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Martin Audio North America to host open days

The first open day will be held at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland

Details: 21 March 2023

USA - Martin Audio North America has chosen the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, for its first post-pandemic open day on Tuesday, 9 May.
The popular concert venue will host two sessions (a morning and afternoon event), based around a series of demonstrations and presentations featuring Martin Audio’s front-line PA systems.
In particular, they will showcase the entire line up of Wavefront Precision line arrays (WPL, WPC, WPS and WPM), Torus constant curvature array (T1230, T1215 and T820) and XE stage monitors (XE300 and XE500).
Lee Stein VP of sales, North America, confirmed the importance of what will be the company’s first large-scale presentation since before the pandemic. “With all the new products we’ve introduced over the last few yea

Mandela at Young Vic (photo: Helen Murray)

TiMax tracks Mandela at London’s Young Vic

Details: 21 March 2023

UK - Infused with the rhythms of South Africa, the sound design for Mandela at London’s Young Vic is defined by the distinct signature of Paul Gatehouse. His style is conferred through his workflow and his essential favoured technologies, one of which is TiMax TrackerD4. That the Young Vic has recently invested in TiMax TrackerD4, which Gatehouse deems, “a great asset”. He adds, “It meant that we were able to be ambitious in our thinking with what is essentially a smaller budget approach.”
The production features 22 cast members and Gatehouse notes, “Without the automated performer tracking that TiMax provides we’d have to manually locate the position of all the vocal objects in Soundscape, which would be a lot of cues and button pushing for the sound mixer! This way that burden is removed for us.”
The Young Vic’s TiMax Tracker setup includes

Kartfest will be returning to Sandown Park for its biggest event yet

Kartfest 2023 tickets now on sale

Details: 21 March 2023

UK - Backup has officially declared Kartfest -The Village Fete, open! Tickets are now on sale to the live events industry’s big day out.
Now in its eighth year, Backup is delighted that Kartfest will be returning to Sandown Park for its biggest event yet. “With our fantastic headline sponsor, Chauvet, we are building a big old fashioned Village Fete to give everyone a great day out,” says Backup vice chair and the event’s organiser, Lee Dennison. “Our judges will be out in force scoring the best dressed stalls, our cake bake competition and the best fete game. We are all looking forward to apple bobbing, hook the duck and smashing the rat.”
Backup is also delighted to have 5 Star Cases officially sponsor the Flight Case Relay, which is longer and faster than last year’s race. “We so looking forward to seeing the budding Linford Christies warming up on t

Visualization will have full access to Hall’s range of products covering connectivity and UC

Hall partners with Visualization and CineAV

Details: 21 March 2023

UK/South Africa - Hall Technologies has expanded its presence and supply chains in EMEA via UK technical solutions distributors, Visualization, as well as Cine AV, in South Africa. Hall has announced a strategic distribution agreement whereby both will have full access to Hall’s range of products covering connectivity and UC.
“We’re excited to add such a broad line of class leading products to our distribution portfolio,” states the managing director of CineAV, Tyron Ackerman.
“Along with VueAV and our other sister companies, we believe that the market across the countries in which they are active will benefit from both the unique product lines and Hall Technologies' excellent customer services,” says Nick Pidgeon, Visualization’s managing director.
Hall Technologies Hal Truax, VP of sales and marketing comments, “We are delighted to announce Vi

Elle Bennett, Abbie Lock, Simon Munday, Rebecca Pendlebury and Evie Lamb of the Mi Finance team

Midwich UK&I launches Mi Finance scheme

Details: 21 March 2023

UK - Midwich UK&I has launched Mi Finance – a financial services offering that supports customers’ business growth through help in acquiring new technologies or upgrading assets while protecting their working capital.
Available to customers of Midwich Ltd, Nimans Ltd and Sound Technology Ltd, and with plans to roll out to the wider UK&I group of companies soon, Mi Finance offers ‘competitive rates for lease and hire purchase’. Three product options are currently available including finance lease, hire purchase, and operating lease, with a fourth product in development.
Simon Munday, Mi Finance manager, said: “We are really excited to bring this proposition to market. We are constantly looking at ways to increase our service offering and Mi Finance is our answer.
“We work as an extension to our customer’s team – taking the administration ou

