Germany - In 2004, L-Acoustics released Soundvision, the first 3D sound system design programme capable of operating in real time. Rapidly adopted by sound designers around the globe, L-Acoustics has since stayed committed to keeping Soundvision up to date with users' needs and compatible with current software and hardware platforms.

Today, the company announces the release of Soundvision 3.0, fully re-designed on a new architectural platform and up to 40 times faster when calculating the most complex files. The new release is fully compatible with the most recent graphic cards and with PC operating systems from Windows Vista and above and will be available as a free download.

While Soundvision's code has been fully renewed, the user interface has been kept identical to previous

Germany - Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands is celebrating five years of Platinum lamps. The range's razor-sharp light beams have revolutionized the entertainment industry in a relatively short amount of time. To commemorate the anniversary, Philips will be exhibiting the range at Prolight+Sound 2015 in Frankfurt.

The first innovative Platinum lamp, the MSD Platinum 5 R, was launched in 2010. Today, in 2015, Philips offers a broad range including the 2 R, 14 R, 15 R, 16 R, 17 RA and 20 R. Platinum lamps have been used at many major events, worldwide. Platinum lamps were designed to cope with the demanding on-stage conditions in modern entertainment.

LED walls are increasingly being integrated into stage lighting design, creating a sea of homogeneous light. A new generation of lamps with powerful beams is needed to cut through in these situations and provide addition

Germany - Outline has announced that the brand will be a key player at this year's Frankfurt expo.

"We want to make certain every visitor is aware of our mission, the result of the 'added value' of people and products," states business development manager Luca Giaroli, who is making his debut with the company at Prolight+Sound.

"Outline was founded 42 years ago, manufacturing special (electro-acoustic) components, which it still does to this day. Frankfurt, one of the world's most important showcases, is the perfect opportunity for inducing trade members to visit us and realize 'there's something interesting here - we better find out more'. Seeing is believing. Stand B36 - Hall 8.0," concludes Giaroli.

Visitors will be able to see the new 2x18", Eidos 218 S, a super-powerful subwoofer featuring an exceptional size-to-power ratio (148.5 dB SPL peak @

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Case Study: Hans Zimmer Live

When award winning film composer Hans Zimmer brought his smash-hit tour Hans Zimmer Live to North America fall 2024, the show's audio team sought out to bring infrafrequency bass to the show to add new depth to the show's audio experience. The team chose Danley Sound Labs.

UK - The Olivier Award winning play, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time took to the road on in December 2014 for a one year UK tour.

Having wowed UK audiences since it opened at the National's Cottesloe Theatre in August 2012, the production transferred to the Apollo Theatre in March 2013 and is currently playing at the Gielgud Theatre. Keen to ensure the tour is equally successful, Damian Partington, production manager, National Theatre Productions, brought Unusual Rigging on board to help ensure a flawless move between venues and supply a range of rigging equipment.

Damian explained, "The Curious Incident tells the story of a 15-year-old boy as he aims to solve the mystery of who murdered his neighbour's dog and it's a show that Unusual Rigging is very familiar with since they worked with us on the version that's currently on at the Gielgud

Sweden - LumenRadio AB has launched Mira - the solution to deploying large scale Internet of Things (IoT) installations in machine to machine (M2M) and building communications applications. Built on years of experience in creating highly reliable wireless lighting controls, the LumenRadio Mira platform offers best in class radio performance, unmatched reliability and most importantly - is easy to integrate, shortening your time to market, says the company. Mira can be used to link practically any device - light, energy, environment, security, transport, weather, presence and just about anything else you can think of.

LumenRadio has been developing wireless lighting controls for more than six years, and their products have been used around the globe on high profile events including the Coachella music festival, London Eye New Year's celebrations and the world tour of Wicked th

Germany - Today, at the opening of the Prolight+Sound conference, L-Acoustics announced the launch of the X Series, a new line of coaxial speakers for the installation and rental markets. The three new enclosures in the X Series family represent the most recent engineering innovations at L-Acoustics and directly benefit from the research and development breakthroughs that led to the launch of K2 last year, says the company.

