USA - Vari-Lite has announced that the premium Neo X5 console is now shipping, making the entire line of consoles from Vari-Lite available to purchase. The Vari-Lite Neo X Series is a family of high-performance lighting consoles designed for mixed-use applications such as performing arts centres; stadiums and arenas; houses of worship; studios; schools; touring rental; and more. The Neo X Series includes the 15-fader Neo X15 and the newly shipping Neo X5.
“Feedback on the Neo X Series has been great,” says Jon Hole, global product manager, Vari-Lite Controls at Signify. “Customers speak highly of the professional-quality hardware and premium features of the X15, with a strong response across a variety of markets, and we’re excited to begin shipping the smaller X5 to o

Australia - Sydney-based TDC is at the forefront of the virtual production market. The Australian company, established since 1981, owns and operates purpose-built VP facilities in Sydney, supported by a team of experts. The team can partner with a production from concept to completion, while providing a deep knowledge of the processes and technology needed for video display, real-time rendering platforms, server hardware, playback platforms, camera tracking, remote connectivity, and content delivery.
It has delivered large scale virtual production facilities for TV, commercials, corporate films and blockbuster movies including Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder and hit psychological thriller Mercy Road, which was Australia’s first fully virtual production shoot. Mercy Road was released in Australia and the US in August, 2023.
VFX supervisor Andrew

Germany - NicLen continues to rely on Cameo: with its latest investment in the Zenit Z180 G2 LED PAR spotlight, the leading dry hire provider is expanding its lighting technology portfolio with a powerful and versatile PAR all-rounder with RGBW COB LED, motor zoom (10°to 40°) and an IP65 protection rating.
The RDM-enabled Cameo Zenit Z180 G2 is based on a long-lasting 180W RGBW COB LED, which, in combination with 16-bit technology, enables homogeneous, high-resolution colour mixing and seamless dimming behaviour. The motorised zoom operates in the range from 10° to 40° and effortlessly covers both sharp, narrowly focused beams and broadly diffused areas. Thanks to its six selectable PWM frequencies and IP65 rating, the Zenit Z180 G2 is suitable for use with film cameras as well as in outdoor applications. The complete PAR package is rounded off by colour temperature corr

Danish lighting designer Johnny Thinggaard was asked to create a production design for popular Danish pop / soul artist Lukas Graham’s The Pink Tour, for which Johnny presented a clean, modern, and stylish environmental concept, with three striking perspective related scenic walls covered in fabric and with integral LED pixels along the tops, enhancing the depth and dimensions of the performance space.
Johnny’s original idea was based on his love of side angled photography and images that reveal details and spatial elements of the background. He also wanted something that was architecturally bold, but essentially simple in expression.
For the first part of the tour, he used Robe T1 Profiles as front follow spots, running on a RoboSpot system, which worked brilliantly.
When it came to the festival section of the ongoing tour, Johhny wanted to add some more po

UK - Electric Bay is an open-air dance music festival that takes place over two days in the Torre Abbey meadows on the Torquay seafront. Following a completely sold-out first edition last year, the 2023 event promised to be ‘bigger and better’ at every level, with a bigger production, a larger stage, an even more powerful sound system and increased facilities and food and drink options.
The 2023 line-up featured some of the biggest names in electronic music, including Hedex, Pendulum LIVE, Dave Rodigan, Andy C, Gardna Live, Sub Focus, and many more. Festival organisers and electronic music promoters, Louder Events, once again turned to local AV rental experts, Future Technical Solutions (FTS) who supplied a KV2 sound system.
“FTS has a working relationship with Louder in other venues for both live and DJ sets, so it was natural that they asked us to quote for la
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ETC Halcyon Silent

High End Systems Halcyon Silent builds on ETC’s legacy of fanless automated fixtures by incorporating features from the highly sought-after Halcyon family. Halcyon Silent perfectly balances silent operation with brilliant output of 18,400 lumens and high-impact features. 

