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05 August 2024

Finland - Kino Piispanristi is a full-service 286-seat independent movie theatre close to Turku. The venue is a long-time passion project of Henry Erkkilä, a movie lover who wanted to create a modern cinema that transcends tradition when it comes to audio-visual technology. The theatre’s new premium screen features a Genelec sound system comprising the brand’s smart active studio loudspeakers and subwoofers.

“We strive to offer all the perks of a modern cinema without being a faceless corporation,” says Erkkilä. “We react to trends quickly and make moves boldly so that our customers can walk in and out feeling happy. Having the greatest theatre sound system in Finland is an excellent way to help us light up people’s faces.”

Kino Piispanristi’s newest screen is a premium, more intimate space with exceptional picture quality and a 7.1

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05 August 2024

USA - When Major League Baseball (MLB)’s San Francisco Giants needed to upgrade their sound system, they turned to Powersoft technology and Diversified to integrate the system. The Giants – World Series Champions in 2010, 2012, and 2014 – moved to picturesque Oracle Park in 2000 after spending several decades in windy Candlestick Park. The stadium, considered one of baseball’s most beautiful parks with its San Francisco Bay backdrop, seats 41,331 with an added 1,500 for standing room. 

Diversified – which maintains a longstanding relationship with the Giants, including installing the control room in 2000 – is renowned for its rich portfolio of stadium installations, including Climate Pledge Arena (Seattle) and American Family Field (Milwaukee Brewers), both of which are powered by Powersoft, while Powersoft has an equally impressive portfolio of

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05 August 2024

UK - Two years ago, PCL Live opened its doors cater for Northeast Scotland’s production needs. Investing in the latest technology and using the team’s extensive experience, the company quickly established itself.

From the start, it had a large focus on Leyard Europe LED screens. Significant expansion continues that focus, as does a recent investment in Leyard’s LN Series, which is helping the company go from strength to strength.

“We now have over 200m2 of Leyard video wall including CFO, NEV and MGP, plus the recent addition of the new LN Series, all of which has been very good and extremely versatile,” says Alex Sherman, business development and technical manager at PCL Live.

“Because the LN Series is both indoor and outdoor rated and the panels are so easily connected together, we can quickly create amazing structures. This has

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02 August 2024

UK - For one glorious day, on 11 July, the industry came together at the Backup Village Fete to raise much needed funds for supporting those working in the industry when they need it most. This year’s event smashed all expectations, raising a record-breaking £56,300 on the day. Even the weather could not resist a day out, as un-forecast sunshine made a welcome appearance for the duration of the event. “The Parish of Backup has its own micro-climate,” suggests chair of Backup and Mayor of the Parish Fete, Lee Dennison.

The Backup Village Fete is the natural evolution of KartFest into a more inclusive and engaging day out for the industry. Ten years after the first racing helmet was donned, straw hats are now a key item of apparel.

Since the event’s inception, the charity has benefitted from extraordinary donations and the industry has enjoyed

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02 August 2024

Australia - CAST Group of Companies has announced CMI as the exclusive distributor of BlackTrax in Australia and New Zealand.

"We are excited to extend our partnership with CMI and expand the reach of BlackTrax in Australia and New Zealand. With a strong track record in pro-audio distribution, CMI is an ideal partner to propel BlackTrax in the region," said Dekkar Densham, global sales director for CAST Group Inc.

"With the successful launch of BT-1 last year, designed to bridge a crucial gap, offering a compact and cost-effective tracking solution, we are dedicated to advancing breakthroughs in tracking technology. We believe that CMI’s expertise, market presence, and client support will significantly contribute to its success in the live event and entertainment industries."

Lee Stevens, national business development manager for CMI adds,

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02 August 2024

UK - 22live and University of Birmingham, with support from DPA Microphones, is hosting a Mic Tech workshop, in the Bramall Music Building’s Elgar concert hall on 18 September 2024, 10:30-16:00.

DPA Microphones will lead the event, sharing their expertise in microphone technology and placement. Attendees will gain valuable knowledge in an area that is both crucial for live sound reproduction, and often overlooked.

The workshop will be divided into two sessions: Morning Session: Microphone Technology will feature product functionality, including different types of capsules and coverage patterns, and why specific microphones are better suited for certain applications. The Afternoon Session will focus on microphone techniques.

Participants will benefit from the newly installed d&b audiotechnik T Series PA system in the Elgar concert hall w

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02 August 2024

USA - Cory FitzGerald, the lighting designer for Justin Timberlake’s ongoing The Forget Tomorrow World Tour and senior partner at Burbank-based creative studio, Silent House, is using 30 Robert Juliat 864 LED asymmetric footlights featuring a four-colour mixing system to line the stage at the singer-songwriter’s shows.  ACT Entertainment is the exclusive North American distributor of Robert Juliat lighting.

The tour, which commenced in April and will continue until spring of next year, is Timberlake’s seventh headlining concert tour and his first in five years.  It is in support of his sixth studio album, Everything I Thought It Was, and has scheduled dates in North America through the rest of 2024.

