Canada/USA - Chroma-Q Color Force 72 LED battens are being rigged in an inspired fashion to spell out the word HIP for Canadian rock band, The Tragically Hip's current 2015 tour.

The group, which have had nine No.1 albums in Canada, recently embarked on the Fully Completely Tour, playing their album of the same name in its entirety to their legion of fans.

Brent Clark is production designer for the North American tour, which kicked off in Toronto in January and to date has visited other major cities including New York, Chicago, Boston, Washington DC, and Montreal.

"The concept behind the staging and lighting was to make it look a bit 'throwback'," says Brent. "The grid with the Color Force 72s on is meant to look like an old fashioned digital clock. Spell

USA - InfoComm 2015 saw Yamaha launching its ProVisionaire Touch app for iPad. Developed in response to user requests, the versatile app allows wireless remote control of MTX and MRX series signal processors via easily designed custom control panels.

A key component of Yamaha's Commercial Installation Solutions (CIS) series, the MTX and MRX processors can be managed via Wi-Fi, which has led to requests for a straightforward, but highly customisable, control app. The result is ProVisionaire Touch, which allows installers to meet the bespoke needs of individual commercial spaces such as conference rooms, retail stores, restaurants, banquet halls, houses of worship and many more.

ProVisionaire Touch makes it easy to arrange faders, switches, graphics and other widgets via its intuitive interface, to create original touch control panels that perfectly match individual installation

UK - Doughty Engineering's award winning Modular Rigging System will be making its first official appearance at this year's ABTT show. The range which is riding high on a wave of success, was first introduced as a prototype at last year's show to such acclaim that it was awarded the ABTT Award for Engineering. Since then, the product has gone global and Doughty will be exhibiting a new range of additional items, both on the stand and in the new viewing area at the show.

Mark Chorley, design engineer at Doughty explained, "Such is the success of the range, we are continually developing add on items in response to feedback from lighting designers who, for the first time are experiencing the freedom to run wild with their ideas. The latest items to join the range are the half connector with eye and half connector with cable holders which allow for the H-Frames to be flown at d

USA - Although the Chauvet Professional team arrived at InfoComm with great enthusiasm about the products they would be exhibiting, even the most optimistic among them didn't anticipate the size of the crowds that would stream into their booth - nor the overwhelming praise that attendees would lavish on the company's latest innovations in lighting and video.

"We knew we were bringing some very special products to InfoComm," said Ford Sellers, senior product manager for Chauvet Professional. "But we were amazed by the turnout at our booth, which remained packed throughout the show, and quite thrilled and honoured to hear all the positive things people were saying about our products.

"A lot of thought, research and development goes into every product we bring to market," added Sellers, "so this terrific response at InfoComm reaffirms our belief that

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) Ltd. is hosting a two-day charity cycle ride between its High Wycombe and Leeds sales offices on 18th - 19th July 2015, to raise money in remembrance of a beloved colleague, the late Kevin Fitz-Simons.

Kevin held an important senior role as Northern Lighting Sales Manager in AC-ET's Leeds office. He was an extremely well liked and respected colleague, and a larger than life character. During his diverse career spanning over 30 years, Kevin built up an incredible number of customer relationships and friendships. He sadly passed away on 31st December 2013, aged 53.

This event - known as the 'Fitz-Simons Challenge' - is being organised by Stuart Burdett, Technical Sales Executive for AC-ET's Video product division. It will raise funds for two great charities which would have met with Kevin's approval, and aims to secure a minimum of &p

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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

UK - Following KV2 Audio's successful return to the ABTT Show in 2014 the company will be returning to this year's event, taking place next week 24-25 June at Alexandra Palace, London.

KV2 will be exhibiting on Stand E-21 and showing a range of products currently being used in theatres worldwide.

KV2 will also be presenting an hour-long seminar including audio demonstrations in The Studio Theatre, Londesborough Room. This will centre on the recently released ESD 5 - The Latest Revolution in Theatre Delay Speakers - as well as other exciting products currently being used in several West End and touring productions.

The seminar takes place at 14:00 on the first show day - Wednesday 24 June, The Studio Theatre, Londesborough Room.

(Jim Evans)

Fiji - Working closely with gaffer James Tinsley and his team, Aurora have sent out a full location package to the latest series of Love Island.

The team have been working round the clock to get things ready for the latest batch of islanders. To support the installation, Aurora has provided everything from Tungsten to tape, distro to desks, plus site power and a range of bespoke electronic installations and LED set pieces.

Commenting on the project, Aurora MD Nick Edwards said, "preparing the gear and taking care of the logistical challenge of transporting a full location package to the Island in the sun was the easy part - thankfully James and his team are on board to make sure the 12 islanders are viewed in the best possible light during their six weeks excursion to paradise!" Love Island runs on ITV2.

(Jim Evans)

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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

India - Hyderabad based Namdhari impex has been awarded full brand representation by the Portuguese manufacturer, NEXT- proaudio for India.

The news follows discussions between the manufacturer and the distributor which started just after the Get Show in Guangzhou.

