UK - Hitachi Digital Media Group has extended the collection of interchangeable lens for the 9000 Series Installation projectors with the addition of the Ultra Short Throw FL-900. As the eighth member of the family, the new lens reduces the throw distance of the range by 60%, opening up a wide variety of new application options that require performance and bright colours in a demanding installation environment.

"The dramatic reduction in throw distance with the new FL-900 lens transforms the installability of the 9000 Series and opens up a wide range of new application scenarios for this class of projector including digital signage and on-stage use," said Axel Kutschke, senior manager, presentation products for Hitachi Digital Media Group. "By bringing this capabili

France - The renowned Lille National Orchestra (ONL) under conductor Jean-Claude Casadesus has become Europe's first orchestra to go fully digital. With a recent investment in a Sennheiser and Neumann microphone set-up, the orchestra now boasts a fully digital signal chain from sound pick-up to recording. Their mobile studio comprises a total of 33 digital Neumann microphones, 24 digital Sennheiser microphones, all on active stands and booms, and six DMI-8 interfaces.

Also included in the studio are a six-channel Sennheiser wireless system and a full Neumann monitoring set-up. Managing Director François Bou, who feels people have become overly concerned with the visual aspects of performance, sees the new system capturing the ears of his audiences, taking them on a deeper, immersive journey into the richness and variety of the music.

"For us, the fully digital mobile stu

UK - Orbital Sound has recently completed a major installation project at the University of Wolverhampton's Arena Theatre, a 150-seat studio space, involving a Cat 6 network and d&b audiotechnik E-Series system.

Host to a wide variety of touring acts, as well as a series of jazz events, the Arena Theatre specified the E-Series ultra compact system after a comprehensive on-site evaluation by d&b audiotechnik, identifying it as the best match to the venue's requirement. The new system comprised d&b E12d cabinets, combined with E15X subs and E6 delays for the main theatre, complemented by E8 speakers for the studio/rehearsal space. It was installed as part of a major refit, which included an 80-line Cat 6 data network.

The Arena Theatre has a full-time technical team of three, headed up by senior technician Stephen Payne who commented, "We had originally shortlisted the T-Se

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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 - Since Ambersphere Solutions welcomed Ayrton into its family of quality distributed brands, the proliferation of Ayrton fixtures has been one of the company's many success stories.

A dozen of Ayrton's Magicpanels can currently be seen on the lighting rig for Olly Murs' latest outing. Famously just the runner-up in the X-Factor of 2009, his current UK tour includes four nights at The O2 in London before heading to Europe and then on to Australia. At the recent Manchester Arena show, the set list was put on hold to accommodate filming Olly and his audience by the X-Factor team in preparation for his debut on the show as a judge. Not a bad result for a performer many thought would be consigned to the Butlins summer season after losing out to Joe McElderry.

Production designer Paul Normandale has combined a set, video and lighting rig that places the audience focus firm

USA - University of Utah's Jon M. Huntsman Centre, a 15,000-seat arena that serves as home to the school's Runnin' Utes basketball, Utes volleyball and Red Rocks gymnastic teams, recently wrapped up a massive $6m renovation project.

When the dust finally settled, U of U's largest sporting and entertainment venue featured two new grand entrances plus a new floor, drapes, LED lighting system and versatile house sound system comprised of L-Acoustics' powerful Kara and high-directivity ARCS WiFo enclosures.

The audio portion of the project represented a joint effort between two Salt Lake City businesses: acoustician and technology consulting firm Spectrum Engineers, who provided the design and construction documents, and systems integration company Poll Sound, who installed the system and assisted with product specific design.

According to Poll Sound's Deward Timothy, the first

UK - Global event staffing specialist Showforce has been awarded BSI EN ISO 14001:2004 Certification for their commitment to Environmental Management. The standard exists to assist organisations implement demonstrably robust environmental management performance and is widely regarded as the world's most recognised environmental management systems standard.

