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25 April 2025

Europe - 2024 was a notable year for Nina Chuba and 2025 is set to be even busier, with a summer of festival appearances already scheduled. Her first large-scale arena tour, starting in October 2025, has sold-out for most dates. Christopher ‘Toffie’ Plaschke has been Nina’s front-of-house engineer since the beginning of her live career. In 2023, he also took on the role of production manager, switching to DiGiCo consoles and sticking with them for every show he has done since.

“Nina is an incredible artist, and I’m truly grateful to be part of her journey,” Plaschke explains. “I used the Quantum 338 throughout the year, for both the tour and festival dates. The experience was fantastic, especially with the additional routing options. Whatever musical ideas I have, with a DiGiCo console, I never face limitations – it always supports my ideas.

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25 April 2025

USA - Billie Holiday observed that every song – like every person – must be unique, or it isn’t music. As a lighting designer, Jack Thomas agrees. Guided by this principle, he set out to leave visual fingerprints on each song in Bayside’s current North American Errors Tour.

“I programmed this show with Bayside to be very precise with cue-to-cue transitions so each moment of every song has its own specific fingerprint,” he explained. “Doing so keeps the energy fresh and exciting.”

Thomas’ ‘fingerprints’ provide the accompaniment to the emotionally powerful music on the New York punk rockers 25th anniversary tour. Calling forth a variety of lush colour blends, artful touches of atmospherics, unique light angles, and a touch of geometric patterns courtesy of this Chauvet Professional Epix Bars, Thomas reflects the distinct

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25 April 2025

USA - Located in the heart of Landover, Maryland, Northwest Stadium is a premier destination for sports and entertainment enthusiasts. Known for its vibrant atmosphere, the stadium hosts a wide range of events, from electrifying football games to large-scale concerts and community gatherings.

With seating for up to 63,000, Northwest Stadium combines modern design with cutting-edge technology to deliver an unparalleled fan experience. Its commitment to innovation and world-class AV has cemented its reputation as a cornerstone of entertainment in the region.

After 25 years of operation, parts of the stadium’s audio system needed maintenance. Following a competitive bidding process, C.V. Lloyde AudioVisual was selected to oversee the stadium’s audio upgrades. Originally specified with competitive products, the team at C.V. Lloyde saw an advantage in

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25 April 2025

USA - After a major production upgrade, Mosaic Nightclub in Kansas City has reopened its doors – reintroducing itself as a premier nightlife destination with a high-performance 1 Sound audio system.

Located in the heart of the Kansas City Power & Light District, Mosaic is known for its high-energy events and sleek design, including an indoor dance floor that opens onto an outdoor balcony overlooking the plaza. To match the versatility of the space, the audio system needed to be as dynamic as the club itself – delivering exceptional clarity and power while also standing up to the elements when the space transitions into open-air mode.

To meet those demands, the team at Definitive Pro Sound, led by Peter Bonavota, designed and installed a 1 Sound system centred around the Contour CT212 loudspeakers paired with SUB2112 subwoofers. This combinati

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25 April 2025

South Africa - Cape Town-based Flicker-Free Lighting Rentals is a new lighting rental and dry hire company headed by Jason Watts, geared towards offering the region’s buoyant film, TV, commercial and event industry premium lighting solutions.

Their seed investments included several Astera products – Titan Tubes, AX5 and AX9 LED PARS, LunaBulbs and HydraPanels – flexible, fully wireless, innovative fixtures that have been constantly busy and have helped contribute to the company’s immediate success since launching in 2024.

Watts explained that they are dedicated to supplying film productions, gaffers, DOPs and event lighting designers with quality kit – quickly and seamlessly. Their carefully selected inventory caters to multiple sectors and hybrid applications, with a strong focus on both direct rentals and dry hire to other rental companie

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25 April 2025

France - Audio specialist and equipment manufacturer Digigram has announced the release of two new sound cards, ALP280e and ALP280e-MIC, as part of the ALP-X series. Available Q2 2025 from Digigram’s network of distributors, ALP280e and ALP280e-MIC are the latest additions to the constantly growing range of sound cards launched in 2022.

Building on the success of the ALP-X range, the new ALP280e and ALP280e-MIC cards are purpose-built to address the evolving needs of audio acquisition and processing in critical audio industries such as broadcast, acoustic measurement, court rooms, public safety, and 24/7 operation installations where reliability and audio quality are paramount.

The ALP280e and ALP280e-MIC are low-profile PCIe sound cards optimised for the recording of eight analogue line-level or mic-level audio inputs with zero latency, monitoring

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25 April 2025

Europe - PPDS has announced the unexpected passing of Martijn van der Woude, VP of global business development and marketing.

Martijn joined PPDS in 2019 and enjoyed a career spanning more than 25 years in business development, sales and marketing, and general management.

