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18 April 2024

UK - This year marks the tenth anniversary of Apt-GB’s inception in 2014 – a decade of “delivering exceptional sound quality and cabinet customisation at accessible prices”.

Guiding the operation has been founder Graham Gosden, whose extensive expertise spans over three decades in design and engineering for live touring and fixed installations.

Gosden’s entrepreneurial journey began with a keen eye for opportunity and a passion for delivering excellence. Apt-GB emerged from his pursuit of a market gap, a void where discerning customers sought high-quality, bespoke products tailored to their unique AV requirements. Gosden recognised that his customers craved not just any product, but ones crafted with precision and care. Moreover, there was a distinct preference for products made locally in the UK, where quality and craftsmanship are revered

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18 April 2024

China - Inaugurated in December last year, the Beijing Performing Arts Centre (BPAC), an extension of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) nestled alongside the Grand Canal, reflects the area’s history through a striking design inspired from the area’s ancient granaries and transport ships. The centre’s innovative architecture encompasses indoor theatres and an outdoor amphitheatre. The venue will host 300 performances and an equal number of art-related activities each year with the mission of attracting younger audiences to contemporary performances.

Three of BPAC’s performance spaces boast permanently installed L-ISA configurations using L-Acoustics A Series loudspeakers: the 1,760-seat Opera House, the 500-seat Multi-Function Theatre and the extensive Outdoor Theatre, while the indoor Concert Hall features a stereo L-Acoustics profes

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18 April 2024

Argentina - Singer and former YouTuber María Becerra made history as the first Argentine female artist to sell out River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires, the largest venue in Argentina, for two consecutive nights, 22-23 March 2024. A large complement of Claypaky fixtures illuminated the show designed by creative director Julian Levy and lit by lighting designers and programmers Pablo Martinelli and Joaquin Boerr from Gou Studio.

A leading voice in Argentina’s urban pop movement, the 24-year-old Becerra began her career at the age of 12 on Facebook then created her own YouTube channel.  She has more than 24m monthly listeners on Spotify and more than 5m subscribers to her YouTube channel; her video clips have netted more than 12bn views. This year she has performed at the New Year's celebration organized by Univisión in Times Square and was part of the lin

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18 April 2024

UK - Based within striking distance of London’s Tower Bridge, AV integrator Tateside recently announced the launch of its new showroom space, in collaboration with US manufacturer, 1 Sound and UK distributor, CUK Group.

The space, home to a full 1 Sound system, follows Tateside’s recent appointment as the first official 1 Sound UK partner and will drive opportunities for the integrator to share its solutions with clients first-hand.  

“We met 1 Sound at ISE 2023,” recalls Jack Cornish, technical director at Tateside. “The natural finish of the wooden loudspeakers caught our eye, and we began talking to Louis Mannarino, who explained the brand values with enthusiasm; we were sold on the products and felt they offered something different to traditional loudspeakers; these solutions fit well in our hospitality projects, where space can be a

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18 April 2024

Australia - Novatech Creative Event Technology of Adelaide, the first production company in Australia to hold stock of Ayrton’s IP65-rated Domino Wash fixtures, invested in 48 units, supplied by Ayrton’s exclusive distributor for Australia, Show Technology, and immediately put them to work on the Adelaide Festival.

Domino Wash is an all-terrain luminaire developed specifically for resisting hot or cold weather, wind, rain, hail, sand or dust.

“We’d been looking for a high-powered moving wash light with a Fresnel lens for more theatrical uses, as well as outdoor uses,” explains Novatech’s Ashley Gabriel, director of sales and marketing. “We needed one with enough punch and zoom to handle long throw distances, and a Fresnel lens which was important to us to differentiate it from the other traditional LED wash lights in our inventory.

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18 April 2024

UK - Mitch Rowland found fame as Harry Styles’ guitarist and co-writer, and the pair toured the world together for two years during Love on Tour, which saw Britannia Row Productions supply audio for all 169 shows. When the time came for Mitch to take the spotlight in his own right, the American multi-instrumentalist turned to Britannia Row for live audio services on a much smaller scale.

Forming a close-knit bond after Love on Tour, audio engineer Christian Zuniga was welcomed back into the fold as Mitch’s monitor mixer and production manager. He comments: “Mitch is not an up-and-coming artist, he’s been touring arenas and stadiums for years, so he’s used to high-level touring. However, when he presented this new project, he wanted to play in small theatres instead of opening for a big tour. Every place has been special as each venue carri

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18 April 2024

Europe - Claypaky Rhapsodya is a low-noise multi-spectral RGBAL LED fixture designed for various applications such as touring, live events, theatre, and TV production, and managed by a specially crafted, internally developed firmware algorithm.

It is an evolution of Sinfonya, particularly regarding the focus on quality of optics and colour management, and the quiet operation even at full output. Rhapsodya has a new product design that is sleek and modern, with a double power output (24,000 lm) compared to Sinfonya.

