an abattoir in 1867, this impressive 20,000sq.m structure was reimagined as a versatile cultural venue in 1985, now showcasing everything from international art exhibitions to rock concerts to avant-garde theatrical productions.

Building on a lo

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30 May 2025

USA - Green Hippo’s new Hippotizer MX Series Media Servers were out in force for this year’s WWE WrestleMania spectacular, pumping out 4K live action and pre-made content across a wealth of LED screens and strips.

Eight Hippotizer Kasai MX Media Servers – which are distributed by ACT Entertainment in North America – were at the heart of the video setup, working with 12 Hippotizer Boreal+ MK2 and two Hippotizer Karst+ MK2 Media Servers. The 2U, 10-bit video playback, robust Kasai MX Media Servers empower users to run two 4K outputs and offers Genlock for large surface displays that need more than one output.

The Netflix live-streamed, two-night WrestleMania event took place at the 65,000-capacity Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, just outside Las Vegas. Upstaging once again took the video helm, supplying all the Hippotiz

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30 May 2025

UK - 12th Knot, the rooftop cocktail bar at the riverside Sea Containers Hotel, is known for its city views and upscale atmosphere in a prime location on London’s South Bank. When the time came to upgrade its audio system, the hotel turned to Tateside, who already provides managed AV services across various areas in the hotel. The client envisaged a new audio solution that would complement, rather than compromise, the carefully curated ambience of its popular rooftop destination.

“We’ve worked on projects throughout the Sea Containers hotel for a long time, including the cinema, background audio systems and the event space,” says Jack Cornish, technical director at Tateside. “When it came time to upgrade the 12th Knot bar, they trusted us to deliver something special.”

The existing audio system at 12th Knot was no longer meeting the evolv

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29 May 2025

UK - Teddy Swims’ record-breaking and sold out I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy tour headed across the UK and Europe with PRG providing video, automation and lighting, including their brand-new GroundControl Multi for the Followspot system.

Having amassed over 8.7bn streams globally, Teddy Swims has captured the hearts of music fans worldwide with his live show and chart-topping hits such Lose Control and The Door. For his 2025 UK and European leg of the I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy tour, the team once again chose PRG to provide lighting, automation and video, but this time upgrading to PRG’s latest followspot innovation – the GroundControl Multi.

The GroundControl Multi is the newest addition to PRG’s GroundControl Followspot family. This system can control up to 16 lights through a single Ground

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29 May 2025

UAE - Situated in the luxury residential area of Dubai Hills, on the Business Park, DUO Gastrobar has joined the growing list of haute cuisine restaurants being sucked into the fast-developing neighbourhood.

Founded by Duoband Restaurant Group from St. Petersburg, headed by Renat Malikov and Dmitry Blinov, it has already earned a Michelin star for their cuisine, while their clientele ‘luxuriates in an interior characterised by light, airy colours and natural materials’. The musical ambience is delivered by Martin Audio’s CDD series.

It wasn’t the aesthetic of the white CDD5s so much as the sound quality that had impressed the owners, according to regional distributors Pro Lab LLC. Already with a presence in the area, the operators were aware that Martin Audio is the brand of choice for many upmarket establishments and also for project designe

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29 May 2025

The Netherlands - The 3,000-capacity Poppodium 013 concert hall was transformed into a nightclub when NachtCollege brought its all-night party to the Dutch city of Tilburg in mid-April. Technical production was led by the venue’s in-house team, headed by senior lighting designer Paul Cox.

To help deliver the immersive experience the event called for, 48 ADJ Vizi Beam CMY fixtures were dry-hired from local rental supplier Spectrum AV to supplement the venue’s house rig. Paul arranged the fixtures across four trusses – two on each side of the dance floor – running the length of the hall. The upper trusses were mounted near the ceiling with fixtures suspended downward, while the lower trusses hung directly below, with fixtures positioned upright. This layered setup allowed Paul to fill the air above the crowd with intricate, overlapping beam patterns th

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28 May 2025

Switzerland - Tim Routledge became one of the first production designers to specify GLP’s new versatile and supercharged Creos – part of a cornucopia of lighting that animated Florian Wieder’s set design at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Basel.

These washlights were joined in the designer’s toolkit by another newly released GLP fixture, in the shape of 12 Mad Maxx CW fat beam searchlights, along with 200 impression X5 IP Bars and well over 100 randomly dispersed JDC1 hybrid strobes.

But it was Creos, with its 18 × 40W RGBL LEDs, motorised 1:12 zoom and seamless pixel clustering that took the accolades at the 12,400-capacity St Jakobshalle.