Renowned in the AV industry and beyond as an entrepreneurial enabler, prior to joining PPDS he was co-founder and CEO of a Hong Kong and China-based dvLED manufacturer for the sport, media and events markets globally, and before this decade in Asia, Martijn founded and owned a Dutch-based international software and consultancy company.

As many will know, Martijn was also a passionate advocate for promoting sustainability in the AV industry, steering PPDS' sustainability strategy and commitments to bringing more environmentally conscious solutions to market.

Above all

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24 April 2025

UK - IPS (Impact Production Services), specialist supplier in the delivery of staging and structures, technical production, and equipment hire to the events industry has announced that its new, purpose-built warehouse in Milton Keynes is now officially open.

This opening marks a significant milestone in the company’s continued growth journey and represents the realisation of a vision first announced in February. The new facility, located just a mile from the existing site, is now fully operational and already playing a key role in supporting IPS’s expanding operations across the UK and beyond.

“Opening this new facility has been long awaited, and we’re absolutely thrilled to see the warehouse up and running,” said James Mason, founder of IPS. “This is a major investment in the future of IPS, and as we prepare for the summer, we’re excit

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24 April 2025

Cambodia - Martin Audio has announced Luxury Supply Audio & Lighting – one of Cambodia’s leading professional audio and lighting resellers – as its new regional distributor.

Founded in 2010, and based in Phnom Penh, Luxury Supply began as a systems integrator and has since completed numerous high-profile installation projects across Cambodia. Some notable projects include Koh Pich Theatre, Canadia Bank Tower, Bayon TV Media, Morodok Techno National Stadium, Won Majestic Casino Resorts and large-scale entertainment venues.

As a result of this latest brand acquisition, Luxury Supply has launched the Martin Audio Experience Centre in Phnom Penh where the full range of products can be demonstrated to its dealers and customers – whether for installation, rental or portable systems.

In January, Jeremiah Joseph (technical manager) and Ke

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24 April 2025

UK - Reinforcing a long-standing relationship built on trusted in-house design capabilities, the BRIT Awards chose to work with Britannia Row for a 30th year.

The UK music industry showcase asked Global Success Award recipient Sabrina Carpenter to open the 2025 proceedings, followed by live sets from Sam Fender, JADE, Ezra Collective, Jorja Smith, Lola Young, Teddy Swims and Rising Star winners Myles Smith, and The Last Dinner Party.

The show's audio delivery is overseen by Britannia Row account executive Tom Brown, with the sound system design created by Britannia Row's head of engineering, Josh Lloyd.

“It's a great way to see emerging acts coming through,” says Lloyd. “We're committed to treating all incoming engineers equally, and providing an excellent service, making the event run smoothly for each artist's team. It's impo

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24 April 2025

Finland - A large complement of Claypaky Sharpys and Tambora Batten squares illuminated the final qualifying event for Finland’s entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. 

The finale of UMK (Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu), or New Music Competition, was held at the Nokia Arena in Tampere on 8 February when broadcaster Yle treated viewers to six performances to determine who would represent Finland at Eurovision in Basel, Switzerland in May.

Lighting designer Pekka Martti and Ari Levela, creative director/founder of MOBB Helsinki Oy, designed the stage for UMK 2025. Martti chose 68 Sharpys and 46 Tambora Batten squares to light the two-hour show.

“Sharpys were used as audience ‘extras’ for songs with 360º shots and when performers went out on the catwalk,” explains Martti. “Sharpys still giv

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24 April 2025

UK - The Human League’s Generations arena tour kicked off its UK leg in December 2024. By the band’s third show they’d already elicited a five-star review from the Guardian, who described the show as “An evening of immaculate electro pop, delivered with grace, precision, and elation”.

Behind the scenes, seasoned production manager Sarah Hollis was at the helm. Hollis has been production managing tours since the late 90s and has worked with The Human League since their 2008, Steel City tour. “I was also the stage manager on that tour,” she explained, “which was a mixture of arenas, theatres and a couple of academies (and not in the order you’d like!) so let’s say it kept me on my toes, and I’ve been working with the band ever since.”

Emmy Award winning designer, Rob Sinclair, was asked by the band’s

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24 April 2025

Malaysia - HK Audio helped to deliver an unforgettable experience at Malaysia’s annual Rock in the Jungle festival. The two-day event brought together a combination of local Malaysian and international rock artists from Indonesia and Singapore who all performed through a Cosmo concert sound system on the main stage at the Sarawak Cultural Village.

From its humble beginnings nine years ago, Rock in the Jungle has rapidly become an established event that is the highlight of the year for local rock fans. Taking place at the end of December as an end-of-year celebration and organised by Authentic Ideas And Events, the most recent two-day festival featured performances from Wings, Sweet Charity, XPDC, Jemson, Criss X, JS Boys, Edane, Candy, Criss X, Senseless, and BNB Band.

