Belgium - Back in the glam rock-ness of the 1970s, a small village in the middle of Belgium called Werchter decided to put on a one-day music festival. Over four decades on, Rock Wercher has become one of the largest events in the country's musical calendar. This year, it took a new direction, in terms of mixing console choice, with head of sound Patrick Demoustier making the decision for the house system to go completely digital with DiGiCo.
This was a milestone for the festival and Patrick Demoustier explains the reasoning behind making such a fundamental change. "We had talked a lot about moving Rock Werchter's house system from analogue to digital consoles and how we were going to do it," he says. "We didn't want to take any risks; if it went wrong and the exper
UK - Launched in 2004 as an alternative to the established mainstream music festivals, Secret Garden Party is about music, people, places and stories coming together in the most hedonistic, magical, and out-of-this world experience one could ever hope for.
Originally created by Freddie Fellowes on his family's 6000-acre farm in Huntingdon, the festival has grown from a single stage, with a few thousand people, to around 32,000 spread over at least 15 stages.
This eclectic music and arts event surrounds a river and a lake (bearing a different eye popping sculpture each year) - and this year featured for the first time a Martin Audio MLA system on its premier stage (The Great Stage) - courtesy of Capital Sound.
Capital were introduced to the event five years ago to mitigate the site's historic sound problems and worked again alongside environmental sound specialists, CBA. The
China - Audinate has announced the opening of a new Asia-Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong. The office will provide business development, technical sales and customer support in the greater Asia Pacific region.
The decision to open an Asia-Pacific headquarters was fuelled by the overall growth of the AV industry in Asia and the widespread adoption of Audinate's Dante media networking technology in the region. According to InfoComm, Asia-Pacific is the fastest growing market in the professional AV industry, and that holds true for Audinate as well. Audinate now has 44 Dante licensees in Asia, and 47% of those manufacturers have signed in just the last 12 months.
"This expansion reflects Audinate's success in this important market," states David Myers, COO of Audinate. "The new office will focus on business development and support activities for customers in China
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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.
Denmark - Rock band Volbeat's recent homecoming show broke records as the largest concert ever played in Denmark by a local act. With a Meyer Sound Leo linear large-scale sound reinforcement system, the show was heard by more than 37,000 in the Tusindarsskoven forest of Odense.
"I was blown away by the coverage," reports Mads Mikkelsen, long-time FOH engineer for Volbeat. "It's great to know that fans in the back hear the same thing as I do when mixing the show. That's really what I'm aiming for. The band should translate perfectly to every corner of the audience, and the last seat in the house should enjoy the same feeling that I get when I hear the guitars kick in."
Providing pristine coverage across the 160m deep audience area, the main system arrays comprised 14 Leo-M, two LyonN-M main, and two Lyon-W wide-coverage line array loudspeakers each. Two arra
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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.
USA - On seeing the Robe BMFL in action, Bandit placed a large fixture order. The results have spoken for themselves ever since as designer Seth Jackson took the first batch out on the Barry Manilow Farewell Tour. Alabama Shakes designer Rich Stembridge then jumped in and took a load with him, and soon legendary designer Candace Brightman and Paul Hoffman demanded 50 BMFLs be on the Grateful Dead's Fare Thee Well final concerts in Chicago.
Designer Chris Lisle ordered up a big batch for the new Miranda Lambert tour, and as popular as they are, several dozen were specified for the Firefly Festival in Dover, Delaware. Now, designer Dave Butzler has inserted 50 BMFL's on the current Garth Brooks world tour, a show that was already on the road. Dave saw them and had to have them, but he had to wait as demand outstripped supply.
The BMFL joins the current Bandit stock of other Robe
UK - In an effort to support the future growth and success of the live events industry, Production Resource Group (PRG) in the UK has announced its participation in the UK Government's Apprenticeship Trailblazer scheme.
The UK Government has committed to delivering three million apprenticeships by 2020, and is giving employers a greater say in designing high quality apprenticeships which meet the needs of their respective industries.
Trailblazer groups create the Standards which become the blueprints for apprenticeships.
PRG has taken the lead on the Standard for the new Live Event Technician apprenticeship, and has been supported by AdLib Solutions, Britannia Row Productions, Entec Sound & Light, Fineline Lighting, Hawthorn, HSL Group, LS Live, Neg Earth Lighting, Nitelites, Skan PA, SSE Audio, XL Video, Wigwam Acoustics, and White Light in creating the Standards for this n
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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.
UK - Since launching in 2010 Rigging Team has gone from strength to strength. To continue to build on this, its new Stevenage office will be fully operational from September 2015.
"Rigging Team has outgrown our current locations and it's now time to gather together under one roof," says operations manager Claire Gilligan, who has the task of coordinating the move. "It's not often companies get the luxury of a blank slate when it comes to organising warehouse space, the Stevenage office and warehouse has come at just the right time for us."
Director Adam Searle comments, "Our new premises will allow us to better serve our clients with increased storage and prep areas as well as dedicated test & inspection facilities. The location has excellent road and rail links giving easy access into London and around the UK."
