France - Before American blues-rock titan Joe Bonamassa hit the road this spring for the initial North American leg of his latest world tour, the production team at Special Event Services (SES) knew they needed a highly versatile loudspeaker rig that could handle anything they could throw at it over most of a year and three continents.

To ensure that they were well prepared for everything - acoustic sets, electric sets, large theatres, small arenas, the U.S., Europe, and Australia - SES specified L-Acoustics' brand new K2 system for its first official tour as a main PA.

Jason Farah of SES says that the venues on this tour made K2 the right rig for the gig and that there are zero sonic compromises due to the K2's smaller size compared to the vaunted K1. "The K1 with its 15s

UK - The Institute of Sound and Communications Engineers (ISCE) has announced two new training courses to be presented by Tony Stacey MInstSCE. These will take place at Jurys Inn, Watford on September 9 and 10, commencing at 9,30am.

Open to all, the first session, entitled 'Introduction to Sound', is designed to enable delegates to gain a better understanding of what happens to sound after it leaves the loudspeakers.

People interested in this course will want to better understand how sound behaves but not necessarily the mathematics behind it. The course will begin by answering the question, 'What is sound?' and will go on to explain (with visual aids) the various phenomena of sound. By the end of the course attendees will have gained a good understanding of how sound behaves, and hopefully become inspired to delve deeper into the world of sound and communications engineering.

USA - At a recent Lee Brice concert at the University of Oregon, George Relles Sound showcased its brand new Meyer Sound LYON linear sound reinforcement system. Brice's FOH engineer, Wayne Pauley, said: "The LYON system was a real eye-opening experience. It has remarkable clarity and projection, and it seemed like everything was jumping out of the arrays right at you."

Pauley also noticed how the linear performance of LYON changed his mixing approach. "I found I could get a well-defined mix that sounded louder than its true SPL. Everything came together so well that I was surprised when I looked over at the SPL meter."

Relles's purchase includes 14 LYON-M main and six LYON-W wide-coverage line array loudspeakers, adding to an arsenal that includes six 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements and a Galileo Callisto loudspeaker management system.

One of the

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UK - The Royal Opera House has recently upgraded its lighting rig with 20 Martin Professional MAC Viper Performance moving head lights, continuing a relationship with the manufacturer that stretches back to 2004.

As Lighting Systems Manager at the Royal Opera House for the past 14 years, Paul Hornsby looks after the infrastructure of the building for performance lighting, including the maintenance, testing, and upgrading of the venue's lighting systems. "We run a continual refit program - a lot of the moving lights we have are 13 or 14 years old now, so we're gradually replacing them," he said. "The latest upgrade was made in summer 2013 when we brought in Martin's MAC Viper Performance moving lights to replace our MAC 2000 Performance fixtures. The Vipers are significantly faster, brighter, and more energy efficient than their predecessor [MAC 2000 Performance].&

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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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France - Chromlech, the French manufacturer behind innovative LED lighting products such as Jarag and Elidy, has gone out of business with the loss of 14 jobs. NKown as an innovator of lighting products, Chromlech enjoyed great success with its Jarag line of LED modules, which sold well for years, and still selling right up to the company's demise. Gleamer, a dimmer dedicated to low-voltage lighting, won a PLASA Award for Innovation in 2011. Then came Elidy, a striking 5x5 LED matrix tile producing warm white beams of light, launched at the PLASA Show in 2012.

However, copies of the Elidy concept, made in China, began to appear on the market with months of the product's release, and Chromlech found itself unable to take legal action to protect their intellectual property. Two patents covered Elidy - one for the technology and one for the design, or form factor. Unfortunately for

Dubai - After operating Martin Audio line array systems in its hire fleet for nearly a decade, Dubai-based Almoe AV Production/Rentals has purchased the first MLA (Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array) in the UAE.

The company placed an initial order for 36 MLA and 12 MLX enclosures with Richard Maunder's company, VTi - Martin Audio's territorial distributor.

