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Holoplot appoints US sales manager

James Bobel - sales manager for North America

Details: 22 August 2023

Germany - Holoplot has announced the expansion of its US presence with the appointment of James Bobel as sales manager for North America.
With decades of sales and technical experience and a proven track record of building relationships in the commercial AV integration market, Bobel will be responsible for fostering relationships with US customers across all business sectors and identifying new markets.
“I’ve worked in the professional audio industry over the past two decades for integrators, and manufacturers. I have a genuine appreciation and passion for technology, and the opportunity to join Holoplot was impossible to pass up,” says Bobel.
“What gets me up in the morning is working with designers, engineers who are trying to do something that hasn’t b

Data Strategy's Iain Roche and John McMullan will be on stand D3 at this year's PLASA Show

PLASA Show 2023: Data Strategy features QC-Check

Details: 22 August 2023

UK - From stand D3 with SES, at this year’s PLASA Show, Data Strategy will showcase the extensive benefits of the industry’s first choice electrical and cable safety inspection solution, the QC-Check workstation.
Anticipating an extension to the summer festival season’s conversational theme of cable identification out on site, Data Strategy’s Iain Roche will be on stand ready to discuss the benefits of simple labelling solutions, as well as the latest rental system integrations and QC-Check’s most popular add-on modules, including the PowerCheck distro testing, LOLER inspection and SimplyPATS integration software.
Integration with equipment hire software is central to QC-Check’s role in embedding practical safety inspection solutions into the heart of the warehouse process. Data Strategy is progressing two new and interesting integrations that will allow mo

OutBoard's Dave Haydon and Robin Whittaker will be on stand J5 at the show

PLASA Show 2023: OutBoard highlights TiMax

Details: 22 August 2023

UK - At this year’s PLASA Show (stand J5) OutBoard will preview the latest product innovations from the TiMax family of immersive audio and showcontrol products. Following another of the company’s busiest years, both in sales and in product development, OutBoard will showcase new software enhancements to TiMax2 SoundHub, including audio and workflow previews of their groundbreaking new spatial production reverb addition.
Also at PLASA will be the award-winning TiMax TrackerD4 Precision Stagetracking system, with newly refined error correction filtering as a must-see update. This and other innovations further solidify the agility and robustness of the system to meet the growing demands of live production, cementing its status as the leading tracking system for real-time immersive spatial audio, and also paving the way for imminent exciting new advanced lighting and media

The new DraftKings Sportsbook bar at Chicago’s Wrigley Field stadium

tvONE drives Chicago’s DraftKings Sportsbook

Details: 22 August 2023

USA - Sports fans are being treated to a massive 2,000sq.ft video screen at the new DraftKings Sportsbook bar at Chicago’s Wrigley Field stadium, with game footage and betting information delivered by a tvONE CORIOmaster2 video processor and integrated by tvONE partner McCann Systems.
The expansive LED feature wall wraps around the space and is visible from practically any seat. DraftKings Sportsbook is a restaurant, bar, and sports betting facility and is connected to the historic Wrigley Field, home to the Chicago Cubs baseball team.
Upon realising that the large LED screen would require many video sources to be displayed and have several preset layouts, immersive digital environments specialists McCann Systems specified tvONE’s CORIOmaster2 video processor, which is engineered to drive ‘more pixels than you will ever need’ with its high bandwidth CORIO2 proc

‘They are monsters … really loud, especially on something like the kick drum’

22live adds Martin monitors for Sigur Rós tour

Details: 22 August 2023

USA - Experimental Icelandic rock band, Sigur Rós recently embarked on a two-and-a-half-week tour of North America, complete with a 41-piece orchestra.
It marks the third phase of support from their audio rental company 22live, who earlier covered their 2022 world shows, followed by European summer dates (where the orchestral idea was first introduced) and now tour dates in the United States and Canada.
Each wave of dates has seen progressive iterations of Martin Audio sound reinforcement, culminating in monitor engineer Throstur Albertsson recently changing his monitor set-up for powerful XE500 wedges (to complement their IEMs) but more significantly 18 of the manufacturer’s new FlexPoint FP4 for local orchestral monitoring.
Explaining the background, 22live hire director, Paul Timmins, who has a long relationship with Sigur Rós, said: “We needed some tiny

‘This event marked a significant milestone in Elvana's two-decade-long musical journey’

