UK - The Royal Armouries at Leeds is the venue for the first ever Riggers' Forum to be held outside of London on Tuesday 30 April. Building on the success of the Riggers' Forum held at Earls Court in 2012, PLASA Events will host the Forum alongside the consistently popular PLASA Focus: Leeds trade show event.

The Forum will provide a unique opportunity for members of the rigging community to discuss all things rigging and to exchange their views and experiences of the industry. The Forum will open at 2pm with a short presentation entitled The Dunning Kruger Effect - The Dangers of Unconscious Incompetence. This will be followed by a chaired question and answer session led by a panel of experts from the rigging industry, including members from the National Rigging Advisory G

UK - A giant multi-touch glass screen, purpose manufactured by Bedford-based specialists, Paradigm AV, has taken centre stage at the University of Wolverhampton's new six zone Visualisation Centre.

Opened in mid-March, and the brainchild of the University's Innovation 1st project team, this futuristic technology suite has been repurposed out of existing space in the Business Solutions Centre on the Wolverhampton Science Park.

While AVM Impact won a competitive EU tender to install the six rooms, they chose projection specialist Paradigm AV to design, manufacture and install the glass display - measuring 3545mm x 2232mm, and billed as the largest Windows 8 touch-screen in the West Midlands - which will allow the local business community to interact with it collaboratively. The facility is designed to provide local SMEs in the West Midlands with a minimum two days (12 hours) of

Sweden - Singer songwriter Petra Marklund, who also performs under the name 'September', has been touring the country's concert halls this spring with one of the most dynamic stage sets imaginable - fabricated largely from more than 3,000 SGM LED Balls (LB-100) ingeniously rigged as an overhead, interactive spatial canopy.

The design is the brainchild of top lighting designer Henrik Lundin, of Stockholm-based company Satellite Live.

With a quest to constantly provide different solutions to inspire his creativity, Lundin has bought into SGM's pioneering LED products immediately. Having used the new X-5 LED strobes on tour with Veronica Maggio and Maskinen last year, he has now conceived his most outrageous design yet for the beautiful Ms. Marklund. When the tour opened in Stockholm the impact of the pixel-mapped 3D LED balls, and the way in which the artiste interacted with the

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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. 

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UK - As boy band sensations One Direction (1D) embarked on the much anticipated 117 date Take Me Home world tour, the tried and trusted production team of Production North, Lite Alternative and Wigwam were brought in to turn the cityscape arena concept of creative designer, Elizabeth Honan, into reality.

Lite Alternative's highly creative production designer Paul Normandale used 30 of SGM's new X-5 white LED strobes for the first time, replacing conventional xenon-driven devices. And after evaluating them over the first leg of 34 shows stretching across the UK and Ireland, he vowed that it certainly won't be the last.

Supplied by SGM's UK and Ireland distributor, A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) Ltd., the strobes are largely mounted on vertical pipes and bases, positioned under two special ramps, stage left and right, and used mostly for "impact and accent&q

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New Touring Series by Gravity – Every Scratch Has A Story

When the stage heats up, you need equipment that can keep up without compromise. The Gravity Touring Series has been specifically designed to meet the highest demands – for rental companies, professional musicians, concert organizers, and large event venues. Premium materials, exceptional durability, and impressive longevity make these products stand out. Whether on tour, in constant use, or under the toughest conditions: the Touring Series delivers maximum reliability and performance – every day, on every stage.
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UK - After playing festivals last summer, multi award-winning Scottish singer/songwriter Amy Macdonald has spent February and March on a European tour to promote her latest album Life In A Beautiful Light. Front of House engineer Fabrizio Piazzini is mixing the shows on a DiGiCo SD8.

Fabrizio is a long-term DiGiCo user, having started on the D1, not long after the company was founded. "DiGiCo consoles are my favourites," he says. "They go to places where other consoles don't. The automation is so in-depth and so easily editable that I can edit it during the show. Even at a really busy gig, I can still do really geeky things and make sure they work. It's very simple to do."

Fabrizio's choice of the SD8 has been based on a number of factors, all of which he believes the SD8 excels at.