Tim Routledge had been seeking a particular fixture to sit underneath the transparent LED screen. He contacted Simon Barrett at GLP UK, who instinctively suggested Creos.

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28 May 2025

UAE/Qatar - Disney’s The Magic Box, a spellbinding theatrical spectacle that brings classic Disney moments to life in a bold, arena-scale production, opened last month in Doha after a successful five-week run at the Etihad Arena, Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. Behind the scenes of the UAE leg of this technically complex tour was Unusual Rigging & Engineering (URE).

With a need for fly bars, Kinesys automation, and high-capacity performer flying winches, the show is a theatrical production layered within an arena tour - demanding a rigging solution that blends theatre precision with touring efficiency.

“From the moment I joined Proactiv Entertainment, I’ve always enjoyed working with Unusual Rigging,” said Dani Marin, senior technical manager at Proactiv Entertainment, the company behind the Middle East tour. “They’re my go-to team

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28 May 2025

USA - Ayrton Rivale Profiles and grandMA3 full-size consoles with two grandMA3 Processing Unit L packages played key roles when Wooli made his headline debut at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on 12 April.

Wooli, the dubstep producer and DJ also known as Adam Puleo, brought his Mammoth Mountain III show to the Red Rocks venue in Morisson, Colorado. The third edition of the production marked his first time headlining at the outdoor amphitheatre where he was accompanied by guest artists.  Red Rocks is on the bucket list for a wide variety of artists,” says Alex Wroblewski, who has been Wooli’s tour director for more than two years. 

“For Wooli’s first show at Red Rocks we wanted to go bigger than we ever have before and use every available foot of that stage. We even added lighting and lasers to the audience bowl to create a more immersive ex

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28 May 2025

Slovenia - Making a “simple wall of light” uncluttered by any scenic pieces or barriers, and not disrupted by any restrictions has been a long-held dream of Crt Birsa. “It was on my wish list,” said the co-founder of Blackout Lighting Design. “I’ve always wanted to create a simple wall of light, very populated, mathematical, and clean – that’s it!”

Birsa got the opportunity to create such a wall when he lit EMA 2025, the Slovenian national Eurovision pre-selection event, which was held at Studio 1 of Slovenian National Television in Ljubljana. The results speak for themselves. Working with his fellow Blackout designer Anze Trstenjak, and frequent collaborator, set designer Greta Godnic, he created a 3D light wall that actually acts more like a window – a window that opens the imagination to unlimited vistas of mind-bendi

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28 May 2025

Thailand - Held in April, Songkran is a festival which celebrates the traditional Thai New Year. The three-day public holiday is marked by the widespread throwing of water, which takes place on a grand scale amidst joyous celebrations. Numerous other events take place alongside the giant annual water festival, helping to create an atmosphere of community togetherness and fun.

In the city of Chiang Mai, as well as a host of street shows, the focus of Songkran was the large gathering outside the MAYA shopping centre, where a large stage hosted a wide range of performances including DJ sets, live artists, dance, and more.

Handling the audio for the 10,000-strong audience in this open-air setting was Bangkok-based Coconut Sound, who supplied a Coda Audio system. A valued customer of Coda’s Thailand distributor Modern Solutions Plus, C

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28 May 2025

China - Zhujiang New Town is a new business, tourist and cultural centre in the Chinese port city of Guangzhou, home to Huachenghui (Mall of the World) where it’s said that locals can eat out every night for a month and never dine at the same place twice.

Come nightfall, Shisantang LiveShow is the destination for after work relaxation and for clubbers to enjoy a varied programme of indie rock and electronic music in a vibrant, neon-lit venue, all powered by a Nexo sound system installed by Hertz Audio.

For a space in which a line array might have seemed most appropriate, the sheer power of Nexo’s P18 point source loudspeaker makes it the FOH solution of choice at Shisantang LiveShow, partnered with Nexo L18 subs. Four clusters of P18/L18 cover the main audience area in front of the stage with Nexo PS10R2s filling in the front rows.

More P

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28 May 2025

Japan - Shimokitazawa ReG is a music venue in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo, close to Shinjuku and Shibuya districts. At 230-capacity standing, Shimokitazawa ReG is an intimate venue, which only enhances the excitement of seeing some of Japan’s brightest independent bands there.

The PA has been designed to be felt as well as heard, in a full mind-body experience. To deliver that feeling, the mixing console is a DiGiCo Quantum 338 supplied by Hibino, DiGiCo distributor for Japan.