"It was an easy decision to opt for the MLA after we had heard the system, its capabilities and the technology that adapts to the ever changing environment," stated Almoe general manager, Glen Dougherty.

Along with Almoe senior sound engineer, Bruno Vitanza, he had originally been invited to attend a live demonstration of MLA back in 2010, and the two men were immediately impressed by its performance in a difficult venue.

With momentum building, they have now decided to act. "Our decision was entirely based

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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.

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USA - EAW has announced that Sound Image has joined its expanding global network of Adaptive Performance Partners with the purchase of an Anya system - which will be immediately deployed on Tom Petty's Hypnotic Eye Tour. Award-winning FOH engineer, Robert Scovill, insisted upon Anya after putting the system through an extensive evaluation at a private event.

"I haven't been this excited about a new approach to PA technology in a couple of decades now," said Scovill. "The approach that EAW has taken with Anya is a leap forward in the quality and the way in which audio can be presented to a large audience. I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to be an early adopter of Anya. I'm literally counting the days to our first shows."

The arena tour, featuring very special guest Steve Winwood, will additionally make stops at the scenic Gorge and Red Rocks amphitheatre

UK - The Salamander Quad Pro is the latest flame unit to be launched by Le Maitre and follows on from the successful Salamander, extending Le Maitre's flame family offering.

The Salamander Quad Pro is a larger, more versatile system than the Salamander. A four canister system, it can be operated with each canister being fired independently and the option of multiple colours being loaded to provide a truly stunning visual display from a single machine. Firing the canisters sequentially can also be used to increase the duration of the effect, with up to 120 hits in total and each flame reaching around 12ft/3.5m in height. Alternatively, all four canisters can be fired at the same time to produce a much bigger single flame reaching up to a spectacular 25ft/7.5m - terrific for stadiums!

The new unit also retains a number of key features and benefits from the original Salamander de

UK - Panasonic is set to launch 'the world's first portable, high-brightness WUXGA LCD projector'. The PT-VZ570 series comprises six models, each offering a blend of high image quality, low total cost of ownership (TCO), flexible installation and collaborative functionality.

The projectors offer a maintenance-free operational life of 7,000 hours when set to eco mode, significantly reducing the TCO for businesses and educational institutions.

All six models allow both portable and ceiling-mounting, while Vertical Lens Shift and Screen Adjustment functionality means easy adjustment of images projected onto flat or curved surfaces, as well as angled projection.

Hartmut Kulessa, marketing manager for Panasonic, said: "Equipped with a high 5,000:1 contrast ratio and Panasonic's Daylight View Basic technology, the projectors delivers bright, richly detailed images. They are i

Germany - Lawo, German manufacturer of audio and video broadcast solutions, has appointed Ralf Schimmel as director of global sales. In his new post, he is responsible for the strategic orientation and coordination of worldwide sales activities for all products, systems and solutions from the Lawo Group of companies. His appointment coincides with the expansion of Lawo's international activities, as well as an expansion of the company's audio, video, software, and IP networking technology product portfolio.

"I am looking forward to my new role with Lawo. I am joining at an important time for an expanding company, with exciting opportunities for the future opening up," says Schimmel.

"In our new market position, it is important to co-ordinate the worldwide sales of individual Lawo companies for an effective market-driven strategy. We are delighted that Ralf Schim

UK - Rosco, a leading manufacturer of products for the entertainment industry has welcomed a new member to its EMEA sales team. Canna Gray has been appointed Senior Account Manager focusing on the UK Photographic Market as well as key accounts in the Balkans, Cyprus, Malta and Moldova.

Gray comes with 20 years' experience within the live entertainment, film/TV and photography industries. Originally from Pretoria in South Africa, she started her career in the early '90s touring with various rock and roll, dance and theatre productions in South Africa and Holiday on Ice and Disney on Ice internationally.