Prolights celebrate with Elvana Gjata in Tirana

Details: 22 August 2023

Albania - Prolights fixtures played a pivotal role in the concert titled Dekada by Albanian singer Elvana Gjata. This event marked a significant milestone in Elvana's two-decade-long musical journey, captivating thousands of fans at the Air Albania Stadium in Tirana for a memorable four-hour extravaganza.
Contributing to the importance of the event was ASLV Albania working in collaboration with Kuadr Events, they integrated 350 cutting-edge Prolights fixtures, creating a breathtaking stage setup, including: 30 PanoramaIP Spot, 30 PanoramaIP AirBeam, 60 UNICO, 50 Jade, 40 Stark 400, 24 Sunrise 2IP, 40 SunRise 4, 40 Lumipix 15IP, 12 EclFresnel TW, 12 LumiPar 12IP and 16 Razor 440.
"The Prolights fixtures truly exceeded our expectations at Elvana Gjata's Dekada concert. Their cutting-edge technology and versatility allowed us to create a visually stunning productio

White Tie specialises in creating large-scale events for non-profit and corporate associations

White Tie Productions selects Alfalite panels

Details: 22 August 2023

USA - Live event production company, White Tie Productions has purchased 120 Alfalite Litepix Series panels, making them the first live event company in the U.S. with Alfalite LED panels. It marks the second sale in the U.S. for the new FOR-A/Alfalite alliance.
Headquartered in Phoenix with a second office in Orlando, White Tie will have 60 panels based in each location. The screens will be shipped to customers throughout the U.S. The walls will be showcased in White Tie’s Phoenix studios when they are not out on live productions.
White Tie specialises in creating large-scale events for non-profit and corporate associations. Company president Ross Snyder comments: “When you see an Alfalite wall in person, it’s unique. You can talk about LED all day long but until you see a camera pointed at it, you can’t fully understand how well constructed it is. These panels

Postgirobygget perform at Norway’s Treungen Festival (photo: Kjetil Tefke)

MDG Me2 joins Postgirobygget summer tour

Details: 22 August 2023

Norway - The band, Postgirobygget (named after Norway’s main post office in Oslo), which began life in 1994 under the name The Pissed Off Sons, gained traction with their debut album Melis, which sold nearly 200,000 copies and spent a total of 70 weeks in the VG Chart. Since then, they have embarked on an annual summer tour, performing at festivals and venues in front of audiences ranging from 2000 to 18,000 people.
Postgirobygget’s 28-date summer 2023 tour began in May and will continue through until September, with set and lighting design by Petter Nilssen of LiteNordic, MDG’s distributor for Norway. Nilssen chose a single MDG Me2 fog generator as his source of fog and haze for the duration of the tour, complete with MDG’s digital theFAN, both of which were neatly and conveniently housed with fluid and gas bottles in an MDG Vertical Flight Case as an instan

Unusual Rigging in the deep end in Abu Dhabi

Details: 22 August 2023

UAE - Seaworld at Yas Island Abu Dhabi is the region’s first Marine Life Theme Park. It is also the first facility in the MENA region to achieve Global Human certification (the international brand of American Human, which is the world’s largest certifier of animal welfare). The new attraction was delivered by ALEC Engineering & Contracting LLC and opened its doors to the public in May 2023.
Unusual Rigging was brought on board by ALEC and subcontractors ASU and Holovis to handle the various rigging installations around the park, ensuring that the equipment and design solution remained constant throughout the different disciplines and buildings.
One of the main aspects of the project was the installation of a series of acrylic ceiling panels in the venue’s central hub. Called One Ocean, the hub looks like an underwater cave with rocky arches marking the entran

‘The finished project is an intimate and atmospheric space’

Doughty has designs on Pitlochry theatre

Details: 22 August 2023

UK - When Audio Light Systems was contracted as specialist theatre systems installation contractors, to deliver The Studio at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Doughty Engineering was the supplier of choice for the facility panels and production light boxes that the venue would need.
The Studio - a home for new expressive art, opened its doors earlier this summer - more than 40 years after it was originally planned. Although a smaller performance place was part of the original 1970’s design of the site at Port-Na-Craig, financial restrictions meant that this particular ambition could not be realised at the time. The dream remained, however, and the designated space was held (and used as a set store) until it became a reality.
Steve Aitchson, project engineer at Audio Light Systems said: “The space, whilst fairly small (seating 172 over two levels at full capacity), requi

Sydney Showground is spread over 30 hectares with a diverse offering of event spaces

