UK - When it opened its doors in 1856 the National Portrait Gallery in London was the first portrait gallery in the world. Housing a collection of portraits of the people who have shaped British history and culture, the Gallery attracted over 2m visits in 2013 and offers a first-class visitor experience.

In keeping with its reputation for offering high standards to visitors, the gallery recently took steps to install a new voice announcement and paging system to enable clear communications throughout the building. POLARaudio in conjunction with Saville AV supplied Biamp's Vocia System to meet the needs of this prestigious institution.

The client required a multi-zone system to span four floors, incorporating all the public areas of the gallery. This was to provide paging facilit

Chile - Robe lighting has confirmed VGL Integracion de Sistemas based in Santiago, as its new distributor for Chile.

VGL was founded 21 years ago and already represents several premium brands including Grass Valley, Telestream, Rohde & Schwarz, L-Acoustics... and now Robe.

With world leading audio brands like Avid and L-Acoustics already on-board, VGL wanted to be able to offer its clients lighting of a similar quality and calibre as part of a complete technical solution, and were looking for the right brand with which to partner.

Guillermo Traverso, Robe's regional sales manager for Latin America explained that this project started at the end of last year when several professional audio colleagues offered high level references for VGL.

"Then we discussed VGL's Daniel Vinagre's business vision of expansion - keeping in mind all the risks this takes in the very competi

USA - Christie Lites is moving this week to a larger location in Las Vegas to accommodate increased demand for its entertainment lighting and rigging services. This expanded location further strengthens Christie Lites' multi-office network supplying full service stage lighting equipment rentals across North America.

Mike Gaynor continues as the operations manager. The new address: 4850 Statz Ave - Suite 103, North Las Vegas, NV 89081. The phone number remains the same at 702-222-0363.

Said Christie Lites VP rentals Ken Alexander, "The Christie Lites Vegas operation services the full gamut of market sectors with an emphasis on corporate, trade shows and concert touring. We look forward to a substantial increase in our capacity to support our growing client base from this important hub. The new larger space will also allow us to provide much better prep space to the master

UK - Projection artist and digital art specialist Ross Ashton of London based The Projection Studio has created three new eye-catching son et lumiere shows for Colchester Castle, UK, comprising a giant projection onto one of the Castle's internal wall, accompanied by dynamic soundtracks created by sound artist Karen Monid.

Ashton was approached to produce the show following his work at Caerphilly and Norwich Castles plus numerous other heritage projects where his video projections have brought building histories to vibrant life in colourful, accessible, informative and highly entertaining narratives.

The brief was to produce something memorable that would whet visitors' appetites to discover more about the Castle. "We were really thrilled to be asked to work on the project," explains Ashton, and as soon as the research began, they discovered plenty of interesting fac

USA - Staying on the cutting edge isn't easy, especially when you've had the level of success that Life in Color has enjoyed for almost a decade. Yet, the organizers of this iconic EDM touring event have refused to let complacency rear its tired old head anywhere near their wild, wonderful and totally unpredictable paint party-music fest.

Every year, they manage to blow past expectations, and delight the senses in new ways. The 2014 Unleash Tour is no exception, thanks in part to a visual hurricane force of a lightshow created by technical director Collyns Stenzel and Duncan MacKinnon from Audio East.

"We created an entirely new show that is unlike anything we've done before," said Stenzel, who added a variety of Chauvet Professional products to his rig for 2014. "The theme of this tour 'Unleash' celebrates the freedom to cut loose and be yourself without worrie

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USA - The SGM XC-5 Colour Strobe played a leading role at the recent International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards, held in Tampa Bay, Florida at Raymond James Stadium. The IIFA Awards, also known as the 'Bollywood Oscars', has been held annually around the world in cities including London, Amsterdam, Johannesburg and Toronto, to name a few. The 2014 extravaganza marked the show's 15th year, as well as the first time the event has been held on United States soil.

The IIFA Awards is a week filled with events based on Indian film, fashion, music, business, and culture, with the climax being the IIFA Award ceremony. The weekend is typically as big as Super Bowl weekend, drawing in 30,000 or more visitors, and the ceremony being broadcasted to 600 million viewers in 108 countries. It showcases the elite Bollywood 'Royalty', with this year featuring Hollywood actors as well, includ

Slovakia - The new RTVS (Radio & Television Slovakia) quiz show series Co Ja Viem?! (What do I know?!) was recorded at Mlynska Dolina film studios in Bratislava and featured a lighting design by Martin Kubanka, with Robe moving lights right at the centre of the visuals.

The 13 episode show - presented by sports commentator Marcel Merciak and currently being broadcast on RTVS1 - sees the wits and knowledge of three celebrities and 200 students in the studio pitted against one another during knock-out rounds and then the finalists competing for money. The unique twist is that the watching public can also join in to the action via a smartphone app ... also potentially winning prize money.

The set was a combination of high tech and traditional elements, with a large central LED screen surrounded by multiple LED screen panels flanked by scenic book-backs. This was designed

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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 - Liverpool based Adlib celebrates a landmark 30 years at the sharp end of the audio production and rental market.