Showforce's CEO Ian Spendlove commented, "As a business we are committed to sustainable working practises. We have a long history of successfully marrying local crew and staff with highly skilled and experienced personnel, leaving a legacy of employment. In addition we will always endeavour to allocate staff according to their location in order to deliver our clients the most cost effective solution. Achieving certification underlines the good work we have been doing and provides us with a great framework for improvement.

UK - London-born singer songwriter Jessie Ware has just completed her UK tour, with Sennheiser microphones and wireless monitors an integral part of the audio system supplied by rental company Adlib for both Jessie and her band.

Front-of-House engineer Johnny Dodkin started working with Jessie when she was a backing singer with Jack Penate. When she was signed in January 2012, she asked him to work with her on her own project.

"We have always used a 2000 Series wireless system along with a 945 capsule for Jessie until this run of shows, when I changed to a 965 capsule," says Johnny. "I love the 945; it's great as it has a tight pattern and presence with the top end. But when Sennheiser's Relations Manager Mark Saunders popped by rehearsals for this tour, we started talking about the 965 capsule, as I have created a quiet stage with all amps off stage and the dru

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OPUS X4 PROFILE – the most powerful LED moving head from Cameo to date

The OPUS® X4 PROFILE is the new flagship model from Cameo and is among the most powerful LED moving heads on the market. Equipped with a 1,400-watt LED white light engine, this spot profile moving head produces an enormous light output of 50,000 lm, providing powerful spot and gobo projections on even the largest stages and much more.
www.cameolight.com

USA - Meyer Sound Lyon linear line array system is the top pick for tackling audio reinforcement at the 2015 NFL Draft, held 30 April through 2 May in Chicago. Provided by VER (Video Equipment Rentals), the compact yet powerful system is deployed to cover 3,901 seats inside the vast expanse of the Windy City's landmark Auditorium Theatre.

In addition to the Lyon line array loudspeakers, the Meyer Sound complement for the programme also comprises JM-1P arrayable loudspeakers, MM-4XP loudspeakers with IntelligentDC technology, 700-HP subwoofers, and a Galileo loudspeaker management system with Galileo Callisto array processors. Outside, for the Red Carpet arrivals, VER is providing a separate Meyer Sound system using UPQ-1P and UPJ-1P loudspeakers.

Warren Cruikshank and Wilson Tennermann of VER are tasked with project management and coordination for the nationwide live broadcast

UK - Midwich Limited has announced it has acquired 100% of PSCo Group Limited, the Reading-based trade-only rental and technical distributor specialising in the latest display solutions.

Under the leadership of Stuart Holmes, PSCo has established itself as a leading provider of the latest display solutions and complementary services through their PSCo Rental, PSCo Technical Distribution and Nearly New AV offerings.

Continuing on as managing director of PSCo, Stuart Holmes commented: "This exciting move allows PSCo to focus on the areas where we believe we truly add value to our trade partners. We have seen 12 months of exceptional growth and launched our LED offering along with a number of new and exciting partnerships, all of which we plan to capitalise on and grow further with the support of Midwich. We are looking forward to working in synergy with Midwich to expand bo

UK - London's Royal Albert Hall is the first live performance venue in the UK to invest in Robe's BMFL Spot moving light, with a purchase of 17 fixtures for its in-house lighting rig.

The decision was taken by the Hall's senior technical manager, Ollie Jeffery, and the venue's award-winning lighting design and systems manager, Richard Rhys Thomas. The units were delivered by Robe UK in conjunction with TSL Lighting where the process was co-ordinated by Ashley Lewis, Robe UK's key account manager for touring, TV, theatre & film.

The venue stages approximately 400 performances per year in the main auditorium, which has a capacity of over 5,000 (variable according to configuration) and is known for its splendid environment and famous organ, built in 1871 and comprising 9,999 pipes.

In addition, there are about 400 events in other spaces around the building, encompassing all typ

The Netherlands - Coemar Lighting has announced the appointment of Fairlight BV has its exclusive distributor for the LEDko products in The Netherlands and Belgium.