Steven Pedroza – western regional sales manager

Hall Technologies grows West Coast team

Details: 20 March 2023

USA - Hall Technologies has appointed Steven Pedroza as western regional sales manager. Pedroza has a long AV career supporting projects across a wide range of applications on both the manufacturers and system integration side of the industry.
“The West Coast is a key territory for Hall, and we could not be more pleased to have Steven on our team,” says VP of sales and marketing, Hal Truax. “He came highly recommended and is known for being very customer-focused and thorough. Those are key traits we look for on our team.”
“I’m extremely excited to join the Hall Technologies team at such a pivotal time in the company’s history, as well as within the AV industry I love so very much. Hall is a perfect fit for me and where I want to be in the industry, working side-by-side with a talented like-minded team that truly wants to help others succeed via technology

The Ministry of Sound orchestral concert was staged at Stage 88 (photo: Darren Russell)

Astera AX1s get orchestral in Canberra

Details: 20 March 2023

Australia - Canberra-based Elite Event Technology (EET) supplied 96 x Astera AX1 PixelTubes for an eye-catching lighting design to illuminate a special Ministry of Sound Orchestral concert staged at Stage 88, a permanent venue ensconced in the leafy green environs of Commonwealth Park, Canberra.
EET’s client was promoter Zaccaria Concerts and Touring, and the lighting designer was Jayden Sutherland from design studio The Bakery Design Co.
The AX1s were used along the three over-stage trusses – front, mid and rear – and to define the edges of all the orchestra risers on the deck, creating elegant architectural looks as well as high impact effects.
EET’s Darren Russell explained that they suggested Jayden use the AX1s as there was a very tight overnight changeover after a Crowded House gig the night before, also with lighting, video and sound production s

The 2022 Symphonica in Rosso concert staged at Amsterdam Ziggo Dome was headlined by girlband Dolly Dots (photo: Nathan Reinds)

Spiiders join Dolly Dots ‘last ever’ performance

Details: 20 March 2023

The Netherlands - The 2022 Symphonica in Rosso concert staged at Amsterdam Ziggo Dome was headlined by legendary Netherlands girlband Dolly Dots. They ended their 2021/22 Reunion Tour with this special high impact show – rumoured to be their last ever live performance – accompanied by The European Pop Orchestra conducted by Guido Dieteren.
Lighting and set for the Dolly Dots tour was designed by associate lighting designer Thomas de Vries from renowned creative studio Live Legends, who specified 124 x Robe Spiiders, 45 x LEDBeam 150s and 31 x BMFL Blades for this Symphonica in Rosso show that closed out 2022.
The set and lighting for their Symphonica in Rosso appearance featured a re-imagined and upwardly-engineered version of their touring system which, combined with a general production design for the full series of shows, provided an eye-catching backdrop for a

The European leg kicks off on 28 April in Barcelona

Ravitz selects Elation for Springsteen world tour

Details: 20 March 2023

USA - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band kicked off their 2023 World Tour in February in Tampa, Florida, with lighting design by long-time collaborator and Emmy-winning designer Jeff Ravitz.
Ravitz, who has been with Springsteen since the Born in the USA tour in 1984/85, chose a selection of Elation Professional lights for the current tour, including luminaires from the company’s IP65 Proteus series. Lighting supply is by Christie Lites.
The 2023 tour marks the first time since 2017 that Springsteen & the E Street Band have toured together. As part of an overall lighting system, Ravitz is using Elation’s Proteus Hybrid moving heads and newly released Proteus Rayzor 1960 LED wash/mid-air/specialty effect lights, along with Proteus Rayzor 760 for stadium shows. The rig also features Elation Cuepix 16 IP LED matrix blinder and effect panels, and compact Sm

Clair Global deployed a major audio system for all the concerts

Newton at the heart of Here And Now

Details: 20 March 2023

USA - The top-earning country music tour of 2022 and one of the highest of any genre last year, Kenny Chesney’s Here And Now Tour grossed over $135m and saw him perform for 1.3m fans across 41 shows, including 21 stadia, making him the most popular touring country artist of the year.
The tour was originally scheduled to take place in 2020 but, like so many, was derailed by the global pandemic. Chesney eventually moved the tour to 2022 and named it after his album of the same name, bringing support acts Dan+Shay, Carly Pearce and Old Dominion with him. The tour closed in Foxborough MA with two sold-out shows that hosted a total of 122,000 fans.
Clair Global deployed a major audio system for all the concerts, using a combination of their Cohesion CO-12 and CO-10 line-array enclosures and CP-218 subwoofers. The three support acts used Avid, SSL and DiGiCo consol

The Bowery Presents’ newest venue, Racket NYC, opened its doors earlier this year