FitzGerald had used RJ Dalis footlights on other productions, including shows for Kendrick Lamar. “I had the Dalis 862 all-white footl

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02 August 2024

UK - It has taken Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express 22 years to return to the stage since it pulled out of the West End in 2002. This time, the production’s new home is at the Troubadour Wembley Park which has been specially adapted to create an immersive performance experience, with Unusual Rigging on board to handle the venue and production’s rigging requirements.

Working for production manager Mark Carey from Shedworks Studio, the Unusual team were asked to install a number of items for the show requirements. Alex Taylor, production rigger at Unusual explained: “As part of our brief, we were asked to provide all of the LX, Sound and Video trusses, the trusses for the sound baffle, three technical working platforms for all the LX racks and to devise a method of lifting up a halo into position, being careful to get the height and angle just ri

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02 August 2024

USA - Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart performed a series of US shows from 20 April to 23 May 23 on their Royal Flush tour, with lighting design by Carl Burnett. Burnett turned to Elation’s Proteus Brutus LED Wash FX and Proteus Maximus LED Profile moving heads as the foundation of the lighting rig, valuing their power while appreciating their refined design qualities.

Royal Flush marked the first live show the sisters have shared since 2019. Burnett, who designed lighting for Heart’s 2019 tour and is known for his work with Robert Plant, amongst others, is the lighting and show designer for the tour. He enlisted his good friend Max Conwell to assist with the design process for the first time in his career. Lighting for the U.S. leg of the tour was supplied by 4Wall.

Before kicking off the tour in Greenville, South Carolina, in April, Burnett design

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02 August 2024

USA - Providing sound design services and equipment delivery since 2018, as overseen by Eighth Day Sound’s Sean Sturge, UniverSoul Circus is one of North America’s most-loved family friendly, non-stop action productions. This year, the show has 10 acts from multiple continents, reinforcing its position as a truly cultural live entertainment offering.

Production manager Kabelo Mashobane begins: “The idea here is to bring everyone from different cultures together. Soul doesn't have a colour. It doesn't matter where you are from, when it comes to seeking entertainment, we all speak the same language.”

To convey the messaging behind the circus’ new show, Kabelo explains why Eighth Day Sound is the right fit: “Our audio delivery is unique; we have a lot of dynamic sounds due to our different acts bringing their own regional take. From classica

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02 August 2024

USA - Valtteri Salomaki and Ethan Castro, founders of EDGE Sound Research are making waves in the pro AV and pro sports worlds with their audio technology called Embodied Sound.

Salomaki and Castro aim to bring sound not only to the ears of their listeners but to their entire bodies. They recently performed a high-profile audio installation at the VIP experience for a multipurpose Las Vegas arena and turned to LEA Professional, to deliver completely immersive sound to the guests.

“We take the audio from the game that gets picked up by the broadcast, and we provide it in our sections of a venue,” Salomaki said. “That way, a fan can hear and feel everything from the dribbles to the shots, the swooshes, everything that makes them feel like an actual player in the game versus a spectator. Our ultimate goal is to redefine how personalised and curate

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02 August 2024

The Netherlands - Gigant is an arts and performance complex in Apeldoorn, comprising two theatre spaces, a movie house, recording studios, music venue (popzaal) and a café.

The 550-capacity popzaal is a well-known hang out for music fans and a showcase for catching rising stars artists and ones-to-watch as they build their fanbases, and the venue also has a history with Robe moving lights.

The latest Robe products to be installed are Paintes, Cuetes and LEDBeam 150s which arrived at the end of 2023.

Technical manager Simon Kemme has been working at Gigant for three and a half years and explains that it is one of a genre of multifunctional cultural buildings built throughout the Netherlands – in this case in 1994 – which has encouraged the arts to flourish.

Before taking up the post here, he was a freelance sound & lighting te

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01 August 2024

France - Having featured Sarah Bernhardt on its stages for almost two decades, and staging the very first play by Sartre, Théâtre de la Ville has an impressive pedigree. Throughout its 150-year history, the venue has staged all manner of productions and today is known for its offering of modern dance, theatre and world music. 

Following a major seven-year refurbishment designed to equip the 19th century building with 21st century innovation, Théâtre de la Ville has again placed itself on the edge of technology, able to offer L-ISA immersive experiences to audiences via its BLive-installed sound system.

For almost a decade, Théâtre de la Ville had been in search of the perfect system to realise its immersive audio ambitions. As part of a wider refurbishment, the venue, in collaboration with L-Acoustics certified partner BLive – a long-time te

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01 August 2024

India - Christie DWU23-HS laser projectors play a pivotal role in a new light and sound show at Osmania University, transforming the façade of its Arts College building into a canvas for breathtaking visual displays. 

Located in Hyderabad, Osmania University is one of India’s oldest and most prestigious institutions of higher education. The university undertook this large-scale nighttime spectacle to celebrate and preserve its rich history and foster pride and appreciation for its heritage among students, faculty, and visitors.

