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MLA folds back the years at Rewind Festival

Set on the banks of the Thames, the 40,000 capacity Rewind South featured an all-star 80s line-up

Details: 21 September 2021

UK - Dating back to 2009, the Rewind Festival is an annual ‘80s music extravaganza that today generally takes place in three different locations.
Although this year Rewind Scotland had to be cancelled, the events at Capesthorne Hall, Macclesfield (Rewind North) and Temple Island Meadows, outside Henley (Rewind South) went ahead within a month of each other. The event is now back under the management of David Heartfield, whose leisure group Impresario Festivals had previously sold the brand to radio group Global back in 2017.
The events’ long-term sound suppliers, Capital Sound were in action at both sites, and with the exception of an additional delay tower at Rewind South, fielded identical Martin Audio MLA PA rigs. Once again, they worked alongside production manag

A Midsummer Night’s Dream under the stars

White Light sets the scene in Kew Gardens

Details: 21 September 2021

UK - As part of this summer’s Theatre on Kew programme, The Australian Shakespeare Company staged an open-air production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, within the botanical surroundings of Kew Gardens. As an approved supplier at the venue, White Light (WL) was chosen to provide all lighting and audio equipment for the project.
Each performance during the four-week run began at twilight, to take full advantage of staging the Shakespearean favourite beneath the stars and canopy of Kew Gardens’ heritage trees. To enhance the play’s woodland setting and achieve lighting designer Peter Amesbury’s vision, WL specified a range of different lighting fixtures, all controlled by the HES Road Hog 4 console. The rig included Elation SIXPAR 200IPs and Chauvet Ovation E-910FC IPs, as well as SGM G-Spot Turbos. Look Solutions Unique hazers were utilised, to add to the sense

The work in progress (photo © Andy Paradise)

Unusual raises the curtain on Theatre Royal refurbishment

Details: 21 September 2021

UK - Following three years of project management and two years of site attendance, Unusual Rigging is delighted to unveil its role on the multi-million-pound refurbishment of Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The beautiful Grade 1 listed Georgian venue has been reimagined as an all-day stylish destination with one of London’s greatest auditoriums at its heart. Unusual Rigging was brought on board by LW Theatres and contracted for the ‘Behind the Iron’ works.
Mike Goodwin, senior project manager at Unusual Rigging explains: “This was a major project for Unusual, which we knew from the outset would require the considerable focus of a dedicated team: from design concepts through approvals with the LW Theatres Project Design Team, decanting 42ndStreet; transitioning The Lane from venue to construction site, co-ordination with the Principal Contractors (Gardner & Theobalds Lt

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

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Rick Sailor - VP for business development North America & Canada

Rick Sailor joins SmartLabs

Details: 20 September 2021

USA - SmartLabs has announced that Rick Sailor has joined the company as VP for business development North America & Canada.
Gary Hamer, SmartLabs global SVP for sales and business development, says: “Service providers are facing some difficult challenges now about the best way to provide video; how to package channels and maintain costly equipment. At SmartLabs, we can help local providers address some of those challenges in a profitable way that gives them a competitive edge, thanks to our global experience. We’re delighted that Rick has joined us to lead our US and Canadian expansion at this pivotal time.”
Rick Sailor adds: “The opportunity to lead the roll-out of SmartLabs to the US and Canadian markets was too good to miss. The company has been in the business since it was in its infancy and has such a good track record in multiple countries, operating

Remembering Mike Jarvis (1956-2021)

Details: 20 September 2021

UK - The family of Mike Jarvis, lighting designer and projects manager, are sad to report that Mike passed away 9 August at the age of 65.
Mike grew up in south Birmingham in a loving home, with his parents Douglas and Peggy and his brother Paul. Music was very important to Mike, especially when it was live. Growing up in Birmingham meant that he saw bands in small clubs before they went on to become rock legends.
He attended Harborne primary school, followed by Lordswood boys school. His foundation year at Fazely street in Birmingham studying art was a happy one, experimenting with sculpture and design which led him to the Theatre Design course at the City of Birmingham Polytechnic in the mid-1970s.
Joanna was one of his fellow students on the course and they quickly developed a strong friendship. At the end of the three years that friendship developed into th

‘Ara can accomplish so many goals for a variety of users’