To cover all performances, the FOH system for the main stage n

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24 April 2025

Europe - Raw Cereal, a renowned global creative production studio, was tasked with designing a bold, immersive visual experience for Hardy's Quit!! tour. With Hardy's evolving musical style blending country, rock, and pop, Raw Cereal had to ensure the visual elements matched the energy and variety of his performances. For the second time, they relied on AV Stumpfl's Pixera media server, known for its flexibility and robust feature set.

Cort Lawrence, the tour’s creative director, explained the scope of Raw Cereal's involvement: "On the show, we handled everything from the production design, stage design, lighting design, scenic design, as well as pyro, special effects, video content, and just overall show." The team was responsible for creating a comprehensive experience that connected Hardy's new album visuals with his live performances.

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24 April 2025

USA - As a drummer, monitor engineer Travon Snipes always had an interest in live productions, which ultimately led to him travelling the world with major artists like Jaden Smith, Fantasia, Megan Thee Stallion and Brandy, among many others. Most recently, Snipes was out on the road for Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion Tour, running monitors alongside Kevin Brown at front of house. While in the midst of this latest run, the tour’s audio team looked to enhance the quality of sound and replaced the show’s existing microphones with a selection from DPA Microphones.

Among the microphones to grace the stage were several of DPA’s newest live performance microphones, including the 2017 Shotgun and 2015 Wide Cardioid. “We made a great connection with the DPA team and, after hearing more about the brand, we knew the mics could take our sound to the next

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24 April 2025

USA - On its latest world tour, metal band Underoath wanted to remind its fans of where the group got its start, while celebrating the 20th anniversary of the successful album, They’re Only Chasing Safety. The set begins with what appears to be a dingy living room and gradually evolves into an expansive, modern show with intense lighting effects provided by Sonus Productions out of Moorestown, N.J.

“I always try to tell the story,” said Lenny Sasso, lighting designer for the tour and director of touring accounts at Sonus Productions. “Essentially for the band, this tour was telling the fans, ‘This is where we came from. This is how we wrote the record’.”

With the minimal initial visuals, Underoath gave a glimpse at the physical practice space in which They’re Only Chasing Safety came to life. The setlist featured a p

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24 April 2025

Europe - Lawo, developer of the Ravenna audio-over-IP technology, has announced Sound on Digital as the latest partner to the Ravenna community. Headquartered in The Netherlands, Sound on Digital specialises in the development of software solutions for the professional audio market.

Sound on Digital’s most recent product is Ravennakit – a cross-platform SDK designed to simplify and accelerate the integration of Ravenna audio networking into third-party software products. Ravennakit delivers a complete solution for OEMs and developers, offering low-latency audio transport, precise synchronization, and broad platform compatibility – including Windows, macOS, and Linux.

“We created Ravennakit to make it easier for developers to bring high-performance AoIP capabilities into their products without having to build everything from scratch,” says R

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23 April 2025

South Africa - After six years off the calendar, Mediatech Africa is back. The original and largest trade show for AV, broadcast, and live event tech on the continent returns from 3 - 5 June 2026 at the Johannesburg Expo Centre (Nasrec) – and it's bringing the industry back together to mark 25 years since the first show in 2001.

Mediatech Africa has been a cornerstone of the continent’s AV and broadcast industry since day one. More than just an expo, it’s a space for the industry to connect, share ideas, and stay in step with the latest tech. Its legacy is built on collaboration, community, and innovation – drawing top brands, global suppliers, and the passionate people who keep the industry moving forward.

Simon Robinson, co-owner of Mediatech, recalls: “Our first show was in 2001 at the Sandton Convention Centre. It was small, focused mos

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23 April 2025

USA - Shure will serve as the headline partner at InfoComm 2025 in Orlando, Fl. In this role, Shure will showcase its thought leadership and technical expertise across InfoComm stages and educational sessions.

“We are thrilled to have Shure as our headline partner for InfoComm 2025. Shure is an InfoComm staple that attracts attendees year after year,” said Jenn Heinold, senior vice-president, expositions, Americas, AVIXA. “Shure’s elevated presence at InfoComm 2025 will enrich the show and inspire the pro AV community to reach new heights.” 

As Shure gears up for this significant event, it reflects on nearly three decades of consistent participation and the enduring relationships built during that time. The company’s involvement in InfoComm has been a cornerstone of its engagement with industry professionals.

“Shure has been an

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23 April 2025

UK - The Road to the Isles tour of the UK and Europe saw Fish bid farewell to the live arena. After a 45-year career during which he enjoyed a meteoric rise with prog-rock favourites Marillion, before an action-packed life as a solo artist, the fan-favourite hung up his microphone to retire to a croft in the Outer Hebrides. More than 30 shows in Europe late last year preceded this year’s 14-date UK tour which concluded with two sold-out shows in Glasgow.

Audio for The Road to the Isles was supplied by IPB Audio, with experienced engineer Ian Bond responsible for delivering the front-of-house and monitor sound for the eclectic and often intricate compositions performed by Fish and his band of seasoned professionals. From modest beginnings on small theatre tours in the 1990s, Bond has built a respected, in-demand rental company, servicing a