South Africa - Professional audio, AV and broadcast specialists Stage Audio Works has launched AV Distribution, a new company dedicated to "managing those markets chiefly served through a reseller/integrator channel". Anything that is project-based will remain the remit of Stage Audio Works.
The executive and management teams of the Stage Audio Works group remain unchanged and the company continues to invest in the market with the ongoing development and expansion of local manufacturing under its Stage Plus and Pixel Plus brands.
According to SAW CEO Will Deysel, the decision to form AV Distribution was a logical evolution of the process already started in March 2021 when the company restructured its sales operation into two distinct verticals - namely projects and distr

USA - In mid-December, Metallica celebrated its 40th anniversary with four days of events dubbed the San Francisco Takeover, culminating in two concerts for fan club members only at the city’s Chase Centre arena. As with nearly all Metallica shows in recent years, the band relied on a Meyer Sound reinforcement system - here a massive 286 loudspeaker in-the-round configuration.
The longstanding Metallica - Meyer Sound relationship has evolved into a partnership between musical artists and a technology supplier, a collaboration that has pushed the technology envelope for large scale audio production.
“We have never worked with a vendor or manufacturer where we’ve had the kind of close, collaborative relationship we have with Meyer Sound,” says Dan Braun, Metallica’s creative director and production designer. “They are not simply equipment providers, but real

Belgium - Dining-out long since ceased to be about simply eating. The modern restaurant seeks to provide its customers with an ‘experience’; often investing significantly in specialist designers to assist the creation of a unique atmosphere and ambience that reflect its particular vision. Amongst the plethora of ideas and styles that characterise the sector, one aspect is common to virtually every setting. Music, of whatever genre in a restaurant environment, is fundamental to the vibe, and as such, demands the best possible audio provision. Two examples of new restaurants which recently opened in the Belgian ‘capital of cool’, Antwerp, support the principle that good sound is an essential ingredient for the dinner table.
Erwin Nuyts, co-owner of Antwerp based audio and lighting integrator Discostore, was called on to create systems for both Sergio Herman’s “New I

UK - Touch technology specialist Zytronic has introduced the ZyBrid edge touch sensor technology, developed to "create stunning multi-screen interactive video walls and tables".
Designed to mirror the narrowest bezel video wall monitors, the glass sensors feature an ultra-narrow border (anywhere from 3mm to 0mm), creating a sleek appearance by using the maximum display area. The sensors can be innovatively linked when used with the associated all-new ZyBrid edge controller to enable seamless touch transition between screens, with potentially no gap whatsoever between adjacent active areas.
Typically, AV installers fix a huge protective glass over the entire interactive video wall. They then often use a clip-on infra-red or camera-based touch detection system around the outside of the tiled screens. This arrangement creates a large, unsightly, protruding bezel around th

USA - The 2022 New World Rigging Symposium, taking place virtually on 5-7 April, will bring together professional riggers, engineers, manufacturers, venue managers, educators and students to further their rigging knowledge, hear about challenging projects, get up to speed on new technologies, discuss current industry challenges, and get their questions answered.
The session line-up features an array of subject matter experts sharing their knowledge on: Rope 201, Load Monitoring Systems: Know Your Limits, Rope Access in Entertainment: Training and Usage, Performer Flying Case Study: It Happened at Wembley, Hosting Road Shows at a University, What the Engineers Want You to Know, Touring Overseas: Getting Your Ducks in a Row, Rigging Challenges: Infrastructure Case Studies, Women Riggers of ETCP and Intro to Mental Health First Aid.
The three-day symposium will also inclu

USA - At the 183-year-old Connection Pointe Christian Church outside Indianapolis, a refurbished lighting rig and a fresh approach to design have brought a new level of immersion and engagement to services.
Last year, the multi-generational church replaced most of its lamp-based fixtures with a new all-LED system featuring many of Chauvet Professional’s latest and most advanced product, including the Maverick Force S Spot.
The new LED rig was only one of the changes, however, that would redefine lighting at Connection Pointe. Along with the upgraded fixtures, the church also got a brand new LD, one with experience lighting houses of worship as well as entertainment venues. Alexander Lehman joined the church’s team and became part of a new design philosophy that emphasized building engagement with set pieces.
“I took on the LD role here in Indianapolis tow

USA - In early April 2022, Main Light will be opening a new facility in Nashville this spring. This will expand Main Light’s operations to a third location, joining Main Light East in Wilmington and Main Light West in Las Vegas.
The new 70,000sq.ft. Main Light South shop will be located at 12630 Old Hickory Blvd, Antioch, TN. Locally, Main Light South will be led by rental account manager Cathie Berbena Lloyd (pictured, right) and operations manager, Jim Gregory (left).
“We found that choosing Nashville makes it much more efficient to support our clients in the area,” explains Main Light general manager, Randy Mullican. “There was a lack of a dry hire options in this market, so it just made sense to open here, where we already have a number of clients. Now with moving into the right space for our facility here, along with the knowledgeable and experienced peop

