Germany - Flexibility is a valuable attribute, not only in a lighting rig, but also in the designer who creates it. Cevin Richter offered convincing proof of that this August at the M’era Luna alternative music festival in Hildesheim.
Tasked with lighting The Disco Hangar, a large space within the two-day festival (it takes place in a former airbase), Richter had to create looks that supported a diverse range of artists and speakers on stage, including DJ performances, jam-packed warm up and after parties, a fashion show, and readings by an eclectic group of authors, including mystery and horror writers, as well as a noted criminologist describing case histories.
“We equipped and supervised the Disco Hangar with rigging, stage, sound, light and video,” said Richter

USA - Lightware Visual Engineering has announced Clint Hoffman as vice president of business development for the Americas. Hoffman will establish and build customer relationships and support business development with global enterprise partners.
Hoffman has more than 35 years of success in sales, marketing, operations, and product development in the professional AV industry. Hoffman has worked with leading manufacturers, including Sony, Panasonic, Mitsubishi, and Kramer Electronics. Most recently, Hoffman served as the president and country manager for Kramer North America.
Hoffman brings a background in promoting and championing the professional AV industry through his leadership at AVIXA International. Hoffman is currently an adjunct faculty member of AVIXA International
“I am delighted to welcome Clint to our team at Lightware Visual Engineering,” said Ja

The Netherlands - Audinate has announced Dante AV-H, a new software solution designed to allow original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) the ability to incorporate Dante control into existing H.264-based IP video product designs. Part of the Dante AV product family, the company also announced 10 partners who will build products with Dante AV-H, including AVer, Avonic, Bolin, BZB Gear, HuddleCam, Lumens, Minnray, Telycam, Televic, and ValueHD.
H.26x remains one of the most widely used compression standards today and is available on products that use H.26x codecs available on most Systems on a Chip (SoC). The software-based Dante AV-H lets OEMs develop fully manageable video products that fit into the Dante ecosystem. Dante AV-H provides IT-level management to cost-effective IP video products such as PTZ cameras and encoders/decoders using Dante Domain Manager. Dante AV-H integ
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Case Study: Hans Zimmer Live

When award winning film composer Hans Zimmer brought his smash-hit tour Hans Zimmer Live to North America fall 2024, the show's audio team sought out to bring infrafrequency bass to the show to add new depth to the show's audio experience. The team chose Danley Sound Labs.

UK - Phoenix Arts Club in London has upgraded its technological offering thanks to Music Venue Trust (MVT)’s Sound + Vision initiative. As collaborative MVT partner and long-standing supporter of Phoenix Arts Club, technical solutions specialist White Light (WL), facilitated and managed the project. The scheme enabled Chauvet Professional to install its highest ever resolution LED video solution in the iconic venue, significantly elevating the production value for its diverse events programme.
Launched in 2017, MVT’s Sound + Vision initiative aims to deliver a 21st Century live entertainment experience to artists and audiences all over the UK. Having supported nearly 50 venues to date, the scheme supports venues that are seeking funding via the ACE, making industry leading technologies accessible to grassroots venues.
Jason Larcombe, WL’s senior project manager,

USA - To provide artists and audiences at Summerfest with immersive and impactful live sound, Clearwing once again enlisted JBL Professional VTX Series speakers for the job.
A long-time staple of the music festival season, Summerfest is a multi-week event that brings a wide variety of artists and fans to Henry Maier Festival Park in Milwaukee every year. With hundreds of performances taking place across 12 stages, Summerfest is historically one of the most-attended festivals in the world and earned the title of ‘World's Largest Music Festival’ by Guinness World Records in 1999.
After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Summerfest returned for three consecutive weekends in June and July rather than 11 straight days like previous years, and featured Modest Mouse, 2 Chainz, Charli XCX, Dustin Lynch, among many others.
Despite this year’s schedule