"I love the SD8 for many reasons. Firstly it is a very clear,

UK - Aphex, the US manufacturer of audio processing solutions, has appointed MSL Professional as its new distributor for the UK and Ireland. Aphex is renowned for its professional industry-standard technologies including the Aural Exciter, Big Bottom and Compeller based products that have contributed to a company history in pro audio, live sound, broadcast and MI spanning more than 35 years.

At this year's NAMM Show, Aphex unveiled a number of new recording products that are set to start arriving in April. These include the USB500, a 500 Series rack combined with professional standard USB 2.0 audio interface, as well as a range of new 500 Series modules including mic pres, aural exciter, EQ and compressor modules. Not stopping there, Aphex also introduced the Project Channel, an affordable high-quality channel strip with Aural Exciter and Big Bottom technology, the MicX USB 24Bi

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AZOR® SP2 IP - Compact IP65 Spot Profile Moving Head

Compact design and IP65 protection for indoor and outdoor applications: the new AZOR® SP2 IP is the ideal solution for open-air events and outdoor theatres that require a powerful, weatherproof lighting system. An optimal partner for lighting designers and event service providers looking for a versatile LED show light in a compact housing.

AZOR® SP2 IP – the next generation of robust, weatherproof, and compact lighting for maximum creative freedom, both indoors and outdoors.

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UK - Buckinghamshire New University and education partner, Sennheiser UK Ltd, have held a panel debate featuring top music industry specialists.

The debate, held in front of around 40 prospective students and parents, was part of an undergraduate open day at the University, in Queen Alexandra Road, High Wycombe.

The panel included live sound engineer, producer and promoter, Sean Cranny, also known as Rampton, who works with DJs, Chase and Status, and has enjoyed a 30-year career working with the likes of Basement Jaxx, The Libertines, and Razorlight; producer, designer and engineer, Chuck Knowledge, who has produced three award-winning albums for Dizzee Rascal, and worked with Taio Cruz, Calvin Harris, Jay Sean, and Tinchy Stryder, as well as the likes of Bush, The Divine Comedy, Hootie & the Blowfish, and Stereophonics; Chris McCarron, who is front of house engineer for Razor

Australia - War Horse, the now legendary World War I drama depicting the devotion of a boy to his horse, has moved stage audiences in the UK and US, winning five 2011 Tony Awards. One of the most striking elements of the show is its highly evocative lighting design by Paule Constable who calls lighting 'the secret language of theatre". Constable won the 2011 Tony Award for Best Design for A Play for her design work on War Horse.

Australia now has the chance to experience this landmark theatre event with audiences packing Melbourne's Arts Centre State Theatre night after night. The show will move to Sydney in March followed by Brisbane in July.

The lighting rig, supplied by Chameleon Touring Systems, has only a small amount of moving lights; a couple of Vari-Lite 3500 Washes, six Vari-Lite 3000Q Washes, three VL500 Arcs and twelve ETC Revolutions.

"The

UK - Friday 15th March saw the second instalment of the PLASA Golf Day charity event at the Drift Golf Club in Surrey. Following on from the success of last year's competition, the fundraiser was held to raise money for Light Relief - a charity established by and for those working in the entertainment industry who are experiencing times of difficulty and extreme hardship. The event was organised by PLASA with assistance from Delta Sound and White Light. The event raised a praiseworthy £4000 for the charity from a combination of entry fees donated by the players and from each of the competing companies who sponsored specific holes along the course.

This year's event saw 13 teams from across the live production and events industry battle it out for the top spot, and perhaps more importantly, to get their hands on those all-important bragging rights over their fellow teams. R

UK - There can be no better endorsement for a company that a client who returns year after year; each time asking for a more detailed specification, more equipment and greater participation. Alex Leinster, MD of Chaos Visuals Productions UK can report precisely that. "Since the initial call from Bacchus in February 2011, requesting an LED screen and playback package installed two days later, our involvement at London Fashion Week has grown season by season.