UK - Outdoor Digital Productions (ODP), a collaborative enterprise between ADI, JA Productions and Outdoor Places Unusual Spaces (OPUS), has been chosen to deliver the official Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Festival Live Sites.
ODP aims to transform multiple city locations from large capacity venues, such as Smithfield, to civic and community green spaces, into accessible hubs for cultural placemaking and collective celebration during the 2022 Commonwealth Games. The Live Sites will include showpiece creative staging, participatory activations and live arts performances with a focus on locality and sustainability.
Emily Muirhead, Live Sites project manager at Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, commented, “We’re excited to have the Outdoor Digital Productions team on-board to facilitate our Live Sites during a momentous occasion for Birmingham and the surrou
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Norway - Bose Professional has been selected as the solution provider for Telegrafen Oslo. Located in the heart of one of Europe’s fastest-growing cities, Telegrafen offers a mixed-use experience in the Nordic Baroque-Nouveau landmark building. With almost 270,000sq.ft, the historic building provides a place for visitors to enjoy a range of activities from an upscale restaurant to meeting spaces - easily navigating between business and leisure.
“We needed a partner who could ensure high-quality sound in big, flexible spaces, larger educational facilities, restaurants, bars - in other words, we needed distinct solutions suitable for everything from fun, experiential sound to clear audio for conferencing,” explains Steffen Johansen, technical project manager for system integrator Bravo. “We needed a provider that could deliver products that met all of our needs, and Bo

Coachella Returns - Billie Eilish, Harry Styles and Kanye West - known as Ye - will headline this year's Coachella festival. It's being held for the first time since 2019 after the 2020 festival was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The festival runs across two weekends in April in Indio, California, with the same line-up appearing on them both. Swedish House Mafia, Flume, Megan Thee Stallion, Disclosure, Doja Cat and Run the Jewels will also perform. Billie Eilish will become the festival's youngest ever headliner.
Celtic Connections - The organisers of Celtic Connections have launched a ‘hybrid’ online version of the musical festival after shows had to be cancelled due to Covid restrictions on crowds. Performances will now be shown online with some screened to smaller audiences at Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall. A small number of larger-scale shows will b

Europe - zactrack International has welcomed Alistair Smyth, a long-time veteran of the industry, as the company’s new brand manager.
After earning a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from Kingston University London, he has worked for Vari-Lite, High End Systems, Christie Lites, A.C. Entertainment Technologies and Flashlight. Most recently, he was a technical sales advisor at Elation, where he was responsible for product demonstrations, sales support and technical communication.
Reflecting on his new role, Smyth says: “I am proud to join the Lightpower family of companies and be a member of the zactrack International team. I look forward to meeting our valued distributors, customers and users. The zactrack products are amazing and we believe they will revolutionize tracking in many areas of our industry. As part of the team here, we can work together to h

USA - Amber Solutions has announced that its AC Direct DC Enabler is now available as a demo kit for technical evaluation by consumer, commercial and industrial electrical products manufacturers and semiconductor companies, such as Infineon Technologies, who have already announced an alliance around Amber.
This breakthrough Amber AC direct power system enables DC extraction directly from AC Mains without the use of transformers, rectifiers, or filtering. It eliminates many of the old-tech electromechanical components that are still standard today, enabling a dramatically smaller size footprint, while simultaneously delivering a much more dynamic, configurable power delivery capability. The result is an unprecedented opportunity for manufacturers and semiconductor companies to reinvent how electricity is leveraged, designed and feature-scoped in all electrical products, accor

Belgium - Audiofocus has released a new range of installation loudspeakers. The Belgian manufacturer has developed dedicated installation versions of its point source, constant curvature, line array, subwoofer and stage monitor designs. As part of the development process, touring features such as grab handles and rigging systems have been removed or simplified to make the new variants cost-efficient without compromise to their audio performance, while aesthetic changes enable the speakers to blend discreetly into installed environments.
Both passive and bi-amplified options are offered for most of the new installation models.
“Audiofocus built its reputation for audio fidelity and high return on investment in the touring world, but we have always enjoyed strong relationships with integrators who wanted to carry those same benefits into their fixed installation proje

The Netherlands - Since being set up in the early 1980s by brothers Ad and Gert-Jan Gomes, DSL Geluids- & Lichtverhuur has grown steadily into a full-service supplier of sound and lighting.
The wide range of productions serviced by the company - ranging from dance to pop and from business events to theatre productions - requires equipment that can be widely deployed, with Martin Audio systems occupying a prominent place within the DSL warehouse.
Recently, they added two further Martin Audio speaker systems to their inventory: a WPL high output line array and a Torus constant curvature array, supplied by Dutch distributor Ampco Flashlight Sales from Utrecht.
Explaining the reasons for these acquisitions, Gert-Jan Gomes stated, “After the earlier purchase of the WPC system - the successor to the old W8LC - it made sense to move up to the optimum WPL, since la

