Portugal - The recent concerts in Portugal featuring Brazilian band Natiruts were reinforced by NEXT-proaudio PA.

The reggae roots band Natiruts was formed in Brasília (Distrito Federal) in 1994 under the name Nativus. The band comprises Alexandre Carlo Pereira, Luís Maurício Ribeiro, Kiko Peres, Rodrigo Txotxa, Bruno Wambier, Denny Conceição, Luciana Oliveira, Ludmila Mazzucatti, André Mitsuoka and Paulo Roberto Pizzulin.

They were promoting the CD / DVD Natiruts Acoustic Live, which was recorded in Rio de Janeiro and distributed by Sony Music.

In Portugal the Brazilian band used the LA12 from NEXT-proaudio in two different situations: outdoor and indoor concerts.

Natiruts Front of House Engineer Daniel Félix said of the sound system: "We are extreme

USA - More than 600 business and community leaders gathered on 3 May 2013 to celebrate the finest businesses and individuals in East Tennessee, where Bandit Lites lit the ninth annual Pinnacle Business Awards Gala. The black tie event has quickly become one of the premier social events, complete with reception, silent auction, and a martini bar carved out of a block of ice.

Lighting designer Will Twork created an elegant atmosphere utilizing MAC 2k Profiles, MAC 500 and MAC 600. Framed in the stage set, six 4x30' screen material panels were lit by GRN LED pars.

"It's not a typical stage set-up," said Bandit's general manager, JR Sander. "From the moment people enter the room, we want them to immediately feel they are in a space befitting their status as a member of Knoxville Chamber of Commerce. It's a special night for everyone, and Bandit is proud to both be a

UK - Yamaha professional audio equipment is suitable for theatrical venues and productions of all sizes, a fact amply proved by its presence at this year's ABTT Theatre Show.

Exhibiting on Stand 137 at ABTT 2013 - which takes place at The Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London from 12-13 June - Yamaha will be highlighting the sound quality and versatility of its CL series digital mixing system and the Commercial Installer Solutions (CIS) range.

Already well-established in the live production, theatre and broadcast markets, two of the attractions of the CL series for theatre are its audio quality and flexibility.

In theatre, where sound levels range from strident music to absolute silence, the quality of sound reinforcement is key. The CL series features head amps which deliver remarkable sonic clarity, coupled with high quality onboard processing which makes CL consoles suit

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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

UK - Sound Technology, the Harman distributor in the UK and ROI, has promoted Joe East to the new role of business development manager - installed audio. East has been at Sound Technology Ltd since the company purchased Harman Pro UK in 2008, and was at Harman Pro UK for two years prior to that. His new role is to act as liaison between all relevant parties of a project to ensure it runs smoothly.

In addition, Hugo Burnard has joined the technical project team, working as project engineer alongside senior project engineer Ben Todd and product specialist Danny Kyte. Burnard is an experienced audio engineering graduate who joins Sound Technology from the TOA Corporation.

(Jim Evans)

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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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The Netherlands - For 33 years, Queen Beatrix has lead the Netherlands with grace and beauty. Known for her warmhearted smile and 'modernizing' the royal house, she has been beloved by the Dutch people since receiving the crown from her mother in 1980. However, this year, at age 75, Beatrix is ready to give the next generation a chance to continue her work. King Willem-Alexander, the first king in over a century and Beatrix's eldest son, was sworn in on 30 April 2013.

Dressed in orange and proudly displaying their flags, the Dutch celebrated their first 'King's Day' in style. After a full day of festivities, the Royal Family finished their evening by sailing the River IJ for the Royal Boat Parade. Passing various islands around Amsterdam, the new King was greeted with a few minutes of entertainment as they drifted past; from sport to dance, even opera. Reaching Java Eiland, the

Poland - The Iluzjon cinema in Warsaw has been home to the Polish National Film Archive since the mid-50s, and is also Warsaw's main art-house cinema. The venue, which had remained in its original state until just two years ago, has recently undergone a massive renovation. At the heart of the audio system, which was designed by audio consultant and system designer, Wojciech Zielinski from pro audio specialists, Dysten, is an Innovason Eclipse GT running a fully networked Fohhn Audio PA system.