AKG debuts Ara two-pattern USB microphone

Details: 20 September 2021

USA - Harman Professional Solutions has introduced the AKG Ara, a two-pattern USB condenser microphone.
Ara lets content creators and musicians effortlessly capture studio-quality, 24-bit, 96kHz audio for superior speech clarity and stunning vocal and instrument tracks, says AKG. Two pickup patterns focus on a single source or everyone in the room. The directional Front (cardioid) pattern captures sound directly in front of the mic while rejecting sound from other sides, making it suitable for podcast hosts, bloggers, gamers, videoconferencing and for recording voice and instruments. The front + back (omni) pattern picks up sound evenly from all sides, making it suitable for recording interviews with multiple speakers.
“What’s really great about Ara is that it can accomplish so many goals for a variety of users. It’s perfect for elevating interviews and video bl

Formed in 2015, Dead & Company includes former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann

Dead & Company stadium tour rolls on

Details: 20 September 2021

USA - Dead & Company’s stadium tour is rolling into autumn, with more than 30 concerts scheduled and the grand finale on Halloween weekend. This latest iteration of the jam band is touring with audio production anchored by a Meyer Sound Leo system provided by UltraSound.
Meyer Sound’s enduring relationship with the Grateful Dead (and subsequent spin-offs) extends back prior to the company’s founding in 1979, with company president & CEO John Meyer consulting on the legendary Wall of Sound. The band was often heard through the Meyer-designed JM-3 and JM-10 loudspeakers from McCune Audio shortly thereafter.
“We’ve obviously been working hand-in-hand with Meyer for many years,” says Derek Featherstone, who doubles as both CEO of UltraSound and FOH engineer for Dead & Company. “I came on board in 1988, but I know UltraSound started developing prod

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.

Chauvet rig lights Rock The South

Details: 20 September 2021

USA - About 10 years ago, Cullman native Mason Felps got the chance to work his first major festival when he joined the crew at Rock The South. This August, he returned to his northern Alabama hometown as the festival’s production manager and lighting designer.
For Felps, who earlier this summer toured with Alan Jackson, the two-day festival brought back great memories. “Rock The South has a special place in my heart,” he said. “Our crew powered through a monsoon to put on this show. Yet, despite the storms, we wanted to do our best to make this festival special for the bands and the fans.”
Helping Felps and the production team make good on this goal was an impressive lighting rig supplied by Bandit Lites that featured 32 Chauvet Professional Rogue R2X Wash fixtures.
“We had a 60’ by 40’ stage with a steel roof,” said Felps. “Its height gave u

Heaven 17 played Sheffield City Hall and the Roundhouse in London

ChamSys in the mix with Heaven 17

Details: 20 September 2021

UK - Martin Dudley and collaborator Malcolm Garrett created the lightshow for Heaven 17’s shows at the City Hall in the band’s hometown of Sheffield, and the Roundhouse in London.
Having worked with Heaven 17 for five years, Dudley was eager to light these shows, which would have the band perform in full the two albums that Heaven 17 founder Martyn Ware wrote and recorded with the Human League. He also appreciated how their evocative sound lent itself to rich imagery. Then there was also the opportunity to play his lights off against the video images created by Garrett, who was responsible for the original sleeve artwork for the two albums in 1979 and 1980, as well as many other LP sleeves of the era.
“I had been listening to the two Human League albums that made up this show for some time, but there was no time or budget for extensive pre-programming,” said Du

Christie ‘reinvents an industry workhorse’

Details: 17 September 2021

USA - Christie has announced the M 4K25 RGB pure laser projector, an all-in-one RGB pure laser projector that continues the original M Series, first introduced in 2007.
“The M Series packed a lot of features in a small package,” explains Larry Paul, executive director, technology and custom solutions at Christie. “Features like the intelligent lens system and embedded Twist for blending and warping were unique at the time, plus its small size and weight, helped it to become Christie’s best-selling line of projectors and lenses.”
RGB pure laser technology delivers twice the colour of the original M Series for vibrant, bright images that approach Rec. 2020 colour volume, a colour standard closest to what the human eye can see.
With TruLife+ electronics all the needed connections are built-in, eliminating the need for optional input cards. TruLife+ also fe

Charles Moniz and Chris Rabold rely on JBL Professional 708P master reference monitors

