UK - The 'Topsy Turvy' theme of an elaborate Christmas party was taken to new dimensions by video production specialists Central Presentations Ltd. (CPL) who supplied a projection system and control for the event staged at Motion nightclub in Bristol.

CPL's project managers Nick Diacre and Jimmy Smith worked closely with producer Ansy Oswin from Bright Productions and his team to help realize the zany and original upside-down production design concept which had a great impact on guests.

Motion was divided into three areas based on a house for the occasion. The first one was outside representing the 'garden'; the main area of the club was an inverted 'front room' with everything hanging from the ceiling ... with the buffet laid out in the third area which was the 'kitchen'.

Ove

UK / USA - Peavey Electronics has announced that version 1.7 of their powerful MediaMatrix NWare software suite is now available in general release. Control MediaMatrix NWare projects from anywhere via any smart device.

NWare version 1.7 introduces Kiosk2Go, the latest addition to NWare's impressive control capabilities. Kiosk2Go allows designers and integrators to extend the custom kiosk control interfaces they create in NWare to any mobile device via the platform's web browser component and HTML5. This provides the end user custom control interfaces that they can then control from their own mobile devices, providing them ultimate mobility and freedom.

Any control interface that a designer creates in NWare can be accessed wirelessly with any Android, iOS (Apple), Blackberry, Windows or Linux mobile device. MediaMatrix NWare allows custom control interfaces to be constructed f

Spain - Hoy No Me Puedo Levantar (HNMPL - Today I Can't Get Up) is a hugely successful Spanish 'jukebox musical' from Drive Productions telling the story of two struggling young musicians surviving in Madrid against a backdrop of drugs, AIDS and other social phenomena and chaos in the 1980s and immediate aftermath of Franco's collapsed fascist regime.

Based on the music of 32 hits by Spanish supergroup Mecano, this new second version of HNMPL has just opened in Madrid's Coliseum Theatre, complete with a lighting design by Carlos Torrijos - featuring among others - 24 Robe Pointes.

This is the first time Torrijos has incorporated Robe products into his work. He states, "I was looking for the best moving head beam light on the market ... and after trying and comparing a few options .. I chose the Pointe."

He explains that the first edition of the production pl

UK - LSiOnline has learned of the death of Gavin Aldridge, an experienced AV systems designer and installer, and owner of Kent-based Fulford Sound & Communications Services. Gavin, who was 36, was killed at Bethersden Business Centre near Ashford at the start of December, when the 4x4 vehicle he was working beneath fell on top of him. He was declared dead at the scene.

Fulford Sound & Communications Services specialises in the provision of professional services to the industry for custom audio visual systems for museums, theme parks, visitor centres and retail applications. Gavin bought the company from founder Bill Fulford in 1996, and later took time out from the company to gain wider industry experience, working for a number of AV industry specialists including Electrosonic. He returned to Fulford in 2008, since when the company has grown and developed to the point where it i

USA - Elation Professional has launched the Volt Q3 and Volt Q5 - two versatile RGBW LED washlights that run on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Their go-anywhere portability, combined with an in-built DMX receiver and all-weather IP65 housing, means the Volt Q3 and Q5 can be used for a large variety of indoor or outdoor applications, say Elation.

Battery life is 8-12 hours between charges, and the units are compact, at only 11 inches high (approx. 28cm. Three (Volt Q3) and five (Volt Q5) 100,000-hour, 15W, quad-color LEDs provide full color mixing capability. Field angle range is 7-13° and snap-on diffusion filters allow the user to soften and spread the light when needed. A rainbow effect and auto-programmed chase effects provide added dynamic capability while a variety of other effects are possible via 0-100% dimming, a variable strobe and more.

Both Volt washlights

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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

The Netherlands - Christie has achieved best-in-class 1-chip DLP brightness with the new Christie Q Series that debuts at the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) show in Amsterdam from 4-6 February. The Christie Q Series 1-chip DLP platform has brightness options ranging from 8500 to 10,000 lumens and XGA, WXGA and WUXGA resolutions.

For rental staging applications including concerts, conventions and other events where visuals are a vital component, end users will see the Q Series' difference when blending and warping images from multiple projectors onto flat, curved, hexagonal, or spherical surfaces.

Usable in either single or dual-lamp mode, Christie Q Series is equipped with eClarity -advanced image processing that significantly enhances images by providing greater control over image sharpness, gloss and shading.

(Jim Evans)

Singapore - Mahajak SKM Electronics (MSE) hosted the Architectural Media Systems Training from 19 to 22 November 2013 at the Mahajak SKM premises in Singapore. The training was conducted by Alwyn Wong, applications engineer at Harman International and attended by audio consultants, equipment specifiers, installers, venue audio technicians and freelance sound engineers.

For the four-day training, attendees were required to bring their own laptop installed with the latest version of Audio Architect and London Architect software. Subjects covered included BSS BLU-806, BSS BLU-800, Crown DCi Network Amplifier, Crown XTi amplifier, Crown USBX, and an iPad with Motion Control and powered by Crown apps (already installed).

