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Robe T1 Profiles enjoy the silence in Ghent

The renovated Concert Hall retains its original wooden curved frame roof and exterior walls (photo: Bijloke Music Centre)

Details: 15 August 2023

Belgium - The Concert Hall venue, which is part of the Music Centre de Bijloke in Ghent, was once a 13th century civic hospital and now offers a vibrant and interesting blend of music often embracing additional performance and visual art forms like theatre and film.
During the pandemic, The Concert Hall which retains its original wooden curved frame roof and exterior walls, was completely renovated. New lighting was installed as part of this upgrade, including 13 x Robe T1 Profiles, which were specified by the Music Centre’s technical manager, Natan Rosseel and his team.
The works included removal of the entire floor which was sunk down by one metre. This was primarily to improve the acoustics; however, it has also resulted in an additional metre gain of headroom very

The Australian Pink Floyd show, which provides an authentic tribute to the original band

22live sets out stall with APF and Martin Audio

Details: 15 August 2023

UK - Last Autumn Martin Audio partner, 22live, completed its first full production tour, with The Australian Pink Floyd show, which provides an authentic tribute to the original band and has long used Martin Audio PA on tour.
For the band’s late 2022 UK tour Paul Timmins, now hire director and one of the founders of the recently formed pro-audio service company, 22live, was reunited with the long-term team of band manager Kevin Hopgood, production manager Chris Gadd, and FOH engineer Trevor Gilligan.
There were a number of factors to consider for Timmins, along with 22live technical director, Simon Gladstone, and operations director Stefan Phillips, when they were preparing their bid as a new player in the market. In addition to general touring economics this included the choice of PA.
With regard to the latter, 22live knew they couldn’t offer Gilligan, who h

Robin Hood in Regent’s Park - Marion (Ellen Robertson) and ensemble (photo: Pamela Raith)

Open air theatre keeps sustainable with Perseo

Details: 15 August 2023

UK - Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in London has become the first open air theatre in the UK to install Ayrton Perseo fixtures as part of its plan to update to a more sustainable and environmentally-responsible lighting rig.
20 Perseo Profiles have been supplied to this venue by White Light for the full 20-week summer season. White Light worked in close collaboration with the teams at Regent’s Park and Ambersphere, Ayrton’s exclusive distributor for the UK, to understand the aims, and facilitate the provision of the correct LED fixtures, to meet all the theatre’s requirements.
Joe Kirk, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s head of lighting, was determined to make changes to the lighting inventory when he took on the role last year: “I wanted to replace the old rig of power-intensive tungsten and discharge moving lights with more sustainable LED replacements,

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Case Study: Hans Zimmer Live

When award winning film composer Hans Zimmer brought his smash-hit tour Hans Zimmer Live to North America fall 2024, the show's audio team sought out to bring infrafrequency bass to the show to add new depth to the show's audio experience. The team chose Danley Sound Labs.

On completion of the transaction, Avid will become a privately-held company

Private equity firm STG to acquire Avid for $1.4bn

Details: 15 August 2023

USA - Avid has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of STG in an all-cash transaction valuing Avid at approximately $1.4bn, inclusive of Avid’s net debt.
“Since our founding over 30 years ago, Avid has delivered technology that enables individuals and enterprises who create media for a living to make, manage and monetise today’s most celebrated video and audio content across the globe,” said Jeff Rosica, Avid’s chief executive officer and president.
“We are pleased to announce this transaction with STG, who share our conviction and excitement in delivering innovative technology solutions to address our customers’ creative and business needs.
“STG's expertise in the technology sector and significant financial and strategic resources will help accelerate the achievement of our strategic vision, b

Flashlight confirms senior appointments

Details: 14 August 2023

UK - Flashlight Ltd has announced that Ged Murphy has been promoted to the board of directors as operations director. Ged joined the company 17 years ago as a technical sales advisor and the company has watched him continue to flourish and evolve to the current day.
“I am privileged and proud to have been appointed to the board of directors as director of operations at Flashlight. I will continue to serve the company, streamlining procedures and continuing to refine processes in order to maximise our impact within the industry”, comments Murphy.
“We are excited to welcome Ged to the board at Flashlight. His commitment to the company has been unwavering over the past 17 years and we look forward to continuing to watch Ged develop within his new role. We are confident customers and suppliers alike will share our enthusiasm for this appointment”, comments David Ma

‘Users can navigate the entire mixer app using just the keyboard and a screen reader’

