USA - By offering both a "classic" service and a "connect" service every Sunday, First Baptist Church in Claremore, Oklahoma has been successful in building its congregation. Both services are big productions. The "classic" service requires sound reinforcement for primarily traditional orchestral instruments, whereas the "connect" service delivers a modern-rock vibe with high-energy music, video, and lighting.

As First Baptist pushed its offerings into exciting new territory, they inevitably outgrew their decade-old sound reinforcement system, which they pushed to the point of chronic equipment failure. With a media-driven worship service, FBCC needed a reliable upgrade to deliver the gospel within its 1,500-plus seat sanctuary. The church c

USA - International Keyboard Odyssiad and Festival (IKOF), an annual competition dedicated to promoting the next generation of pianists, tasked the recording engineer and producer Mirko Canji with recording the intensive five-day event. The engineer recommended the high-resolution, Direct Stream Digital (DSD) in simultaneous 5.0 multichannel and stereo formats, and turned to DPA Microphones to ensure the most accurate recordings.

Seeking the most accurate recording of the master classes, evening concerts and semi-final and final rounds of the event, Canji, who specializes in chamber and orchestral music arranged a combination of DPA Microphones powered by Grace Design's m802 remote-controlled microphone preamplifier to do the job. He employed DPA's d:dicate 4006A Omnidirectional Microphones in stereo and surround setups, respectively. He also selected the company's d:facto Vocal

South Africa - One of the most popular and well-attended events during the biennial Mediatech Africa 2015, held in July, were the Lighting Designer Sessions, sponsored and organised by Italian lighting manufacturer Clay Paky.

Presented by multi award winning theatre and opera designer Paule Constable and large-scale arena spectacular lighting designer Durham Marenghi, both sessions were quickly over-subscribed from the moment they were announced and two further sessions were quickly scheduled to absorb the overflow.

Constable, who is also associate director of the National Theatre, London, talked passionately about her preferred collaborative approach to the design process and illustrated this with images of her recent designs for shows including the award winning Warhorse and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

In contrast, Marenghi focused on t

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Germany - JoeCo has announced that Peter Wolff Elektroakustik is now representing the BlackBox range of multi-channel audio recorders and players in Germany.

Based in Recklinghausen, PWE has distributed a range of professional audio and communications products since the 1980s, playing a key role in establishing brands such as Midas and ASL Intercom in the territory. At the helm is industry veteran Peter Wolff, whose early experiences of renting and supplying DASH digital recorders during the 1980s laid a firm foundation for the digital recording technology expertise he has amassed over subsequent decades.

"We're very pleased to be taking on distribution of JoeCo products and look forward to supporting customers involved in a range of projects," says Wolff. "Thanks to their highly reliable operating capabilities, JoeCo BlackBox Recorders and Players have proved t

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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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USA - Eight PLASA draft standards are in public review. The draft documents, review forms, and instructions for submitting comments may be downloaded from the Technical Standards Programme website at http://tsp.plasa.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php. Anyone with a material interest is invited to submit comments through the end of the day 28 September 2015. Listed in order by working group, they are:

Control Protocols Working Group

BSR E1.31 - 20xx, Entertainment Technology - Lightweight streaming protocol for transport of DMX512 using ACN

This standard describes a mechanism to transfer DMX512-A packets over a TCP/IP network using a subset of the ACN protocol suite. It covers data format, data protocol, data addressing, and network management It also outlines a synchronization method to help ensure that multiple sinks can process this data concurrently w

USA - San Francisco rockers Train continue their Bulletproof Picasso tour with the current two month US leg playing a selection of major arenas and sheds, for which LD Brock Hogan has specified 90 x CycFX 4s, 40 x Pointes and 15 x LEDBeam 1000s.

The CycFX 4s and LEDBeam 100s were both new purchases for Orlando based lighting vendor, LMG.

A prominent feature of the design are 10 lighting pods - that move into different positions during the show - providing an interesting, fluid and ever changing geometric element to the stage space.

The LEDBeam 1000s are used as wash fixtures due to the excellent zoom. Their individual ring control also opens up a whole range of new effects, together with the smooth dimming and color mixing, explained Brock who positioned them all over the rig. "The output is amazing," he stated.

The upstage truss is made up of five individual sec

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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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Vietnam - Vietnam has spent the last decade as one of the world's fastest-growing economies. As its business and industrial sectors have expanded, so has its entertainment infrastructure, with past years witnessing the arrival of numerous superb new venues - among the more recent of which is the eye-catching Chill Skybar overlooking Ho Chi Minh City.

Since opening its doors for the first time in 2011, the Chill Skybar has become one of the most popular leisure destinations in Vietnam's largest city. But a persistent issue with noise spillage meant that its audio specification was ultimately deemed to be inadequate - hence the decision to enlist locally-based AV firm DesignLive Technologies to undertake an upgrade.