Malaysia - With the International Indian Film Academy Awards (also known as the IIFA Awards) the International Indian Film Academy honours both the artistic and technical excellence of professionals involved in Bollywood. Started in 2000, the ceremony is staged in different countries worldwide every year, with the most recent one being held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Lighting designer, programmer, operator Harold Fernandez used three grandMA2 full-size consoles on this year's show.
Fernandez had many reasons to rely on the grandMA2. "As the industry changes, so do the challenges of lighting and its products. They are both more flexible and complex and an easy way to operate these products is via the grandMA2. One can create so many different viewing options and layout formats with the console. Also the MA 3D visualizer is great and lets you see your design from various vi
Australia - Craig Boyes' bdesign is a creative event agency and consultancy providing services across multiple disciplines, including event management, lighting design, entertainment, staging design, AV, logistics and technology consultancy. Based out of Melbourne, bdesign recently invested in a powerful, flexible package from High End Systems, including eight Shapeshifter C2 LED fixtures and a Road Hog 4 console to control them.
"I've been a Hog user for years," reported Craig. "The Road Hog 4 ticks all the boxes in terms of what I want out of a desk. I like the layout and the large screen real estate. I prefer everything to be on the one screen, as opposed to a larger desk that'd have screens and controls spread out laterally." Since its purchase, Craig has already had it out on gigs as diverse as contemporary dance shows and the launch of the film Magic
USA - For the better part of five decades, Nile Rodgers has demonstrated an uncanny ability to weave diverse musical influences together in unexpected ways. Rodgers' versatility and virtuosity were on full display recently at the FOLD Festival, outside New York City, on a star studded stage illuminated by a collection of fixtures from Chauvet Professional.
Rodgers not only performed on stage with Chic, he hosted the two-day festival, bringing together an eclectic mix of friends and collaborators while "mashing up music cultures", as he told the press. The mash featured sets by Pharrell Williams, Beck, Duran Duran, Chaka Kahn, Q-Tip and Keith Urban, among others.
"There was a sense of electricity in the air throughout the festival, and we were happy to be a part of it," said Jason Ayala of ProSho (New York), which provided the lighting rig. "We wanted l
Italy - Dating back to 1980, when legendary names like BB King, Muddy Waters, Fats Domino and John Lee Hooker were among headliners at the inaugural Pistoia Blues festival in Tuscany, this remains one of the most durable annual events in Europe.
Supported by a Martin Audio PA, the 2015 edition again took place in the beautiful city's Piazza Duomo over the course of nine evenings (between July 1-24) - organised by the Associazione Blues in conjunction with the Comune di Pistoia, (City of Pistoia).
Today, the event has diversified far from its authentic blues roots, and headliners this year included Mumford & Sons, Counting Crows, Hozier, Passenger, The Darkness, The Dream Theater, Santana, Sting and an Italian Blues Night.
Technical infrastructure was provided by the long-standing Electra Service, headed by Roberto Buttarelli, with the main PA system - Martin Audio's flagship
USA - The 5,000-seat Coussoulis Arena is home to California State University, San Bernardino's Coyotes basketball, volleyball, and other indoor sports teams. The arena also hosts spoken word events, such as lectures and panel discussions, as well as music acts and performing artists of both regional and national status.
Although the Community Sound-based system that went into the arena when it was built in 1995 served it reasonably well, a supposed upgrade of the electronics a decade ago crippled it, rendering speech unintelligible and music boxy and lifeless. Without replacing the original Community loudspeakers, live sound and A/V integration firm Simon Productions (Winnetka, California) revitalized Coussoulis Arena with Ashly Audio processing, amplification, and user control.
"The original loudspeakers went in with a custom-made, proprietary controller that included al
Italy - Sal Da Vinci is back in the theatre with a new show Se Amore è... Revolution (If Love is... a Revolution) which was staged at the Augusteo theatre in Naples.
The show was written by Da Vinci with Gino Landi and Paolo Caiazzo, and combines music, sketches (entrusted to the actor Lello Radice) and narratives (read by Pasquale Panella).
"I met Sal Da Vinci," lighting designer Francesco Adinolfi reports. "During the amazing success of C'era una volta Scugnizzi (Once upon a time there were street urchins), a musical written by Claudio Mattone (music and lyrics) and Claudio Mattone and Enrico Vaime (script) in 2002. The work was inspired by the 1989 film Scugnizzi (street urchins) directed by Nanni Loy. The musical was staged for the first time in 2002 and, because of its enormous success, restaged during the 2010-2011 winter season."
UK - De Montfort University, the public research and teaching university situated in the city of Leicester, has undertaken a major upgrade to the PACE (Performing Arts Centre for Excellence) facility on the campus, including a new multi surround speaker array. The project was entrusted to Studio Creations, professional audio suppliers and bespoke recording studio designers founded by directors Mark Russell and Justin Spier.
VDC Trading supplied the Van Damme cabling which was used throughout the facility with all speaker lines running on Van Damme Star Quad multicore cable to minimise interference from the lighting system and power. In addition the Van Damme stage box connected at three points around the room used Van Damme Blue Series multicore and all cable stock used Van Damme Classic Mic Cable.