The project is designed to enhance the educational experience by offering an innovative and engaging way to explore Osmania University’s journey since its founding in 1917.  

Aura Bright Light India Pvt Ltd integrated the project and was instrumental in bringing this display to reality. Its expertise in integra

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01 August 2024

Italy - On 5-6 July, Venice landmark Piazza San Marco (St Mark’s Square) saw Italian pop group Pooh perform the first two shows of their 22-date Amici x Sempre Estate 2024 tour.

Pooh’s longtime lighting designer, Francesco De Cave specified 100 Chauvet Professional Maverick Storm 3 BeamWashes for these shows. Supplied by ZAlight and installed by Agorà, the fully-featured IP65 hybrid fixtures supported the artists on stage, in addition to accenting the beauty of the Doge Palace, Campanile di San Marco, Basilica and other structures that contributed to the scenography at the concert site.

De Cave valued the “power and 'colourimetric' versatility” of the Maverick Storm 3 BeamWash. Using soft shades of richly rendered colours, he was able to endow the piazza’s historic setting with a dramatic element without distracting from the archi

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01 August 2024

USA - Michigan’s multi-genre Electric Forest music festival ramped up its AV offering this year, with the monumental Sherwood Court stage’s proscenium arch LED screen displaying content powered by tvONE’s Green Hippo brand of Hippotizer Media Servers, which are distributed by ACT Entertainment in North America.

Visual solutions company Observatory, which has provided scenic visual content and delivery/VJ services for Electric Forest’s Sherwood Court Stage since 2022, were brought on by Leisure Expert Group - the creative directors of Insomniac, who part own the festival. Observatory’s Simon Harris and his team worked closely with Leisure Expert Group to transform their visual brief into animated visual content.

To realise the visual delivery, they specified two Green Hippo Hippotizer V4 Tierra+ MK2 Media Servers, provided by Screenworks NEP

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01 August 2024

Europe - Turkey is a thriving market, especially for Luci Della Ribalta (LDR) which, thanks to the synergy with distributor Atempo, has managed to create a strong foothold in the country and for LDR products to be chosen for a number of prestigious installations in recent years.

These include the Cultural and Artistic Centre of the 100th Anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye in the Etimesgut Municipality, a multifunctional cultural centre where as many 70 units of LDR's Nota PC 1200 have been installed thanks to Atempo.

Most recently, Atempo has concluded work on the State Theatres – Sehitkamil Stage project, located in Gaziantep, where 24 LDR Alba PC250 W 3200K, and 48 LDR Arpa PC150 3200K LED luminaires have been chosen and installed.

The project was designed by Atempo and construction of the building began in 2021. The project was orig

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01 August 2024

UK - The Let’s Go Round Again (One Last Time) tour was the final, farewell trip around the highways of Average White Band’s (AWB) UK roots. From Manchester to Scotland via the Royal Albert Hall, the tour was a celebration of the power of AWB.

Charlie Dale, at the front of house position, chose to tour with a DiGiCo SD10, thanks to the accessibility of the console’s surface and Mark Gazaille at the monitor position opted for the SD12. The tour covered the UK over April and May, with the band saying their final goodbyes in the USA from July.

Charlie Dale has been with the band since meeting them at his day job, mixing sound at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. The band had arrived without an engineer, so he jumped in, sparking a relationship that would stand the test of time and continue for over 15 years. The choice to tour a DiGiCo SD10 was

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01 August 2024

USA - Milkshake Concepts, the Dallas-based hospitality group, has unveiled Saaya, their latest dynamic dining and nightlife destination. Bespoke Technology Group was contracted to understand the goal for Saaya and come up with an optimal audio design and installation.

Bespoke Technology Group is a Dallas-based audiovisual integration company specializing in customised audio solutions for a variety of venues. Central to this design is the integration of high-performance 1 Sound loudspeakers.

Saaya needed an audio system that could provide both high quality background music and impactful sound for DJ sets and night-time events. "The trick was to have a system that could set the atmosphere and play elegant background music during the week but still crank up to DJ levels on the weekend," explained Phil Ayache, president of Bespoke Technology.

Bes

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01 August 2024

USA - The Adam Hall Group is further expanding its international sales network with the appointment of ATS-Pro as the exclusive distributor for its lighting brand, Cameo.

ATS-Pro is a division of Activate The Space. Under the leadership of CEO Christopher Pelzar, ATS-Pro focuses on the distribution of LED lighting fixtures. “Professional lighting technology – along with how it’s used – spans many areas, and the American market expects quality products and first-class service,” says Pelzar. “With the combination of Cameo lighting solutions and the excellent support from ATS-Pro, Cameo will stand out from the competition in all targeted verticals.”

Markus Jahnel, COO of Adam Hall Group, adds: “We are delighted to have found an experienced distribution partner for Cameo in ATS-Pro. Christopher Pelzar and his team have been familiar with