For more information visit us at www.etcconnect.com

Belgium - STUK is an international arts centre in the Belgian University city of Leuven. Driven by an open view of the world, the centre seeks to connect its patrons with contemporary dance, visual and audio-visual arts, sound art and adventurous music.
Housed in a large building, parts of which date back more than a century, and comprising multiple rooms including a main performance space, the centre recently underwent a refurbishment to improve its sustainability and upgrade its facilities.
The STUKcafé is an important hub within the building, and as well as being a popular eaterie for visitors and students, also hosts a wide range of events. Part of the refurb included provision for a new audio system in the café, the project for which was awarded to production specialist Stresske BVBA. Stresske has been in business since 2005, providing trusted technical support

India - Event equipment rental service provider Phoenix Networks has invested in a DiGiCo Quantum 338 digital mixing console, coupled with the SD-Rack, the first ever Quantum 338 system in Central India. Alongside, the company has also acquired a Meyer Sound system comprising the Leopard modules complemented by the 900-LFC Low-Frequency Control Elements.
“As a company, our vision for success is deeply rooted in our relentless pursuit of audio perfection. And these strategic investments are a key extension of this ever-evolving pursuit,” says Animesh Mishra, director of Phoenix Networks.
Animesh explains that the power and adaptability of the Quantum 338 and SD-Rack setup was so impressive, that he was convinced it would be the perfect addition to Phoenix Networks’ already impressive line-up of digital mixing consoles.
He elaborates: “The DiGiCo Quantum 33
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Create new traditions – Cameo P6 - High Output Full-Spectrum Ellipsoidal

Cameo's P6 is a future-proof LED profiler with a powerful 600 W RGBACL engine and 16,000 lumens. It’s an energy-efficient replacement for 2.5 kW halogen profile lights in theatres and venues. With excellent light quality and natural colour rendering, it fits perfectly in theatres, musicals, TV studios, congresses, and live events.

With an LED life of 50,000 hours and low power use, the P6 cuts energy costs and supports the EU’s ‘Green Deal’ goals for climate neutrality by 2050. It also meets updated eco-design rules for lighting.

www.cameolight.com/p6profile

Belgium - The Royal Theatre of La Monnaie / De Munt in Brussels has selected ETC’s Eos Apex consoles to upgrade the control of the lighting in its 1,150 seated space.
ETC dealer, Controllux specified the lighting for the Muntschouwburg venue which showcases a variety of performances from opera and classical music concerts to dance shows and more. Following positive reviews and feedback from international lighting designers, the lighting team at the theatre wanted to see which console would best meet their needs and invited - amongst others - Controllux’s Kris Noerens to demo ETC’s Eos Apex.
Lighting operator Julien Bier - who brings decades of experience in the industry - describes why Apex was the preferred choice (so much so that they selected two Apex 10 consoles): “Eos software is extremely flexible, making it particularly well-suited to the type of venue

Italy - The RCF Arena hosted a series of major concerts in the summer of 2023, featuring some of the biggest names in international and Italian music. Supporting each event as both the main PA system and/or delay lines, the new premium GTX line array from TT+ Audio delivered impressive sound quality for every performance.
The summer concert season kicked off with the Italian bluesman Zucchero holding two concerts for 40,000 seated people.
A few days later, the Italia Loves Romagna special benefit concert raised 3m euros for victims of the devastating floods that impacted the Emilia-Romagna region earlier that month. With main sponsorship provided by RCF and other brands, 100% of ticket sales were donated to the cause. The line-up featured some of the biggest names in Italian music including Laura Pausini, Salmo, Elodie, Gianni Morandi, Blanco, Elisa, Emma, Giorg

China - Thanks to EZPro - one of China’s leading providers of entertainment technology solutions - the staff and undergraduates of Duke Kunshan University now have the use of a brand-new Ethernet-based communications system from Dutch manufacturer, Green-GO. The provision of the renowned communications platform brings the advantages of flexibility and cost-effective reliability to team communications on the university’s new campus.
Situated in Jiangsu province, close to the bustling megacity of Shanghai, Kunshan is renowned for its ancient traditions and cultural significance to this area of eastern China. Opened in 2013, Duke Kunshan University is a joint venture between Duke University of Durham, North Carolina, USA and China’s Wuhan University, and is now an independently accredited establishment. The recent completion of the university’s Phase II campus developm