UK - Headline speakers and full programme details have been announced for the Theatres Trust’s Conference 22: Theatres Fit for the Future on 11 October at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith.
Conference 22 focuses on creating a lively, engaging and dynamic gathering of professionals to collectively envision a more viable, sustainable, and inclusive future for the UK’s theatres, and the people who visit and work in them.
The keynote session will be led by Rob Hopkins, activist, writer and co-founder of the Transition movement, a radically hopeful and community-driven approach to creating societies independent of fossil fuel. Rob will talk about how the power of theatre specifically, and our imaginations more generally, can create the future we want. He will signal how working collectively at the grassroots and across the country, we can meet the challenges of our planeta

UK - JB Toby, technical director of Avolites was the proud recipient of the 2022 Gottelier Award at this year’s PLASA Show, as voted for by his peers. Named in memory of Tony Gottelier, the renowned industry innovator and commentator, the award recognises individuals or teams of people who have made long-term contributions to the advancement of entertainment, presentation or installation technology.
JB Toby joined Avolites in the late ‘90s and focused on developing the dimming range which put Avolites in a powerful position in the live touring market. In 1999, he spearheaded the team behind the Art 2000 dimming range which is now a well-known product in the live entertainment, film and TV worlds. Not only would it start a revolution in intelligent dimming, the Art 2000 dimming range would also act as a catalyst within the film and TV world, being put to work on the sets
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BikeFest Spain 2025 - Join the ride!

BikeFest Spain is set to return for its fourth consecutive year, inviting cyclists from across the industry to join the 360km ride towards ISE in Barcelona. From 31 January to 2 February 2025, riders will again rally in Valencia, cycling along the Mediterranean coast in support of industry causes.
For more information and to sign up, visit: www.joinbikefest.com

UK - Backup Tech has launched the Backup Photographic Competition, aiming to capture live entertainment, the people that make it possible and the backstage atmosphere. The competition is held in association with headline partner and sponsor the Lightpower Collection, and was launched at this year’s PLASA Show at Olympia London.
The Lightpower Collection is a long-time supporter of Backup and was looking for an idea that would shine a light on Backup and the work it does within the industry, that directly related to its impressive photographic collection.
“We’re delighted to collaborate with Lightpower Collection on this new and exciting way to raise awareness of our industry and in particular the people that make live entertainment possible,” says Backup’s vice-chair Piers Shepperd. “The overall theme of the competition is ‘Entertainment Production’,

USA - The University of Tennessee Volunteers roared into the football season defeating the Ball State Cardinals 59-10. Bandit Lites lighting director Alex Becker programmed a light show, integrating pattern washes on the field, movement chases and colour washes on the stands and field.
Bandit Lites provided Elation Proteus Maximus, two wireless solution black box for wireless DMX for fixtures across the stadium and a Chamsys Magic Q MQ500.
“I utilised the framing shutters on the Proteus Maximus to create the Power “T” at the top of the show and to highlight the VOLS spell out at the end of the halftime show,” said Becker, who shared the Elation Proteus Maximus fixtures were chosen for their high output and IP65 Rating.
“VOL nation is already the largest, loudest and most energetic stadium in the country and were enhancing it even more by adding a bett

Germany - Conferencing specialist GreenIT24 has created a unified communications solution for companies using MS Teams and Zoom rooms, with a tvONE CORIOview multi-window processor at its core.
The Osnabrück-based company, which specialises in video comms and IT for organizations looking to optimise internal communications, collaborated with German AV technologist and supplier Exertis Pro AV to create a system that would aid remote, multi-site video meetings between team members.
“Due to COVID, we have had an increasing demand for this type of solution, in terms of implementing hybrid classrooms and workspaces with different sorts of content sources and multiple cameras,” explains GreenIT24 Product Manager, Tobias Blaser. “Usually, the client requires two to four input sources with variable resolutions - 1080P or 4K - which need to be displayed in different, fl