Traditional fixtures utilized four focal planes, often leading to a loss of sharpness. Rhapsodya features a new approach with Accuframe, utilising two focal planes to achieve ‘a remarkable level of precision’.

Lineguard is a new frost system that features pairs of blades for superior uniformity and reduced unwanted reflections.

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18 April 2024

Europe - Elation‘s KL Series full-colour PAR light is now available in an IP65 version, the KL PAR FC IP, that makes it an even more versatile luminaire for production settings indoors or out. This theatrical and broadcast-grade luminaire pairs modern technology with classic design, serving as a key, fill, and area wash light source for broadcast environments, film, theatre, or ‘any production requiring outstanding colour quality’.

Colour rendering quality, fully variable CCT control, and remotely adjustable LED refresh frequency– all in a traditional PAR form factor – make the KL PAR FC IP an appropriate choice for today’s fast-paced production environments. Its fully weatherproof IP65 protection gives this versatile PAR colour-changing luminaire application in all types of outdoor events and weather.

The KL PAR FC IP houses a powerful 3

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17 April 2024

Europe - Two years ago, Shure announced aggressive goals to increase recyclable and/or renewable packaging for new products. The company has now revealed that it has achieved its goal to convert to 75% by 2023 and is on track to grow to 90% by 2025 and 100% by 2030 for new packaging. The goal for existing product packaging in 2025 is 75% recyclable and/or renewable.

As part of its continuous environmental improvement efforts, Shure is a member of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition. With more than 1,500 different packaging pieces for a variety of different products, converting to sustainable packaging is a significant undertaking, especially for high-performance electronic equipment which is shipped to various locations globally to reach customers all over the world.

Key sustainable packaging initiatives include: Replacing thermoform trays with more

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17 April 2024

UK - Highlite International has announced an operational restructure and relocation of its customer support and services within the UK.

Highlite's UK operations have recently relocated to new facilities in Colchester, Essex. The move sees the expansion of the regional offices, service department and UK stockholding, as well as the welcoming of a newly-appointed sales director, David Drane, and an increase in support resources and technician team members.

The new facilities and operational changes provide Highlite with a long-term strategic move for accelerated growth and enhanced value for its customers. Allowing for a larger UK stockholding of new and popular product lines from Highlite's long-established core brands: Showtec, Infinity, DMT, DAP, Artecta, Showgear and Wentex. The space will also house a purpose-built repair and service centre.

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17 April 2024

Italy - Opened in 1990 to host hockey, Milan’s Forum is a 15,800-capacity arena which has, over the years, hosted the largest and most prestigious international sporting events including the World Championships of volleyball, hockey, boxing, figure skating and rhythmic gymnastics. It is also the home of Olimpia Milano, hosting the Championship and Euroleague. Considered the temple of music in Italy, it is a regular stop for major tours.

When the need to replace the existing audio system to improve the user experience arose, the arena operators turned to Vigolzone-based value-added Nexo distributor Ligra DS to propose a new system that would also make significant improvements in performance, particularly in the areas of speech intelligibility and uniformity of audience coverage.

“The structural conditions of the arena and the needs of the event se

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17 April 2024

UK - The Immersive Technology Experience Centre (ITEC) is a hub that brings together the latest immersive audio, video, lighting, and media technologies. Created by d&b group, its aim is to provide hands-on experience for new projects, and to fuel collaboration and research and development. LED screens driven by Brompton Technology processing are a key component of the space.

Opening at the end of April, ITEC sits within London’s Science Museum. It comprises four distinct spaces. At the entrance is a control room which features a Samsung all-in-one 110” LED screen, flanked by up-and-over Recience LED creative light boxes powered by a Brompton Tessera S8 processor, along with a transparent screen dividing the Production Control Room from the lobby, along with a d&b Soundscape system.

The main Lab includes an XR studio with an LED volume co

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17 April 2024

Cambodia - The latest addition to Phnom Penh’s nightlife comes in the shape of the recently opened Ai Pub. As well as offering a rich variety of food and drink, the 700-capacity venue, located in the Boeung Kak district of the Cambodian capital, stages a wide range of live entertainment and has become an instant feature of the party scene.

Live bands, DJ sets and promotional nights cater for birthday and works parties, corporate entertaining and casual get-togethers with friends, in this 875m² open space, complete with sliding roof and giant air-cooling fan.

Given the emphasis placed on non-stop music and dancing, as well as the high-profile artists, DJs and brands on show, the team at Ai paid careful attention to the selection of an audio system that could comfortably meet the requirements of a very busy and vibrant environment. The venue’s foc

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17 April 2024

Germany - In August 2023, Dyn Media launched as a new broadcaster in European sports, aimed at giving sports beyond football exposure and viewership. The broadcaster is taking new approaches in the production of its content. NEP Germany was contracted as the production service provider to develop a remote production infrastructure. The technical concept, signal workflows, and process operations were also created in collaboration with Dyn. Broadcast Solutions served as the system integrator responsible for implementation.