Racket NYC serves an ace with L-Acoustics

Details: 20 March 2023

USA - The Bowery Presents, which has built a club empire comprising venues throughout the northeast United States, took its name from perhaps the toughest street in New York history. Its club brands in the city include venerable Webster Hall, Brooklyn Steel - named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by Rolling Stone - and Terminal 5 in the trendy Hell’s Kitchen area.
What all these venues have in common is high-fidelity sound, thanks to a variety of L-Acoustics loudspeakers in use at each site. Now, a bit of sonic DNA from each of these spaces has been injected into the newest member of The Bowery Presents squad, Racket NYC, which opened in January, in the Chelsea space once occupied by Highline Ballroom. There, a combination of new gear and repurposed L-Acoustics kit from those other four venues came together to let the 650-capacity Racket continue one

Chauvet meets challenges of double-header

Details: 20 March 2023

USA - When Mammoth WVH, the rock band formed by Eddie Van Halen’s son Wolfgang Van Halen, released their debut album in June 2021, their sound was hailed by critics as being, fresh, original and different. Around the same time, Pawns and Kings, the seventh LP from Alter Bridge was released, earning praise for its consistently thunderous metal power.
Creating different looks for two distinctly different coheadliners, sharing the stage on a two-year, two-continent tour, can present a challenge for a lighting designer, but it is one that Westley Palmer relishes.
“With the music from the two bands being so different stylistically, the lightshows differ greatly in timing and feel,” said Palmer. “At the same time, though, the two bands share a common vibe, which is why their tours have been so successful. My goal is to reflect the personality of each band, wh

The first event takes place in Glasgow on 22 March

Sound Technology hosts Martin showcases

Details: 20 March 2023

UK - Sound Technology, distributor of Martin Professional lighting in the UK, has announced a series of Martin training, demo and product showcase events taking place around the country in 2023.
The first event takes place at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow on 22 March. The morning session is dedicated to training on Martin's P3 Creative Video system & networking. This introductory session will take you through the basics of how it works, and an overview of what equipment is involved, as well as a look at a few typical setups. It will be a combination of product introductions, typical applications and a walkthrough of physically setting up and working a P3 setup.
The afternoon is a drop-in demo event from 2pm, showcasing the demo the latest Martin fixtures, including: MAC Aura XiP, MAC Ultra Performance and Wash, with new V2 firmware, ERA series incl

Ayrton appoints MQ Lightings distributor for Philippines

Details: 20 March 2023

The Philippines - Ayrton has announced the appointment of MQ Lightings as its new, exclusive distributor for the Philippines.
Established in 1987, MQ Group (popularly known as MQ Lightings) serves as the official distributor, and systems integrator, for over 40 global brands of photographic, video, broadcast/livestream, and stage equipment for the Philippine media and entertainment industry. MQ Lightings supplies customers with world class cutting-edge, professional equipment and services and is committed to meeting the high standards of lighting designers and consultants, film-makers, cinematographers, DOP’s, broadcast engineers and other professionals in the industry.
MQ Lightings’ product and marketing manager, Christian Ong, explains why they were keen to stock Ayrton products: “Ayrton is a very reputable brand, well-known by industry professionals and offers

The Fiberfox series of HMA fibre optic connector systems will be of major interest

Neutrik exhibits at Engineering Solutions Live

Details: 17 March 2023

UK - The Neutrik Group is exhibiting at this year’s Engineering Solutions Live. The event, taking place on 23 March at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire, encompasses a breadth of engineering design and manufacturing applications, as they relate to ‘fastening and joining’, ‘materials’ and ‘PCB’.
The Neutrik Group develops, designs, manufactures and globally distributes innovative electrical and electronic interconnect products and systems, under the Neutrik, Contrik and Rean brands. The group’s product portfolio is used extensively throughout the AV entertainment and installation, media production and broadcast sectors, and in wider industrial applications.
Within the portfolio of Neutrik product on display, the Fiberfox series of HMA fibre optic connector systems will be of major interest, bringing multimode fibre connectivity alive, wit

‘The D series amplifiers provide high-end sound reinforcement for installation and touring use’