"Last season the new lightweight 20K projectors from Panasonic allowed us to bring projection to the catwalk that could hold its own against the show lighting. This season, touchscreen technology was added to allow visitors to interact with, and customise, their experience of the Canon cinema."

Returning to the sumptuous surroundings of Somerset House, Bacchus PR and London Fashion Week upped its game this ye

Mexico - David Guetta has sold over six million albums worldwide, so it is no surprise that he can fill an arena anywhere in the world. On 8 March, 2013 he did just that, as he packed more than 60,000 excited fans into Estadio Azteca for the Mexican stop on his Nothing but the Beat world tour. There are already thousands of YouTube clips circulating from the night that shows the excitement and popularity of this mega- star of the electronic dance music world.

Audio Systems del Norte was tasked with the job of providing sound for the event with the system tuning done by SonoTribe Audio Consultants, and technical support provided by Showco Mexico, the local distributor for Adamson products. Showco manager, Mauricio Alva said, "This was the first time that David Guetta's crew had used the E15s on their tour. As soon as the levels had been set to their specification Es S

UK - BBC Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton has done many things to raise money for charity such as trekking the South Pole and this year she is getting the public and viewers involved by helping her complete Helen's Magnificent 7 for Comic Relief.

Over recent weeks Skelton has flown a jet with the Red Arrows, walked a rope bridge and appeared in a West End stage show.

To help celebrate Red Nose Day and the completion of the challenges, there will be a special Blue Peter episode from its old home at the BBC White City, one of the last to be filmed there before it closes for redevelopment at the end of this month. This went out live before the main Comic Relief show is aired later that evening.

The show's LD Lee Allen designed an exciting lighting show which as ever is provided by Richard Martin Lighting (RML). The show was filmed outside and with this in

Turkey - Digiturk is Turkey's largest digital subscription entertainment platform with more than 2.5m subscribers. They required a top quality sound system for their newly renovated multifunction screening room and a key requirement to the system was that it needed to have an unobtrusive design.

The 90 sq.m room provides seating for 30 people. The asymmetrical room is highly dampened to provide very high speech intelligibility and because of that it poses a serious challenge in terms of achieving sufficient SPL and even coverage from a nearly invisible sound system.

Installer Can Electronik chose Cornered C6TRM's for front and centre channels and six Cornered C5s for side and rear surround channels. Also, a pair of C12PNC subs provides LFE coverage with seamless integration with the rest of the system. The system is powered by the eight-channel Crown CTs 8150 amplifier for the

UK - Since 1984, Oxford Ice Rink has been a magnet for skating fans within and beyond the boundaries of the university town. In addition to being home base for National Ice Hockey League team the Oxford City Stars, the 700-seater stadium also serves as a venue for skating competitions and performances as well as a weekly ice disco. Under new management since 2009, the venue underwent a thorough programme of modernization last year that included the installation of a new sound system. This made its debut on in December with the Christmas Ice Show.

The task of designing and installing the new sound system was entrusted to Oxford-based specialists Lancelyn Theatre Supplies, who replaced the previous sound reinforcement system with a new one from Electro-Voice over the course of three weeks - all without any interruption of service. "We knew already from countless simila

USA - Philips Entertainment, representing Philips Vari-Lite, Philips Strand Lighting, Philips Selecon, and Showline, has announced the realignment and consolidation of its Americas commercial group to provide better service to their authorized dealers, sales representatives, and all lighting professionals throughout North and South America. The realignment includes changes in the management, sales, and support teams within Philips Entertainment, and will focus on continuing technology innovations while creating a streamlined customer experience.

"The realignment of the Americas commercial group truly represents an exciting time for Philips Entertainment," said Julie Smith, commercial general manager of the Americas. "We have great brands with great histories and this consolidation will better allow us to grow the resources within each brand while refocusing on tec

USA - Audinate has announced that Innovative Electronic Designs, LLC has licensed Audinate's Dante digital-media networking technology and will incorporate Dante into several new products.

Audinate's patented Dante solution is a media networking solution suite designed to transport many channels of high-resolution, uncompressed, low-latency digital media over relatively long distances and to multiple locations, using a standard 100 Mbps or 1 Gb Ethernet network. It has become the solution of choice for a variety of professional applications because it delivers tightly synchronized, sample-accurate playback while simplifying installation and configuration of AV networks.