The time has flashed by since Andy Dockerty established the company in 1984, taking the first steps in building a brand that would grow steadily and diversify to become one of the most successful and respected technical production solutions providers in the UK and internationally.

Driven by Andy's passion for music, sound engineering and the industry he loves, Adlib has grown and blossomed into a dynamic multi-faceted operation, currently employing 90 full time staff and a small pool of trusted freelancers. They are headquartered in large premises in Speke near Liverpool Airport.

It's built up a formidable respect as one of the best and most competent sound rental facilities and is still driven forward by that same dedication with which Andy started the compa

Rural Mayhem - US metal veterans Metallica have been announced as the Saturday night headliners on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury. They will join the previously announced headliners Arcade Fire and Kasabian at the event in Somerset on 25-29 June. It marks Metallica's debut appearance at Worthy farm and it is the first time a heavy metal band have headlined the event.

Glastonbury Festival founder Michael Eavis says, "[Metallica] wanted to play for a long, long time and they're one of the most amazing rock bands in the world, everywhere I go people say 'When are Metallica going to play?' I said, 'They will be here one day' and this is their time now...We've done it before (with Rage Against the Machine in 1994). People think that we're prone to have Radiohead and Coldplay and Oasis but when we had Jay Z a few years ago, people said he wasn't a Glastonbury act but we have al

Malaysia - The most prestigious awards in the international sporting calendar, the 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards, were held in Kuala Lumpur on 26 March. Attended by the greatest names in sport, past and present, the event was staged at the Istana Budaya, the National Theatre of Malaysia and home to the National Theatre Company and National Symphony Orchestra.

An event such as this, which is broadcast to audiences across the world, requires a first class setting and once again this was staged by production company Done and Dusted. Helping to build that set was a crew of four from Unusual Rigging, led by senior project manager Steve Porter.

Working alongside Paddy Hocken, Done and Dusted's technical production manager, Unusual also supplied winches to track two video screens, plus a variety of specialist rigging components not available in the region, to overcome the challeng

USA - Syncrolite marks its 30th anniversary as an entertainment/architectural lighting manufacturer with postings of a jam-packed first quarter and more expansion news for 2014.

Dave Keighley, chief operating officer/executive vice president sales, said this anniversary year at the company has come with a "fantastic start". Along with a slate of high-profile events and concert tours, Syncrolite is expanding in all the right ways.

"Since January 2013, we've expanded the management team and now it's logical to expand our sales efforts," Keighley said.

To meet the demand for their large format lighting products, Syncrolite is partnering with Greg Smith at ArcLight FX in Burbank, California, for an equipment depot.

"We already have a product depot to make equipment available on the East Coast with Brad Hafer at Atomic Lighting in Lititz, Pennsylvania.

USA - The instrumental electronic jam band Lotus is continuing its cross-country tour this spring and summer as they debut a complement of Clay Paky A.leda B-EYE K20 innovative, LED-based moving lights for key effects in the show.

Lighting designer Scott Huston obtained a dozen B-EYEs from Main Light Industries, Inc. in Wilmington, Delaware, which he counts on for "always having the latest and greatest - they let me know when they have cool stuff and have a good sense of what I can use. I'm really interested in checking out new technology."

Huston positions eight B-EYEs on four truss towers and four more on the stage. "They have an amazing output," he says. "That 4º fat beam is very impressive."

Huston was looking for a moving light that offers a direct view effect. "I didn't want to have a videowall, but I wanted to do a direct view effec

Denmark - Victory Tour Production has updated its rental inventory with two systems from Meyer Sound's newly expanded Leo family of products: the Leo linear large-scale sound reinforcement system, as well as its more compact and flexible sibling, the Lyon linear sound reinforcement system.

"Leo is already being requested by major tours," says Frank Grønbæk, project manager for Victory and head of the Copenhagen office. "Its power and long throw opens us to not only the largest stadium and festival shows in Denmark, but also to a wider market elsewhere in northern Europe. And Lyon's size and weight is ideally suited to most shows in the relatively small Danish market."

The pivotal point in Victory's purchase decision was a convincing Lyon demo in Amsterdam. "The coverage and power were very impressive," recalls Grønbæk. "I went

Sri Lanka - As Sri Lanka's premier sound and lighting provider MOS Sound & Light recently provided full production services for a major concert by Greek composer/keyboardist Yanni - using fixtures from their PR Lighting inventory to create stage dynamics.

Founded 18 years ago, the company started purchasing from the Chinese manufacturer five years ago. "We liked the quality and price of the products, with features similar to the top European brands," said MOS director, Hussain Faizal. "We always receive great after sales service and a quick response to any questions."

Consequently, when they were contracted by event management company, Wizcraft Colombo, to provide a technical infrastructure (including rigging) for the 4000 fans who attended the Yanni show at Sugadathasa Indoor Stadium they were able to dip heavily into their PR Lighting hire fleet. This now

Singapore - As a leading venue for meetings, trade shows, lectures and other events, Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre is an award-winning multilevel space that is home to the world's largest HD video wall.

