USA - Discovery Park of America has opened in Union City, Tennessee, offering visitors a world-class entertainment and educational experience with more than 70,000sq.ft of exhibits on nature, science, technology, history and art. Electrosonic provided audio-visual equipment for most of the ten exhibit galleries in the three-level space of the new Discovery Centre.

The primary benefactor of Discovery Park of America is the Robert E. and Jenny D. Kirkland Foundation, which has donated approximately $80m to the creation of the park and endowed a programme for its continuing operational support and expansion. As long-time supporters of education in the area, the Kirklands have given Discovery Park the mission of enhancing the educational experiences of children and adults, and inspiri

Germany - In Berlin, they call it the Fanmeile - a 1.5km stretch of avenue which serves as the main theatre for Germany's national celebrations. Where else would more than 1m people gather to celebrate the return of the World Cup, after an astonishing summer of football in Brazil!

Rental company auvisign GmbH was called upon to provide the PA for the huge crowds, from the main stage in front of the Brandenburg Gate to the 10 big TV screens spaced down the length of the fan mile and beyond to other stages. This massive task was supervised by sound designer Johannes Raack, who has worked many times here at Europe's biggest public viewing space.

A Nexo Geo D10 line array system was used on the main stage, together with Geo Sub and CD18 subbass cabinets, and a large number of Nexo PS Series. Elsewhere on the fanmeile, nearly 270 Nexo cabinets were deployed; Geo S12, Geo S8, Nexo A

UK - Lighting and rigging specialists Utopium creatively transformed Village Underground to host the Superstar DJ's with Annie Mac wrap party presented by Ford Ecosport.

As sponsors of the Channel 4 documentary presented by Annie Mac, Ford invited industry guests to the wrap party held in the heart of trendy Shoreditch. Contracted by the event organisers, Live Nation Experiential, Utopium's project manager Angus Chinn and his team supplied all lighting, rigging and production services to the event.

The cultural space housed in a renovated turn-of-the-century warehouse, Village Underground, is essentially a blank canvas. Utopium transformed the venue with a versatile lighting package that accommodated both the brand aspirations of Ford, and the significant production elements for live DJ sets from DJ's Pete Tong and Annie Mac.

Liaising with production manager Phil Beav

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LD Systems ICOA PRO series – high-performance coaxial PA speakers for professional demands

The popular ICOA PA systems have been further developed to include two active full-range coaxial speakers – ICOA PRO 12 A and ICOA PRO 15 A – as well as the active 21″ bass-reflex PA subwoofer ICOA PRO SUB 21 A. With its professional features and high output power, the ICOA PRO series is aimed at ambitious bands, musicians and DJs as well as hire companies and commercial customers looking for a compact, robust and powerful PA sound system. The ICOA PRO series is rounded off with modern connection and control options via Bluetooth 5.1 and the specially developed ICOA PRO app, for use on smartphones and tablets.

ld-systems.com/icoapro

USA - Ray LaMontagne recently kicked off his North American tour with an Adamson Energia PA powered by Lab.gruppen PLM series amplifiers with Lake Processing.

Fourteen PLM 20000Q amplifiers power the system that consists of Adamson E15 and E12 line arrays enclosures as well as E218 subwoofers. Integrated Lake Processing provides speaker processing, monitoring and control. The amplifiers were provided by Eighth Day Sound, the production company behind the tour.

"It's great to see the Lab.gruppen amplifiers packaged with the Energia system," explains Jon Lemon, FOH engineer for the tour. "Lab.gruppen amps are absolute workhorses, I never have any concerns when I know they are powering the PA."

The PLM 20000Q (Powered Loudspeaker Management) system seamlessly integrates a four-channel amplifier with the Lake Processing platform, Dante networked signal distri

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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

USA - Country rock artist Brantley Gilbert is touring with the new indoor/outdoor EPT9IP LED video panel from Elation Professional and uses the professional-grade screens for a variety of effects and looks as an integral part of the set design.

"We chose the EPT9IP panels for a couple of reasons," states Howard Jones, president and owner of Nashville-based Digital Console Rental, the sole production company for Gilbert's current Let it Ride tour. Digital Console Rental provides audio, lighting and video for the tour, a rig that also includes Elation Platinum Beam 5R Extreme fixtures.