LEA Pro amplifies Sydney Showground

Details: 22 August 2023

Australia - Sydney Showground was established in 1998 as a purpose-built home for major events as part of the multi-million dollar development leading up to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Today it's a multi-use venue, hosting nearly 150 national and international events annually, including music festivals, sporting events, exhibitions, trade shows and the Sydney Royal Easter Show, its flagship event and the nation's largest annual ticketed event.
Sydney Showground comprises several buildings, including Giants Stadium, the Dome and Exhibition Complex, Charles Moses Stadium, Howie Complex, the Sydney Royal Stables, and more. After 25 years of nearly continuous operation, the AV system was in need of refurbishment, so they turned to Connect Series amplifiers from LEA Professional to return the AV system to its former glory.
Showground staff contacted integrator The

Ayrton Cobra fixtures illuminate the love story between the Maiden’s Tower and the Galatea Tower (photo: Amanda Holmes)

Ayrton Cobras illuminate Maiden’s Tower love story

Details: 22 August 2023

Turkey - The focus of many legends and sagas, Istanbul’s Maiden’s Tower is the most important building for the city’s inhabitants, with a long history stretching back beyond 1423 when it first received its name.
During its complete renovation, the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism commissioned contractors ASTEL to conduct an international competition for a light show that should highlight the Tower, be widely seen around Istanbul and run fully-automated every night.
The contract was won by Martin Kuhn of MKLD Lighting Design & Consulting of Berlin, who conceived the idea of telling the Tower’s story using light to accompany the narrative in the manner of a theatre piece or performance.
Kuhn commissioned a seven-minute script from respected Turkish writer, Ayşe Kulin, had it translated it into English and Arabic, found professional speakers for

Signature 'skinny rack' octoboxes will be featured

PLASA Show 2023: Artistic Licence focus on splitters

Details: 21 August 2023

UK - Artistic Licence, now part of the Robe family, goes back to its rock 'n' roll roots, with a line-up of rack-mount splitters and its gateway range. From the signature 'skinny rack' octoboxes to the channel-dense, feature-rich dataLynx range, a spectrum of budgets and technical needs are catered for.
The Artistic Licence stand would not be complete without some of its popular DIN rail mount products. This year sees the arrival of a new addition to the bestselling railSplit range, in the form of railSplit quad.
This new DMX/RDM opto-splitter features all the functionality of the railSplit RDM, with two key differences: Data connections are all RJ45 plus there are four (not six) outputs.
Also in the news, Artistic Licence has revamped the railFlip, with a new style case and markings. railFlip is a modular A-B switch for DMX512 that supports four universes. Its

The showcase will include one of the UK’s first showings of the JBL VTX A6

PLASA Show 2023: Sound Technology shows latest JBL solutions

Details: 21 August 2023

UK - JBL Professional and UK distributor Sound Technology will be showcasing the latest JBL Portable and Performance Audio loudspeaker solutions throughout the PLASA Show on their main stand C22, and with a series of audio demonstrations in the Gallery Suite 2 on the Gallery Level.
The showcase will include one of the UK’s first showings of the JBL VTX A6, which brings flagship VTX A Series performance to a subcompact form factor, and the newly shipping JBL SRX 900 system - a series of powered line arrays and subwoofers addresses the growing need for affordable, scalable small and medium-format professional sound-reinforcement solutions. The new powerful and intuitive JBL Performance control software for SRX900 will also be demonstrated.
In addition, attendees will hear the latest addition to JBL’s portable PA family, the PRX 900 Series, together with the high-po

Navigating the intricate spatial layout of the restaurant posed a challenge

Vapiano elevates dining experience with Ecler

Details: 21 August 2023

UK - With a presence across 25 countries and a total of 135 establishments, Vapiano Restaurants understands the integral role that ambience plays in customer satisfaction and engagement. Essential to this ambience is quality audio with appropriate music.
Vapiano enlisted the services of installer Marquee AV to upgrade the audio system in their Paddington restaurant.
After reviewing the client request and specifications, Stacey Tough, project director at Marquee AV, contacted Audiologic regarding the supply of the audio system. Through discussions with Paul Simpson, business manager at Audiologic, 11 x Ecler Drop 6 pendant loudspeakers and three Ecler Arqis SB10i subwoofers were specified for the project.
Paul Simpson explains: "The Ecler Drop6 2-way pendant speaker suits this setting perfectly. It boasts a 6.5" woofer and a 1" silk dome tweeter, along with a 70/

CS Audio’s Paul Hatt plus latest investment

CS Audio joins UK’s Newton family

Details: 21 August 2023

UK - Based in the heart of the West Midlands with a satellite office in North Wales, sound production company CS Audio has made an initial investment in Outline’s Newton FPGA processor, supplied by UK distributor CUK Audio.
“The unit had been on my radar for a while thanks to the industry ‘buzz’ it has generated - some products quickly develop a reputation for simply being the right tool for the job and Newton is definitely one of them,” says owner Paul Hatt. “It quickly became obvious that it was way ahead of any comparable product and ideal for our needs. Its ease of use, dual redundant PSUs and connectivity options, all in such a compact package, made it a very simple decision to invest.”
Paul continues: “It has become our go-to choice for our FOH drive rack, using Dante as the primary network with AES backup, and it works so well with our inventory

