USA - Elation Professional has introduced the Fuze Teatro, a refined moving head luminaire that can be used to visually craft any scene without drawing attention to itself. Designed for any application where a noiseless, fully-automated framing fixture with full-spectrum colour range and quality is required, the Fuze Teatro is fanless for completely silent operation.
Illuminating the performing arts with automated luminaires has traditionally been a challenge. The technology required to provide the desired lighting levels, colour quality and remote positioning usually creates unwanted noise from fans, mechanical color mixing modules and other components, making their use in carefully-designed acoustical venues less than ideal. The Fuze Teatro has addressed these con

UK - More than 200 students from institutions around the UK tuned in live to Production Futures’ new YouTube channel for the launch of the Production Futures Studio TALKS podcast last week. Cheshire College, LIPA, The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and Norwich University were all represented, with in some cases, tutors bringing whole classes to the session.
The inaugural podcast with lighting designer Tim Routledge was presented in conjunction with the BBC’s Bring the Drama Festival, which sees the Corporation joining forces with some of the UK’s prominent cultural organisations to open doors of opportunity for the next generation of behind-the-scenes talent.
The 90-minute live broadcast Q+A, which saw Tim take part remotely from a secret location - he is currently working on production rehearsals with Take That - provided the young audience with valuab

USA - John Garberson created the lighting rig for the Powerhouse hip-hop celebration at the Desert Diamond Arena outside Phoenix.
Garberson and his team at Creative BackStage positioned a potent lighting rig on the 60ft wide by 40ft deep stage, using fixtures supplied by LIT Lighting. At the same time, however, they made sure to arrange things so there was a generous amount of open space at the stage’s centre. This gave headliners Kevin Gates, Tech N9ne, Young Nudy, and other performers a chance to standout, and connect to the sellout crowd of 20,000 without distractions.
While the hip-hop stars performed their art against the ‘blank canvas’ they were surrounded and supported by dynamic lighting displays above them and to their sides. Principal lighting designer James Simpson and the visiting LDs used a rig anchored by 48 Chauvet Professional fixtures to create a

World - The 1975’s appetite for touring is considerable and their schedule is gruelling, so their touring equipment needs to be able to keep up. Eighteen rounds of air and road freight can take its toll and reliable consoles that can withstand dust, heat, cold and humidity are vital as the team and their equipment cross multiple time zones. The tour relies on a DiGiCo Quantum 7 at front of house, and a Quantum 5 at the monitor position.
Monitor engineer Francois Pare states, “I don’t think I’ve used any other desk since 2016. Nowadays the shows are so involved, there aren’t many desks that can handle the number of channels we need. On The 1975, we have an eight-piece band, and the show is quite theatrical, there’s a lot going on effects wise on stage, so it all adds up.”
At front of house, Lee McMahon’s comments, “Building this show has been an amazi

USA Country singer Scotty McCreery’s Cab in a Solo Tour is making its way through the US with a versatile setlist that transitions between upbeat anthems and touching ballads, backed by three upstage LED screens driven by tvONE's Green Hippo brand of Hippotizer media servers.
Landing at Boston’s new MGM Musical Hall at Fenway at the beginning of March, the North Carolina native’s production was ramped up as fans flocked to see McCreery. Striking graphics, animations and imagery from McCreery’s music videos were displayed on the three portrait LED walls, which were made up of ROE’s ultra-fine 8.33mm pixel pitch CB8 LED panels. The content was delivered by two Green Hippo Hippotizer Karst+ MK2 media servers sourced from 4Wall Entertainment and controlled using a grandMA3 console.
Production designer Drew Hornback of DH Production Designs created the concept fo