"First, the screen looks great and the resolution is high enough for touring work," he says of the 9 mm pixel pitch EPT9IP panels. "Second, it is IP65 rated and has the output for outdoor use." Designed for professional touring, the spring leg of the tour was t

Belgium - Lighting and visual designer Luc Peumans says that the powerful yet discreet VL3500Q Spot luminaires were the "perfect choice to highlight the action on set" for his latest theatrical production 14-18 Spektakel Musical, which saw audiences immersed in the heroism and struggle of the First World War on a large scale.

"I like the VL3500Q Spot luminaire's power, its amazing framing and optical quality and its reliability. In addition, its low noise levels were imperative for this project," explains Peumans. The VL3500Q Spot is a powerful 1200W luminaire that is designed for situations where the absence of noise is critical to the performance.

Through PRG Belgium, Peumans also specified an array of VL3000Q Spot luminaires, VL3000 Wash luminaires and 465 of an old favourite of his, the VL5B Wash, to support his absorbing and naturalistic lightin

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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 - David Guetta rocked the house in grand style for his headline slot in The Hangar on Friday night of the 2014 Global Gathering event - the UK's most popular bass-tastic EDM festival - staged at Long Marston Airfield near Stratford-On-Avon - complete with a new visual design created by LD Jonathan "Leggy" Armstrong and video director Ben Brett - with over 100 Robe moving lights on the rig.

This performance launched a completely new phase of the superstar DJ and music producer's live shows, and the idea was to make a massive sonic and visual impact... even more than usual, for a show known for its spontaneity, pumping energy and full-on sensory rhythmic experience.

Leggy specified 24 x Pointes and 36 x MMX Spots - from Robe's Robin Series - plus 52 x LEDForce 18 LED Pars to offer the creative scope he needed to keep the dynamic and highly animated performance movin

USA - Growing with the community since its founding in 1972, Hosanna Lutheran Church is now a cornerstone of religious life in Mankato, Minnesota. With four contemporary services a week, plus one traditional service and plenty of high-SPL youth events, its sanctuary sound and video systems were tapped to provide a wide range of content.

Despite having loudspeakers made by a respected manufacturer, intelligibility and low-end extension were poor and a regular source of complaints until recently, when Audio Video Electronics (AVE) (Maple Grove, Minnesota) renovated the system. Citing their excellent fidelity and intelligibility, AVE installed a pair of Danley Sound Labs SH-60 loudspeakers. To give Hosanna Lutheran Church plenty of bass when needed, AVE also gave the church a beefy Danley DBH-218 subwoofer.

"Before AVE's renovation, we always had complaints," said Matt

USA - American Spanish-language television network Telemundo's latest music competition, Buscando Mi Ritmo is being lit by lighting designer Gaston Fazio of HD House, who speced an Elation Professional lighting package of Platinum Spot LED Pro moving heads and Cuepix Panel matrix blinders for the six-episode series.

"Being that we were working with a small stage, the client wanted to achieve radically different lighting moods for each performance. The Cuepix gave us that flexibility and more," LD Gaston Fazio states. "Since our goals were to minimize noise and look for the best long-term investment, we decided to get new fixtures and LED technology from Elation. The result was better than expected."

Buscando Mi Ritmo, which premiered on 19 July and is produced by Telemundo with production services provided by 360POWWOW, puts a new spin on the

Switzerland - This was year 48 for the Montreux Festival and the event attracted the usual spread of artists including Pharrell Williams who had the crowd begging for more during week one.

All the leading DiGiCo models are in play at Montreux, from the flagship SD7, which holds fort in the Stravinski, to the ultra-compact SD11, which sits in the same venue providing talkback, alongside the house SD5 in monitor world. Furthermore, SD8s, SD10s, and SD9s all have their part to play, in the Jazz Lab, the Jazz Club, the Rock Cave, and Montreux Palace.