Each RoboSpot operator was allocated a band member and stayed with them (photo: Steve Sroka)

Robe Fortes join Sam Fender’s homecoming

Details: 21 August 2023

UK - Sam Fender played two homecoming shows at St. James’ Park in Newcastle with lighting designed by Sam Tozer - also the show’s creative director - and equipment supplied by event technology specialists, Adlib, including 11 x Robe Fortes running on five RoboSpot systems.
Tozer has been working with the artist since he re-started playing live after the pandemic in 2021. Working alongside him was lighting director Luke Avery, who was heavily involved in the design process, together with set designer Flora Harvey. Video content was created by UDC.
Sam’s overall vision for these shows was to make the lighting look epic, large scale and ‘industrial strength’ to cover the dynamic range of Sam Fender’s music.
The Fortes were all rigged on the front truss and utilised for spot lighting, key lighting and specials. “I needed a very reliable and stable remo

EPS provided sound and lighting for five of the eight stages

EPS and Nexo service Truck Festival 2023

Details: 21 August 2023

UK - For more than 15 years, Oxford’s Event Production Services has been a major fixture at Truck Festival. In 2023 EPS provided sound and lighting for five of the eight stages. For the second year running sound systems in these spaces were entirely based around Nexo products, from the Geo, P+ and ID series, with control surfaces from Yamaha.
Highlights included This Feeling and Rockin’ Chair stages, which both utilised Nexo Geo M1210 and MSUB18 with cardioid subwoofers; and The Tap Room, with a compact but potent system of Geo M620 and MSUB18. All systems were ground stacked but still offered consistent coverage and audio level across the spaces, with all the M12 systems running in active mode.
Robert Nisbet, managing director of EPS, reported flawless operation from the Nexo systems. “Having bought into Nexo in large quantities over the past five years, our te

European Capital of Culture celebrations in Veszprém and the Bakony-Balaton region will continue throughout the year

Veszprém celebrates Culture Capital status with Elation

Details: 21 August 2023

Hungary - In 2023, the city of Veszprém in Western Hungary and the Bakony-Balaton region is holding a year-long programme of events and celebrations as the European Capital of Culture. The Grand Opening of the festivities took place on 21-22 January under the title Come shine with us!, a spectacular event with lighting design by Balázs Varga. The LD illuminated the occasion using 120 IP-rated lighting products from Elation Professional.
January weather in Hungary can be freezing - it is the coldest and snowiest month of the year in the country - with temperatures often between 0° and -10° Celsius. “The rehearsal days and programming days were freezing and there was snow on show day,” stated Balázs, co-founder and managing director of Hybrid Production of Budapest.
“It was extremely hard on the fixtures because the equipment was outside for seven strai

The Ark is a multifunctional production and events space within the complex

Stockport’s South City Studios expands

Details: 18 August 2023

UK - South City Studios, a pre-production and rehearsal facility in Stockport, is expanding after using a six-figure loan from FW Capital Debt Finance, part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (npif).
Established in 2017, South City Studios, formerly called The Stockport Studios, is located in Pear Mill, Stockport. Following strong financial performance over the past two years, the business was able to fund the development of additional studio spaces at its existing location, increasing overall capacity to 15 permanent rooms that can be hired on a monthly basis and a further four rooms available for flexible bookings.
The investment will support plans to accelerate further growth following the acquisition of additional space at Welkin Mill, Stockport, close to the existing studios. The owners of the business plan to create additional rehearsal studios as well as

Entec Live extends Optocore network

Details: 18 August 2023

UK - Entec Live has extended its investment in Optocore fibre network devices, expanding its Record and Returns racks capabilities - thereby future-proofing them for the growing roster of arena, stadium and festival events they are undertaking.
This was after the production company had invested in its first three M8-BNC MADI switches for the Gorillaz world tour early last year. Supplied by Optocore dealer, HD Pro Audio, the devices were designed to help optimise their Pro Tools rig, enabling connectivity with their Optocore-enabled DiGiCo SD7 digital consoles.
This year they added a further M8-BNC, but equally significantly five X6R-FX-16AE interfaces (one with SRC sample rate conversion option, the other four without), creating an Optocore PA Returns rack that will become their de facto system for shows over the next year. Again, the order was fulfilled by HD Pro Audi

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