UK - In a world where live events are increasingly seeking sustainable solutions, Netherlands-based CrowdLED is proving that eco-consciousness and entertainment can harmoniously coexist. The live finals of the 16th season of TV talent show Britain's Got Talent, filmed at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, stand as a testament to this commitment.
When the show’s producers sought to create a “memorable spectacle” by lighting up the audience sustainably, they turned to CrowdLED. Embracing the challenge, CrowdLED deployed 3,000 reusable LED wristbands, illuminating 18,000 attendees across six shows. The result was a visual feast, with the audience's energy beautifully reflected and amplified by the pulsating wristbands.
The complexity of the Eventim Apollo as a venue - known for its challenging cabling and rigging - was easily navigated thanks to CrowdLED's wi

Finance for Growth - A £35m investment fund is aiming to grow the UK’s creative industries by £50bn and create one million extra jobs by 2030. The Creative Growth Finance II fund has been launched by membership organisation Creative UK and Triodos Bank to meet the targets set out in the government and Creative Industries Council’s recently published Sector Vision.
Creative Growth Finance II is the biggest single fund to be delivered by Creative UK and follows the first Creative Growth Finance fund, which launched in 2019 and has invested more than £17m into 30 creative businesses. Eligible companies in sectors including performing arts, music, architecture, design, film and TV, radio and audio, publishing, visual arts and video games, will be able to apply for loans of £100,000 to £1m to grow their businesses.
Caroline Norbury, chief executive of Creative UK,

Germany - HK Audio has announced that simulation files in GLL data format are now available for Ease and Ease Focus 3 for the loudspeakers in the Linear 5 MK II series.
AFMG's Ease software is the globally established standard for electrical and room acoustics simulation. Acousticians, planners and installers can use Ease to create highly accurate simulations of any rooms.
Available free of charge on the AFMG homepage, Ease FOCUS 3 is an acoustic simulation program for 3D modelling of line arrays, sub-arrays, digitally controlled columns and conventional loudspeakers and is based on the Ease calculation module.
GLL files contain extremely precise system definitions that describe the mechanical, electronic and acoustic properties of the loudspeakers. The Linear 5 MK II GLL files are now available for download from the Linear 5 MK II product page.

UK - GLP has reported its best PLASA Show footfall for a number of years. According to the head of GLP UK, Simon Barrett, this was partly because of its unmissable stand - immediately inside the entrance - but also because it placed a clear focus on promoting the new impression X5 product family integration - and the quality and integrity of light emanating from its new colour engine. But equal focus was placed on GLP’s highly professional, and ever-expanding, technical and customer support team.
The sophistication was manifest in Andrew ‘Twiggy’ King’s choreographed lightshow, which demonstrated the entire impression X5 Family. This included the impression X5 Wash, impression X5 Compact, X5 IP Bar, X5 IP Maxx and impression X5 Bar 1000 - the last two being shown in the UK for the first time. This was played out to Ludovico Einaudi’s haunting and beautiful Diven

USA - CP Communications recently wrapped a series of live production projects with HRP-Live culminating with the recent 2023 Nobull CrossFit Games at Alliant Energy Centre in Madison, Wisconsin.
HRP-Live, a production company that works primarily in the fitness space, hired CP Communications to handle all RF content acquisition for the second straight year following a successful production partnership for last year’s annual athletic competition.
CP Communications brought its flagship HD-21 53-foot expando truck to the Alliant Energy Centre, CP Communications provided frequency coordination services for six RF cameras, four robotic PTZ cameras, and audio systems, including microphones, IFBs and intercom. The four-day event was streamed online over multiple platforms including ESPN+, Facebook, YouTube and the CrossFit website, with select hours the final three days bro