During that time, Canna gained tremendous experience working in several areas of the production industry, including: stage and production management, lighting and pyrotechnics. Most recently, Canna spent the past five years successfully looking after business development for the

UK - The elections to the European Parliament in mid-May inevitably attracted a huge amount of news coverage from across the continent. Much of the attention was focused on the European Parliament building in Brussels, where a pair of DiGiCo SD10 consoles kept the world's media up to date.

The European Parliament itself commissions all of its broadcast facilities, these are then used to relay feeds to broadcasters; in this case the many who were covering the elections.

"The Parliament's sound engineer, Oliver Martin, wanted the same team for the audio systems who worked on the last election, in 1999," says Laurent Fortier, CEO of PA company Fortyeight.tv. "In '99, we worked with Patrick Vancauwenbergh who designed the PA system. Naturally, we continued to work together.

"We talked to DB Video, the Parliament's AV systems integrator, about which mixing con

UK - While the second half of June saw the eyes of the world focusing on stadiums across Brazil, the UK's most iconic football stadium saw Sennheiser UK helping to deliver a Ball of a very different kind.

The 2014 Capital Radio Summertime Ball took place at Wembley Stadium on 21st June and featured line-up which read like a 'Who's Who' of contemporary pop and DJing talent with 22 high profile names gracing the Wembley stage throughout the day.

As in previous years, Sennheiser UK provided support and technical backup to the Ball's audio provider Adlib. Sennheiser in-ear monitoring was exclusively used throughout the entire event, while the company's wireless microphone systems were also extensively in use.

Headliner Miley Cyrus and all of the show's Capital Radio presenters used the flagship Digital 9000 Series, while Enrique, Jessie J, Cheryl Cole, Union J, Ella Henderson an

Norway - A Norwegian venue has employed Yamaha's AFC3 acoustic enhancement system to transform its main auditorium into an acoustically enhanced space.

Opened three years ago, Lørenskog Hus is a multi-purpose municipal venue located 20 minutes from Oslo. Covering 15,000sq.m over eight floors, it features five auditoriums, four cinema screens, seven meeting rooms, a restaurant and a library. Providing a focal point for the regional community, it stages a wide variety of live productions and hosts conferences, corporate and cultural events, as well as showing films and other activities.

"When the venue was built, the goal was to make the acoustics in our main auditorium flexible enough for all genres of music - everything from choirs, marching bands and symphony orchestras to pop, rock and rap," says Kristoffer Engen, Technical Manager at Lørenskog Hus.

Ireland - Dublin's Old Jameson Distillery offers a warm welcome to the hundreds of visitors per day who pour through the doors for its tour of the Irish whisky making process. The attraction recently upgraded its reception area using fixtures from the Chauvet Professional and Iluminarc ranges. Designed and installed by Gorilla Design, supplied by QLX Lighting, the area now presents a more unified look which for guests is the first point of contact with the brand.

The installation encompassed the main reception area, café, stairwell and underfloor of the attraction. A more welcoming feel was created using 24 of the resourceful Chauvet Professional COLORado 1 Tour fixtures, 24 Chauvet Professional COLORdash VW wash lights powered by seven cool and warm white LEDs, for purer whites and a colour temperature selection ranging from the warm and inviting to crisp, cold shades.

Worldwide - Controversial popstar Miley Cyrus is performing her world tour 'Bangerz' under the super sharp, vibrantly coloured beams of the Clay Paky Sharpy and Sharpy Wash 330.

Fast becoming one of the most talked about touring shows around, Bangerz features everything from giant tongue slides to flying hot dogs. Lighting designer Rob Sinclair, who has worked with Peter Gabriel, Queen, Pet Shop Boys and may others, collaborated with award winning show designer Ez Devlin to create the show's unique look.

"The creative brief for the show was that it should be fun," explains Sinclair. "We went for big, bold and bright looks. The show required punch after visual punch so we designed a high fashion pop lighting concept with plenty of bright colours and well-timed effects."