Located in the central business district of Singapore, the convention centre recently underwent a massive renovation that included an advanced LED lighting solution for the centre's fourth level. Suntec Singapore originally had a different plan in mind, however, when Bo Steiber Lighting Design introduced Suntec Singapore to Martin Professional VC-Dot 1, the project took a different, positive turn.

Suntec Singapore takes pride in being an industry pioneer by using cutting-edge technology to improve business and minimize its carbon footprint for both Suntec Singapore and its clients. For the level 4 modernization, Suntec Singapore sought to change the way atte

USA - Lighting designer and head of New York City-based Levy Lighting, Ira Levy, has a reputation for experimental, cutting-edge designs and has amassed an impressive list of prominent clients over the last 20 years. Elation fixtures have also found their place on his designs, most recently at the prestigious H&M flagship store in New York's Times Square.

"I decided wherever possible in retail to stay away from discharge lamps. For the H&M store, I needed an LED-based spot fixture and chose to use the Platinum Spot LED II," Levy says of the efficient LED-based colour and effect spot moving head.

Levy created an all-white moving light grid with custom-painted white Platinum Spot LED II units. "They are sending moving beams around the store all day long, creating energy and excitement for shoppers as they enter," he explains. "The idea is that the store

UK - SSL Live UK agent, HD Pro Audio is holding a workshop session for the SSL Live console at Brit Row's dedicated training centre in Wandsworth on 20 May.

"We've been working with the SSL Live on gigs and at events for several months now," commented HD Pro's Andy Huffer. "Never before has a new product met such unanimous acclaim from everyone that has experienced it. It's a dream to use and provides the way forward that engineers want, but above all it sets a new standard for live audio quality. Engineers are hearing their systems in a way they've never experienced before."

The session, commencing at 1pm, will feature multiple consoles with multitracks and will focus on operator training with experts from SSL and HD Pro on hand to provide professional guidance and advice. The session will also preview new V2 console software.

Places for the session are

USA - Not every theatre can go all LED, but Sunnyvale Theatre in California has made the bold choice to do so. Thanks to a lot of careful research, the right conditions and the advanced features of ETC's LED luminaires, the theatre's new LED-only lighting system has been a major success.

The venue's previous lighting system was installed in 1992, but after 20 years of service, the theatre had trouble with its control desk, transformers needed replacement, and the power supply in its 140 dimmers no longer worked and couldn't be serviced. Staff began looking at new solutions, and considered three different systems: conventional (tungsten) only; hybrid (both tungsten and LEDs); or all-LED.

They worked with ETC dealer Musson Theatrical, got support from ETC representative Wunder Lighting and Controls, did cost analyses, tried out a lot of different equipment and assessed the needs

France - L-Acoustics has announced the appointment of long-serving industry professional Alvin Koh as applications engineer for Asia, reinforcing L-Acoustics' growth and commitment to its customer base throughout the Asian region. Alvin will be based in Kuala Lumpur and will provide technical support to L-Acoustics customers through the company's existing regional distribution network.

Prior to joining L-Acoustics, Alvin worked for Singapore based sound rental company Pantomime Entertainment Pte Ltd, starting as a sound engineer and eventually becoming the Malaysian director of the company. In 1996 he created his own consultancy Clef Production.

Alvin brings more than 20 years of experience in leading roles such as FOH engineer and system engineer and worked with top class acts such as Bryan Adams, Cyndi Lauper, Sting, Depeche Mode, Phil Collins, Santana and Mariah Carey .

S

Portugal - The LA122A joins the Next-proaudio LA family and is the powered version of the popular LA122. It incorporates advanced neodymium speakers, custom made by B&C and a high performance DPA amplifier module, capable of generating 1650Wrms of high-definition power for a very high acoustic pressure for medium to large scale applications.

This system is designed for use in permanent installations as well as in mobile systems. The new system comprises three models, two line arrays elements, with different coverage angles (8ºx90º and 15ºx120º) and a companion subwoofer system allowing a great configuration versatility.

The band-pass subwoofer LAs118A is equipped with a custom made B&C, long excursion, 18" neodymium woofer and is internally powered by a 2200Wrms DPAmplifier module.As it shares the same rigging technology with the LA122A and LA122WA, a flexible integra

Germany - Astera LED Technology has uncovered its new wireless control solution for event lights, the AsteraBox (ART6). This Bluetooth receiving, RF-transmitting device overcomes the inconsistency and quality issues of Astera's previous controller, the AsteraTouch, by offering more flexibility and variety to the user. The advantage of the AsteraBox over previous controllers is that it works with the AsteraApp; a free Android-based application designed for use with users' Android tablets or phones to control Astera lights

The AsteraApp can be downloaded from the Astera website for free, and then installed on any Bluetooth-enabled Android device (optimized for 1024x600 and 1280x800 resolutions). Users should then link their Android tablet or phone to the AsteraBox to initiate control. Acting as the middleman, the AsteraBox receives commands from the user's tablet via Bluetooth, an

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