USA - When it comes to the lights in his rig, Dominic Lopenzo doesn’t hesitate to say that he is completely partial to beam fixtures, or more specifically the beam function in Chauvet Professional’s Rogue RH1 Hybrid.
“Beams have become my favourite, because they add so much energy to a room,” he said. “I find myself going to them often.”
Partiality to beams might not be unusual in a concert/touring designer, but Lopenzo is speaking as technical director of Grace City Church, a 750-seat house of worship with a distinctly modern touch located in Lakeland, Florida..
“Many people have described our services as being like a concert, and to our worship team and me that’s a huge compliment,” said Lopenzo, who comes from a concert background and still w

Ukraine - For Olya Polyakova’s The Queen of the Night show, staged at Kiev’s Palace of Sports in October 2021, a large array of Claypaky lighting fixtures gave a high-energy look to the concert and accented the royal design motif employed by the popular performer.
Yuriy Andrushchenko, drector of Feyeria, supplied lighting designer Vlad Cherepin with 62 Claypaky Sharpys, 54 Sharpy Plus, 32 Mini-B LED moving lights, 32 Tambora Battens and eight Scenius Unico spots for the concert.
“The central element of the set was a star-shaped crown suspended from trusses on moving motors, where we put the Sharpy fixtures,” says Dmytro Andrushchenko, stage designer of Feyeria. “Sharpys were very well suited to this application because they are small and easy to install and have a great effect in a large hall.”
Vlad Cherepin chose Sharpys, he says, “because

UK - Sonosphere has welcomed the new year by remembering a busy 2021. Most significantly, the company was involved in the 5G Festival (5GF) project, central to the continuing advancements in using 5G technology in a new way for the entertainment industry. In addition, the Sonosphere management team completed a buyout of the company, with Duncan Bell joining as commercial director; this was swiftly followed by the team supplying immersive audio for the public launch of Ed Sheeran’s new album.
2022 is set to be as busy, with multiple projects in the pipeline including a major interactive multimedia exhibition that will open in Germany in the New Year, spatialising the work of a Saudi Arabian producer and composer, and an immersive audio installation into a major London venue.
“The November 5GF trials were a seminal moment for the entire consortium of companies invol
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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

UK - The Brudenell Social Club can legitimately claim cult status within the Leeds music scene, having hosted a broad mix of international acts including the Kaiser Chiefs, Franz Ferdinand, Tom Jones and The Smiths in addition to a steady stream of local talent.
It started life as a working mans’ club in 1913 and still holds those beginnings close to its heart - in addition to its two large concert rooms it also offers a lounge and games room and hosts local photography, film and origami groups on regular occasions. It now boasts two DiGiCo Quantum 225s as part of its audio arsenal.
With an endless procession of engineers passing through its doors each year, its faithful console of 10 years had seen its share of wear and tear and owner Nathan Clark knew it was time to secure a replacement. He turned to SSE Audio, whose Ryan Thomas takes up the story:
“The Bru

Russia - Art and culture are central to Russia’s heritage, and the country’s cultural institutions play an integral role in its citizens’ lives. Two such institutions are the multifunctional Palace of Culture ‘Kapotnya’ in Moscow and the Polyarnye Zori Palace of Culture in the far north city of Polyarnye Zori. Both were opened in the 1970s, and both organise leisure activities, introduce residents to creativity and art, and work to preserve national and cultural traditions that support the development of social initiatives of their respective local populations.
L-Acoustics certified provider distributor for Russia, Sonoruss, recently installed L-Acoustics A Series in both cultural centres.
“All Palace of Culture venues are by nature multifunctional, therefore the systems that we propose need to accommodate anything from theatre shows, festivals and music co

USA - Charity Behind the Scenes has announced a series of Mental Health First Aid virtual training classes throughout January and February.
The Mental Health First Aid course takes the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations with someone you are worried about by teaching you how to recognize the signs and symptoms, how to listen and give reassurance, and how to refer that person to appropriate professional support and services. The course is delivered in two parts - a self-paced online course followed by a six-hour virtual live instructor-led session.
Participants will learn about the risk factors and warning signs of mental health and substance use problems including information on depression, anxiety, trauma, psychosis and substance use; the five-step ALGEE action plan to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or is in crisis, and the avai

UK - A lot of music history has reverberated off the walls of The Brook in Southampton, a former Victorian pub turned live performance venue. Bill Wyman has jammed on its tidy stage, so too have Billy Bragg and other UK stars. Now a bit of the future is shining of its storied walls too, as GLS lighting has given the club an LED lighting upgrade with some 30 Chauvet Professional fixtures.
The change began during the COVID lockdown when The Brook’s director Nick Lewis saw an opportunity to define a new vision that would take the venue, which began hosting live music in 1994, to new levels whilst also committing to reducing its environmental impact.
Having worked with The Brook for over 20 years, local install specialists GLS were brought on board to transform the club’s outdated lighting system with a modern, flexible LED installation with the idea of enhancing its
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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.