Europe - Czech moving and LED lighting manufacturer Robe celebrated its 30th anniversary at the 2024 Prolight + Sound expo in Frankfurt and looked forward to another 30 years of lighting innovation.
The entertainment technology brand presented the finale of the Power of Imagination show, that entertained packed audiences five times a day and also staged a Rock ‘n’ Robe stand party on the evening of the second day, featuring Queen tribute band Queenie. Additionally, an array of new lighting products was launched and on the eve of the expo, Robe announced the acquisition of LSC Control Systems.
LSC joined the other Robe businesses – sister architectural brand Anolis, console manufacturer Avolites and control solutions provider Artistic Licence
The two public ‘dark demonstration’ rooms on the booth were constantly busy throughout the four days wi

Canada - Montreal studio Le Lab Mastering has built an all-Focal DolbyAtmos room, adding Atmos mastering to its offerings on top of fully analogue stereo, vinyl mastering, and lacquer cutting. The 7.1.4 Atmos studio features an all-Focal powered monitor configuration with Trio11, Trio6, Solo6, and Sub6.
The room’s layout features dual Sub6 subwoofers stacked under the left and right Trio11 monitors – four subwoofers total. This subwoofer configuration gives Le Lab’s Atmos room the ability to offer mastering for movie soundtracks and other formats that would need extended low-end response; It also offers a symmetrical low-frequency coverage in a smaller footprint.
Trio6 monitors fill out the centre and rear channels, while Solo6 are on the sides. Le Lab has already mastered a lot of legacy recordings remixed for Atmos, including Celine Dion, Sia, Whitney Houston

UK - The Institute of Sound, Communications and Visual Engineers (ISCVE) celebrated a successful ISCVEx 2024. The two-day symposium, which took place from 19-20 March at the historic Coombe Abbey, near Coventry, brought together more than 250 attendees in a showcase of knowledge, technology and community.
ISCVE hosted a varied line-up, which started with an engaging AGM and featured an illuminating member’s presentation from Jason Williams on Species AI Capture – The challenges and rewards of working on environmental and conservation projects. Participants then enjoyed camaraderie and insights exchanged at the networking dinner, complemented by an exhilarating performance by The Pub Choir.
Highlighting the second day were three seminars. James ‘Brew’ Henry Breward led the charge with Quiet Please, bringing to the spotlight the advanced audio systems util

USA - The inaugural Montreux Jazz Festival Miami made waves this March, marking the festival’s first venture onto US shores in decades. The event presented diverse musical performances against a backdrop of waterfront vistas, with sound from the Montreux Jazz Festival Miami’s official sound partner, Meyer Sound.
The intimate 1,500-person festival held March 1–3 at The Hangar at Regatta Harbour, showcased a lineup led by headliners Jon Batiste, Daniela Mercury, and Daryl Hall, topped off each night with the Montreux Jam Sessions.
The Hangar - built in 1918 as the first continental naval air station in the United States - is a cavernous 20,000sq.ft space, with thin corrugated metal walls and vast expanses of windows, that presents significant acoustic challenges.
For 38 years, Meyer Sound has been the strategic partner and official sound provider of the Montr

USA - “I don't know that there's another desk that we could really do it all with,” says Chad Olech, front-of-house mix engineer for Fall Out Boy, talking about managing the band’s complex comms infrastructure that sees three separate talkback lines coming into his DiGiCo Quantum5 console, as well as mixing a great show for fans.
“I don't think there's another manufacturer that makes something that would do what we need it to do in this situation. I'm sure we could work our way around it, but it wouldn't be as seamless and as easy.”
Rob Smuder is one of those comms sources, as he mixes the band’s monitors from a DiGiCo Quantum7 console, along with the stage manager and backline crew lines. “The main reason that I use the Q7 out here, honestly, is the matrixes,” says Smuder, who has worked with the band since 2018. “We have a ton of talkback mics tha