The new X Series responds to the demands of the industry's top sound designers. Improvements include high-excursion neodymium drivers, ellipsoid directivity, laminar vented ports and up to 30% weight reduction. Used as a stage monitor, the X Series offers low latency monitor presets and a 7% lower profile. In installation applications the X Series comes with a complete range of flexible rigging accessories and a RAL custom colour programme. With improved radi

Germany - Martin Professional today announces the RUSH Club Smoke Dual, part of a new line of atmospheric effects from RUSH by Martin. The new fog and haze hybrid machine will be on display this week at Martin's stand A93 in Hall 9 at Prolight+Sound 2015 in Frankfurt, Germany and is available now for pre-order.

The RUSH Club Smoke Dual features six heads across three zones via DMX or an on-board digital display. This versatile multi-head system allows the user to deploy fog, haze or a combination of both thanks to a specially formulated fluid. The unit's separate base can be installed in a convenient remote location and holds up to 10 litres of fluid to ensure uninterrupted use during busy nights.

Based on the Magnum Club Smoke system installed in prestigious venues around the world, the RUSH Club Smoke Dual is a stalwart new companion for lighting designers and ideal in clubs

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OPUS X4 PROFILE – the most powerful LED moving head from Cameo to date

The OPUS® X4 PROFILE is the new flagship model from Cameo and is among the most powerful LED moving heads on the market. Equipped with a 1,400-watt LED white light engine, this spot profile moving head produces an enormous light output of 50,000 lm, providing powerful spot and gobo projections on even the largest stages and much more.
www.cameolight.com

Germany - Audiologic has unveiled of key brand Phoenix Audio's new Smart Spider USB speakerphone. Designed for medium to large sized conference rooms the Smart Spider can connect to smart devices, tablets or video codecs with the ability to bridge between the different interfaces.

Retaining the original Spider's breakthrough technology in echo-cancelling, noise suppression and automatic gain control, the Smart Spider's beam-forming technology is enhanced by LED lights beneath the grill that follow the direction of a person's voice. Its pickup range exceeds 20 feet and it can be daisy-chained to up to 14 additional units to accommodate larger spaces. Since the Smart Spider communicates through USB interface with any computer under any operating system and is compatible with all soft video applications, it proves to be an ideal solution for BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and UC (Uni

Germany - Allen & Heath has announced the introduction of the Xone:43C, a sister product to the new Xone:43, which is supported by leading DJ software, Serato DJ, and provides the gateway to digital DJing and DVS performance with the addition of a 16 channel internal soundcard and X:LINK to connect compatible Xone:K Series MIDI Controllers.

The 96kHz 24bit 16 channel USB soundcard enables replay and recording from any chosen DJ software, offering users all the benefits of digital DJing using the controls of a "real" mixer. With the purchase of Serato DJ Club Kit, Xone:43C will work plug 'n play with Serato DJ and is Serato DVS enabled, eliminating the need for an external interface*.

The Xone:43C also allows plug 'n play connection of a Xone:K series controller via the X:LINK connection without using additional USB ports. There are a huge number of pre-mapped functio

UK - J&C Joel has strengthened its management team as the business positions itself for future growth. With more than 50% of its sales already coming from international exports, the British company has achieved global reach through an international network of offices and now exports to over 75 countries worldwide, providing products such as front of house theatre curtains, stage backdrops, acoustic drapes, projection screens and an array of stage engineering solutions.

In the last two years J&C Joel has increased its export turnover by 78 per cent. Recent years have seen the company work on a number of high profile global projects, including New York University Campus in Abu Dhabi, the 2014 Sochi Games, the Venetian Hotel & Resort in Macau and the world famous Pacha nightclub, to name a few.