Audient apps accessible to vision impaired

Details: 14 August 2023

UK - Audient has announced that both the iD and EVO mixer apps now offer accessibility support for vision impaired users. Users can navigate the entire mixer app using just the keyboard and a screen reader by downloading the latest drivers, which now include accessibility for each relevant product.
Thanks to Audient’s Frank Chavez, who oversaw the project, users can easily switch focus between UI elements. There is audible feedback about the state of the currently selected element, e.g.: ‘mic 1 fader +2’. It is also possible to interact with the same element according to its type, e.g.: using the enter key to toggle a phantom power switch, or up-and-down arrows to adjust the level of a slider.
“With the screen reader you can now save and recall presets, change the Loop-back source, install firmware updates and even monitor the Smartgain status on EVO,” says

PCL Live delivers cost savings with Leyard

Details: 14 August 2023

UK - PCL Live, founded by Adam Wilson, is a leading audio-visual company in the Northeast of Scotland. With impressive industry experience in installation projects, event equipment hire and operation, live streaming, and video production services for over 15 years, Wilson has driven PCL Live to operate using modern technology, with a focus around Leyard Europe products.
“One of the main benefits of Leyard screens is that they’re modular, so we can build them in any configuration needed, which gives us a unique selling point,” says Alex Sherman, business development and technical manager at PCL Live. “Adam has always wanted to push boundaries, and expand delivering the latest low power, green technologies and we didn’t see any other AV companies in the area doing this.
“One of the reasons we wanted to work with Leyard Europe is because they offer a complete

OPUS X4 PROFILE – the most powerful LED moving head from Cameo to date

The OPUS® X4 PROFILE is the new flagship model from Cameo and is among the most powerful LED moving heads on the market. Equipped with a 1,400-watt LED white light engine, this spot profile moving head produces an enormous light output of 50,000 lm, providing powerful spot and gobo projections on even the largest stages and much more.
www.cameolight.com

Anna Valley Studios provides professional stages for virtual event production

Anna Valley opens versatile studio complex

Details: 14 August 2023

UK - Audio-visual and entertainment technology company, Anna Valley has officially opened a new, multi-purpose studio complex in July 2023. The facility is located on the same block as Anna Valley’s headquarters in West London, in premises previously used to produce content for a broadcast shopping channel and includes five professional studio spaces that can be tailored to suit the production needs of media and entertainment, commercial and event clients.
The idea for Anna Valley Studios originated due to the audio-visual company’s success in using their headquarters as a virtual production and event studio during the pandemic. Despite the lifting of Covid restrictions in 2022, the demand for affordable studio spaces has remained high across their event and production client base. In addition, while the number of studios with volumes have increased in recent months, th

The theatre has completed a significant lighting system upgrade

DRTCC chooses Prolights fixtures for upgrade

Details: 14 August 2023

Australia - Dubbo Regional Theatre and Convention Centre features the Joyce Schneider Auditorium, a 500-seat theatre with modern facilities including a comprehensive, computerised sound and lighting control room. The theatre completed a significant lighting system upgrade, transitioning from outdated halogen lamps to more advanced technology.
David Brown, the technical coordinator of the venue, explained that the upgrade had been planned for some time, but the increasing difficulty in finding and the high cost of halogen lamps expedited the need for a change. The Covid-19 pandemic, which temporarily suspended performances, provided the perfect opportunity to carry out the upgrade, and David took the chance to conduct an in-depth market research and compare various options. After careful evaluation, he presented a comprehensive report to the council for approval.
Show T

The current tour is playing venues across the US and Canada, a major tour of Europe starts in October

Fall Out Boy visuals fly high with Hippotizer

Details: 14 August 2023

USA - Fire blasts, frenzy and rock ‘n’ roll bombast is bolstering American emo-pop-punkers Fall Out Boy’s current US tour, which is playing amphitheatres across the country backed with LED and projection driven by Green Hippo Hippotizer Boreal+ MK2 Media Servers.
Screen content is guiding the audience through the hitlist set via colour, with strong orange content for the daytime and cooler blues, greens, and purples for the night time scenes. The Boreal+ MK2 Media Servers are running pre-made content and Notch Blocks as well as live feed for the IMAG screens, with one live and one as backup.
BAFTA and Billboard Award-nominated creative directors, TAWBOX, consisting of London-based visionaries Amber Rimell and Bronski, have created a theatrical show for the band as they tour to support their 2023 album, So Much (for) Stardust. It sees an array of high-produ

2022’s Gottelier Award winner, JB Toby (centre) with PLASA chair, Adam Blaxill (left) and PLASA MD, Peter Heath (right)

PLASA Show 2023: Record number of Gottelier Award nominees

Details: 11 August 2023

UK - Voting is now in process for this year’s Gottelier Award, which has received a record number of nominees. Named in memory of renowned industry innovator and commentator Tony Gottelier, this special award recognises the invaluable contributions of the people behind the products.
LSi readers, pre-registered PLASA Show visitors and PLASA members are eligible to vote for the Gottelier Award. The recipient of the award will be announced during the PLASA Awards for Innovation ceremony at PLASA Show on Monday 4 September. The nominees for the 2023 Gottelier Award are:
Mark Ager - XM Automation
Mark’s influence over the past 40 years has been intrinsic in creating and defining the theatre automation industry as we know it today. Known by some as the father of automation, he co-founded and managed Stage Technologies (STL) which developed many of

