USA - With spectacular staging, big-screen displays, theatrical lighting, all-encompassing sound and close to 20,000 spectators at every event, this year's Passion Conference - Passion 2015 - looked more like a major rock concert than a religious event. But the Passion 2015 event is actually three full days of music, inspirational speeches, video, lights and stagecraft designed to bring 18 to 25 year olds closer to Jesus Christ.

An annual event since 1997, the Passion Tour has grown exponentially, with this year's conference presenting three separate events this winter to sold-out crowds at Philips Arena in Atlanta over the course of two weekends, and the Toyota Centre in Houston. The Houston event was also streamed over the Internet, allowing roughly 40,000 more viewers to virtua

USA - The University of Alabama at Birmingham has made a long-term investment in the self-powered Meyer Sound Lyon linear sound reinforcement system. Installed in the 1,330-seat Jemison Concert Hall at the school's Alys Stephens Performing Arts Centre (ASC), Lyon provides impeccable clarity and headroom for lectures and concerts ranging from classical and jazz to pop, rock, gospel, and reggae.

"To meet artists' riders and put on shows that consistently satisfy audiences, we simply couldn't do better than the Lyon system," states Adam Stermer, technical director for the ASC. "And knowing that we wouldn't be getting a new system for perhaps 15 years, we wanted one that was well-received and incorporated the very latest technology."

Designed to maintain distortion-free levels of 110 dB SPL at any seat, the new system is anchored by two main arrays of seven Lyo

UK - Local authorities around the UK, faced with providing an ever increasing number of services from diminishing budgets, have been introduced to an elegant integrated 'one button' webcasting and audio/videoconference facility by Jon Hunnisett of technology specialists, Sound Advice PA Installation Ltd.

In designing a system that enables separate video and audio streams to be combined, councils can engage more with their constituents by allowing sessions to be web-streamed and viewed over the internet.

At the heart of his solution is RCF's intuitive Forum 9000 digital conferencing and voting system, and Sound Advice has now built up a portfolio of 14 councils who have been eager to adopt this platform.

It was the versatility of the system that first caught the attention of Jeremy Luckett, Business Analyst at Wiltshire Council Unitary Authority, after five councils had been

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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.

Belgium - Earlier this year, Elation partner Fratuer near Antwerp, Belgium, supplied and installed a new Elation lighting package in Red&Blue, the city's largest gay club and the biggest in Belgium. Red&Blue, which has stood as a pioneering nightclub in Antwerp for more than 17 years, hosts crowds of partygoers each night, as well as a slew of parties throughout the year. The club sought to create a new experience for its customers and chose to upgrade its existing lighting system.

"Together with Frateur and Red&Blue management, we started out with some drawings to get our thoughts and demands for the lighting down on paper," commented Tim Torfs, who manages the club together with Nourdin Bens. "After several brainstorm sessions we came up with a fantastic idea, which Frateur then put into action. It resulted in the magnificent piece of lighting design we have tod

UK - Long-term supporters of PLASA Focus in Leeds, Martin Audio returns to the Royal Armouries (Booth # N-C19) on 12-13 May where it will dedicate its stand to the UK premier of the new CDD installation series (which received its global launch in Frankfurt last month).

Combining distinctive curved enclosures with unique Coaxial Differential Dispersion technology, the series is designed to deliver class-leading performance, fidelity and coverage consistency to most install applications via six two-way full-range coaxial systems - ranging from the micro CDD5 to the powerful CDD15. These are complemented by a range of high-performance subwoofers.

The company will also be participating in the seminar programme, in the Wellington Room on both days (between 11:30 - 12:15) under the title The Shape of Things to Come.

Martin Audio product support engineer Robin Dibble will be

Germany - ArKaos PRO enjoyed a spectacularly successful show at Prolight+Sound, Frankfurt with its stand constantly awash with new and existing customers eager to see the company's latest developments.

The stand's complex projection surfaces were a perfect foil to illustrate the capabilities of ArKaos PRO's Kling-Net, the protocol driving its LEDMaster LED show control, and the latest version of ArKaos PRO MediaMaster software.