The applications for Architectural Media Systems are wide and varied and its scalability enables it to provide the same high quality audio experience from a

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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

UK - The end of 2013 saw Jessie J playing the major arenas of the UK and Ireland on her 20-date Alive tour. Monitor engineer Andy 'Baggy' Robinson's DiGiCo SD5 helped to ensure that the UK songstress put on a show to remember.

"I've mixed in my usual style of using a DiGiCo console; making it work for its money," smiles Baggy, who has to account for a four-piece band and three backing vocalists as well as Jessie herself. "I doubled up on quite a lot of channels for Jessie, so I was using all but six of the faders."

As well as monitoring, Baggy also had a comprehensive talkback system set up. This allowed him and the band members to all talk to each other during the show, without distracting the leading lady and he could also talk directly to Jessie when required.

Sound quality and flexibility are a given, but what Baggy appreciates most about the SD5 is i

UK / USA - Following a comprehensive review and analysis of the PLASA organisation, the PLASA Boards and staff have recently completed new strategic and operating plans to guide the organisation through the next several years of its development.

While the strategic plan focuses on building the membership from all areas of the entertainment technology industry, enhancing member value and continued development of PLASA's programs serving the industry, the operational plan details the structure, tactical approach and financial resource required.

Fundamental to the successful implementation of both plans is a revised senior management structure that will see three executive directors (Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer), plus six divisional directors - of Membership, International Programs, Sales, Marketing, Events, and Media.

Matthew Gr

UK - Martin Audio's MLA Mini loudspeaker array made another high profile appearance at a recent private party, when production and event agency - Penguins, staged an 'invitation only' gathering at Searcy's at the Gherkin, for around 200 prime donor/sponsors of the British Airways/Comic Relief UK Flying Start charity.

Special guest Katherine Jenkins delivered a stirring operatic performance - as Matt Manasse's company Bluefish Audio faced the inherent reflections of the glazed dome roof in this landmark London skyscraper, and the difficulty of manually humping all the gear 180m up to level 40.

Fortunately for Manasse's team, the MLA Mini is both lightweight and portable. A top line sound engineer in his own right, he was already familiar with Martin Audio's compact philosophy when he became the first sound engineer to air the W8LM Mini Line Array - on tour with Katie Melua way

Denmark - A new concept and tradition has been born in Denmark: a light festival in the city of Kolding. With the purpose of presenting a new and different experience for the city, local business people pooled together to add culture, beauty and technology to the public domain.

Project manager from Get Visual, Jacob Elsig, delivered lighting installations to many of the graphic and innovative projects and participated in the creation of the urban attraction together with the festival's coordinator and his lighting designer, Christian Vigs°. With the environment in mind, a key factor for the festival was to utilise light sources based on LED technology.

"It seemed natural to contact SGM in relation to this festival," says Elsig who was involved in The Spanish Steps, The Train Station Square's installation named The Spider, Hotel Saksildhus and other smaller one-da

UK - ETC's SineWave dimmers have helped bring silence to the new production of Henry V at London's Noël Coward Theatre - stripping out the filament noise from the eight DHA Digital Light Curtains that formed a core part of lighting designer Neil Austin's rig for the show.

"I've been using the DHA Light Curtains for a long time," comments lighting programmer Rob Halliday, "and while we've always been aware of the noise they make - a combination of the filament ring from six Par56 lamps and the buzz of the transformer driving them - it's never really been an issue before, perhaps because we've often used them on loud musicals, or perhaps because they were hidden behind masking. But on this show, with an exposed rig, a hard, curved back wall that seemed to throw even the slightest sound straight out into the audience, and a director and lighting designer dete

USA - When the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago was planning its newest permanent exhibit, Future Energy Chicago, it turned to Electrosonic to provide the audio and video systems for the exhibit's film and simulation game, which challenges guests to compete on teams to make wise energy choices for a more sustainable city.

Exhibit-goers begin by rediscovering the nature of energy in the dynamic Energy Garden area, where they can transform energy from one form to another via a series of electro-mechanical devices and immerse themselves in a short film that dramatically presents the story of energy in our world. Guests then convert their knowledge into action via a multi-player simulation game in which they design an energy-saving car, house, neighbourhood, transportation system and city power grid.

Electrosonic teamed with exhibit designers Evidence Design, interac

Roaring Success - Long-running musical The Lion King was the most successful show on Broadway in 2013, taking almost $97m (£58.7m) in ticket sales in its 16th year. In second place and after a decade on Broadway, Wizard of Oz musical Wicked at the Gershwin Theatre created history in the last week of 2013 by becoming the first show to take more than $3m in a single week on Broadway when its nine performances saw ticket sales of $3.2m (£1.9m). Since opening in 2003, it has achieved cumulative box office earnings of $797m (£480m). It took $95.3m in 2013 (£58.0m).

Noises Off - Performances of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at the Apollo Theatre, London, have been cancelled for an extra week until 11 January. The venue had originally planned to reopen after 4 January. However a statement on Nimax Theatres'

USA - On New Year's Eve, approximately 17,000 'Bassheads' converged at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena to usher in 2014 with Bassnectar, the electronic music DJ whose immersive live shows have earned him legions of devoted fans. To ensure an equal experience for all attendees, the 360-degree event featured a rotating stage, as well as the largest Meyer Sound Leo large-scale sound reinforcement system to date.