The Showtec Lampy and Lampy Re-Load 4 will both be on display at PLASA Show

PLASA Show 2023: Highlite shows latest Lampy

Details: 11 August 2023

UK - At PLASA Show 2023, Highlite International will be presenting a wide selection of audio, lighting and special effects products and accessories from its renowned brands Showtec, Infinity, DAP, Artecta and Wentex, as well as from distribution brand Antari.
Among many other products, the powerful Showtec Polar Wash 740 will be on display along with DAP’s new NRG speaker range and there will be some exciting developments by Infinity waiting to be discovered too.
The Showtec Lampy light controller now benefits from a major V2 software update, which has made it faster and brought countless new features including MultiCell capabilities and a CIE colour picker with XY editing - a feature unheard of for light consoles product in this price range - which is why the Lampy has been nominated for a PLASA award.
With all the extra features that the V2 software brings t

Monitor engineer Michele Nicolino utilises a DiGiCo Quantum7 (photo: Alberto Anucci)

Max Pezzali takes centre stage with Quantum7

Details: 11 August 2023

Italy - Massimo Pezzali, commonly known as Max Pezzali, is a prominent Italian singer-songwriter. He embarked on his musical journey as a member of the band 883, and together, they released six albums before he decided to pursue a solo career. In 2004, Pezzali unveiled his debut solo album, II Mondo Insieme a Te, which marked the beginning of his meteoric rise to becoming one of the best-selling Italian artists of all time.
Since March of this year, Pezzali has been captivating audiences during his Italy tour, accompanied by his sound engineer, Michele Nicolino, who utilises a DiGiCo Quantum7 digital mixing console at the monitor position.
By working closely with professionals such as Riccardo Parravicini and Luca Morson, among others, Nicolino honed his expertise as a monitor engineer for renowned artists such as Mannarino, Willie Peyote, Michele Bravi, Bowlan

It didn’t take long for Lite Tek to debut their new Fuze fixtures

Elation Fuze is right fit for Lite-Tek

Details: 11 August 2023

USA - Virginia-based rental and production company Lite Tek Entertainment has grown with Elation Professional through the years and recently continued the close relationship with an investment in Elation’s Fuze series of high performance/high value lights.
“The Fuze series products have great features and high-quality construction but come in at price points that make them fit our markets,” stated Lite Tek founder and owner Darren Lewis. “Elation has proven that they didn't forget us in the middle of the market and still want to support the smaller lighting companies with quality products. That’s why we remain loyal customers, confident in their commitment to our success and growth as partners in the industry.”
Lite Tek’s recent purchase includes 32 Elation Fuze Max Spot, 16 Fuze Max Profile and 24 Fuze Wash 500 luminaires, all automated moving heads wit

‘The lit interior architecture of the Bigelow Chapel offered a totally different atmosphere’ (photo: Aram Boghosian)

Astera withstands Winter Solstice weather

Details: 11 August 2023

USA - Solstice: Reflections on Winter Light is a multimedia and meditative art experience celebrating the shortest, darkest day of the year, created by Masary Studios from Boston, and presented at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts.
It started as a small two-day installation idea in 2020 during the pandemic and has grown rapidly and organically to become a hugely popular and accessible 10-day annual public art festival. Visitors engage with the magic and ephemeral beauty of lighting and sound and its relation to the algorithms, mystery, and energies at work in the greater universe.
Masary Studio’s Sam Okerstrom-Lang initially needed “high quality and durable kit to withstand tough environmental conditions of New England in the winter”, so when their technical partner AVFX introduced them to Astera in 2020, they were delighted

Conventions were staged in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and Canada (photo: Alison Toon)

Robe joins Marillion convention in Berlin

Details: 11 August 2023

Europe - UK-based rock band Marillion has built up a formidable and near cult-like following over a career spanning five decades that has spawned 20 studio albums plus a string of top 40 hits since their formation in 1979. For the last 21 years, they have staged biennial two and three-day summer convention events for fans, which include special live performances plus additional Marillion world activities.
Lighting designer Yenz Nyholm’s specification for the 2023 Marillion ‘convention tour’ included nearly 100 Robe moving lights - 31 Robe Esprites, 22 LEDBeam 150s, 16 MegaPointes and 30 Spiider LED wash beams.
Conventions were staged in the UK, the Netherlands (twice), Germany, Italy, and Canada. For the shows at Berlin Tempodrom, Leipzig-based rental company Konteg supplied the full Robe package. It was also a completely new lighting design for this year.

