UK - Successful UK pop band JLS completed their final tour just before Christmas complete with a bold and vibrant lighting and visuals design by Dave Lee and lighting equipment for the tour supplied by HSL to live producers, Production North.

As the four members of JLS - JB Gill, Marvin Humes, Aston Merrygold and Ortisé Williams - are moving on to pursue solo careers and new projects five years after bursting onto the music scene as runners up on the 2008 X-Factor series. Since then they have had numerous number one hits, completed four major tours and sold over 10 million records worldwide.

Both HSL - where the account was project managed by Mike Oates - and Dave Lee have been involved right from the start of JLS's meteoric career, seeing the band grow and develop

UK - CIE-Group, one of the audio visual industry's longest established providers of equipment for the professional audio visual integration and PA sectors, has announced a new distribution partnership with leading European telecommunications solution provider 2N. This partnership means 2N becomes the latest addition to the CIE-Group product portfolio, providing an innovative range of IP-addressable audio, intercom and door entry systems for professional the AV, telecoms and security sectors.

The new 2N audio-over-IP range consists of their NetSpeaker and SIP Speaker products which allow for distributed PA, music, audio marketing and messaging via a standard LAN, WAN or internet network. This allows for fast, simple multi-zone or multi-site installed sound systems using standard Cat-X cable infrastructure.

The 2N Door Access and Intercom range is also IP-addressable allowing fo

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) have confirmed their continued sponsorship of promising young UK racing driver, Jack Goff, who is a hotly tipped contender in the 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season.

Jack returns with RCIB Insurance Racing Squad, to drive the Vauxhall Insignia for a second full season.

AC-ET were delighted with Jack's performance in his 2013 debut BTCC Championship last year. He achieved great pace over the season, including being second fastest for most of the race day at Silverstone and a well-earned second place podium finish in the final round at Brands Hatch after a climactic battle for position with outgoing BTCC champion Gordon Shedden.

Fittingly, the first race of the 2014 BTCC Championship - on Sunday 30March 2014 - takes place at Brands Hatch, so Jack will be hoping for another positive outcome on the circuit

UK - NL Productions, the Edinburgh-based events arm of Northern Light Stage and Technical Services Ltd, has become a major stockist of Clay Paky fixtures in Scotland following a considerable investment with the manufacturer's UK distributor, Ambersphere Solutions.

NL Productions has purchased 30 of Clay Paky's latest industry-leading luminaires, including A.LEDA WASH K10s, Sharpys, Sharpy Washes and Alpha Spot QWO 800s.

"There aren't many Sharpys in rental stocks this far north yet," points out NL Productions' hire manager John Pike. "We were keen to introduce the Sharpy into the Scottish events market and felt we were well placed to do this. Our top level clients are very aware that the Sharpy is delivering many of the looks of the moment and they are keen to use them on their own events."

In fact, since the Sharpys and Sharpy Washes have been added to N

Grammy Awards - French dance duo Daft Punk took top honours at the Grammy Awards, winning five prizes including album and record of the year. Hip-hop duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis took four awards - best new artist plus best rap album, song and performance Justin Timberlake won three, while New Zealand teenager Lorde picked up two including song of the year for Royals.

Sir Paul McCartney was among the other double winners and also reunited with his Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr. The pair teamed up for Sir Paul's song Queenie Eye during the ceremony, which is known for its heavyweight on-stage collaborations. The show was opened by Jay-Z and his wife Beyonce, while Madonna joined Macklemore and Lewis during their anti-homophobia anthem Same Love, as 33 same-sex and heterosexual couples got married on stage.

Broadway First - Theatre impresario Sir Came

Italy - Following a successful Showlight in the Czech Republic last year, and with a little over three years to go to the next one, incoming Showlight chairman John Allen has announced that Clay Paky is to be the main sponsor of Showlight 2017.

Organised by lighting professionals for lighting professionals, Showlight exists specifically to give people time to talk, to discuss ideas and to mix with some of the best known names in the lighting industry. It is only the support given by companies such as Clay Paky, by providing generous 'seed' money, that enables Showlight to take place.

Pio Nahum, marketing director of Clay Paky, said, "It is a big honour for us to bring Showlight to Italy. Our country has had a great influence in the development of performing arts and related technologies - you only have to think of how famous Italian theatre, opera and ballet are. For cent

France - Top French TV lighting designer David Seligmann-Forest for Lite4life again specified Robe products to light the popular reality TV show MasterChef France, series 4 of which was recorded at La Plaine Studios, St Denis, Paris, and broadcast on the TF1 network.

Seligman-Forest has lit all four series of MasterChef France for producers Shine France. The MasterChef franchise is the world's best loved TV gastronomic phenomena - and he has used more and more Robe lights over the years on this and all his other work. Robe is definitely his moving light of choice.

For the three months of shooting the MasterChef France 4 episodes in the special studio workshop, his lighting rig contained four Robin LEDWash 1200s, 39 x Robin LEDWash 600s, 20 x RobinLEDWash 300s and eight of the small super-quick-and-bright Robin LEDBeam 100s.

