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11 July 2024

USA - The US Olympic Swimming Team Trials, which took place from 15-23 June, were held for the first time ever in an NFL stadium - Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis, home of the Colts football team - instead of at the CHI Health Centre Omaha, the Nebraska arena where they had taken place ahead of four consecutive previous Olympics qualifying trials. The nine-day event was predicted to generate over $100m of economic impact locally, according to the Indiana Sports Corp.

The stadium venue, which would be able to seat 30,000 after the construction of two Olympic-sized pools over the football field, more than twice the number the earlier arena could accommodate, presented significant live-sound challenges for the event, which was also broadcast on NBC Sports.

A DiGiCo SD12-96 console - supported by DiGiCo SD-Racks and SD-MiNi Racks connected via

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11 July 2024

The Netherlands - ParkCity Live 2024 impressed visitors with spectacular stage designs and lighting displays, thanks to the creative efforts of Wesley Houben from None Of The Above and Rob Debets from Prismatic Lighting who carried out this project on behalf of SLF Group Rental & Sales.

Held in Heerlen, this year's festival featured performances from Level 42, Di-rect, Chef'Special, Joost, Paul Elstak, Brennan Heart and many more.

The Mainstage, a highlight of the festival, was brought to life by the design of Wesley Houben. Assisting him was Rob Debets, who played a crucial role as system technician.

Central to the Mainstage design were 66 Showtec Stage Blinder FLEX Blaze fixtures. These powerful LED stage blinders added intense bursts of light with traditional tungsten dimming, creating dramatic visual effects that captivated the audien

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11 July 2024

Europe - Amadeus and Holophonix have installed a 34-speaker system with Holophonix spatial control into the Royal Theatre of Namur in Belgium. The concept was to offer the listening audience the best sound possible from every seat in the Italian-style theatre, using Holophonix spatial sound technology and discreetly placed speakers without breaking the architectural theme of the ornate theatre.

“The previous sound system essentially consisted of two pairs of L-Acoustics Arcs installed on two DV-Sub speakers mounted on the stage frame, plus a few delays to open up the less well-served areas of the balconies,” says Patrice Dhautcourt, sound department manager at the Royal Theatre of Namur.

“The venue is a magnificent, listed Italian-style theatre, restored at great expense during a project that lasted from 1994 to 1998 – gilt in every corner, v

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11 July 2024

UK - Supported with funding from Creative UK and in partnership with iMAG Displays, Bristol-based Distortion Studios is the first permanent Virtual Production studio in the South-West of England.

The innovative 200m² facility is part of Distortion Creative Group Limited, which includes Studio Giggle and Distortion Productions. The studio uses Brompton LED processing to power its ROE Visual LED volume.

Distortion Creative Group has a long-standing partnership with iMAG. Together, they have delivered various projects for clients such as OVO Energy and CVC Capital Partners.

“When the group decided to launch a specialist virtual production studio, which is the only one in Bristol and the only permanent setup available west of Reading, we approached iMAG to partner with us on the project to supply the LED wall and Brompton Technology LED proces

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11 July 2024

UK - The 4,500 capacity New Road cricket ground in Worcestershire has sat on the banks of the River Severn since 1896. Frequently referred to as one of the world’s most beautiful cricket grounds, the sporting venue is home to Worcestershire County Cricket Club (WCCC) – one of 18 first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales.

The ground recently turned to audio-visual integrators Hadleigh Technical Support (HTS) and distributors CUK Group for a new PA system that could provide clear announcements, music and entertainment across the site. A sound solution from Renkus-Heinz was chosen to keep New Road at the top of its game.

“HTS has a long-standing relationship with Worcestershire Cricket Ground,” says Mark Bromfield, director of system solution sales at CUK. “The ground needed a new PA system that covere

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11 July 2024

USA - Feid, the Colombian musical phenomenon with over 17.6bn streams on Spotify, is currently taking his hits and his band out on the road. Produced by Live Nation, the FERXXOCALIPSIS Tour 2024 kicked off in Sacramento on 24 April at the Golden 1 Centre and has taken Feid across major US cities from coast to coast, offering fans a chance to experience his brand of high-energy reggaeton live.

On stage, all six musicians’ and vocalists’ IEMs are plugged into KLANG immersive monitor mixing in the form of a DMI-KLANG card loaded into a Clair Global-supplied DiGiCo Quantum338 console for monitors, mirroring another Quantum338 at front of house. This marks the first time the KLANG setup has been used by Feid, any of his band members, or Carlos ‘Carlitos’ Dickson, the veteran monitor engineer on the tour.

Dickson, a Latin Grammy-winning and multi-n

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11 July 2024

Malaysia - Powersoft’s T Series amplifier platform, known for its efficiency, flexibility and performance, is powering the Crossover store in the vibrant Exchange TRX shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur’s international financial district.

Crossover is a multi-label retail space and concept flagship store housing labels such as Carhartt WIP, Aries and Patta. The shop needed to transform the in-store audio experience to match its avant-garde retail ambiance.