The Netherlands - The city of Utrecht is the fourth largest in the Netherlands and attracts a significant number of international and domestic visitors each year. One of the most recent additions to its range of entertainment destinations is the new Holland Casino; a striking building adorned in gold.
Designed by OZ Architects, the brief was to create a diamond-shaped building, adorned in gold, that was also completely covered in light. As well as illuminating the entire building and using the façade to display content, it was also important that the building met the criteria for the BREAAM sustainability certification. Keeping light pollution to a minimum was crucial.
System integrator Livingprojects worked closely with lighting designer Siegrid Siederius on behalf of Arup to deliver the vision of Holland Casino. The façade is structured with individual panels, and

USA - UK-based pro audio solutions manufacturer Optimal Audio has announced the appointment of BTX Technologies as its distributor in the US.
Optimal Audio, part of the Focusrite Group, manufactures a one-stop solution of control, amplification and loudspeakers for small to medium sized commercial installations, with a focus on supporting multi-zoned venues.
For more than 50 years, BTX has helped its partners overcome technical hurdles with a wide array of nationally and internationally sourced integration products and is well placed to introduce a new brand to the US market, says Optimal Audio managing director Dom Harter.
“BTX is a trusted and highly respected name in the AV industry, well known for its grassroots sales efforts, great technical support and strong customer service. The BTX team noticed very early on the value of what Optimal Audio brings to th

UK - Viewers were treated to a musical extravaganza hosted by British musician Olly Alexander in the form of BBC One’s The Big New Years & Years Eve Party. Filmed at London’s Riverside Studios, the two-part concert included guest performances from Kylie Minogue and the Pet Shop Boys. The show included a pause for the countdown to midnight and footage of London’s Big Ben ringing in the new year before the action headed back to the show as Olly and friends continued the party.
The party featured a captivating lighting design from Gurdip Mahal, featuring more than 40 universes of fixtures. To provide main and tracking backup control of the elaborate lighting rig, programmers Ross Williams and Rob Bradley selected a pair of High End Systems Hog 4-18 consoles, supplemented by two Full Boar 4 consoles and two new HPU Hybrid Processor units.
The main lightin

Belgium - The grace and fluidity of dancers’ movements were enhanced by an equally elegant lightshow designed by Koen De Clerck for Cogétama, a special choreographed ballet work created and produced by Glen Lambrecht Productions, commissioned by the Municipality of Aalter. It was staged at the City Hall Auditorium of Aalter and played 12 completely sold-out performances.
Koen used an all-Robe moving lighting rig to give him the flexibility and dynamics needed to light the detail, depth, and nuance of the piece, which revolved around the famous Cogétama cigar and the factory which produced it and how it affected and influenced the communities living and working around the areas of Aalter and Knesselare for over 100 years. The legacy of the cigar factory has left an indelible imprint on local culture and history.
Glen Lambrecht, a professional ballet dancer w

Italy - New visions for the future are told live, at the Bergamo Fair, through an RCF TT+ line array system - with an unconventional system configuration.
Visionary Bergamo 2021 is part of Visionary Days, a format where hundreds of under-35s discuss life challenges and ways they can shape the future. The event unfolds over 10 hours of collective brainstorming and six inspirational talks, with 500 young people involved in over 80 round tables, all while streaming live. An inspirational talk opens each session by introducing a topic and then passes the topic to the attendees to develop ideas and visions. A ‘dynamic poster’ is then drawn up and printed at the end of the event, edited by Lee, an artificial intelligence, creation by the Visionary Days team.
Produced and coordinated by GO-ON, a production studio specialising in highly innovative events, the original form

Italy - Developed entirely in-house by their engineering team, the design of Outline’s Warped Finite Impulse Response (WFIR) filters is now protected by a domestic patent and will soon enjoy the same status internationally. Italian Patent N. 102018000003311 has been awarded to this innovation. WFIR filters are one of the key features found in Outline’s Newton FPGA processor.
“WFIR filters offer fundamental technical improvements over traditional FIR filters in that they operate on a semi-logarithmic scale, similar to the nature of human hearing. This means that they are able to maintain high filtering resolution over the entire audio range, even in the case of increasingly high sampling frequencies,” says Outline.
“WFIR technology also allows the use of raised cosine filters which provide a greatly enhanced level of accuracy in equalization. They do require u

USA - Pliant Technologies has announced the CrewCom v1.10 update. The latest CrewCom firmware and software update, version 1.10, adds two new major features as well as several enhancements to its list of capabilities.
Topping the list is the addition of a new High Density mode, which is a selectable mode of operation that allows user densities to increase by more than five-fold. When implemented, this new software-selectable mode supports up to 32 Radio Packs (RPs) on a single Radio Transceiver (RT) while allowing any of the RPs to communicate using four available full-duplex talk paths. In addition, users will have the flexibility to simultaneously deploy “Normal” mode-enabled RPs and RTs along with High Density mode-enabled hardware, providing ultimate adaptability for application-specific setups.
“At Pliant, we pride ourselves on providing advanced communica

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