UK - The sprawling Belgravia Sports Club in Harare was packed with fans this summer when Grammy winner Burna Boy stepped onto the stage a little after 10:30 as part of his Space Drift Tour. It didn’t take long, however, for the mood at the big outdoor facility to take on the intimate air of a cozy live music venue, as the Afrobeats superstar from Nigeria engaged the thousands of Zimbabwean fans in attendance with his magnetic personality and sing-alongs of hits like Last Last.
Contributing to the welcoming atmosphere at the show, which was organised by Hidden Culture, was a production and lighting design by Events Evolution. Blending light and video, the company’s design team, led by Blessing Bero and Tatenda Gaylord Rushwaya, turned the temporary outdoor stage with its high trim, into a glowing light box bathed in warm colours.
Helping them create this invi

UK - At PLASA Show 2022, APT-GB launched the most most advanced series of its globally successful >Teleprompter.video SMV stage-monitor form factored teleprompters.
These teleprompter designs are intended for use in performance, production and presentation applications, by a wide range of users – from singers to pastors. Amongst a list of innovations, the new SMV2 series encompasses a range the most common and newest video formats with input and output conversion of NDI, SDI and HDMI all in a single platform, making it a much more accessible technology.
A complement of Neutrik connectors includes dual etherCON with Halo connectors supporting onboard video networking, with SMV2 series models receiving, converting and outputting multiple signal formats (NDI, RTSP and many more) via the I/Os and the Halo continuously indicating power and connection speed status.

UK - The Stage Bus, a Birmingham-based events production company that provides solar-powered staging solutions, has released the latest version of its newest stage, The Stage Box.
A concept that’s been designed and constructed at the company’s Halesowen HQ, The Stage Box is built into a converted 20ft shipping container. It provides a stage platform which can operate from the back of a truck, or as a detachable unit which can self-dismount using hydraulic legs. The entire stage is solar-powered, and can run for up to eight hours on a full charge.
The latest version of The Stage Box expands its power capacity with a modular solar battery system, allowing its running length to be extended past the eight hour mark. Combined with its nature as a self-contained unit which can be locked up and safely left at any event site overnight, this makes it the ideal choice for sm

Belgium - After two decades, six Grammy Awards, 80m record sales, and over 300 live concerts, the Black Eyed Peas haven’t lost a step, either in their exuberant hip-hop infused sound, or their get-up-and-dance stage presence. Both were on full display early this August at the Lokerse Feesten when the band electrified a packed house with a boisterous 16-song set that included hits from their early days, as well as tunes from their newest album, Translation.
Supporting the California-based quartet at the festival was a lively and colourful Alain Corthout-designed lightshow that was powered by a ChamSys MagicQ MQ250M Stadium Console supplied by Phlippo, Belgium.
Like the music of the band it supported, the lightshow flowed with a smooth, seamless rhythm, transitioning from soft moments to intense crescendos, always in sync with the performance on stage. Corthout,

Germany - The largest open-air concerts ever held in Munich, and the largest in Germany this year, took place at the Munich Exhibition Centre in August with over 300,000 fans total attending shows by Andreas Gabalier, Helene Fischer and Robbie Williams. Roland Greil lit the epic shows and massive 150m wide stage using a rig that included over 450 Elation Professional luminaires.
Austrian folk rocker Andreas Gabalier opened the concert series on 6 August with German pop queen Helene Fischer drawing over 130,000 for her performance on 20 August and Robbie Williams drawing nearly 100,000 to his show on 27 August.
Produced by Leutgeb Entertainment Group, the concerts were rare hometown gigs for Munich-based LD Roland Greil, a fact that made the shows even more special for the internationally respected lighting and production designer. With a huge 150m wide diamond-shaped

UK - This year’s winners of the PLASA Awards for Innovation were announced last night at PLASA Show, Olympia London.
The Awards for Innovation, run in association with LSi magazine, are respected industry-wide for celebrating future-focussed tech that improves safety, efficiency and performance through new methods and materials.
33 products were entered this year. Seven nominees scooped an Award for Innovation, and a Gold Award and a Sustainability Award were also presented. This year’s judging team comprised of 12 independent technical specialists from a wide array of backgrounds, chaired once again by chartered engineer James Eade.
James Eade, commented, “It has been great to see big names launching products at what is acknowledged to be the most independent industry awards. It is heartening to see creative engineers in the industry continuing to devel