"For NEXT- proaudio it will be good to be distributed by Namdhari impex because they are a very professional company growing in India, and it is another big step ahead to continue growing in the Asian professional audio market," said Andre Correia, NEXT- proaudio's assistant manager.

"This is our honour and privilege to be associated with NEXT- proaudio. We have accepted the responsibility to market and promote their products to the best of our abilities. This is our brand and we are going to rock the Indian market. Our passion combined with these fantastic products will definitely yield the desired

USA - Each year Caravan Stage take their mobile venue - the 30m tall ship Amara Zee - on tour to a selection of coastal cities - with a stunning and provocative production, and the 2015 season kicked off with a continuation of their successful experimental musical Hacked: The Treasure of the Empire in Brooklyn, New York, where the Amara Zee wintered.

Lighting designer Lutz Gock and assistant LD Katie Davies used their new Robe LED fixtures - four DLX Spot moving lights and six LEDForce 18 PARs rig - on what Lutz describes as the "almost upside down" lighting plot.

When it comes to lighting Caravan Stage performances, there are several very specific requirements.

With no stage roof, the kit is exposed to the elements during the set-up, rehearsal and show periods. Lighting, sound and video equipment are all powered by an on-board generator so it is limited, wh

UK - Unusual Rigging is set to make a major announcement on its stand (D22) at this year's ABTT show. The news will remain under wraps until 24 June when visitors are invited to attend the stand at 2.30pm for an official photo-call.

Denis Bramhall, Unusual's general manager said, "There are big changes afoot for Unusual Rigging this year and we see ABTT as the ideal platform for announcing these. We've updated our stand - offering a more relaxed atmosphere, more seating and refreshments for anyone who stops by to speak to us.

"We are principally a solutions and rental company - we sell a service, so ABTT is not about displaying our wares. We realised that we needed a space that would encourage new and existing customers to come along and spend time talking to us, finding out how we may be able to help them with a solution to their potentially challenging projects.&qu

Sweden - LumenRadio has announced the launch of the CRMX TiMo FX - the latest product launch for the entertainment industry designed to simplify the implementation of wireless DMX & RDM into a multitude of applications. Built on the TiMo platform which launched late last year, the FX module enables TiMo to act as both an RDM enabled receiver and a DMX transmitter, selectable by the user.

This version of TiMo is expected to be of interest to manufacturers building fixtures with stand-alone modes, such as battery uplighters, where one fixture can be configured as a transmitter and further fixtures down the line can be linked as receivers. By building on the same feature set as the hugely successful TiMo RX RDM, TiMo FX adds the transmitter capabilities required to link series' of fixtures, whilst retaining popular features such as the DMX Window which made TiMo RX RDM so easy to i

Brazil - Singer-songwriter Luan Santana recently released his fourth live album and DVD Acústico, which - as its title suggests - was recorded acoustically. The recordings took place in Quanta Studios in Sao Paulo, with a retro setting and dress code leading you back to the Broadway Sixties. Shortly after the release, several of the singles reached the top of the Brazil Hot 100 Airplay chart.

For this production, as for previous Luan Santana productions, Spectrum Design e Iluminacao supplied a complete technology solution. LED products from SGM assisted in conveying the old theatre style with a total of 30 P-5 wash lights, 80 X-5 LED strobes and 40 SixPack blinders.

The SixPacks were mounted in the grand upper façade, giving the marquee the effect and look of the halogen emulating lamps, whilst offering the brightness and low power consumption of the LED light sources

UK - This year's First Night Riders charity motorbike and classic car tour of British theatres, which raises money for The Theatrical Guild's (TTG) vital work, takes to the roads on Friday 3 July.

This year marks the sixth year that some of the theatre industry's biggest movers and shakers zoom together for a weekend aimed at raising awareness and much-needed funds to help TTG support Backstage and FOH staff in need. Established in 1891, TTG is dedicated to looking after theatre personnel who, due to a variety of circumstances need welfare advice, counselling, educational sponsorship and many other forms of help.

The charity has many supporters in the industry, including Dara O'Briain who is also a Trustee of The Theatres Trust.

Taking place from 3-6 July, this year's route starts in Scarborough and visits the Spa Theatre & Grand Hall and The Stephen Joseph Theatre. Over the

Japan - Japan's Yokkaichi Municipal Museum has recently reopened following a refurbishment designed and installed by GOTO INC, based around their state-of-the-art 8K triple head hybrid planetarium projection system. This, the most advanced opto-mechanical projector ever, offers a viewing potential that is second-to-none. The ability to display the Milky Way to magnitude 18 is just one of its capabilities.

To create the most sophisticated yet natural accompanying audio soundscape, a TiMax SoundHub2 matrix was installed to provide real-time, cue-based timecode synchronisation between the planetarium's multichannel surround audio and the ultra-high-resolution visual content that almost fully envelopes the audience.

The TiMax2 SoundHub controls routing of audio from a 24-channel small mixing console and TASCAM 8-channel recorder by timecode cues, distributing both wired and wirele

UK - Award-winning designer Lucy Osborne, internationally acclaimed lighting designer Emma Chapman and lighting specialist and designer Howard Eaton are officially launching their innovative new venue design company Studio Three Sixty at the ABTT Theatre Show this week.