In pursuit of clear, consistent and high-quality audio, the sustainability-conscious store approached loudspeaker manufacturer NNNN, which specified Powersoft T Series amplifiers to power its speakers. In choosing T Series, NNNN aimed to deliver maximum energy efficiency and clear, consistent and high-quality audio throughout the store, as well as a long-term value proposition for the client withou

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10 July 2024

UK - Flames, lasers and lights fired up the night sky at the 2024 Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts as Arcadia launched its new Dragonfly concept – a sculptural installation, performance arena, a live show and a complete world of visual, aural and sensory experience, taking the art of imagining recycled industrial and military scrap metal to new and different levels.

Lighting included six of Robe’s new iBOLTS, a laser-source searchlight style moving light, and 12 x iPointe65s – an IP65 version of Robe’s MegaPointe moving light – fixtures stood out from over 200 lights illuminating the Arcadia Arena.

The Dragonfly’s body was projection mapped adding texture and depth, the head comprised a custom transparent video screen made from 200 LED tiles and lasers were its wings. In true Arcadia style, the show featured an impress

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10 July 2024

UK - Head of installation at Bristol-based Enlightened, Henry Parr took a weekend off from his usual role to mix on the company’s Nexo Geo M10 line array system on the Sensation Seekers stage at the Glastonbury Festival.

With six M10s flown per side and six subs on the ground, the job called for a throw of 30m to cover a maximum anticipated audience of 3,000.

“I’ve had some experience using the larger Nexo Geo M12, but this was my first time using the smaller, single 10-inch M10,” reports Henry. “I was really impressed by the power of such a compact system and the way it performed, with consistent SPL even at the back of the field when the crowd swelled to more than 10,000 at times.

“With such a diverse range of artists and performances on the Sensation Seekers stage, it wasn’t possible to tune the system for any single genre, b

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10 July 2024

Germany - Straßenparty-Geldern is a three-day summer festival in the heart of Geldern, in Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia region. This free, open-air event includes live concerts from a rich range of musical genres across a total of five festival stages. For the 2024 edition of the festival, two of the largest stages featured line array PA systems from Wharfedale Pro.

Sound specialists, Rockline, deployed the sound system for the main stage, whilst the second stage was handled by event technicians, Ambiento. Wharfedale Pro was chosen for both stages to ensure consistency for the event’s most anticipated performances. On hand was Wharfedale Pro’s local applications and solutions manager from IAD GmbH, Christian Boche.

“There were a lot of different bands in the mix with very short change-over times between acts, so I was on hand to ensure th

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10 July 2024

Ireland - 3LR Lighting played a central role in specifying a new house lighting system for the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) in Dublin. One of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious music conservatoires, RIAM recently undertook an expansion and technical upgrade to mark its 150th anniversary.

As part of this, its 309-capacity Whyte Recital Hall has a new ArcSystem LED house lighting from ETC – for whom 3LR Lighting, as manufacturer’s representative, conducted the detailed consultation. Quality house lighting is, of course, fundamental to any auditorium which prioritises its aesthetic quality as much as its acoustics, for example. Here, however, aesthetic requirements were perhaps of even greater importance than usual.

As 3LR Lighting’s Matt Lloyd recalls, “The colour temperature, the CRI – how the light interacted with flesh tones –

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10 July 2024

UK - The ABTT is inviting nominations for its annual Stephen Joseph Award, as an ongoing tribute to Joseph’s contribution to our theatre culture. Designed to recognise innovative and inclusive theatre excellence in today’s British theatre, the 2024 Award is now open for entries.

The aim of the award is to celebrate the variety of ways contemporary theatre practitioners continue to break new ground in engaging their audiences. The award is open for submissions and a wide variety of practice is eligible - the ongoing work of a theatre company, a specific production, an individual theatre artist or director, or an innovative theatre building design. Submissions welcome from theatres large or small, long-established companies or emerging artists. Nominations accompanied by suitable evidence can easily be made by theatres, practitioners, or the general public

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10 July 2024

Canada - Vaughan, Ontario-based bb Blanc, a leading name in the AV production industry, has expanded its equipment portfolio with the acquisition of 48 Claypaky Sharpy X-Frame lighting fixtures.

"bb Blanc's decision to invest in Claypaky products was driven by the superior quality and technological innovation that Claypaky consistently delivers," says Adam Palleschi, managing director of bb Blanc. "The choice of Claypaky reflects bb Blanc's dedication to using the best tools available to create unforgettable event experiences."

According to Palleschi, Sharpy X-Frames stand out for their versatility and efficiency, making them an ideal addition to bb Blanc's lighting inventory. These all-in-one fixtures combine beam, profile, and wash functions, enabling a wide range of lighting effects with a single unit.

"The X-Frames can serve multiple purp

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10 July 2024

Italy - Powersoft has announced the expansion of its global team with the appointment of two new business development managers and three new solution engineers.