Sixty82 appoints Progear distributor for Estonia

Details: 11 August 2023

Estonia - Sixty82 B.V has announced that Progear has been appointed as its exclusive distributor for Estonia.
Progear has quickly emerged as a significant player in the Estonian market. With a commitment to meet their customer's needs swiftly, Progear has built up a comprehensive stock of Sixty82 products, ready for distribution.
"We are thrilled to collaborate with Progear and extend our market reach in Estonia," stated Rainier Smeding, sales director of Sixty82. "Progear mirrors our dedication to delivering top-tier products and services. Their industry knowledge, resources, and passion position them perfectly to represent our brand and fuel our growth in this region."
Brand Manager for Sixty82 at Progear, Andreas Reinula, will be at the helm of this partnership.
Raivo Sinijärv, managing partner at Progear shared, "It's an honour to be the exclusive dis

The festival features live performances by popular Australian artists like Jessica Mauboy, Jack River, Mia Wray, and Jacotene

Showtools and Chauvet light Women’s World Cup Fan Fest

Details: 11 August 2023

Australia - Tumbalong Park, a five-hectare respite of green in the centre of Darling Harbour is serving as the site of a FIFA Women’s World Cup Fan Festival this month.
A vibrant celebration of all things football, and much more, the festival features giant live streams for watching FIFA Women’s World Cup games, a variety of fun football-related activities, a cornucopia of street food, and live performances by popular Australian artists like Jessica Mauboy, Jack River, Mia Wray, and Jacotene.
Enhancing the festive atmosphere and providing memorable visuals at the event, which began 20 July and runs through 20 August, is a bold and colourful lighting setup by dplr that is anchored by 108 Chauvet Professional fixtures from Showtools International. Included in this collection are 16 Maverick Storm 4 units, 20 Outcast R2X Washes, eight Colorado PXL Bar 16 motorised ba

The Nomad TPEP+ 2.6 indoor LED panel is now available with Brompton Technology processing

Theatrixx Nomad adds Brompton Technology

Details: 10 August 2023

Canada - Theatrixx Technologies, the Montreal-based manufacturer and distributor of technical equipment specially adapted for the performing arts, events and entertainment sectors, has announced the launch of its new premium high refresh rate Nomad TPEP+ 2.6 indoor LED panel, now available with Brompton Technology processing.
The panels incorporate a new proprietary Titanium Polymer Edge Protection technology (TPEP+) which ‘ensures unparalleled module protection and durability’. They designed to meet the demands of event production and rental.
A liquid shader now replaces the traditional brittle plastic shaders, resulting in an impressive +170-degree viewing angle. The innovative polymer compound forms mechanical bonds between each pixel without covering the LED lenses or altering their colour spectrum.
Individually batched premium SMD diodes, a 1/16 drivin

PLASA will see the launch of the completely new Charles Interpreter Unit

PLASA Show 2023: Glensound offers more Dante options

Details: 10 August 2023

UK - On Stand F6 at PLASA Show 2023, Glensound will be displaying new additions to its range of Dante products. PLASA Show will see the launch of the completely new Charles Interpreter Unit which adds networked audio to this important product category. As with all Glensound products, it is designed to precisely cater to the needs of a single translator whilst providing significant redundancy for power and Ethernet to ensure the message is delivered. Experience gained with other Interpreter units has defined the advanced specification.
Dual PoE connections plus a mains and DC input provides the security needed to keep the unit live at all times and there are RJ-45 connectors on the rear panel for primary and secondary Dante connections. A floor input from the Dante network and alternative XLR sockets for the translator’s microphone are featured with network output for the

Lizzy McAlpine’s The End of the Movie tour featured a set designed around her actual living room space

Mavericks join intimate Lizzy McAlpine tour

Details: 10 August 2023

USA - Rapidly rising folk and indie star Lizzy McAlpine’s The End of the Movie tour featured a set that was designed around her actual living room space. “All the items in the room were chosen by Lizzy, and were very specific to her inspiration and interests,” said Kat Borderud, the tour’s lighting and scenic designer. “The set contained her own personal clothing, family photos, books, and other cherished items.”
Borderud intensified the effect of this living room set by accentuating its various elements with light and shadows. “My role was to fulfil Lizzy’s vision and transform the stage,” she explained. “Darkness and shadow play are incorporated in this design for bringing the room to life as another character in Lizzy’s show. Shadows and light move and reflect on the walls from inside and outside the windows to move us through the set in a nar

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Case Study: Hans Zimmer Live

OPUS X4 PROFILE – the most powerful LED moving head from Cameo to date

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