For 25 years Fairlight has been known for innovation, customer satisfaction and reliability. They are a leading distributor of quality equipment for the entertainment industry, representing many major brands such as Martin, Eurotruss, Avolites, LSC, Prolift, Chainmaster, De Sisti and Wireless Solution.

Michel Arntz, director of Fairlight says, "We are glad to start our cooperation with Coemar. Coemar is an historical brand with a long heritage and the LEDko products are outstanding and a great tool for the professional lighting. We are confident that our customers will be happy by providing new, innovative and good solutions with Coemar with the service customers know from Fairlight."

He adds, "We

USA - On 20 March, 2015 the awards for the second annual ASTC/USITT Venue Renovation Challenge were presented in Cincinnati, Ohio at the 55th annual USITT Conference and Expo. The Renovation Challenge was created to give student USITT members an opportunity to work with a practicing ASTC theatre consultant and to stretch their skills and knowledge by developing a scope of work for the improvement of an existing performance venue and present it, as they would in the real world to a client, at an USITT Panel with a live audience.

The members of the Yale University team were Jeong Sik Yoo and Mitchell Cramond with Gene Leitermann serving as ASTC mentor with Matt Welander as faculty advisor. The Yale University team selected their subject to be the University Theatre at Yale.

The members of the DePaul University team were; Jamie Davis, David Millard, Jackson Walsh, Alyse Porsella,

Korea - NEXT-proaudio has confirmed Avix Tech as its new Korean distribution partner following this year's Proligh+Sound in Frankfurt. Having founded the company 30 years ago, CEO Antonio Correia announced his satisfaction with the appointment made at the company's Rio Tinto headquarters in Portugal on the eve of the exhibition.

"Avix Tech is a very high profile supplier in Korea working closely with systems integrators, broadcasters and consultants," explained Mr Antonio Correia. "With our product portfolio, we see great potential in the Korean house of worship market."

"We supply and install full A/V systems to mid-sized churches and venues such as performing arts centres. Having visited the factory in Portugal, I was convinced that NEXT-proaudio creates unique solutions for our customers. In addition to manufacturing extremely powerful loudspeaker s

USA - A range of microphones from Audio-Technica was again selected by the audio professionals lending their talents to the recent 30th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio.

A highlight of the show was the segment honouring soul legend Bill Withers, who made a rare appearance and an even rarer on-stage performance at the event. R&B singer John Legend and Hall of Fame member Stevie Wonder each performed in this segment using Audio-Technica's 5000 Series UHF Wireless System with AEW-T5400a handheld microphones/transmitters. Wonder performed Ain't No Sunshine, followed by Legend's performance of Use Me and both singing Lean on Me.

The backline mic complement of Audio-Technica wired microphones included AT4050 multi-pattern condenser microphones used for drum overheads and bass; AT4050ST stereo condenser microphone used for audience

Opera on the Road - Opera is to be toured to theatres around the UK by a new production company that aims to bring more diverse audiences to the genre. HighTime has been founded by Felicity Green and Benjamin Hamilton, who met while studying at the University of Warwick, and is aimed at staging productions for people who would otherwise not have access to opera. Its first production, supported by Arts Council England, will be Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, in a new translation by Kit Hesketh-Harvey. It will run at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, with plans to tour the show around the UK next year, engaging young people from each location to perform in the chorus.

Green Day - Amelia Lily will star in a new London production of Green Day musical American Idiot. The X Factor runner-up, who is currently starring in a tour of Joseph and the Amazi

USA - Fort Lauderdale-based lighting and video rental company Paradigm Lighting once again delivered a fabulous production, lighting design and kit for the Live Stage at this year's Ultra Music Festival in Miami, with Robe Pointes and MMX Spots at its core.

Paradigm's owner and founder Jorge Valdez has been involved in lighting this stage at the US's premier EDM extravaganza for the last 12 years. The Live stage, located at the 7500 seat outdoor Klipsch Amphitheatre at Bayfront Park, was a major hotspot of the event, and hosted up to eight live artists a day for three days. This year included jaw-dropping sets from Krewella, Netsky, Kygo, Porter Robinson, Bassnectar, Royksopp and Chromeo.