JBL monitors Bruno Mars on the road

Details: 17 September 2021

USA - While on the road with Bruno Mars, Grammy award-winning recording engineer Charles Moniz and live sound engineer Chris Rabold rely on JBL Professional 708P master reference monitors to deliver sound for front-of-house mixing as well as recording backstage.
Mars is known for riveting and tightly-rehearsed live shows with his backing band the Hooligans, and most recently, with Anderson.Paak as the R&B duo Silk Sonic. Mars and the band frequently work on new songs while on the road and needed a high-quality mobile recording setup that could be easily assembled in any setting. Moniz, who worked with Mars on his 2012 album Unorthodox Jukebox and 2016’s 24k Magic, selected JBL Professional 708P reference monitors for their studio-grade sound quality, high output and balanced coverage. Additionally, front-of-house engineer Chris Rabold uses them to dial in

Each show has a completely different audio requirement (photo: Karli Cadel)

Masque Sound delivers for Glimmerglass

Details: 17 September 2021

USA - When Cooperstown, New York, came alive for the triumphant return of The Glimmerglass Festival, sound designer Andrew Harper called upon Masque Sound to provide a custom audio equipment package for the summer opera and musical theatre festival.
“Normally all productions are done inside at the opera house where there is no amplification at all,” says Harper. “This year, the producers created an outdoor stage on the lawn, with the singers and audience outside but the orchestra was located inside. I was tasked with combining the two worlds of the singers and the orchestra, while also creating a great experience for the audience outdoors, all while keeping everyone socially distanced.”
Harper had worked with Masque Sound previously and had full confidence they could provide all the equipment he needed to be successful. “I had the pleasure of working with Mas

Chauvet supports Outcider Festival

Details: 17 September 2021

UK - The seventh annual Outcider Festival, a summer weekend event in Compton Martin in the West Country brought together a blend of over 30 different bands, artisans, food purveyors, and a generous selection of locally brewed scrumpy cider.
Although the main stage setting was decidedly rustic (the festival took place on a farm), the lighting kit supporting the high-energy performances was strictly up-to-date, featuring Chauvet Professional LED fixtures supplied by BH Sound & Lighting Hire.
James Marshall of BH joined with Finlay Wort in designing the lighting rig. Their focus in this collaboration was on versatility, as they knew they’d have to support a diverse mix of acts from polka punk act The Dreadnoughts and ska bands, to Sunday morning ’cider-obics’ and rock sing-alongs.
“Fixture positioning and keeping plenty of options open on the console wer

Les Folies Broadway at the Domaine d'O in Montpellier (© Mathieu Cabanes)

Robert Juliat’s LED Arthur joins Les Folies Broadway

Details: 17 September 2021

France - Lighting designer Mathieu Cabanes discovered the new possibilities offered by Robert Juliat's latest 800W LED followspot, Arthur, on Les Folies Broadway, a large symphonic show performed this summer at the Domaine D'O in Montpellier.
"I use Robert Juliat followspots very often. I particularly appreciate the artistic touch that a followspot can bring to a live show,” says Mathieu Cabanes. “New products and technologies are offered to us every year and I like to study these and their functions and make sure I use the right tool for each application.
"I first used LED followspots on a Robert Wilson show in Indonesia, I La Galigo. They were Japanese models and the result was quite disappointing because the power was supposed to match a Robert Juliat Cyrano followspot, but in fact they were weaker than a Robert Juliat 710 profile with iris. The colour al

Danley and Dynacord announce strategic alignment

Details: 17 September 2021

USA - Danley Sound Labs and Dynacord are teaming up to bring complementary product combinations to the global marketplace.
In what has been termed a strategic alignment, US-based Danley Sound and Germany’s Dynacord recently announced that they will be utilising each other’s strengths to offer sound system solutions. Danley loudspeakers will now be powered and optimised by Dynacord amplifiers, digital signal processing and sound system software. Danley loudspeaker settings will be available for all Dynacord amplifiers.
“This is a big step forward for us, and we’re very excited about this development,” comments Mike Hedden, Danley’s chief steward in charge. “Working with Dynacord will change people’s perspective when they think about Danley, as it allows us to go wider and deeper with our product offerings.”
Dynacord, part of the Bosch Group, is e

Users are now able to enroll in the RDNet beta testing programme

RCF releases software updates for RDNet

Details: 16 September 2021

Italy - RCF has released a new update for RDNet networked management software with a new installer, improvements to the user interface, auto-updates, a beta testing program, and a new firmware manager. All designed to work together within the RCF RDNet ecosystem.
Based on a management and monitoring network for RCF devices, RDNet includes system control tools, a line array design platform, and a complete audio analyzer in one software package. RDNet provides intuitive management of every connected device/object on the network for live and installed audio systems. A network user can control all DSP settings inside any compatible device, including advanced subwoofer configurations, from a single object to groups of objects.
This new update has as its main objective to unlink future software and firmware updates, so the user will no longer be required to perform an RDNet