"The venue was very highly regarded, but there was a problem with the sound quality and noise bleed had resulted in complaints from neighbouring properties,&quo

USA - American hard-rock band Shinedown recently wrapped their summer tour with lighting provided by Bandit Lites. After celebrating their ninth No. 1 single with Cut the Cord off their upcoming studio album Threat to Survival, the band will be back on the road in November with a co-headlining tour with Breaking Benjamin.

Lighting designer Carter Fulghum used GLP X4S's to provide front light and colour for the stage. Robe Pointes brought punches of colour, cutting through the VL 3000s, the fixture Fulghum deemed "the workhorse of the rig".

Clay Paky B-EYES were utilized as dressing and backlight. "I really liked working with the B-EYES," said Fulghum of the recently added fixtures. "They have a lot of effects that help you keep each song looking different and new."

With the summer tour taking place in more intimate settings such as

USA - Ashly Audio has hired Ed Czarnecki as its applications engineer. Czarnecki will report to Scott Leslie, Ashly's executive vice president, and will wear many hats in his new position. Among his duties, Czarnecki will work with consultants, integrators, and distributors to provide information and training about Ashly products, both pre- and post-sale, as well as solutions to design challenges.

He will convey the evolving needs of Ashly's customers to the various divisions that maintain Ashly's reputation for building affordable, reliable solutions. Czarnecki is based at Ashly's headquarters in Webster, NY and will visit consultants, integrators and installation sites for training, consultation and assistance.

"Ed has been working on the integration side of A/V for over a decade," said Leslie. "He has worked in every aspect of the industry. He has pulled wire

USA - Momentum Audio Sales, the exclusive distributor of Audient consoles for the US market, has partnered with Kate Cardwell of Cardwell Creative Services to provide business development and support for Audient consoles.

"Besides having great sounding consoles, Audient has a great story and legacy," said Cardwell on working with Audient. "Their collective passion for music and engineering gives them a unique understanding of their market, and makes it a true pleasure to champion their products."

Cardwell will engage both the current sales force and dealer network and provide product training and customer support. Due to the custom installation nature of the audio console business, she will work with customers directly as the first point of contact for recording and mastering studios, broadcast facilities, colleges and universities.

"I enjoy talking

USA - The AES139 Convention at the Jacob Javits Centrein New York City (29 October - 1 November 2015), is slated to host "the most in-depth technical programme of the year for audio professionals". The event offers attendees four full days of comprehensive Technical Programme presentations including Workshops, Tutorials, Paper Sessions, Student & Career Development Events, Special Events and more.

Paper topics this year include timely subjects ranging from Audio Education and Forensic Audio, to Cinema Sound, Sound Reinforcement, Spatial Audio and more. Tutorial topics are slated to include Interactive Music: Past, Present and Future, Main Microphone Techniques for 2.0 and 5.1, Listening Tests - Understanding the Basic Concepts and other in-depth topics of interest. Additional topics in the Workshop series will include Low Frequency Behaviour in

UK - A new company specialising in the supply of construction (design and management) services for the event sector is reporting strong demand for their services following the changes to the CDM regulations that came into force on 6 April.

HFL:CDM was established in July 2015 as a direct response to customer demand for CDM consultancy for event and festival projects but has already been selected to provide these for major events sectors such as steam rally events and corporate parties.

HFL:CDM's director, Barry Hird, commented, "Following the changes to the CDM regulations in 2015, and the resultant increasing demand for CDM advice and services within the event sector, HFL-CDM was set up not only for general construction and process engineering clients but also for those organising medium and large scale events - a niche field requiring construction, engineering, H&S, exp

UK - Avolites Titan consoles reigned supreme at Bloodstock Festival, with all stages running Titan for the rock and metal festival that drew more than 15,000 metal heads to Derbyshire this month.

Bloodstock's main 'Ronnie James Dio' stage featured metal heavyweights such as headliners Trivium, Within Temptation and Rob Zombie. LD Ben Coxon controlled using two HSL-supplied flagship Avolites Sapphire Touch consoles, networked together with a TitanNet Processor (TNP). HSL also supplied a dimming solution in the form of two 48-way Avolites ART2000 dimmers for the stage, as well as further Avolites consoles and dimmers across the festival site.

"Due to the busking nature of the festival, Avolites was the perfect choice," says Andy Whittaker of HSL. "The range of Titan consoles, going from the Quartz all the way up to the Sapphire Touch, suited each stage of the fest

Australia - Queensland's Fifalite Effects Lighting has taken delivery of a new MA Lighting dot2 XL-F, a compact lighting console designed for small to medium sized productions up to 4,096 control channels

Fifalite's managing director David Pfeiffer has always leant towards a different brand of lighting console but he happened to be visiting Brisbane Show Technology on a different matter, when Adam White showed him a brochure for the new dot2 console.

"I had always admired the MA brand in so much as everywhere I go, the grandMA2 seems to be the console of choice," commented Pfeiffer. "I never thought I would own one as I run a fairly small business and they are quite expensive for me. Plus the type of shows that I do would not warrant having such a fancy console. However, the dot2 brochure got me interested and once I found out the price, I was hooked."