Visitors to the stand were also able to witness for themselves the technical wizardry and simple operation of ArKaos PRO LEDMaster - an all-in-one solution which delivers LED show control in three easy steps. Designed to work in conjunction with ArKaos PRO's Kling-Net protocol, LEDMaster adds a layer of intelligence to any LED device by automatically recognising and configuring it to make it ready for mapping. Scenes can be triggered live, automatically

Switzerland - With the new BeamBar Series, Laserworld launches a low price solution in the product range of single beam fan projection laser bars.

The Laserworld BeamBar units are available in red, green and blue and have 10 laser apertures. At each aperture, one laser beam is emitted. Fine adjustment screws at the front panel allow for easy beam alignment such as making all beams exit the bar parallel or in a certain angle. Each of the 10 laser sources can be switched via standard DMX512, so the BeamBar can easily be integrated to existing lighting setups. It uses 13 DMX channels for control.

The Laserworld BeamBar units are suitable for fixed installations, on stage, or for mobile use. Several bars combined bars makeoffer many design possibilities, says the company.

(Jim Evans)

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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

USA - At NAB 2015, Shure unveiled its new BRH50M Premium Dual-Sided Broadcast Headset. The BRH50M introduces a modern design for on-camera use and premium sound quality, suitable for broadcast and media production professionals at every level, says the company. Lightweight, comfortable, and durable, with superior audio quality, the Shure BRH50M is constructed to meet the demanding needs of professional users throughout the broadcast industry.

Designing an on-camera product is a bit of a balancing act," said Matt Engstrom, category director for wired products at Shure. "Although on-camera aesthetic appeal is certainly a critical factor, it was important to develop a product that looked great on-camera without sacrificing sound quality, comfort, or durability. After extensive testing with the NFL and NBA, we're confident the BRH50M delivers on all four of those factors,

UK - Peerless-AV has announced the expansion of its customer support team with new sales administration and business development hires to enhance trade and logistics processes, and ultimately customer experience.

Reuben Dayan has been appointed sales administrator for UK and Europe's German speaking countries (DACH region). David Pelletier has been appointed business development representative for France and Spain. Both are based in Peerless-AV's European Headquarters, supporting the local sales team in their respective regions.

Gordon Dutch, managing director, Peerless-AV, commented, "We welcome Reuben and David to our expanding team. Their appointments emphasise our ongoing commitment to always-there customer service with team members that are experienced, multi-lingual professionals, dedicated to identifying and resolving diverse and often complex client needs."

USA - Pretty much anywhere in the world, state funded school budgets are tight, so most cannot frequently upgrade technology; and when they do invest in classrooms, gyms or theatres, they have to make the right choice since they'll be using it for years to come.

When Nevada's Clark County School District needed to upgrade its aging theatre equipment, the district - which spans 9,000 square miles and includes Las Vegas - chose ETC Ion lighting desks to bring its 37 theatres into the 21st century.

An Ion is now in all 35 Clark County High School theatres and its performing arts high school and middle school. Many of these high schools were built somewhere between 1992 and 2005. When each was built, it had a state-of-the-art performing arts space, says Gary Sessa, a teacher in the district as well as the theatre taskforce chair for secondary fine arts in the Clark County School D

Germany - Entertainment motion control systems expert XLNT Advanced Technologies enjoyed a busy and successful Prolight+Sound show in Frankfurt with the launch of CyberHoist II, the second generation of the world's first intelligent, variable speed chain hoist.

The system has been designed for heavy-duty, worldwide touring and large-scale events. Already proven to be an instant hit with safety conscious professionals across the world, it went out on several productions immediately after initial customers took delivery. Amongst those was the Linkin Park tour, where it delivered fast and precise automation of the arena show's moving elements.

"We were delighted to have Ingo Koenzen, show operator for the recent Linkin Park tour, on stand with us at ProLight," says XLNT's Director of Sales and Marketing Marc van der Wel. "He, along with Sebastian Habrechtsmeier, Cy

UK - Theatre consultancy Charcoalblue is continuing to expand its operations by opening its first UK regional Design Studio in Bristol.