"It's absolutely essential to ha

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UK - Bristol-based lighting and rigging rental specialists Fineline celebrates the start of 2014 with a rebranding exercise, complete with a new-look logo and website to consolidate a last quarter investment strategy that is focused on offering new and innovative technologies and imaginative solutions to its growing portfolio of clients.

2014 is the third year that Fineline - originally established in 1988 - has been running under new, lively and energetic independent ownership, with a management team led by MD Rob Sangwell.

The company has built up a reputation as a leading lighting and visuals facility in the South West region - encapsulated in the new strap-line 'Professional-Creative-Trusted' - and works nationwide in the UK and worldwide internationally.

Sangwell explains, "Three years ago, a new era in Fineline's history was launched with the buy-out and implement

UK - MG Event and Sound specialise in sound and lighting for businesses, churches and schools. Recently they have been using MilTec's British built Blakite speakers for church installations.

For two recent jobs they used the TP10 mid/top and SP121 compact sub. The TP10s were chosen for their crisp, detailed sound and good projection in the relatively large space of a church. The SP121 subs warm the sound without being boomy, a common problem in churches.

On one of the jobs, four TP10s, 2x SP121 subs and a pair of IF06 in-fill speakers were all run from one of Miltec's MA472 amps. The MA472 is a lightweight multi-channel amp, delivering 4x 750WRMS into 4Ohms.

Mike Godden, MD commented, "Over the past couple of years Miltec have become a "Go-To Supplier" to specify for our various installations across the country. The Blakite speakers offer a good mixture of ove

UK - Television lighting director Lee Allen has quickly adopted SGM's new highly efficient P-5 LED washlight as an essential part of his inventory, after being introduced to the fixture by rental specialists Richard Martin Lighting (RML).

The West London based moving light specialists had made a substantial investment in the product in time for the BBC's fundraiser Children In Need late last year, and when they demonstrated the attributes to Allen he was quick to earmark them for the children's programme Blue Peter, for which he is LD.

The second longest-running TV show in the UK (having first aired in 1958), the evergreen British children's programme, an essential part of Children In Need, was shot outside the new MediaCity studios, at Salford Quays in Manchester. Lee explained why he was so enthusiastic about using this low-profile light, which came supp

South Africa - ETC's South African dealer Prosound has supplied a Source Four XT external fixture to illuminate a statue at the entrance to the Lejwe la Metsi game farm in South Africa.

Kobus van Rensburg, owner of home automation company Electronia, which carried out the installation, explains, "The new villa at the farm, where visitors come to observe wild animals, has some amazing features; one of them is a bronze leopard that runs across the water at the western side of the house."

Very high profile VIPs are regularly entertained at the game farm, so it was important to have the statue looking at its best.

"We tried various types of lights but couldn't get sufficient illumination on the statue," explains van Rensburg. "The problem was that when it was viewed from inside the villa at night, glare on the inside of the windows hid the outside water

The Netherlands - Located in the historic centre of Haarlem, Netherlands, De Toneelschuur is a theatre and cinema which has a diverse approach to the performing arts. Recently its Yamaha digital mixing inventory has seen two CL1 consoles added, which are helping to ensure that its sounds are as innovative as its sights.

De Toneelschuur puts on shows and films designed to inspire a wide audience. Independent and 'art house' films show alongside family movies and cinema classics; experimental theatre, mime, cabaret and drama are produced alongside contemporary plays and comedy. This diversity has led to it being regarded as one of the Netherlands leading arts venues.

Designed by artist Joost Swarte, the current building was opened in 2003 and features two theatre spaces and two cinemas. However, De Toneelschuur has had a long and happy relationship with Yamaha digital mixing bef

UK - AKG has continued its support of Red Bull Studio for the third series of Launched At Red Bull Studios - the Channel 4 programme featuring conversation and performance by up-and-coming bands and singers, introduced by Annie Mac.

The first of five episodes was aired on 8 January. Building on the success of the first two series, this time Launched interviewed artists like Rudimental, Rita Ora, Mark Owen, Yannis Philippakis (Foals), Malay, Guy Lawrence (Disclosure), Will Kennard (Chase & Status), Tom Odell and Bastille front man Dan Smith about why they were tipping the new talent featured in the latest series.

"The DMS700 V2 and IVM4500 IEM systems proved invaluable during filming and were utilised by the majority of acts on the show," reports studio manager & head engineer, Brendon Harding. "The feedback on these systems from both the artists and their

Denmark - In late 2013, Martin Professional put out a call to lighting designers around the world, whether a professional lighting designer, small-venue producer or industry newbie, to share their passion for the lighting industry. With hundreds of entries, a one-minute-long video from 22-year-old Ricardo Dias from Portugal managed to convince Martin he was the most passionate member of the lighting industry. His creative approach to lighting earned him, along with his father, a round-trip visit to Martin headquarters in Denmark for a two-day tour of a lifetime.