In addition to the fast-paced lighting is the production's giant 40ft LED screen, which

UK - Bristol-based lighting and visuals rental company, Fineline Lighting supplied lighting and rigging including ground support systems to five popular, action-packed stages at the 2014 Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts. This included the Acoustic, Cabaret, Circus, Astrolabe Stages and HMS WOW at the world's largest and highest profile greenfield music and entertainment festival which took place last weekend in Somerset, UK.

The project this year involved over 130 moving heads and over 350 conventional lighting fixtures from Fineline - utilising moving light products from Martin, Robe and High End Systems plus Avolites and ChamSys control and Martin LED products, together with 38 crew, who rocked up at Worthy Farm in Pilton for the week that culminated in four days of fun and nearly 200 full-scale performances lit by Fineline's team.

Fineline has been invol

Germany - Robe moving lights have been installed in the main theatre and club venues aboard Mein Schiff 3 (My Ship), the latest state-of-the-art cruise ship to be delivered from the STX Finland shipyard in Turku to German-based operator, TUI Cruises.

Lighting for the two areas has been designed and specified by Chris Moylan of Berlin-based Optikalusion, who designs touring shows and assorted live and special events as well as currently designing lighting, video and automation for TUI Cruises' new shows and consulting on equipping the key entertainment locations on their new vessels.

He collaborated closely with TUI Cruises' head of technical Torsten Hirche on both these areas on Mein Schiff 3 to come up with a dynamic lighting rig that could meet all the various demands.

In the 1000 capacity theatre, the core of the lighting rig is 47 x Robe ROBIN DLF Washes which are rigged

Spouth Africa - Big Electronic, the electronic music powerhouse collaboration between Big Concerts, G&G Productions and Rusco Events brought South African electronic dance music fans a mind-blowing one-night-only experience. Having already toured much of the globe, The Armin Only Intense World Tour debuted at the Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg on 14 June. Acrobats, dancers, singers, lasers, pyrotechnics and world class technical packaging combined to engage all the senses in this one-of-a-kind EDM spectacular.

DJ, Armin van Buuren is known for creating visually extravagant events and this one blew the lid off all expectations. Technical suppliers, Gearhouse SA, Sets, Drapes, Screens, LEDVision and Splitbeam - all members of the Gearhouse Group - provided the technical production for the event including structures, set, lighting, audio, power, rigging and a considerable am

USA - Located inside a former Boeing missile factory building in Duluth, Ga., Cross Pointe Church has taken its worship experience to a new level with its recent upgrade to Meyer Sound Mica line array loudspeakers and 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements. The new system replaces its trusty nine-year-old Meyer Sound CQ-2 loudspeaker system, which will continue to serve in a second Cross Pointe campus that will open in late 2014.

Alfred Burgess, pastor of worship and creative arts, reports that the MICA loudspeakers' power and clarity was immediately noticeable. "After the first Sunday, our lead pastor Dr. James Merritt came up to me and said, 'I've just had the best speaking experience of my life,'" says Burgess. "Mica has the coverage and the clarity we want, and now it's really enjoyable to sit out here and listen."

The new system includes main hangs of

Belgium - When Studio 100, producers of the successful 14-18 Spektakel Musical wanted to move a 2000 seater audience tribune up and down a 150m long performance space throughout the show ... they called Hans Willems of Wicreations.

Willems and his team at the engineering and automation specialist, based in Heist Opt Den Berg, energised themselves to help bring a world class production right home to Mechelen, one of the many places at the centre of hostilities during the carnage and devastation of the First World War.

The laser controlled seating tribune that moves nearly 2000 audience per show 90m up and down the 150m long performance space in Mechelen's Nekkerhal is just one of many technical factors.

The seating tribune makes 13 moves back and forth throughout the show at different speeds and distances as the drama - sung live to a special backing track by Dirk Bros

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