Norway - For the second straight year Nobel Week Lights Stockholm was presented as part of the city’s Nobel Prize celebrations from 4-12 December 2021. Dialog, the installation by lighting designer Fredrik Jönsson, utilised 30 Xtylos Aquas, the IP66-rated fixtures powered by Claypaky’s proprietary RGB laser source. Xtylos Aqua offers the same effects and features of the original Xtylos in a small and robust form factor designed for use outdoors.
Nobel Week Lights Stockholm was organised by The Nobel Prize Museum and featured some 20 artistic installations inspired by the Nobel Prize and its winners’ achievements.
Jönsson’s Dialog was located on Strömparterren, a small island in the centre of Stockholm near the royal palace and parliament, and visible across the city. It was inspired by the Nobel Prize in Physics that Charles K. Kao won in 2009

USA - Solotech has acquired XR Studios, a full-service agency specialising in extended reality, including augmented reality technology for live broadcast and virtual productions.
Located in Los Angeles, XR Studios serves high-end clients in multiple segments such as TV, music, Fortune 500 companies, and live events. XR Studios pioneered innovative performances such as Katy Perry’s American Idol finale and MTV’s 2020 Video Music Awards. Other notable clients include Billie Eilish, Leon Bridges, Amazon, Verizon, Twitch, and many more. Going forward, the company will continue to operate as a separate entity and brand.
Through the acquisition, Solotech's Media and Entertainment Technology division will make a significant step towards realising its vision of developing new technological solutions that are at the crossroads of three markets: fans and artists, con

UK - With government advice putting the decision-making onto the shoulders of the public and consumer confidence eroding as a consequence, the live events sector is stressed to the limit, says industry organisation #WeMakeEvents (WME).
Despite a devastating 2020 and a challenging 2021, businesses in the industry have worked hard to exceed revenues last recorded in November 2019 by the same month in 2021. But, says WME, the current climate has already eroded this by 80% during December 2021 and is forecast to continue through January.
From the UK’s first lockdown in Spring 2020 until summer 2021, companies in this sector only received around 12% of the Cultural Recovery Fund (CRF) awards whilst many of the freelance technical specialists who work in the industry are still catching-up on their finances, having had no work for over a year.
WME says in a statement:

World - As the LSi and PLASA teams finish up for the festive break, we’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued readership throughout 2021.
Whilst the pandemic continues to cast its long shadow, it has been encouraging to see the gradual return of the full spectrum of live events, and to bring you technical reports from some of the brightest concert touring, theatre and festival productions across both LSi Online and the magazine.
Our daily online news service will resume on Tuesday, 4 January 2022. Until then, if you fancy a read, you can access LSi’s full 36-year back catalogue free online here.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays - we wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!
The LSi team

Czech Republic - Debuting in fall 2021 at the O2 Arena in Prague, Martin Hruška’s Queen Relived tQueen tribute show uses automated platforms, cubic structures and an array of ingeniously configured geometric structures to immerse audiences and bring them closer to the Freddy Mercury experience as performed by the band Queenie CZ.
“The show revolves around the concept of depth,” said Hruška, who designed the stage, lighting rig, and video graphics for the show, in addition to writing its storyline. “I wanted the automation platform to change perspectives, I had a long catwalk dive deep into the audience. The idea was to break down barriers and connect the people to the band and to the music of Freddy Mercury.”
A total of 16 trucks were used to transport the show’s gear into the arena. Accentuating the intricate web of shapes and forms was an inten

USA - It took a while for the Philadelphia Orchestra to get a home of its own. In fact, it was almost 100 years, as plans first begun in 1908 were disrupted by bureaucratic delays, a Great Depression, a couple of World Wars, and other speed bumps.
Eventually, the Kimmel Cenre for the Performing Arts opened in December of 2001. Its vaulted glass ceiling encloses the entire structure, providing a large common lobby for all the facilities, including the centrepiece of the venue, the 2,500-seat Verizon Hall.
To coincide, a new and comprehensive DiGiCo digital-audio ecosystem for Verizon Hall comprising a Quantum338 console, two SD-Racks, and a 4REA4 Processor with multiple controllers was installed. These were sold by Horsham, Pennsylvania-based Bauder Audio, which also consulted with the Kimmel Cultural Campus technical team during their own in-house installation of the g

Russia - The Bazar, located inside the Krasnaya Polyana resort in Sochi, combines a restaurant, nightclub, and karaoke bar.
The nightclub is known for its programme of pop, R'n'B, and deep house music as well as jazz performances, stand-up comedy, and more.
RCF’s Russian distributor Aris developed the audio solution for Bazar. The task included isolation from external noises, between the bar and karaoke areas, and adjacent buildings. Despite the tight deadline, both sound insulation and system installation were deployed on time.
Evgeny Shuev, head of Aris’s Bureau of Acoustic Researches and responsible for system design and acoustic simulation with ARIS Acoustician Vasily Aleshkin, responsible for sound insulation (measurements and calculation), carried out the system design and simulation in accordance with the requirements of the international standard ISO