Energy Efficient - London mayor Sadiq Khan has pledged £1.2m to help creative spaces, including theatres, become more energy efficient, as heating costs spiral. Local authorities within Creative Enterprise Zones – which were established across London in 2018 with the aim of giving artists more affordable workspaces – will have access to the fund. Grants of up to £200,000 will be made available to invest in practical solutions that will lead to greater energy efficiency, aiming to help organisations counteract the pressure of rising heating bills.
Last month, theatres across the UK, including Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds and the Lowry in Salford, warned of extortionate increases to their heating bills. Theatres and other cultural spaces within the nine Creative Enterprise Zones – Croydon, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hackney and Tower Hamlets, Haringey, Hounslow,

UK - Currently playing an extended run in London’s Garrick Theatre, The Drifters Girl tells the story of Faye Treadwell, the long-time manager of The Drifters, by interweaving her personal narrative with 20 concert-level performances of the seminal R&B/pop group’s chart-topping hits. To maintain the full impact of both the dramatic and musical elements, sound designer Tom Marshall deployed a strategically placed and balanced system of Meyer Sound point source loudspeakers and compact subwoofers.
The intimate Garrick Theatre is an acoustically and architecturally challenging venue that was built in 1889 and now seats 712 patrons on three levels.
“The Garrick has interesting challenges when it comes to putting a ‘pop’ musical in the space,” relates Marshall. “Loudspeaker positioning is tricky due to the nature of the proscenium opening and the fi

UK - Some 72 nations and territories came together 28 July – 8 August in Alexander Stadium in Birmingham for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Lighting the opening and closing ceremonies of the quadrennial multi-sport event was Al Gurdon of Incandescent Design who used over 300 Elation Professional IP65 Proteus luminaires to light the festivities.
The opening ceremony was a visually spectacular and at times emotional show that featured dance groups, dream sequences, cultural parables, humour and even a 10m tall mechanical bull. A cast of thousands traced Birmingham’s history through themes of unity, diversity and resilience with the evening capped by a medley of hits by local heroes Duran Duran. The closing, just as impactful, focused on the region's musical heritage with performances by UB40, Jorja Smith and Dexys Midnight Runners, among others, including a surprise appeara

UK - If there is a single festival that defines the English summer, it has to be Henley, which this year celebrated its 40th anniversary with a mix of music, comedy, art and grade A fun.
Production managed by John Harris, Henley’s main stage is placed in the River Thames, backed by a fleet of boats of all shapes and sizes. The site features a variety of other venues ranging from intimate comedy to cabaret and dance bands.
RG Jones has been providing audio at Henley since 1983 - most of it based around Martin Audio PA - and in a relationship surviving that long, the level of trust and commitment is obviously at its highest. Over the years, the style of the event has changed somewhat from the original, fully classical programme to what is now a much more commercial line-up, but with no less determination to deliver an unforgettable experience.
This year’s arti

The Netherlands - RME and DirectOut have introduced Digiface Ravenna. The mobile audio interface is based on the proven Digiface Dante and features a Ravenna module developed by DirectOut. The device allows the transmission of a total of 128 audio channels coming from Ravenna and optionally MADI via a single USB 3.0 connection. RME thus expands its Digiface series with a powerful Ravenna model for USB and standalone operation.
"We have known and admired RME for many years as a provider of professional computer interface technology and are very happy about this cooperation.” says Claudio Becker-Foss, CEO/CTO of DirectOut. “The combination of RME’s experience in programming computer interfaces with DirectOut’s Ravenna expertise will create a great new asset for the Audio-over-IP market. Both companies are committed to leading edge development and maintaining their prod

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