One of the peculiarities, and indeed part of the charm of Iluzjon, is that, thanks to its National Film Archive heritage, it often screens silent movies accompanied by live music. The sound system therefore, unlike a typical cinema system, also had to be able to cater for live music as well as playback. It was these slightly unusual requirements that led Zielinski to specify an Innovason E

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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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Germany - Since its release at LDI 2012, High End Systems' Hog 4 console range has become one of the most successful lighting control platforms ever introduced. The Hog 4 console range includes the flagship Hog 4 desk, the Full Boar 4, the Road Hog 4, the Nano Hog 4 and Hog4 PC.

Customer demand for the Hog 4 was illustrated at the recent Pro Light + Sound trade show in Frankfurt, where High End Systems announced that the thousandth Hog 4 console had been shipped to European production supplier Arcus.

High End's VP of worldwide sales Renaat De Wilde commented, "We are proud and honoured to announce that during ProLight+Sound, High End Systems shipped the 1000th console of our new Hog 4 product family to Arcus, our long standing partner for Germany, Russia and the ex-Russian countries. This landmark is cause for celebration as well as clear proof that the Hog 4 family is a

Kenya - Nairobi Baptist Church recently upgraded their existing analogue mixer to an Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing system, supplied by Kenyan company, Sound Creations.

Founded in 1958, the Church required a more sophisticated console with improved sound quality. Sound Creations, the distributor for Allen & Heath in Kenya, suggested an iDR-48 MixRack with iLive-T112 surface.

"We were confident the Allen & Heath iLive-T112 would be the ideal mixer for Nairobi Baptist church and would meet their specific needs," said Nipul Shah, owner of Sound Creations.

Tim Pollard, managing director for A&H regional distributor, PAXT, said, "It is always a pleasure to receive successful stories from our customers and this installation by Sound Creations is the perfect example - great work."

(Jim Evans)

Europe - German rental company Sound Linear has deployed its system on James Last's One More Time tour, which encompassed 23 shows in six countries. From London's Royal Albert Hall through to the 02 World in Berlin, the tour demonstrated the flexibility and scalability of STM.

"On the one hand, we needed a small system which wouldn't intrude visually on the production design," says Sound Linear's Kalle Hogrefe. "However, on the other hand, the tour demanded an arena-sized system because of the distances involved in the larger venues. By using the M46 main cabinets and flying some S118 subs on top, we were able to fulfill both criteria perfectly. Any other system which could do that would have had a much larger footprint."

The tour also proved STM's compatibility with other NEXO models, with GEO S12s used as side-fill and out-fill, and PS10s for near-

USA - Originally created as a pure EDM (electronic dance music) festival in 1999, Ultra has grown through the years to present not only the genre's hottest, biggest and best headline artists (The Prodigy, Swedish House Mafia, The Chemical Brothers, Tiësto, David Guetta, deadmau5, Underworld, Kraftwerk, Armin van Buuren, Moby, Fatboy Slim, Justice, Carl Cox and Avicii to name a few), but also crossover headline bands like The Cure, The Killers, New Order, Duran Duran, The Black Eyed Peas, Erasure, M83, and even Madonna, who performed in 2012.

The audio ran on a backbone of Lake Processing. Behind the audio were Beach Sound from Miami, Florida, a full service concert production company that handles festivals, concerts and corporate events of all shapes and sizes.

"We go back to the original Lake processors," said Neil Rosenstock, head of audio at Beach Sound. "An

UK - Recently re-opened after a three-year, £17m redevelopment programme, The Atkinson is Sefton Council's flagship arts and cultural venue. Housed in a grade II listed building in the heart of Southport, The Atkinson integrates four arts and cultural venues - the Southport Arts Centre, the Atkinson Art Gallery, the Botanic Gardens Museum and the Southport Library - into one single, regional cultural centre.