USA - The Proteus Excalibur from Elation Professional is a powerful IP65 beam moving head fixture. The newest member in Elation’s Proteus range of IP65 automated fixtures, Excalibur’s power, long throw beam and wide front aperture make it suitable for creating aerial light columns, sweeping beams, throws of CMY colour, and prismatic/air FX rivaling existing Xenon searchlights, says Elation.
“Capable of creating effects as magical as its legendary namesake, the Proteus Excalibur is ideally suited for theme parks, cruise ships, outdoor special events, large-scale shows and concerts, or any situation where a massive beam or very powerful prism and flower effects are required.”
Excalibur is billed as ‘the brightest IP65 full-featured beam fixture ever created’, producing up to 200,000 lux at 20m (7,500 lux at 100m).
Rivaling existing Xenon searchlights a

UK - Newly-crowned MOBO Awards Best Male Act Ghetts performed an energetic, crowd-pleaser gig at London’s Roundhouse in November backed by hi-res Desay LED screens from Production AV.
The audience didn’t miss a beat as the Production AV team filmed the London rapper’s high octane show, using manned cameras positioned at FOH and in the pit. These were complemented by Production AV’s Agile remote cameras placed at the end of the stage catwalk and below the audience balcony.
Overseeing the visuals for Ghetts and his tour manager, Neicee Oakley, was Production AV’s project manager Nathan Dunbar, whose concert touring experience and expertise spans large scale productions such as Glastonbury and the MTV World Stage, as well as artists including Little Simz.
Dunbar says: “Ghetts’ touring team approached Production AV to deliver a complete visuals solution

Mauritius - Located in the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius, Lakaz derives its name from the locale Creole language term for home or house. It’s an apt description of the prevailing atmosphere at this well-known venue, where locals and tourists (over a million visit the island every year), feel right at home.
During the pandemic lockdown, the normally busy club, took advantage of the lull in traffic to make its atmosphere” even more inviting for guests by replacing its old fixtures with LED units from Chauvet Professional. Designed and installed by One Touch Domotics, the upgrade did more than make the club more inviting, it also provided Lakaz with an entirely new way to weave lighting into its entertainment offerings.
“Lakaz has been around for many years and is one of the most popular party spots in Mauritius, but it was time for a change with lighting,

UK - Leeds-based rental company Production Light & Sound was founded in 2000 by the late Jason Salvin and is now headed by Sarah Buckmaster who has been working for the company for the last 16 years and a director since 2018.
The scope of the company’s work includes draping and staging in addition to lighting and sound production and embraces all areas of technical production - live music, concerts, festivals through to slick corporate and business events.
At the start of 2020, Production Light & Sound made a large purchase of Robe RoboSpots - four systems, complete with motion cameras - and were, like so many enterprises, looking forward to a bumper year ahead. Then came COVID.
“With theatres, venues now opening up, shows restarting and gigs, tours and events being scheduled and re-scheduled post COVID, we hope there’s going to be plenty of work a

Spain - ISE has announced details of its 2022 programme of conferences, education offerings from AVIXA and CEDIA, and show floor stages and networking lounges.
Seven conferences will target key vertical markets served by the pro AV industry. Topics that will be covered include creating safe, sustainable, smart buildings; re-shaping the workplace; the new agenda in digital signage and exploring the strategies, learning models and trends that are driving the deployment of digital learning technologies in universities, schools, corporate bodies and training facilities.
Presented in Spanish, the AV Experience Zone produced by AVIXA will showcase AV projects and present customer testimonials from experienced professionals in the sector. The showcase will be of interest to end-users from major vertical markets, professional technicians, and includes sessions for students acr

More Cancellations - Almost half of London's major theatres were forced to cancel performances last weekend because of Covid infections, as Omicron plays havoc with live events. Of the 46 full members of the Society of London Theatre that had shows running, 22 scrapped performances.They included Hamilton, Matilda, Wicked, The Lion King, Cinderella, Cabaret and Come From Away.
Producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh said it was "hugely disruptive" and the industry was in a "dreadful state". He told BBC News: "It's literally day-to-day. We spend all morning trying to work out if we can do the show or not. The important thing is, when we do it, it is safe, and the public have been remarkable in that they are, in our experience, turning up mostly to the shows."
Bookings for the first part of 2022 are well below expectations, which i

Sweden - Property company Vasakronan has a commercial property portfolio comprising 170 properties with a total area of 2.3m sq.m. Arena Sergel in the heart of Stockholm is the company’s most recent project and combines the Vasakronan HQ with one of Sweden’s most modern and innovative co-working locations.
To ensure wellbeing at every level, Efterklang - experts in sound design, acoustics and vibration control - were called in to design an efficient and attractive sound environment, which was implemented thanks to a comprehensive Genelec Smart IP solution supported by 4000 Series installation loudspeakers.
Efterklang was asked to design a sound environment that would support the different needs, functions and flows in Arena Sergel. Margareta Andersson, sound architect and section manager at Efterklang, explains: “The key is a well-balanced interplay between acous

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