Studio Three Sixty designs and builds a new kind of temporary venue, using the latest technology to create beautiful spaces bursting with versatility.

The story began with Roundabout - a very special commission from new writing theatre company Paines Plough to design and build the world's first Plug and Play Theatre. Roundabout went on to win The Stage Awards 'Theatre Building of the Year 2015'.

Studio Three Sixty was founded by Osborne, Chapman and Eaton to design more temporary venues using the ideas and technology developed for Roundabout.

"We are absolutely delighted to be at ABTT at the launch of

UK - This year's First Night Riders charity motorbike and classic car tour of British theatres, which raises money for The Theatrical Guild's (TTG) vital work, takes to the roads on Friday 3rd July.

This year marks the sixth year that some of the theatre industry's biggest movers and shakers zoom together for a weekend aimed at raising awareness and much-needed funds to help TTG support Backstage and FOH staff in need. Established in 1891, TTG is dedicated to looking after theatre personnel who, due to a variety of circumstances need welfare advice, counselling, educational sponsorship and many other forms of help.

The charity has many supporters in the industry, including Dara O'Briain who is also a Trustee of The Theatres Trust.

Taking place between 3rd and 6th July, this year's route starts in Scarborough and visits the Spa Theatre & Grand Hall and The Stephen Joseph Thea

Fair Pay - Apple Music reversed its payment policy, a day after the singer Taylor Swift said she was refusing to allow the company to stream her album 1989. In an open letter to Apple, Swift said she was withholding the record as she was unhappy with the three-month free trial offered to subscribers. Now Apple says it will pay artists for music streamed during trial periods. Swift had said the plan was "unfair", arguing Apple had the money to cover the cost. "I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company. "We don't ask you for free iPhones. Please don't ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation."

Olympic Achievement - The International Olympic Committee will receive an award at IBC2015 for its work on conserving and managing its audiovisual archives. The awar

Switzerland - Merging Technologies reports that sales of its Hapi Networked Audio Interface have topped 400 in 11 months; rapidly catching its father, the Horus with sales in excess of 600 since 2012. Both units are fully AES67 compliant but with the added features and functionality afforded by Ravenna.

Hapi is no lightweight except for its compact 1U form factor. In addition to having the Ravenna I/O count, eight AES/EBU plus eight ADAT or two SPDIF is standard. An optional MADI card will make Hapi into an AES67 to MADI converter with one slot left for analogue I/O.

You don't have to be a Pyramix user or a Ravenna enthusiast to enjoy the advanced features that Hapi offers. The CoreAudio and ASIO drivers allow any DAW to connect to the RAVENNA network and the superior I/O performance can become part of whatever DAW set up is used. Pro Tools user and Lady Gaga engineer, Dave Ru

Austria - UK entry's Electro Velvet's LED costumes for Eurovision 2015 featured a bespoke design by LED specialists Light Initiative.

"We were approached by creative director Dan Shipton and the BBC Eurovision team to help make Electro Velvet stand out during this year's performances," says Bryn Williams, creative director of Light Initiative.

Working alongside costume designer Frank Strachan and his costume maker Natascha Stolle, the team incorporated 20,000 video-mapped LEDs into the outfits with 5,500 on singer Bianca's dress alone. Unlike many incarnations of this idea seen in the past, the costume team's clever design 'seamlessly' assimilated the LED into the costumes, along with the fabric, glittering sequins and tassels, with no detriment to the overall aesthetic.

"It was of paramount importance that the costumes be beautiful," says Williams. "

UK - The new 300 seat Quarry Theatre in Bedford has opened to wide acclaim. Audio Light Systems were contracted to provide rigging, audio, AV & lighting in the space which has been created within the Grade II listed 19th Century St Luke's Moravian Church.

Working to a Theatre Plan specification Audio Light Systems installed a Slingco grid, BJ Designs suspension systems, Doughty Engineering IWBs & facility panels, ETC lanterns, Christie projectors, Zero 88 control and dimmers, Yamaha & EM acoustics sound equipment among other manufacturers.

"This is a truly impressive and well thought-out space, that has come together very well. The ability of Audio Light Systems to install the entire technical infrastructure really helps with synergy of a space like this," says Trevor Cross MD Audio light Systems.

(Jim Evans)

South Korea - The quality and capacity of South Korea's hotel, shopping, seminar and conferencing facilities is increasingly highly-regarded on an international level. Leading operator Amway Korea has been a significant contributor to this upward trajectory for many years, and with the recent addition of a Plaza complex in the Gangseo District of Seoul it now has 14 multi-use sites to its credit throughout the country.

AV distributor and installer Sound Solution was engaged to provide suitably reliable and robust audio processing and distribution for Amway Plaza Gangseo, covering multiple seminar rooms and conference spaces. "The principal requirement for this project was to create an optimal acoustical environment by high quality digital audio processing, and it was this need that led us to consider the use of DSPs from Symetrix - a brand that we have used successfully on

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