"My relationship with DiGiCo has always been strong, not only because of the quality of product, but because of the personal service we always get from their team," says sound coordinator at Montreux, David Weber. Incidentally, Weber made his Montreux debut the same year as DiGiCo, in 2009.

"I was brought in here as t

South Africa - The Electric Night Event, where individuals run, cycle, skate or walk a five kilometre route at night covered in neon accessories and body paint is taking the nation by storm. Events are held across the country, and when recently hosted at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, MJ Event Gear supplied the full technical.

What attracts runners and revellers alike is the amazing atmosphere. After their glowing race, the finish line is a neon party and the line-up included Dean Fuel, The Kiffness, Roger Goode and Chris Taylor.

Contracted by AJDW Event Technical Hire, MJ Event Gear set up a Thomas Ground Support to create a concert stage setting. The lighting rig, controlled by a grandMA Full Size, included 24 x Robe 100 LEDBeams, 12 x Robe 600 LEDWash, 12 x Robe 300 E Spot. There were also 28 x UV Guns, 24 x Longman Colorme 011 and 4 x Phillips Nitro Strobes.

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South Africa - The Tshwane University of Technology's Faculty of the Arts, in partnership with the City of Tshwane and DWR Distribution, will launch Hello, a community theatre arts festival this weekend. The festival aims to expand the boundaries of theatre by interacting with local and emerging artists at the Breytenbach Theatre on Friday, 29 and Saturday, 30 August.

The opening event at the Breytenbach Theatre will feature a musical show based on the story of 50 Gogos (grannies) who decided to leave their comfort zones and to meet each morning for activities to keep them healthy. At one of these meetings the idea came about to start a stage production called the Gug'Othandayo Musical Show.

The two-day multi-purpose programme will showcase performances by 11 community groups from Mamelodi, Hammanskraal, Refilwe: Centurion, Mnandi, Nkangala, Mabopane, Sunnyside,

Canada - Vancouver-based Parasol Systems has developed intelligent, self-propelling, and wirelessly controlled vehicles that travel along pre-determined guide ways. Basically, the Parasol Systems technology moves already moving lights.

This innovation means that lighting designers will be able to bring you more dynamic, unique, and utterly mind-blowing visual effects at concerts, clubs, professional sport arenas, parties, and more because they will no longer be restricted to light sources that stem from one static point, says the company.

Hermann Fruhm, the inventor and co-founder of Parasol Systems says: "This technology will revolutionize the lighting industry. Parasol has literally added a new dimension to the lighting business that we now call the 'Z-axis'. The 'Z-axis' is a patented technology that allows lighting designers to move the lighting fixtures themselves.&q

UK - LCA are moving to new larger office and warehouse on Wednesday 27 August. The new address is: Unit 14, Fairway Drive, Greenford, Middlesex UB6 8PW. Office telephone numbers remain the same.

Says the company, "Our new location enables us to stock more products on the shelves as well as offering a dedicated demo area for customers to come and test equipment. In addition to this, we will also be creating a client lounge where you can relax and meet our team with a drink and if you need to work, you can utilise our hot desking facilities."

(Jim Evans)

USA - DPA Inc., the U.S. branch of DPA Microphones, has announced the appointment of Christopher Spahr, Pedro Rocha and Leonardo Romero as area sales managers for the Eastern US, Western US and Southern US/Latin America, respectively. The company has also promoted Shan Siebert to general manager of the Longmont, Colorado-based office.

"This announcement comes at a very exciting time for DPA Microphones' US operations," says Eric Mayer, president of DPA, Inc. "Not only does this serve as an example of how our brand recognition has expanded, but it also means that we'll be able to further grow our fan base throughout the Americas. In addition, these appointments will allow me to perform my day-to-day strategy, sales and marketing responsibilities more effectively, giving us the opportunity for even greater success. Welcome aboard, Pedro, Leonardo and Chris, and cong

Germany / USA - Lawo has appointed Karl Kussmaul as product support manager. He brings with him a wealth of pro audio and video experience from his many years in product management and support roles with Sony.

In his new post, Kussmaul will coordinate the Lawo service force in North America from his New York base, and will provide assistance to the constantly growing number of Lawo customers and installations using his advanced technical knowledge and long experience.