Jorge received a brief of what the organizers wanted to see in terms of a visual concept - Paradigm also supplied video for the Live Stage - and then oversaw its technical realization, which

UK - The recent gala evening for Alice's Adventures Underground saw team White Light venture down the rabbit hole for Les Enfants Terribles' extraordinary new show, nestled deep in the Waterloo Vaults.

Now open for a strictly limited season, the multi-sensory production fuses puppetry, story-telling, music and spectacle with stage technology for an immersive experience. Inviting intimate groups to choose their own adventure, different interactive elements re-create memorable scenes from Lewis Carol's novel, which has just celebrated its 150th anniversary.

The White Light team led by Gary O'Donnell - hire coordinator, worked closely alongside Paul Walmsley - chief electrician for the project, utilising our inventory to fulfil the extensive kit requirements. The design incorporated eight different rooms, all with an entirely bespoke set-up and experience within. Fully net

Germany - Optocore celebrated a 'triumphant return' to Prolight+Sound this year by successfully premiering its new MADI multi-interface switches and bridges.

Launching the new M8 (with four MADI ports) and M12 (eight MADI ports) to the world's press, Optocore founder Marc Brunke told the rapt gathering why they had prioritised the MADI standard. "Throughout the years there have been many voices that believed MADI would not survive the increased number of network protocols," he said. "However, we have observed the complete opposite - MADI is the easiest and most popular multi-channel protocol, and is built into almost any professional equipment."

With only a single cable connection needed to create a MADI-based system it is little wonder that the feedback at the stand was so positive - particularly as the company's DD2FR-FX and DD4MR-FX MADI devices are amon

USA - At the sold out Invasion Del Corrido concert at the Staples Centre, keeping pace with the swirling passion, colour and intensity of the music on stage was a dynamic lighting design created by LD Brandon Dunning of Visions Lighting. At the heart of Dunning's design was a series of truss structures energized by bright pixel mapped Nexus 4 x4 LED panels from Chauvet Professional.

Dunning used 20 of the Nexus panels controlled with an ArKaos LED Mapper. (He ran the rig using a grandMA 2 Light console.) Eight of the Nexus panels were hung inside a 30' x 25' upstage circular truss structure. The other 12 Nexus units were arranged three each on the four 10' truss towers that accented the stage.

By displaying pixel mapped breakout patterns on the Nexus panels and varying the intensity of their output (he ran a mixture of 110v and 208v), Dunning was able to reflect the diverse ra

USA - Yard House restaurants combine a wide selection of "made-from-scratch" menu items, over 100 craft beers, ales and lagers and high-energy classic rock music to create an exciting atmosphere for casual or group dining, happy hour and holiday celebrations.

No Static Pro Audio of Burbank, California designed and installed the audio and video systems for the newest Yard House which opened in Kansas City in April 2015.

Eugene Gordon, No Static's CEO says, "The restaurant's brand image has a focus on classic rock so the owners want really high-quality foreground music that can get loud without sounding harsh. This is our 59th Yard House installation," he continued, "and we've standardized on Community loudspeakers to meet that challenge."

For Yard House locations with outdoor patio dining, No Static installs Community W Series for both the indoor

USA - It is the hope of every museum to help make history come alive, and with an 11,000 year old history as rich as the Cherokee nation, the Museum of the Cherokee Indian had no shortage of inspiration. In 1998, Visual Terrain, Inc. designed lighting for the newly renovated space, and was awarded the IESNA's prestigious Edwin F. Guth Memorial Award for Interior Lighting Design.

In 2014, the museum called when they could no longer get parts for the 1998 dimming and control system. Upon visiting the museum, Visual Terrain CEO Lisa Passamonte Green noted, "They had started to upgrade to LEDs, but it was early technology, and the light output and colour consistency was not what we can achieve with the newest sources. The museum was darker, and our original design was no longer evident.

"It's rare we get an opportunity to completely re-do a project that we did many years

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