The core of the entire infrastructure's audio workflow is a comprehensive system solution from DirectOut Technologies, featuring several of its multifunctional rodigy.MP, .MC, and .MX units. With a total of one Prodigy.MX, 20 Prodigy.MP, and 12 Prodigy.MC, this project represents the largest Prodigy installation for DirectOut to date.

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17 April 2024

UK - Visitors to PLASA Focus Leeds (14-15 May, Royal Armouries) who stop by the ChamSys Stand (N-B23) will have the opportunity to see something that will “take them to an entirely new place,” the company says.

ChamSys is promoting the UK debut of its new MagicQ MQ500M+ Stadium Console at PLASA Focus Leeds with the slogan ‘Go Where No Other Console Has Gone Before’. The latest addition to the company’s MagicQ M series is capable of supporting 400 universes directly from the console without requiring external processing.

Along with showcasing this powerful tool in the UK for the first time, ChamSys will also be opening new vistas to show-goers with a series of educational sessions, including a guest LD session by Ed Warren, who has run shows by The Strokes, Interpol, Mumford & Sons and many other artists on ChamSys consoles.

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16 April 2024

Norway - Robe has announced Oslo-based Prostage as its new exclusive distributor for Norway. Michel Arntz, Robe’s key account manager for Europe states: “Norway is an important market and in Prostage we have a strong and proactive partner to move our business forward to the next level and are looking forward to a long and successful relationship with the team there.”

Prostage AS was established in 2008 by CEO Gunnar Waldemar Naas to offer quality and cost-efficient professional lighting, sound and stage products. A full-time staff of 22 manage a streamlined operation, including a large showroom, and expansive warehouse facilities incorporating a service centre.

Prostage co-owner Carl Tidemann says: “We are super-excited to be working with Robe. We have watched the brand for some time and seen it become a market leader and a constant innovator

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16 April 2024

USA - Brompton Technology launched its new panel manufacturer partner programme at this year’s NAB Show, and welcomed its long-standing collaborator, ROE Visual, as the founding member of the new programme.

“As a company, we’re entirely focussed on providing high-quality LED video processing and supporting our customers,” says Richard Mead, CEO of Brompton Technology. “We do not make LED panels; our business model is to foster long-lasting, mutually-beneficial relationships with manufacturers building quality LED panels.

“We will continue to work with any panel manufacturer who wants to support our processing, but our new partnership programme enables us to recognise the close partnerships we have built with key panel manufacturers who have committed to working with Brompton in the long-term.”

The programme will have several lev

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16 April 2024

Luxembourg - Rockhal Club is amongst the latest to have taken stock of Ayrton Mistral S and Levante S fixtures, which were supplied to the venue through Ayrton’s Belgian distributor, FACE.

Situated in the Centre de Musiques Amplifiées on the Avenue du Rock’n’Roll in the industrial heritage area of Belval in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg, Rockhal has two main venues amongst its rehearsal and creative studios. The 6000-capacity Main Hall has seen many bands and performers pass through its doors, including Mariah Carey, Iron Maiden, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Bryan Adams and Rammstein. Meanwhile, the 1,500 capacity Club has a fully-loaded and equipped stage with a fixed lighting rig and sound setup. As of now, a large part of this fixed grid is equipped with Ayrton fixtures, which replace outmoded stock.

“We have 20 Ayrton lights installed as perma

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16 April 2024

UK - Production Futures’ next On Tour event will take place at the AO Arena, Manchester on Tuesday 30 April. As its first arena outing, this will be Production Futures’ largest and most ambitious On Tour event to date. 

Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who is a strong supporter of the Production Futures mission, and who opened the previous show in the city, comments: “We are delighted to welcome Production Futures On Tour back to Manchester for a third year, and to see huge growth in the upcoming show, now taking over the AO Arena, where so many major artists and shows have taken the stage.

“Greater Manchester is known around the globe as the birthplace of ground-breaking music, film, theatre, festivals, venues, live events and TV, but that’s only made possible by the expertise and dedication of thousands of people working behind the scenes

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16 April 2024

UK - RCF dealer HD Pro Audio has carried out a sound reinforcement installation at the Whitechapel Gallery in East London, using the Italian manufacturer’s flexible NXL 44-A active column speaker.

The team from HD Pro Audio had been discussing a substantial speaker upgrade with the gallery for several years, proposing various options. “We had originally been referred to the client by industry colleagues as being well placed to put a suitable PA package together,” states HD Pro Audio MD Andy Huffer, who managed the project.

The NXL 44-A - the centrepiece of a package which also includes floor monitors and mixing console - features three 10” neodymium woofers and is driven by a powerful onboard Class-D (2,100W peak) amplifier.

The pre-existing PA “wasn’t up to the task of modern event requirements” and the gallery was seeking the