Mu

Rwanda - DWR Distribution teamed up with DimBright for an LED installation for Cube Communications Limited in Rwanda.

Johnny Scholtz from DWR advised the client on a cost effective way to light up the set of their new News Studio. Jakes Mogale from DimBright was then commissioned to carry out the installation.

"While it was a very basic install, which included a power supply, controllers and LED strips the end result looked great," commented Jakes. "It was a wonderful experience as it was my first time in East Africa. Johnny had worked out a solution from South Africa for the client, but when I arrived, we had to alter the set somewhat to accommodate the lights."

The set was made out of Perspex and was showing spots. A simple vinyl print put over the Perspex set allowed the light to disperse evenly.

(Jim Evans)

South Africa - TechRig has now joined SGM's rental portfolio in South Africa with the company's initial purchase of the Q-7 flood blind strobe.

As a leading specialist technical solutions agency, TechRig approached SGM's local distributor S.E.T Africa to expand their rental stock with SGM luminaires. "We were looking for cutting-edge LED solutions, and that's why we selected the SGM products," says director of TechRig, Michael Collyer. He adds, "The Q-7 is a nice small multipurpose unit, which can be used as a colour washing set piece to eye candy extravaganza."

SGM's profile matches well with TechRig's vision. This well-established and experienced company seeks to implement the latest technological developments with top quality gear that is constantly updated, and, as Collyer underlines, "SGM applies a different way of thinking to their products makin

Denmark - The cities of Detroit, Geneva and Frankfurt have something in common. Each plays host to one of the world's biggest and most prominent auto shows. Manufacturers often leverage the attention garnered by these international events to launch new flagship models that will be the core of their business for the year to come.

With so much at stake, brands like Ford, Bentley and Jaguar Land Rover understand that an audience-engaging show booth is worthless without camera-ready, visually stunning displays of their new vehicles. That's why they tap design firms like Imagination and lighting suppliers like Static Light Company, which are staffed by experts who understand the challenges of illuminating a car's sleek curves and metallic sheen in an indoor convention hall. To meet those challenges, they rely on Martin Professional's lighting fixtures.

"Our MAC series of premi

UK - DJ, producer and musician Danny Byrd has recently upgraded his creative space at home with a new monitoring set up that features Genelec 8351s.

"I've been working with the 8351s for about four months now and I'm delighted with how things are going," comments Danny. "I do my creative work in my writing studio at home which is not kitted out like a conventional studio - this can present some monitoring challenges, especially when comparing mixes that I might have done elsewhere. When setting up the 8351s, the use of AutoCal software proved invaluable in ironing out any room response anomalies and allowing the accurate soundstage of the Genelecs to shine through."

The 8351s were supplied by The Studio Shop, a London-based audio recording equipment specialist. The Highgate-based outlet is run by proprietor, Niki Melville-Rogers, who has worked with Danny b

USA - Striving to make the undergraduate student experience as fulfilling as possible, the University at Buffalo Student Association hosts a series of memorable events throughout the year. As the organization got set to produce the EDM concert Electric Tundra headlined by Bingo Players and featuring 3LAU and DNNYD, the local production staff was asked to create a high-energy atmosphere inside the Alumni Arena, and needed lightweight LED video panels that could also create quality HD projections so they chose the FLEXCurtain HD from PixelFLEX.

"On Electric Tundra we had the challenge to present a national headlining act with limited setup time on a small stage with a video wall, all on a tight budget," began production manager, Katie Gilliland, University at Buffalo Centre for the Arts. "Inside the 6,500 seat arena, equipment cannot be hung from the r

Italy - Mario Biondi is one of the few Italian artists who can claim some sort of esteem and saleability outside Italy, perhaps on account of the characteristics of his kind of music, or perhaps because he sings in English.

Before taking on a huge number of concerts in major European and Asian capitals, he embarked on a tour of theatres in Italy to mark the release of his latest work Beyond This album also features foreign artists and producers.

Jo Campana, the lighting designer who has worked with Biondi for several years, briefly described how the tour lighting design came about: "After a discussion with Mario and after listening to his new album, I tried to steer my work so that it diverged from the Mario's past and supported his intention to seek out and discover new musical horizons.

"My idea was to create an elegant stage concept, with just a touch of

UK - The newest RedNet devices announced last year - RedNet MP8R, RedNet D16R, RedNet HD32R and RedNet D64R - are now available, Focusrite has announced. All new models feature redundant power supplies, primary and secondary etherCON connections and occupy a single rack space. "Perfect for live sound and broadcast, this marks another forward step for the Focusrite brand into broader pro audio applications," the company says.

The four new models join the RedNet range of Dante-based interfaces, which offer a high quality audio-over-IP. In addition to a 1U form factor, they incorporate several features aimed squarely at the live sound market, including power- and network-redundancy.

The four new products are the MP8R 8-channel remote-controlled mic pre; D16R AES/EBU interface; HD32R Pro Tools bridge; and the D64R MADI bridge. Dual Ethernet ports, fitted with locking eth

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