With over 20 years of industry experience, Jonathan Wu, newly appointed business development manager for China, possesses a deep understanding of the pro-audio market. He aims to enhance user experience and product knowledge for Chinese clients, as well as continue to raise Powersoft’s brand awareness in China.

Jinfu Chen, business development manager for the Southeast Asian market, will focus on Indonesia, Thailand, The Philippines and Vietnam ensuring growth objectives by creating direct relationships with key integrators and consultants and utilising regular meetings and training sessions within the distribution network. Chen has an extensive background in the industry, having previously

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10 July 2024

Thailand - Brompton Technology has confirmed its participation in this year’s InfoComm Asia trade show, where it will be supporting three of its panel manufacturing partners, including gold partners INFiLED and Absen, co-hosting Studio X Beyond’s event, and sponsoring the InAVate APAC Awards.

Booth E20, sees INFiLED showcase its state-of-the-art LED display technology for control room, rental and staging, and xR/VP applications. A VP stage will feature Brompton SX40 processors and XD data distribution units, along with a demonstration the advantages of INFiLED’s RGBW panels using Brompton’s acclaimed G1 receiver cards and TrueLight technology.

Additionally, INFiLED and Friends expert panels will take place throughout the show, with Brompton participating in the XR Shooting session on day one and two from 14:00 to 14:30. The session will highl

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09 July 2024

UK - PLASA and LSi are calling for nominations for this year’s Gottelier Award. Named after the late lighting designer and innovator Tony Gottelier, the revered award recognises the invaluable contributions of the people behind the products.

Launched in 2007, the Gottelier Award aims to recognise product developers who have made a significant and sustained contribution to the advancement of entertainment, presentation, or installation technology over many years.

Last year’s winner was Howard Eaton whose self-named company, Howard Eaton Lighting Ltd, is known for delivering bespoke solutions to countless theatrical productions around the world – from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’s flying car, to the crashing chandelier in the Phantom of the Opera, to the flying Olympic rings at London 2012.

After his win, Eaton said: “It is quite somethin

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09 July 2024

UK - The Chauvet Professional Color STRIKE M got to make over 100,000 pairs of eyeballs dance at Glastonbury this year. Playing a role in what Rolling Stone called ‘a stunning lightshow’ for Saturday night headliners Coldplay, the motorized strobe-wash was used to create a seemingly endless flow of  looks that captivated what was one of the largest crowds in the festival’s history.

Supplied by Upstaging, the high-output IP65-rated fixtures were positioned throughout the rig by LD  Shaheem Litchmore. From these positions they created a glow over the performance area. The fixtures also flashed their colour rendering prowess, blasting out a rainbow of dynamic chase sequences.

Every bit of the Color STRIKE M’s versatility was needed, as Coldplay took the gigantic crowd on a multifarious musical journey. In addition to performing album

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09 July 2024

UK - Located on the edge of London’s Regent’s Park, 229 is a multi-purpose venue with two spaces: Venue One has a capacity of 700 and Venue Two can hold around 200 people. Both are busy every night, often also hosting events during the day. There is residential housing above and the whole complex is managed under the umbrella of the charity International Student House, which provides a home and community for young people studying internationally. A hundred percent of 229’s profits go back into supporting the charity’s mission.

“We had been using our previous desk for about 10 years,” technical manager Alessandro Bonifacio explains. “Every investment is thought about very carefully, we have to think in terms of longevity and value. I’ve been using DiGiCo consoles on my freelance jobs for years, so I got in contact through Andy Huffer at HD Pro

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09 July 2024

The Netherlands - The Royal Theater Carré (Koninklijk Theater Carré) is a Neo-Renaissance style theatre in Amsterdam, located on the banks of the river Amstel. Founded in 1887, it was originally built as a permanent venue for the Carré circus family and their popular ‘horse-play’ circus-theatre shows, but was later repurposed to also stage a variety of performances, revue theatre and operettas. Currently, the circular design 1,700-capacity auditorium is used for a mix of musicals, pop and music concerts and cabaret shows.

The auditorium lighting has recently received an upgrade with the existing lighting replaced by 36 x Anolis Ambiane XP56 LED fixtures fitted with 20-degree lenses.

These were delivered by Lumen Solutions, the architectural division of lighting sales specialist, Controllux, and installed by the Carré’s in-house lighting tea

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09 July 2024

USA - One of the premier roots festivals in the US, DelFest has steadily evolved the technical infrastructure at its Allegany County Fairgrounds site in Cumberland, MD, since the event was originally established 17 years ago.

Supporting the multi-stage event with sound reinforcement from the beginning has been Martin Audio partner Southard Audio. This year they fielded three Wavefront Precision systems - a WPL rig and two WPS hangs.

“We only switched to WPL and other Martin Audio systems at DelFest post-COVID (from 2022) and it really shines for these applications,” notes Southard managing partner, Jason Misterka.

Their three-stage Martin Audio deployment was headed by the large-format WPL line array. The Grandstand system used 24 WPL for main PA (12 a-side) with eight WPL out-fill stage right (to cover the grandstands), four XD15 front-f