Fiona Blackett, previously the managing director of J&C Joel's Hong Kong Office, has n

Europe - Steven Wilson, four-time Grammy nominee, celebrates the launch of his new album Hand. Cannot. Erase with a UK and European tour in March and April 2015. The tour and album follow his runaway success of his third solo album The Raven That Refused to Sing and his sell out shows at London's Royal Albert Hall in 2013. The UK gigs kicked off at Cambridge Corn Exchange and continue on throughout his 10-country European tour until heading off to the USA and Canada.

Steven Wilson wanted to create "a show that I hope will raise the bar both musically and visually from my previous tours, with a set list based around the new album, as well as casting the net further back into my song writing past for a few surprises".

Steven Wilson's lighting designer, Matthew Jensen, came to Mick Freer of Hawthorn with an idea of creating a strong visual impact for the s

Europe - Hitachi Digital Media Group has announced two new models that feature HDBaseT connectivity. The CP-WU8451 and CP-WU8461 are able to receive high definition signals from a distance of up to 100m using standard LAN cabling (min. Cat 5e/6). Both models also feature enhancements including a 60% increase in contrast performance

"Hitachi can now offer customers a convenient and cost effective approach to lossless high definition projection at distances of up to 100m. With a higher contrast ratio of 5000:1 these two new models deliver the high-quality widescreen images that customers expect of the 8000 Series but with the added benefit of support for HDBaseT," said Axel Kutschke, senior manager, presentation products for Hitachi Digital Media Group. "By supporting this emerging standard Hitachi ensures that customers with a need for remote or long distance high

UK - Following the positive feedback from last year's show, PLASA 2015 is set to move forwards with the introduction of a number of new propositions, as well as the return of a popular feature from previous years.

Part of the new programme is PLASA's sector specific seminar offering, which will see an increase from two to five theatres. Additionally, existing demo spaces are being built on; key networking spaces, such as the show bar and zones in the sector hubs, are being reintroduced; and the show will open late on its second day.

"PLASA 2015 has a progressive new approach, as we focus on five major sectors of the live entertainment technology world: Lighting, Audio, Stage, AV and Live Broadcast," explains Christopher Toulmin, director of events division at PLASA. "Each sector is individually supported by manufacturer led content, as well as PLASA's own indust

UK - Fisher Hires has invested in new lighting and AV stock following a major investment programme to the tune of £500,000. Fisher Hires is sister company to the prestigious event productions agency Fisher Productions, which this year celebrates its 30th birthday.

Fisher Hires supplies lighting, AV and technical expertise for all Fisher Productions events, and was launched as a separate company last year with the aim to widen the business and offer a full dry hire service.

Responding to client demand, Fisher has purchased a number of products from Clay Paky, MA Lighting, Avolites, Prolights and ETC and have significantly increased its stock of wireless uplights to include the Core Colourpoint.

Graham Beswick CEO of the Fisher Productions Group said, "Our upgrade of lighting and AV equipment comprises of over 110 product lines and thousands of pieces of kit, allowi

South Africa - The Ultimate X festival was staged for the first time this year at the Grand Arena in Cape Town, South Africa's GrandWest Casino, two days of adrenaline-fuelled, gravity-challenging, hi-energy stunts encompassing three breath-taking xtreme sport disciplines - FMX (freestyle motocross), BMX (bicycle motocross) and skateboarding - featuring the best athletes from around the globe.

The event, produced by Old School Productions, was staged in the round and lit by Sean Caie, the venue's head of lighting, using an all Robe moving light rig including BMFL Spots.

It was the first time that organisers had moved the event indoors and the first time it was extended to two days due to massive public demand.

The floor layout comprised a complete skate / BMX Park, with vert ramps and all the death-defying obstacles you'd expect in this raw and uncompromising environment.

UK - XL Video's UK operation has expanded the warehousing and distribution for its LED department, with the opening of a new 20,000sq.ft warehouse near to the company's existing Hemel Hempstead location.

The 50% increase in total warehouse space enables XL Video to create a dedicated space for preparation and dispatch of the company's wide and varied range of indoor and outdoor rental LED screens, and other creative LED products.