"I am delighted to be part of this innovative company," says Kussmaul. "Lawo's consistent focus on quality, performance and engineering of its products, combined with their dedication to creating and delivering complete solutions for customers were key factors in my decision to join Lawo."

CEO Philipp Lawo agrees, "We are very excited to have Karl join our team. His broad knowledge of t

Germany - With nearly 500 Meyer Sound loudspeakers already installed aboard its ships, Aida Cruises of Rostock, Germany has recently added Meyer Sound UPA-1P loudspeaker systems in four performance rehearsal spaces in Hamburg. In addition to sound quality and reliability, the design team has named accurate sonic translation as a primary reason for the system choice.

"Since Meyer Sound's goal with all products is neutrality, performers will hear the same sound on the shipboard stage as they hear in rehearsals," says system designer Malte Polli-Holstein of Hamburg-based Three-in-One Entertainment & Consulting. "Also, all of Aida's ships have Meyer Sound systems in their theatres, so it only makes sense to build the rehearsal systems to offer the same high level of sound quality."

The largest rehearsal room, Aida 1, features four UPA-1P loudspeakers, two CQ-1

Camera Shy - Kate Bush has asked fans not to film her 22 Before The Dawn shows at Hammersmith Apollo which start tonight. The Wuthering Heights singer has said it would "mean a great deal to me" if people did not use their phones or tablets during the concerts, which mark her return to live performance after 35 years. Mobile phone technology and home computing were in their infancy when she last performed live in 1979.

Writing on her website, the singer said, "I have a request for all of you who are coming to the shows. We have purposefully chosen an intimate theatre setting rather than a large venue or stadium. It would mean a great deal to me if you would please refrain from taking photos or filming during the shows. I very much want to have contact with you as an audience, not with iPhones, iPads or cameras. I know it's a lot to ask but it would a

Spain - Nexo's STM M28 compact line array has proved a great success for new owners BTM Sound S.L., debuting at the Porta Ferrada International Festival in Sant Feliu de Guixols on the sunny Costa Brava.

This international festival, first held in 1958 and now one of the most important summer cultural events in Catalonia, has seen a high-quality and eclectic programme of performers throughout July and August. In its picturesque location beside Sant Feliu's town harbour, the purpose-built stage has hosted local and international artists such as Belle & Sebastian, Silvia Perez Cruz and Raul Fernandez, the Crystal Fighters and American jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater.

For the 12 live concerts of the festival, BTM installed a Nexo STM Series concert sound system featuring the new M28 main line array cabinets with S118 sub bass. Just six main cabinets per side, with six subs on the

Switzerland - A new Nexo Geo S8 compact line array system has enhanced the ambient environment of the multipurpose l'Amphimax hall at Lausanne University.

The hall, used for exams, meetings, assemblies, lectures and the occasional celebrity visitor such as the Dalai Lama, is the largest space on the university campus. It can seat more than 1,000 students for examination: 650 in the primary space and a further 400 in an extension behind a moveable wall. The university was looking for a system with clear intelligibility as it will mainly be used for speech applications.

The system was designed and installed by a team of local Swiss specialists, who have since collaborated on projects such as the recent Nexo upgrade at Lausanne's Stade Olympique de la Pontaise. Acoustic consultant AER specified the system which was installed by Auditech, while Nexo's Swiss distributor ZAP Audio,

UAE - Nicolas Kyvernitis Electronics Enterprises (NMK), distributor of Midas in the United Arab Emirates for the live sound market segment, is offering demo sessions on the manufacturer's M32 console to all audio professionals in the region.

"Since the publication of our demo sessions, we have been getting the inquiries from UAE, Qatar and Bahrain," commented Pramod Manerikar, Midas and Klark Teknik product specialist at NMK. "The advantage of ongoing demo sessions is that client has the opportunity to keep a console for a few days at his warehouse in order to test all the amazing features of the mixer. During demo session the client gets familiar with the console experiencing the quality of preamplifiers and Midas build. The desk itself is very simplified and it takes a few minutes to gain knowledge of the basics. It has an incredible weight of 25kg.

"In t

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