"IED has always been on the cutting edge of high quality networked audio solutions," observes IED's VP of product development Jody Green. "Audinate's Dante technology will allow us to expand our

USA - Video equipment rental company Pete's Big TVs is providing the video equipment, cameras and d3 media servers for the new 2013 production of the Dreamgirls tour which kicked off in late December 2012/early January 2013. It tours North America until early June, followed by Japan, with more dates expected.

Working with MB Productions, Pete's Big TVs is providing the main set of the show, comprised of 400 digiLED MC15 (15 mm) LED video panels in three screens, which all track and fly in different configurations. They are also supplying two d3s from d3 Technologies. More than a media server, the d3s serve as a 3D stage simulator, combining a timeline based sequencer, video playback and video mapper all in one.

Howard Werner of Lightswitch designed the media content and the show system in 2009 when an older production of Dreamgirls began an eight-month run in Seo

Germany - Fohhn Audio is now shipping its new LX-220 high performance hybrid line source system, the latest addition to its popular Linea Series. The 2.2m, four-way loudspeaker has been specially developed to provide the best possible sound quality for speech and live music applications in challenging acoustic environments where visual integration is also a requirement.

The LX-220 is equipped with 18 x 4" high performance, long excursion, neodymium speakers arranged in a column, plus three 1" compression drivers with horn loaded Fohhn Waveguide system and self-resetting Intelligent Protection Circuit (IPC). This arrangement produces a very direct, cylindrical beam characteristic, with sound pressure levels remaining more constant over distance, hence its suitability for use in larger rooms (25-40m in length). Unwanted reflections from the floor or ceiling can also be a

Germany - At Prolight and Sound 2013, ShowTex will demonstrate its collection of stage and cinema screens for front, rear, or twin projection as well as the enhanced HiSpeed Roll Up hardware system for fast screen motion. The company also specialises in panoramic glassless mirrors, giant mirrors, and projection foils for glow-in-the-dark fabric effects and glasslike inflatables. ShowTex will also present its improved EasyDrape system in Frankfurt.

The new EasyDrape now features a versatile coupler and telescopic horizontal drape supports with double Velcro. The flexible couplers make it possible to install the EasyDrape system in several directions at the same time allowing for multiple corners with one coupler. A variety of EasyDrape applications can now be built up by just one person. Expo drape and starcloth curtain heights of 2 to 5 meters can be easily obtained by adjusting

UK - Loudspeaker manufacturer Tannoy has thrown its weight behind the Red Dreams charity in Hartlepool, England, by donating two sets of studio monitors to help young sound technicians with recording and mix downs.

The charity, which supports young people in the area by providing various creative outlets, was set up by Ian McManus and his wife Dawn in memory of their son Kyle, who died tragically aged 16 from a brain haemorrhage. Since Kyle had such a keen interest in the arts, his parents began a legacy that now coaches and mentors young people in creative arts, providing a valuable focus and outlet.

Red Dreams has a very basic ethos of 'Confidence Through Creativity'; however this is underpinned by a number of values, including dedication, respect, focus, determination and support. Red Dreams not only looks to support young people in their creative endeavours, but also offer

UK - For a while now the Mercury Music Awards have been seen as one of the most credible and prestigious awards that a musician or artist can receive. The award is for best album in the UK and Ireland and is chosen by a panel of fellow musicians, executives, journalists and other key Industry figures.

As part of the build-up to this and to keep those who are really into music involved, Barclaycard now sponsors the Mercury Prize Sessions - a celebration of the best live music in the UK now. Acts in include Tom Odell, Suede and Johnny Marr. Each session is filmed at the Hospital Club, Covent Garden.

Richard Martin Lighting (RML) support lighting designer Nigel Catmur for the show. The cool and urban look is achieved simply with Sharpys and smoke. The Sharpys create such a strong and recognisable look, that in some situations, they are all that you need. Various lengths of truss

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