Danley Sound Labs launches amplifier line

Details: 17 March 2023

USA - Danley Sound Labs has announced the availability of a new line of amplifiers for dealers and customers. In addition to its popular DNA series amplifiers, the D series amplifiers provide high-end sound reinforcement for installation and touring use.
“At Danley, we’re always looking for new technologies and ways to allow for innovation in sound,” said Skip Welch, director of sales & marketing at Danley Sound Labs. “In addition to our DNA series amplifiers, the new D series line offers a new option for our dealers and customers that features a very powerful digital signal processing (DSP) suite and a number of power options to make this amplifier series a very useful tool.”
The Danley D series amplifiers feature a powerful Class-D power stage that delivers ‘high output power, high efficiency and low heat generation’. The D series provides processin

Tim Timmermans - Central European partner support

PK Sound continues Euro expansion

Details: 17 March 2023

Europe - Ahead of a string of major announcements in the region, PK Sound has appointed event industry veteran Tim Timmermans to the role of Central European partner support. Based in Limburg Province, Netherlands, Timmermans will work closely with PK’s David Roselló, Southern European partner support, and Canadian HQ staff in developing and serving the company’s growing European network.
“PK Sound’s robotic line source technology is a total gamechanger, and the PK Alliance model puts these advanced capabilities into the hands of the next generation of live sound providers with an unrivalled total cost of ownership,” offers Timmermans. “We’ve already deployed T10 and Trinity Black systems for high-profile applications in venues throughout Europe with incredible results, and the industry is taking notice. I look forward to empowering more users throughout the E

The synched video content was played out across a total of 15 outputs

Pixera lets pixels party at Caesars Palace

Details: 17 March 2023

USA - The Caesars Palace Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas is famous for offering its customers world class entertainment and unforgettable moments. Hosting one of the largest New Year’s Eve parties in the whole of Las Vegas is therefore anything but a standard affair, the goal being to creatively outdo last year’s party each time anew.
Julie Palmisano and Keith Floyd have been the creative masterminds of the technical team and have led the charge for many years on the complex production.
This year, BC Video Services had the opportunity to support them in designing and executing the highly anticipated 2023 Caesars Entertainment New Year’s Eve party.
Brian Crow was invited to the team in order to help them bring their latest creative vision to life, by adding his extensive knowledge and experience of media server technology to the mix. The collaboration led to

Brompton Technology grows European team

Details: 17 March 2023

Europe - Brompton Technology has recently appointed Oliver Dier as its new technical sales manager. Dier, who has a wealth of experience working with professional AV systems such as camera systems for live events, film, and television, made his first appearance for the company at the ISE Show in Barcelona. Based in Germany, he will be reporting to Dries Vermeulen, Brompton's business development manager for Europe.
"Given that Germany is our largest market in continental Europe, hiring someone in the region that speaks the same language seemed the most natural thing to do," says Vermeulen. "As technical sales manager, Oliver will be instrumental in developing and nurturing robust relationships with our customers in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, plus other key areas, while also ensuring they are kept informed of the most recent advancements and developments in Brompton's in

Ayrton Huracán LT and Eurus fixtures play major role at Prestonwood Baptist Church

Ayrton fixtures play major role at Church in Plano

Details: 17 March 2023

USA - Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas has completed the renovation of its worship centre involving a stage remodel and lighting upgrade that marked the first major technology overhaul for the centre since its opening.
Unlimited Visibility (UVLD) handled the renovation’s production and lighting design, which included the installation of 32 Ayrton Huracán LT LED luminaires designed for long-range applications and 50 Ayrton Eurus multi-function luminaires. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton lighting products in North America.
“Prestonwood was one of our first major Ayrton installations,” says UVLD lighting designer David Seitz, who teamed with UVLD lead designer Matt Webb on the project. “We had been looking at manufacturers with families of fixtures that we could use in venues big and small and which had similar looks across the

The Evolut30n tour starts on 5 May 2023 in Stuttgart (photo: Julian Huke)

GLP helps DJ BoBo celebrate 30 years

Details: 17 March 2023

Europe - DJ BoBo is a phenomenon. After 30 years on stage and 15 studio albums behind him – many of them gold and platinum – the Swiss artist is still selling out major venues. In 2023 there will be another anniversary tour (which is already almost completely sold out) with Evolut30n. Starting in May, 56 GLP XDC1 IP Hybrid strobes will travel with him.
The two-and-a-half-week tour rehearsals – including four advance preview shows – took place in January at Europark Rust. Here, lighting designer Thomas Gerdon had the opportunity to put his design through its paces.
Explains Gerdon, “Everyone involved saw the rehearsal phase in Rust as a creative process. Ideas were brought along, but the specific design of the show developed in a collaborative manner during rehearsals. It was demanding, but it was a lot of fun."
It is Gerdon’s first lighting design for

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