Theatreplan, were called in as the theatre consultants to oversee the redevelopment of the two auditoria housed in The Atkinson. Theatreplan specified EM Acoustics loudspeakers throughout both venues, all of which were installed by Oxford Sound and Media, along with the rest of the loose audio equipment.

The main performance venue, the Atkinson Theatre, is a traditional proscenium arch theatre with a capacity of 440, and also houses a state-of-the-art cinema screen.

USA - Christie Lites has purchased an additional 200-plus MA onPC command wing from A.C.T Lighting, the exclusive distributor of the MA Lighting in North America. The company's new investment brings its inventory of MA onPC command wing to over 250.

Earlier this year, Christie Lites took delivery of 50 MA onPC command wing to extend usage of the flexible and powerful grandMA2 control system to customers working on location or those who find it physically difficult to fit a grandMA2 console at their venue. With 12 locations in the US and Canada, Christie Lites supplies equipment and services to lighting designers and chief electricians across an extensive client base.

"The popularity of the MA onPC command wing with our customers prompted us to invest in a substantial inventory of units," says Christie Lites CEO Huntly Christie at the company's Orlando headquarters. &

USA - Audio-Technica US has unveiled its new Systems Integration Resource Center (SIRC) web site at http://sirc.audio-technica.com. Intended for consultants, contractors and system integrators, this password-protected web site offers Audio-Technica product information, price lists, spec comparisons and other resources.

Once authorised by Audio-Technica, the consultant, contractor or system integrator creates his or her own user profile and receives "24/7 access to a host of A-T resources". Visitors to the site will have access to dedicated product pages, along with a search function..

"The consultant, contractor and system integrator market is very important to A-T," stated David Marsh, Audio-Technica US director of sales & marketing, installed sound. "With this new dedicated website, we are continuing our quest to give our customers all the resources

Australia - The new Clarity LX series consoles have proved invaluable for Sydney broadcast lighting director Grant 'Doc' Watson and his operation Strauss Productions.

Up until the final series of 2011, Watson was lighting the Australian productions of The Biggest Loser and My Kitchen Rules on a series of LSC maXim consoles. With the shows growing in size, The Biggest Loser saw the largest maXim XXLP console loaded to its limits with moving lights and dimmers.

With the need for a platform upgrade in mind, Watson was able to assess Clarity software on his Mac notebook and realised just how easy it was to use in the 'live' environment most of his productions demand. Rarely are the shows shot in a broadcast studio with some being produced in disused military buildings and naval dock yards, agricultural sheds, community centres and bare walls studios.

The key

USA - The nomination period for the 6th Annual Rock Our World awards, presented by PLASA, is open from 20 May 2013 through 21 June 2013. An opportunity for industry members to celebrate what makes them proud to be a part of this industry - the Rock Our World awards recognize the genius of creators, designers and integrators. These awards focus on what makes new products, product applications or projects revolutionary, not just evolutionary.

As in previous years, anyone may nominate a project, product or product application with a PLASA member involved in a significant role as designer, manufacturer, supplier or collaborator. Nominations for the 2013 awards must have been available in the market or premiered between 1 October 2011 and 21 June 2013 and must not have been previously nominated.

A panel of well-respected industry experts will serve as this year's judges and finalis

Band Aid - The PRS for Music Foundation and the Arts Council England have announced a new grant to help new bands and artists. The Momentum Music Fund is a two-year programme which launched last Friday. It will award grants of between £5,000 and £15,000 to help develop careers. Musicians are expected to come up with a business plan and to also have progressed to a certain point in their career before they will be considered for the award.

Vanessa Reed, chief executive of the PRS for Music Foundation, says this is not a "cash hand out". She says: "Momentum is a breakthrough moment for music in England, where it's now harder than in many other parts of the world for talented artists to access finance."