Spain - El Brunch Nuestro De Cada Dia (Our daily brunch) is an event that took place in Santa Cruz de Tenerife on the island of Tenerife on the 6 May 2023. The sound system and lighting fixtures were provided by Musicanarias Audiovisuales.
The event took place on the Plaza Alisios, an area at the back of the Auditorio Adán Martín that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. Starting at 1pm and finishing at 10pm, the event saw performances by Andee, We Are Trash, Bobby Bob and La Maldita.
The Plaza Alisios is often used for events and presents unique challenges when it comes to putting together the perfect sound setup. For this event, Musicanarias Audiovisuales relied on an active line-array system by DAP's Odin Audio Systems. The eventual setup was the result of careful analysis of the area to ensure that the Odin setup chosen made optimal use of the system’s excellent soun

Vietnam - Hanoi’s prestigious Ho Guom Opera House has a new Unity dimming and power switching system from LSC Control Systems at the heart of its technical installation. The extensive new LSC system is part of a recent major investment in the theatre’s technical infrastructure - a state-of-the-art specification which makes the new venue the most technologically advanced in the country.
The flexible Unity system from LSC offers a choice of free-standing, prewired cabinets (96, 72, or 48-circuit models) providing high-performance dimming and power switching with advanced control and monitoring, suitable for any application using the latest video, audio and lighting equipment. It was because of this flexibility and peace of mind that the Unity system was chosen.
The modular possibilities of its spec to suit specific needs, with the availability of either a PTFD dimmin

Egypt - HiLights Group has invested in a large shipment of Ayrton fixtures, comprising Ayrton Domino Profile, Domino LT and Cobra fixtures, purchased both for stock and specific projects in the region.
“By acquiring a significant quantity of Ayrton fixtures, HiLights aims to expand its inventory and be prepared to fulfil a wide variety of project requirements,” says Hamed Arafa, founder and chairman of HiLights. “Additionally, having these fixtures readily available in stock allows us to promptly meet the demands of our clients and provide timely solutions.”
Established over 30 years ago, HiLights Group is a leading full events solutions company operating in the MENA and GCC regions. Specialising in the delivery of comprehensive services encompassing concept designing, production, and lighting solutions for mega and iconic events, HiLights has established stro

UK - First performed to critical acclaim in 2007, That Face is a hard-hitting, explosive play that explores the secret lives of the rich with anarchic humour. It’s now making a revival at the Orange Tree Theatre in a production directed by Josh Seymour and starring Niamh Cusack. It also features a lighting design by Jamie Platt who approached White Light (WL) to supply his lighting equipment.
That Face tells the story of Mia who is on the verge of being expelled from boarding school and returns home to her alcoholic, disinterested mother Martha as well as her increasingly unstable brother Henry. The imminent return of her father Hugh from Hong Kong, who’s promised to sort everything out, serves to push the family beyond its limits.
On his approach to the show, Jamie explains: “I’d worked with director Josh Seymour and designer Eleanor Bull earlier

Mexico - Martin Audio’s Mexican rental partner, Audio Teck Pro, recently deployed a large WPL line array for the performance of veteran singer José María Napoleón to provide comprehensive coverage throughout the 10,500-capacity multipurpose venue.
Audio Teck Pro systems engineer Raúl Román, explained how the supreme multi-cellular control of Martin Audio once again helped overcome the challenges -particularly in this case of heat and humidity - to deliver a consummate audio performance.
"In our experience it is a great advantage to have Martin Audio equipment in our inventory as the brand is frequently requested on artists’ riders, and the systems always respond well. Other brands we have used do not achieve the same results, especially in the treble; this is very important because with other equipment, the treble starts to fall away at a distance of about 50

Europe - Kicking off in Istanbul at the beginning of August 2022, taking in a series of festivals in South America, on to Australia and the Far East, travelling through Europe, then a UK stadium tour, and finishing in Dublin in October, Arctic Monkeys’ The Car tour has been delighting fans with its blend of new material and classic favourites.
The band’s long-time engineers, Will Doyle and Matthew Kettle, have relied on DiGiCo consoles, provided by Solotech, to deliver premium sound at both the monitor and front of house positions for many years. Continuing their ethos of providing ‘an exceptional audio experience’, this time they have opted for the latest DiGiCo Quantum consoles along with a DMI-KLANG for immersive in-ear monitoring.
Racking up a remarkable combined tenure of 31 years with the band, with Doyle taking on the role of monitor engineer in

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