Dias' creative approach to lighting design was the most impressive point of interest to Martin. The recession continues to impact the lighting industry in Portugal, so the lack of proper equipment forces Dias and his crew of four friends to be creative when hired for a gig. During events, the team has to make on-the-fly

The Netherlands - displayLED, home of the digiLED screen brand, will demonstrate some of the creative opportunities offered by its latest generation of LED display technology at Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), Amsterdam, from 4-6 February.

digiFLEX 6mm & bendy truss: The award winning magnetic digiFLEX screen surface will be coupled with a new innovative bendy truss that enables cost-effective installations of video tickers and creative curves. This brand new concept is a must see for both interior space and set designers.

HRi 3.5mm: It's not about the highest resolution, rather the highest usable resolution. The HRi system is digiLED's latest high resolution offering aimed at AV rental businesses and the integration market. Based on the concept that usability is key to a product's success, the new HRi will be available in 3.5mm, 3.1mm and 2.7mm variants. Manufactured to exce

UK - One of the biggest-selling artists in the history of classical music with over 80m albums sold to date, and one of the very few classical artists to achieve crossover acceptance into the mainstream, Andrea Bocelli is probably the most popular classical Italian singer in the world today.

In November 2013 Bocelli performed two sold-out UK shows at the First Direct Arena in Leeds and Glasgow's SSE Hydro. His long-time FOH engineer is fellow Italian Andrea Taglia, who is a devotee of Outline's GTO system and has been using it with Bocelli throughout his 2013 US tour. Both UK shows featured an Outline GTO-based loudspeaker system, specified by Andrea Taglia, facilitated by Britannia Row Productions and with Outline's UK distributor CUK Audio providing operational support).

Forty-five GTO enclosures were flown as three hangs of 15 each in variants of Taglia's preferred mono L-C

UK - Screeching tyres, burning rubber and hi-adrenaline action was enjoyed by up to 5000 petrol-heads, speed freaks and performance car enthusiasts per show, courtesy of XL Video's spectacular 90m wide projection in the Live Action Arena at the 2014 Autosport International exhibition.

Staged at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham UK, XL has been involved with the popular Haymarket Exhibitions' show for several years. Following the massive success of the widescreen projection last year - the first time in this format - it was back again right at the heart of the production design for the show under the Creative Direction of Malcolm Forbes.

XL was again working for the Live Action Arena's technical production co-ordinators, Network Productions. XL's project manager was Toby Evans.

The giant moving backgrounds were made up from a six-way blend of six stacks of two Barc

Europe - Yamaha's Nick Cook has announced he is to leave his current position as European Marketing Director for Commercial Audio to set up a strategic marketing and sales consultancy, called NCM.

Cook, who has been with Yamaha for eight years, was responsible for managing and coordinating Commercial Audio sales and marketing activities throughout Europe. Prior to joining Yamaha, Cook was already highly regarded within the professional audio community having held a number of senior sales and marketing positions with leading manufacturing companies including Solid State Logic, Amek and Fairlight.

Nick told us: "My time at Yamaha has been hugely rewarding and challenging in equal measure: integrating and developing Yamaha's CA operations throughout Europe has been very satisfying. I have now decided to devote my marketing, sales and organisational experi

UK - Entertainment lighting specialist White Light has announced the appointment of industry veteran Ken Berreen as the company's distribution sales manager. Ken brings to the role more than 30 years experience with lighting and sound technology having worked at all levels of the entertainment industry. Previous roles include project management, lighting design, installation, hire, and sales experience most recently as European sales manager for well-known stage lighting manufacturers.

"I am happy to welcome Ken to White Light," says Peter Threadgold, White Light sales director. "His experience on all sides of the industry makes him a great addition to our team. I look forward to working with him as White Light continues to grow."

In his new role, Ken will focus on delivering White Light's innovative products and quality customer service to both new and exi

Germany - The SW12 is a direct-radiating subwoofer for use with system amplifiers. The compact bass reflex system weighs only 23 kg (50.8 lbs) has a 12" cone driver with a 4" voice coil and a power handling of 1,000 / 2,000 W (RMS / programme). Due to its linear tuning, the SW12 produces a controlled lowrange down to below 40 Hz.

The high-power SW12 is acoustically compatible with the larger SW18 and SW28 subwoofers on the system amplifiers. Which means that their phase and frequency responses are virtually identical. Electrically the SW12 is ready for the cardioid operation mode.

A total of four Speakon sockets - two on the back and another two on the front - allow a front/rear system cabling without custom-wired reversible cables. Rubber feet for horizontal and upright operation, numerous sockets for the MT10 and MT12 in horizontal and upright operation plus an M20

Japan - Yamaha has introduced the new generation of MG Series compact mixing consoles. With a flexible lineup of completely re-designed consoles suitable for both portable and installation applications offering varying input and processing capabilities, these new MG mixers put an emphasis on sound quality combined with a level of reliability and performance that have made this series an industry standard, says the company.

Featuring five standard models ranging from six to twenty inputs, and five XU models featuring onboard SPX effect processors, the new series comprises a versatile lineup of ten models in total that will meet the demands of a wide range of mixing applications.

The new MG Series feature Yamaha's discrete Class-A "D-PRE" microphone preamps. Utilizing an inverted Darlington circuit topography, these studio-grade preamps feature multiple circuitry eleme

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