UK - Voyage Audio, the San Diego-based creators of Spatial Mic have appointed Emerging as their exclusive distributor for UK and Ireland.
The original Spatial Mic product employed USB/ADAT connectivity and this has been joined more recently by a Dante version. Both microphones have eight-capsule arrays that support 2nd Order Ambisonics. The body of the mics contain high-quality A/D conversion using a high-resolution Skyworks clocking scheme and built-in 32-bit XMOS processor.
The applications for the Spatial Mic are as diverse as its specifications. It is equally at home in studio, broadcast, field and live concert recordings where the remote control of the capsules and the output are obviously valuable, says Voyage.
Emerging’s MD, Paul Mortimer comments, “We already have an impressive range of products to manage immersive audio for mixing and mastering, a

Germany - Under the motto ‘Claypaky: leading through innovation. And Beyond’, Claypaky celebrated its participation in the 2024 edition of Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt.
The primary focus was on the latest addition to the ‘Multispectral family’ – Rhapsodya. Claypaky hosted a pre-recorded product presentation, including a short light show lasting about 12 minutes, which ran every hour. Following the demo, the Buddylight automated followspot was showcased in action during a special performance on stage, featuring singer Nevio Passaro.
Claypaky presented some innovative lighting solutions including:
Volero Cube is a compact IP66 fixture that seamlessly merges beam, wash, and strobe effects. This new, multi-function, multi-effect moving head is a real “4-in-1 fusion fixture” boasting 4 powerful 60W RGBW LEDs and plus-shaped cool white LED strips for str

UK - In early March, sound designer Simon Honywill used TiMax SoundHub with TiMax TrackerD4 performer stagetracking to spatially enhance an already incredible – and quite unique – immersive performance by the Paraorchestra musical ensemble. The Nature of Why, composed by Will Gregory and choreographed by Caroline Bowditch under the artistic direction of award-winning conductor, Charles Hazelwood, was performed within a 14m circular space on the Lyric Stage at Theatre Royal Plymouth, with 100-120 audience members mingling amongst the players and dancers for each performance.
Though it wasn’t the first performance of The Nature of Why– an interpretation of the famous interview with physicist Richard Feynman which asks in empirical terms why certain physical properties occur, such as magnetic attraction and slippery ice - it was the first time the immersiv

On The Campaign Trail - Leading arts organisations including the Royal Shakespeare Company and Bristol Old Vic are joining together for a UK-wide campaign aimed at creating a “powerful sector voice” that will advocate for the industry and lobby for additional public funding to help struggling venues and companies.
Culture Makes...will run from May this year and throughout 2024, creating what its organisers have called "a bold new vision for the value and impact of culture and heritage in society and as a human right which urgently needs investment" in the run up to the next general election.
It has been developed by the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation, with others that have already committed to being part of the campaign including 20 Stories High, An Tobar and Mull Theatre, Cardboard Citizens, Edinburgh International Festival, Javaad Alipoor Company, Lyric Theatre

UK - Jones AV, provider of advanced integrated theatre and medical training facilities in Europe has launched a new technology to turbocharge the environmental sustainability of integrated operating rooms.
As part of the development of the new ‘Integrated Operating Theatre of Things’ (ITOT), Jones AV looked to revolutionise operating room AV set-ups to overcome audio limitations, harness smart power management, reduce the number of devices via a fully digital signal chain, and scale down travel with full remote control aiming to meet Net Zero 2045 targets within the NHS.
The company installed the first ITOT system at the Cambridge Surgical Training Centre in September 2023, unveiling its solution after 18 months of intensive research and development incorporating a demo operating theatre. The system is optimised to deliver superior technological performance while

Hungary - After working with leading Hungarian artiste, Magdolna ‘Magdi’ Rúzsa for more than a decade, Martin Audio’s Hungarian partner, BG Event, is accustomed to rising to different challenges.
When it comes to the creative element, they strive to scale new heights with every collaboration. Two recent shows at the 12,500-cap László Papp Budapest Sports Arena proved no exception.
Rúzsa requested a 50m-long catwalk thrust, linking to a 6m x 6m ‘B’ stage. While her standard five-piece rock band would occupy main stage, there was a very different set up awaiting on the small ‘in-the-round’ secondary stage, where a 10-piece orchestra would perform. To achieve the end-result required some clever positioning and time alignment of nearly 200 Martin Audio speakers deployed by the service provider.
BG Event project manager Gábor ‘Mazsi’ Bácskay