Something In The Air - An opera featuring a string quartet performing in four airborne helicopters, a dancing camel and 150 performers that

UK - The Lennox Suite, an extension to the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC), celebrated a star-studded grand opening on 2 May 2013, unveiling flexible staging solutions designed and specified by Theatre Projects in collaboration with The Right Solution and architects BDP.

Built in the heart of Edinburgh's West End and surrounded by some of Scotland's most prestigious financial institutions, space for this events space was at a premium. Added to this challenge, the design team were required to make the new space fully integrated with the EICC's existing facilities. This required a much greater level of coordination and communication with the rest of the design team than usual, but this suited Theatre Projects' collaborative style perfectly.

What makes The Lennox Suite different is its fully automated moving floor. Theatre Projects designed an innovative engineer

Italy - An Italian touring production of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert - The Musical has arrived at the Politeama Rossetti theatre in Trieste, where audiences are enjoying quality sound thanks to the extensive use of DPA Microphone's 4066 Omnidirectional Headset Microphones and 4060 Omnidirectional Miniature Microphones.

DPA's Italian distributor M. Casale Bauer has supplied the production with a total of 34 DPA Headset Microphones, which are being used for every member of the cast (plus a few spares). The show's sound engineer Cristiano Grassini says the microphones are performing flawlessly every night and are proving very popular with cast members because they are so light and comfortable.

"The original Australian production of the musical specified DPA Headset Microphones and, having previously experienced the quality of these microphones on

Australia - Sir Cliff Richard OBE returned to Australia earlier this year with his hit-packed Still Reelin' and A-Rockin' tour and with him was his long-time lighting designer Derek Jones who was touring an impressive rig that held close to 90 moving lights.

Jones has been a champion of Jands Vista consoles for many years and so it was no surprise to see him travel here with his own Vista S3 and Vista M1, part of a larger family of Vista consoles that he owns.

"The Vista consoles are easy to operate and easy to programme," he notes. "I also like the support that you get from Jands as they will actually listen to your ideas and feedback, coming up with real solutions to help achieve what you need."

Jones also favours the 'mix and match' ability offered by owning a few Vista consoles as well as their portability.

"The surface is flexible, smal

Kazakhstan - An impressive range of Clay Paky fixtures, including the Alpha Spot QWO 800s, Sharpys, A.Leda Wash K10 and K20s, and Alpha Profile 800 STs are lighting up the X Factor as it debuts in Kazakhstan.

Lighting designer Andrey Kuznetsov is utlising 16 Alpha Spot QWO 800s, 32 Sharpys, eight A.Leda K10s, eight A.Leda K20s, 16 Alpha Profile 800s and two Shadow QS-LTs to create a winning combination for the launch of Kazakh X Factor, which follows a similar format to the UK show.

"I was impressed by Alpha Profile 800 - the Profile System is unbelievable, it made it very easy to make designs and to highlight the set and the performers," says Kuznetsov. "To have so many functions and capabilities in a single compact fixture is truly amazing. A.Leda impressed me with the wide range of fantastic colours it can deliver. They are fast, super bright l

Sweden - The sound is ear-splitting: the howl of race tuned engines vying with each other to strip paint by SPL alone from the concrete walls of the long U-shaped arena at Tierp, purpose-built on an old military airfield in central Sweden. The brainchild of Lief Andréasson, this derelict patch of perfectly level wasteland has been turned into one of the most modern drag racing arenas in the world - with a host of other purposes planned - 2.51km (1.56 miles) of motorsport racetrack just 120 km (75 miles) north of Stockholm with the capacity for 20,000 spectators.

Tierp Arena is the first European drag racing track to be accredited by the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association), the US-based, 80-000 member strong body that is the sport's de facto world organization. Founded by Wally Parks in 1951, who worked to get racing off the city streets and highways and into safer, organi

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