The venue’s size ensures that every audience member has a perfect view of the stage, but it also means that every piece of equipment must earn its place and be of the highest possible quality. The venue opened in 2010 with a DiGiCo SD8, which has provided excellent service and has been enjoyed by musicians and staff alike for the last 15 years. When the time came to update, the ch

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28 May 2025

Canada - Mr. Light Solutions, a full-service production company based in Toronto and led by founder Matthew Reicker, recently deployed a robust lighting data distribution system built around Obsidian Control Systems’ Netron product line for season one of a yet-to-be-announced streaming series.

Filmed in both studio and outdoor locations around Toronto, the winter-themed series faced some of the harshest weather conditions in recent memory - including temperatures dipping below -20°C, heavy snowfall, and freezing rain.

Reicker has worked on many different types of productions in his nearly 15 years in the entertainment lighting industry - theatre, corporate events, concerts, and film - and in many capacities from lighting designer and programmer to crew chief and production manager. A member of IATSE Local 873, he launched Mr. Light Solutions in 20

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28 May 2025

Sweden - Born in the Nordics and headquartered in Stockholm, Eidra is a consultancy collective that brings together a group of 17 leading companies and over 1,200 consultants, creatives and engineers.

Following significant growth, the company required a new HQ that would better reflect its identity and create an inspiring environment for both employees and visitors. Corporate technology solutions specialists, Ximple AB, were contracted to design and deliver the AV solutions throughout the building – including a sophisticated Genelec Smart IP loudspeaker solution for the common and social areas.

“We were fortunate to have been involved at the planning stage to work with the client to create an office that went beyond the ordinary,” explains Ximple co-founder, Andreas Savela. “The goal was to develop technical solutions that enhance a modern an

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28 May 2025

USA - Located in the heart of the vibrant and historical town of Beloit, Wisconsin, Henry Dorrbaker’s Pub & Play is a dining and gaming destination popular for its elevated menu, lively bar scene, and versatile indoor-outdoor entertainment spaces - including 12 customised duckpin bowling lanes and indoor mini golf course,

To create an exceptional audio experience for their diners and players, the team at Henry Dorrbaker’s turned to Brent Hayes, president of the Cherry Valley, IL-based AV integrator SVL Productions, to design and install a sound system to elevate the upbeat atmosphere inside the venue. The goal was to provide polished background music, flexible zone control, and capabilities fit for the fast-paced and ever-changing needs of live entertainment, all while ensuring simple remote management for the venue's staff.

SVL specified LEA

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27 May 2025

Switzerland - Robe was an official technical partner of Eurovision 2025 in Basel, where lighting designer Tim Routledge and his team, together with London UK-based lighting supplier Neg Earth Lights, helped deliver an outstanding production for the world’s largest live music broadcast event, staged this year at the St. Jakobshalle arena by Swiss host broadcaster SRG SSR, co-ordinated by the EBU (European Broadcasting Union).

The stage and production design by Florian Wieder included an impressive 750sq.m of transparent upstage LED screen, striking mountain set pieces and a three-dimensional industrial scale video frame at the front which defined the space. This worked in conjunction with a 250sq.m black video floor, assorted other video and mapped surfaces including scenic mountains plus approximately 4,500 lights to deliver nearly 50 distinctive

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27 May 2025

Singapore - Locally-based lighting designer Adrian Tan of The Light Project recently utilised 32 x Robe Esprite moving lights – 16 x Profiles and 16 x Fresnels – to light a production of Swan Lake staged by the Singapore Ballet at Esplanade Theatres by the Bay.

Twenty-eight of these fixtures were part of a new lighting package which has been added to the theatre’s house rig, and, as Adrian needed a couple more of each type to complete the detail of his design, more were sourced through Robe’s Asia Pacific office, also in Singapore.

This was the third re-light of this Swan Lake production at the high-profile venue, the second time that the Singapore Ballet has been accompanied by the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra, and the first time that Esprites were used as the main workhorse lighting fixture.

Adrian has worked at

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27 May 2025

Canada - The Palace Theatre is one of the most renowned and recognisable buildings in Calgary. Its unmistakable marquee beckons to passersby, inviting them inside for a live performance immersed in the opulent neoclassical architecture of decades past and pristine sound from a new audio solution.

The performance venue has invested in a T8 robotic line source system from fellow Calgary institution PK Sound. Installed by Laser Productions with design and tuning support from the manufacturer, the new solution precisely and mechanically sculpts acoustic coverage to the storied theatre’s unique architecture for optimal intelligibility and impact.

“We haven’t had an audio upgrade in a while here at The Palace, so the PK Sound T8 system has made a huge improvement in the space,” comments Dexter Bruneau, the venue’s head of audio. “PK’s robotic