Luke Bryan - Proud To Be Right Here (photo: Todd Kaplan)

Kitchenman lights Luke Bryan with Elation

Details: 16 September 2021

USA - Justin Kitchenman of Align Design Group is using some favourite Elation lights on five-time Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan’s Proud To Be Right Here Tour scheduled through 16 October with 35+ shows.
Kitchenman had just got the Cole Swindell Down To Earth tour design out the door when Covid hit in 2020, then spent a year working on livestreams and other smaller projects. When he got the call in April that long-time client Luke Bryan was planning a 2021 tour, he was understandably ecstatic.
The LD, who has been designing for Bryan for a decade, had a design in place from last summer’s cancelled tour, a show he thought he’d never see realized. When the decision was made to pick up from where they left off in 2020, however, the design was back on the table. “I had come to terms last summer that that design was dead,” he said, “so I was thrilled when it

Shure SLXD delivers for Lucky Voice

Details: 16 September 2021

UK - Shure has announced that, in collaboration with Pro Audio Systems and PSA4AV, they have upgraded the microphone system at Lucky Voice’s Holborn karaoke venue, with the new to market SLXD Digital Wireless system.
In 2019, Lucky Voice opened the doors to a new 5000ft venue in Holborn, which is home to 10 karaoke rooms and had a requirement for a minimum of 20 microphones.
Supplied by Pro Audio Systems and installed by PSA4AV, Lucky Voice had a requirement for a high quality, wireless microphone system that was going to stand the test of time. Craig Walmsley, senior technician, PSA4AV states: “Lucky Voice have been previous users of Shure and we knew that was the only brand that was going to meet all the requirements of the brief. We were really pleased to be the first to get hold of the brand new SLXD Digital Wireless system, in partnership with Peter Butler at

The first show to play the venue was KEM with LD Donald Koleber

HES SolaSpots on Cincinnati’s riverfront

Details: 16 September 2021

USA - Partech Lighting recently completed an installation package of 12 High End Systems SolaSpot 3000 luminaires in the Andrew Brady ICON Music Centre, a new music venue on Cincinnati's riverfront. The venue features one main floor and two balcony levels overlooking the inside stage.
Based in Cincinnati since 1988, Partech’s focus is entertainment lighting production as well as LED video walls, media servers, and related services. Their history with High End Systems goes back 30 years with use of products such as Intellabeam, Studio Spot and Studio Color, Cyberlight, and DL2s. They’ve also enjoyed a long and successful relationship with their client MEMI Music & Event Management Inc., supplying services for multiple venues throughout the Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio areas.
Partech developed a system specification for The Andrew Brady ICON Music Centre that the

RCF TT+ powers Shock Bilbao Club

Details: 16 September 2021

Spain - Luis Ángel Rodríguez's latest business venture Shock Bilbao Club opened its doors in February 2021 in downtown Bilbao with music played through RCF TT+ Series speakers.
Since the first conversation with Sonort Audiovisual, supplier of all the sound systems, Luis Angel Rodriguez asked for the best sound quality for his club. Ricardo Carus, founding partner of Sonort Audiovisual explains the design process. "Looking for clarity, uniformity, and sweetness, the only choice for us was RCF TT+ Series. We choose four units of TT 10-A for the dance floor combined with an HDL 12-AS subwoofer giving more power and range to the zone.
For the bar zone and the restaurant area, we installed TT 052-A combined with a second HDL12-AS sub getting total coherence and equal timbral in the whole space." Carus continues, "For the processing and management of all the speaker system

NAB plans to offer “certain elements” of the 2021 show virtually

NAB Show 2021 is cancelled

Details: 16 September 2021

USA - NAB has announced the cancellation of the upcoming NAB Show 2021, which was due to take place in Las Vegas from 9-13 October. The annual convention/exhibition, which in 2019 reported attendance of 91,000, is one of the largest events on the calendar for broadcasters and their technology providers. In recent weeks, the show had suffered exhibitor withdrawals - including Sony and Canon - due to the spread of the delta variant of COVID in the US, with the organisers opting to scrap the in-person event in favour of offering select virtual sessions through its Amplify portal.
“For more than a year, we have worked tirelessly to bring our industry together safely in Las Vegas at NAB Show," say the organisers in a statement. "Unfortunately, the pandemic and surge of the delta variant has presented unexpected and insurmountable challenges for our global community.
“As

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