Justin Spier said, "We specified Van Damme cable, as we always do. Van Dam
UK - If the UK is to maintain its position as a world leader in creative industries, the learning and development of managers and leaders needs to be drastically improved, according to a research report published by the creative industries' skills body, Creative Skillset, and Ashridge Business School.
The report, Creativity and Constraint, leadership and management in the creative industrie paints a picture of unstructured learning environments, little time for training and development and a fairly widespread lack of understanding of the strategic goals of companies, especially in smaller enterprises and amongst freelance staff less able to access training.
It highlights the need for support on leadership, strategy, innovation, financial and people management - and mentoring is cited as the preferred means of developing management skills.
UK - Astera has appointed Stardream as the exclusive distributor of Astera's wireless event lights in the UK. Stardream is based in Blackpool, and will serve England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Stardream has been providing the entertainment industry with innovative products and services since 1977. Astera is delighted to have partnered such a respected and experienced distributor.
Commenting on the partnership, Sam Barnett, owner of Stardream, said, "Nearly 39 years after my father found a product in Europe to have sole distribution rights, we are now delighted to have found the same with Astera LED. The future most definitely looks bright for Stardream." Astera/Stardream will be exhibiting at this year's PLASA show from 4-6 October 2015 (stand C12), and at this year's BPM event from 12-14 September 2015 (stand F091).
Switzerland - Russian vocalist Alina Engibaryan was announced as the winner of the Shure Montreux Jazz Voice Competition 2015 by jazz and soul singer Al Jarreau, who was leading the 2015 competition jury during its final stages on 15-16 July, held at the Petit Théâtre in the Montreux Palace Hotel.
Engibaryan, 22, is currently studying on the Master Programme at the Prince Claus Conservatoire in the Netherlands, having entered jazz music school in her native Russia at the age of five. She swayed the jury with her renditions of My Gentleman Friend, Chick Corea's You're Everything and James Moody's Mood For Love.
The competition's second prize and audience choice was won by South Africa's Vuyo Sotashe, while the third prize went to Yumi Ito from Switzerland.
Established to nurture and promote talented young singers from all around the world through
UK / Russia - J&C Joel has received an official letter of thanks from the Russian Government for its role in the Sochi 2014 Games. The Sowerby Bridge-based company produced two key elements for the opening ceremony of the Winter Games which were held in Sochi in 2014.
Now, more than a year after the Games took place, J&C Joel has received an official certificate from the Russian Prime Minister, Dimitry Medvedev, expressing the gratitude of the Government of the Russian Federation for the 'large contribution in the preparation and staging of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympics Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi'.
On the back of successful projects for other major international sporting and cultural events, J&C Joel was asked to create two scenic elements for the Sochi opening ceremony, both of which incorporated a large amount of engineering and drapery. They produced f
UAE - The Association of Professional Wireless Production Technologies (APWPT) will host a Programme Making and Special Event (PMSE) user meeting on 30 August, 2015 at the Meydan Hotel in Dubai to discuss the all-important subject of spectrum allocation and management for wireless PMSE devices and enter into meaningful and productive conversations with the national government and local PMSE users in the UAE.
APWPT is an international not-for-profit organisation that represents users and manufacturers of wireless production tools, so called SAB/SAP or PMSE - wireless microphones, cameras and effect control. Sennheiser Group is a founding member of APWPT and supports the organization in its worldwide engagement.
PMSE is the generic term which covers an extensive range of wireless production tools used for art, culture, conferences, trade fairs, entertainment applications, educat
Mexico - The rich and vibrant Latin music scene generates a lot of 'crossover' between artists and the production side of the industry in the Mexican rental world. Most people involved in companies started their industry careers playing in bands and many are still active musicians or are involved in artist management.
Sergio Serrano is one of those charismatic and multi-skilled people whose lighting and video rental company, LED Project is one of a number of businesses run alongside his role as production manager of Café Tacuba, one of Mexico's most famous and popular bands. He also works closely as a show producer with Radio station MVS staging around 100 events a year.
Sergio first decided that LED Project should invest in Robe equipment in 2013, shortly after the Pointe was launched. He immediately saw big potential in the small size and multi-functionality of the un
India - When Professor CS Deshpande founded the Vidyalankar Dyanapeeth Trust and started coaching students in 1960, using just a single classroom in Dadar to do so, little did he know that it would grow into one of the finest engineering teaching establishments in India.
Now situated in Wadala (East), a central suburb of Mumbai, the campus of the Vidyalankar Institute of Technology stretches over 11 acres of land, and currently has around 7,000 students enjoying some of the best teaching and recreational facilities the country has to offer.
"At Vidyalankar, we understand the needs of the students, and we go that extra mile to make sure that we fulfil them," says Vishwas Deshpande, managing trustee of the Vidyalankar Dyanapeeth Trust. "God has been kind to us, so we must always do our best and provide the very best for them that we can," he adds.