This expansion into the new LED facility also creates additional much-needed space in the main XL Video warehouse to allow for the growth in inventory of XL's projection and media server/control departments, both of which announced major technology investments earlier this year with the likes of d3, Barco, and Lightware.

XL Video's UK director of operations, John Hooker commented, "We are pleased to be able to expand our operations into this ne

USA - PreSonus is now shipping its SL-AVB-MIX Audio Video Bridging (AVB) audio networking option card for StudioLive AI-series console and StudioLive RM-series rack-mount Active Integration mixers. These options allow you to create a complete, networked live-sound solution, using Cat 5e or Cat 6 cables instead of a snake.

AVB enables precisely synchronized, real-time, low-latency, streaming of audio across an Ethernet network with no-hassle, self-configuring, true plug-and-play convenience. All StudioLive RM-series mixers already have the SL-AVB-MIX option card installed and just need a firmware update to enable the new AVB networking functionality. The card is offered as an upgrade option for StudioLive AI console mixers.

With this first phase of AVB support, you can use the StudioLive RM32AI or RM16AI as a stage box and monitor mixer for any StudioLive AI-series front-of-hou

UK - Bookings have opened for The Theatres Trust's annual Conference, taking place this year on Tuesday 23 June 2015 at Milton Court Theatre in London, part of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.

What value do theatres bring to regeneration, commercial development and mixed use schemes?

Conference 15: Valuing Theatres considers ways in which we can work with the property sector to achieve shared cultural, social and economic returns and create new partnerships with developers to build and protect the theatres of the future.

How do we engage with developers who are playing an increasingly important role as theatre builders and capital investors?

Valuing Theatres is chaired by Jim Beirne MBE, chief executive of Live Theatre who is leading Live Works, a new £10m capital scheme in Newcastle to purchase and develop Quayside frontage and land and buildings adjacent to t

USA - In six weeks, the highly regarded PLASA Focus events series will open at the Kansas City Convention Centre, 20-21 May. Once again, over two days, PLASA Focus will offer hands-on, up close views of products and services from over 35 leading manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and industry leaders and offer over 15 top seminars, including hands-on training, all completely free to attend.

Says PLASA Events show manager Laura Hoepker, "As a trade organization by the industry and for the industry, PLASA looks forward to another successful Focus show in Kansas City and providing another targeted business and networking opportunity to both PLASA members and to regional buyers. Between the show floor and educational seminars, we are providing access to the best in the industry to everyone who attends."

New additions to the top-notch seminar line up, include:

A L

Belgium - The most recent tour by Belgian girlband K3 featured a lighting and video design by Painting With Light's Luc Peumans which was based on the bold, bright, poppy and positive vibe that has characterised the band's remarkable 16 year career.

K3's impressive longevity - achieved without airplay on MTV and other standard music channels - was led by proactive direct marketing through youth and children's TV channels.

Luc has been involved with K3's live performance visuals for 12 years. His team from Painting With Light on this tour included programmer and lighting operator on the road Paco Mispelters and media server programmer and operator Katleen Selleslagh, and the design's starting point came from the band's hit TV show K3 Can Do It which is based on helping children achieve their dreams. The idea was to align the live show with the whole current K3 brand conc

UK - Aurora Lighting is supporting lighting director Oli Richards on the new ITV Saturday sporting comedy panel show Play to the Whistle.

Played out in front of a studio audience at Fountain Studios, Play to the Whistle features host Holly Whillouby presiding over team captains, Bradley Walsh and Frank Lampard.

Produced by Hungry Bear Media for ITV, the show pits two celebrity teams against each other with the aim of working out who sports the best knowledge of all things sporting. Helping to keep order, comedian Sean Walsh also joins the show in the guise of comic umpire for the series.

To assist in creating the show's polished, sporty look, Aurora supplied LD Oli with razor sharp Clay Paky Sharpys, which have been integrated into the set to create 'bars' of light that tower above the guests.

Elsewhere, Oli specified the innovative Doughty H Bar ladder syste

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