Europe - Throughout February 2024, German rap artist Luciano worked his way across Germany, Switzerland and Austria on his Seductive tour. One of the first German-speaking rappers in the UK drill style, Luciano was Germany’s most streamed artist on Spotify in 2022. For this year’s tour, 80 Ayrton Cobra fixtures were supplied by TDA Clair GmbH.
Cobra is Ayrton’s first IP65 laser-sourced fixture. Designed for rendering a D65 white point that allows perfect colour reproduction, Cobra has an output of 386,000 lux at 20m, a 38x zoom ratio and zoom range of 0.6° to 23°. It also sports a highly innovative colour section, graphics capability and continuous pan and tilt.
The Cobra fixtures were specified by Stop Making Sense’s Timo Martens who created the lighting design for the tour with support and cooperation from Bertil Mark (also from Stop Making Sense), and Raph

Morocco - When Theatro Marrakech opened its doors in 2003, it was the very first nightclub in Morocco, and today, the 2,000-capacity is thriving. Before becoming a nightlife hotspot, Theatro was Africa’s first music hall, inaugurated over 60 years ago, and from this past, the club has kept both its décor – a mix of dramatic theatrical and dynamic Moroccan themes - and an immoderate taste for show.
Theatro Marrakech recently upgraded to a premium L-Acoustics K2 sound system to attract leading international artists who know and appreciate the brand. Inspired by a visit to Omnia Las Vegas and its L-Acoustics professional sound system, Theatro management worked with Paris-based nightclub consultant Timothée Renard of the Fox Agency and L-Acoustics certified provider integrator Potar Hurlant for the upgrade. "Our main objective was to integrate a rider-ready sound system t

UK - Sterling Events Group recently added to its professional audio offering through a substantial investment in EM Acoustics loudspeakers. Since adding to its portfolio, Sterling has deployed EM Acoustics systems on multiple high-profile projects.
The investment, comprised of 24 R8 Reference Series loudspeakers, complemented by 12 S215 subwoofers, has granted Sterling Events Group access to a powerful audio arsenal, enabling them to offer high-quality sound solutions to an expanding client base.
"EM’s R8s have proven to be a game-changer for us. We recognised the need for a an accessible, yet still high-quality option to meet diverse demands of some of our client base,” commented Tom Wright, assistant head of audio at Sterling Events Group. “The Reference Series fits the bill, offering remarkable musicality and great value when compared to other brands. Couple

Singapore - Wild Rice @ Funan is part of a modern performing arts complex sitting at the heart of Singapore’s lively civic and cultural district. Built in 2019, the main Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre space offers an intimate 358-capacity space with Singapore’s only thrust stage, which was inspired by the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in the UK.
In 2022, the theatre took delivery of a new Robe moving light package – 10 x T1 Profiles and 16 x ParFect 150s – which joined the original lighting rig that was specified by theatre design consultants Charcoalblue when the venue opened. More recently, the theatre invested in Robe again, purchasing Tetra2 moving LED battens and LEDBeam 350 wash beams to boost the general lighting rig.
The fixtures were delivered via Robe’s Asia Pacific office, and these lighting investments were overseen

UK - Event technology and production services company Encore has named Stefica Divkovic as managing director for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).
Divkovic has extensive experience driving business growth, managing operations, and transforming corporate cultures in highly competitive environments. Additionally, she has a strong focus on delivering excellent customer experiences. She previously served as the senior vice president of the EMEA region at Everbridge Inc., focusing on scaling customer and partner relationships across the region. Prior to that, she led Verizon's DACH and EMEA businesses and held senior leadership positions at other large global organisations, such as T-Systems.
“Stefica exhibits the best leadership characteristics for the managing director role in EMEA,” said Dustin Worley, SVP of international at Encore. “Her experience acros

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