"The sound was spectacular, and incredibly even for an in-the-round setup," says Brendan Hoffman, FOH engineer and production manager. "From FOH at one end of the arena up to the stage and the higher seating sections, differences were negligible. It was a gut punch on the floor and a gut punch at the top level."

Supplied by VER Tour Sound, the Leo system comprised 96 Leo-M line array loudspeakers deployed in four arrays of 14-each for long-end throws, an

USA - Game Seven Grill is a barbecue restaurant located in the Gila River Casinos Plaza at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team. With a name that evokes the D-Backs Championship victory in Game Seven of the 2001 World Series, Game Seven Grill's casual atmosphere and family-friendly style are reflected in its interior design which builds on the brick and open-beam architecture of the building.

Before opening in March of 2013, Game Seven Grill underwent a major renovation including new seating, championship décor and a new sound and video system featuring Community CP6 pendant loudspeakers for the interior and R.25-94T loudspeakers for the Grill's outdoor plaza seating.

Game Seven's sound and video systems were designed and installed by Parsons Technologies of Phoenix, Arizona. Mark Schultz, Systems Engineer, designed the systems at Game Seven Grill

France - Four JoeCo BlackBox BBR64MADI systems were recently used for virtual sound checking and recording 224 channels of audio at one of France's largest and most impressive live music events. The Lorraine de Choeur 2013, held in the Galaxie d'Amneville, featured a 2000-strong choir, soloists, a 50-piece orchestra and electric band under the direction of Jacky Locks. The event takes place every two years and this year's performances attracted audiences from far and wide.

Philippe Barguirdjian, technical director of DUSHOW, and his sound team were responsible for mixing and recording the three shows, each of which lasted around four hours. For rehearsals, four linked BBR64MADI systems were connected directly to the front-of-house DiGiCo SD7 and SD10 consoles. Here, the recorder's virtual soundcheck facility came into its own, enabling singers to save their voices ready for the

Canada - Justin Timberlake kicked off his 20/20 Experience World Tour in Montreal and Clay Paky Sharpys and Sharpy Washes were out in force. Solotech provided the lighting equipment.

True to its name, the tour is "an experience rather than a show," says lighting director Nick Whitehouse. "It's very visual with lots of projection and lighting and a lot of new technology. We got pretty creative with everything and had fun putting it all together."

The tour is in support of Timberlake's third studio album, which has a sophisticated vibe. The singer will play dates in North America, Europe, Australia and South America.

"We did seven weeks of rehearsals," Whitehouse reports. "The gear really got a work out - 20 hours a day." On the tour "the whole rig is hidden behind a scenic back wall and ceiling. We have 80 Sharpys and 130 Sh

Belgium / China - XL Video has announced an investment of more than 15m US dollars in a range of new LED products and accessories to support its plans for growth in 2014.

The LED investment has been made with a range of suppliers including Shenzhen-based Unilumin Group Co and its subsidiary Radiant Opto-Elec Technology Co Ltd to purchase a series of LED products based on the latest technologies. In total more than 1200 m2 of LED products for the XL Video rental business will become available from February onwards.

The LED investment covers amongst others: State of the art 2.5mm high contrast LED; Super lightweight 3.9mm Utile LED; 18mm Magic Cube outdoor and indoor LED; 7mm blackface Magic Cube outdoor and indoor LED - the first of its kind in this segment; The latest innovation of 18mm Hybrid LED which combines LED screen with LED spotlights in the same panel. This invention

France - Every two years, sound, lighting and production specialist West Evenement stages an open day which allows its partners, clients and business associates a chance to get together and explore new developments. Here, in an atmosphere of hospitality and professionality, participants give presentations and provide training for the other guests, bringing them up to date on new technology and services.

For its 2013 event West Evenement chose a new venue, the huge Le Liberte function hall in nearby Rennes, which has capacity for 5,300 people. The company had many new things to present, and wanted to choose the best venue to maximise the presentations. Eight demonstration areas were set up within the hall, and among new developments to be introduced here were sound systems and technology from Nexo.

Nexo's commercial director Jean Jacques Vias, together with concert sound specia

Finland - One of the most dynamic startup ecosystems on the planet, Slush, took place on 13-14 November, 2013 at the Cable Factory in Helsinki, Finland. Slush is the leading startup conference in Northern Europe and Russia. LumenRadio's Finnish distributor Sun Effects was responsible for the whole visual design and supplied the wireless CRMX Slim products, which played a key role for the two-day event.

"Slush was a really prestigious project for us and there was no room for any mistakes. When you do projects like this, it is extremely important to consider what kind of equipment you're planning to use and how to use them. Sun Effects has a reputation in Finland to only deliver high quality equipment that works, even in the most demanding environment," says, Riku Sourama from Sun Effects.

Slush is a nonprofit, two-day technology and startup event where the most promis

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