The Bristol Studio is located next to the oldest continuously working theatre in the UK, and one of Charcoalblue's first commissions: Bristol Old Vic.

"We're thrilled to have opened up a new studio in the City of Bristol where our team of designers can work to deliver exciting projects in the South and West," says Charcoalblue's managing partner, Andy Hayles. "We spent some time looking for the right space and location and are delighted to be at number 35 King Street, right next to the Bristol Old Vic. Securing this wonderful location means that Charcoalblue's Bristol team are close to a significant local performing arts community, just as our current team is in London, something we're incredibly proud of. In addition Birdsong, which i

UK - As befits an event devoted to physical conditioning, the pace was nonstop high energy at the International Fitness Showcase 2015, which drew 3,500 fitness instructors to Blackpool Winter Gardens for three intense days of Pilates, kettlebells, spinning, pole fitness, Zumba, step aerobics, street dance and other activities. Helping to pump up the action and motivate participants at the annual event was a collection of LED fixtures from Chauvet.

Oliver Wilkinson, lighting designer and engineer at Arranpaul, which supplied lighting, sound and AV for the event utilised a variety of colour rendering Chauvet fixtures to add a festive, glitzy air, not to mention a dash of intensity, to Blackpool's Spanish Hall. A spacious Andalusian-style vaulted room, Spanish Hall was the main spot for the event, which was organised by Chrysalis Promotions, in addition to serving as the site for i

Israel - Munich-based live engineer Björn Seeländer, a veteran of concert tours and venues worldwide, has recently been appointed as Live Sound Product Specialist for Waves Audio, an industry-leading developer of professional audio digital signal processing technologies.

Seeländer has vast experience in the studio and live, in particular as a FOH, monitor and system engineer. His credits include such diverse acts as Mark Knopfler (monitor support/stage), Prince (monitor/Pro Tools live recording), Justin Bieber (FOH), Usher (system/FOH support), Taylor Swift (system/FOH support), Rod Stewart (system/FOH support), Lang Lang (system/FOH support), and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (FOH), to name but a few.

In his capacity as Waves Live Sound Product Specialist, Björn will communicate with other live sound engineers across Europe, demonstrating Waves plugins,

USA - A multitude of fans were entertained by Philip Selway's solo performance, which used Allen & Heath's iLive-T112 at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, USA.

Philip Selway, best known as the drummer in Radiohead, performed nearly an hour long set Sunday evening at Coachella, Weekend 2. Selway didn't play drums but instead sang and played the keyboard in the Gobi tent.

The audio engineer for Selway's solo tour, Gavin McComb, explains how the Allen & Heath equipment is currently being used. McComb controls the FOH mix, while the band controls their own monitor mixes using the ME system.

"On this leg of the tour we are using an iLive-T112 surface, an iDR-48 and a ME-U with five ME-1personal mixers. They are all using in-ear monitoring, which is fed from their individual ME-1s. The only control I have with their mixes are mutes on channels

USA - Even in the depths of January, Red Bull's Crashed Ice event in St. Paul, Minn., drew more than 100,000 people to a weekend of after-dark competitive ice cross downhill skating. Spread out over three square miles of the city center, the massive track and viewing area required hundreds of Martin Professional fixtures to be properly lit. Lighting designer Paul Guthrie of Toss Film + Design Inc. was brought in by Red Bull to lead the layout and design of all the lighting fixtures for the event.

Crashed Ice takes place four times a year in world-class cities such as Helsinki, Belfast and Edmonton. Skaters compete in heats of four on temporary 1,500ft long ice tracks featuring steep turns and high vertical drops erected in these urban environments. The track in St. Paul was set up in front of a cathedral - a backdrop made all the more impressive by high-quality lighting.

Guthr

USA - In Manhattan, the heart of the city that never sleeps, creating something spectacular can be a challenge. The New York Spring Spectacular starring the Rockettes does justice to the word. Animated statues, rain, 3D video, moving video screens, and more, all make this show something to behold.

An RC4Magic Wireless DMX and Dimming System delivers subtle and not so subtle effects that help make this show great. Act 1, Scene 1: Grand Central Station, complete with its world-famous ticket counter and clock, centre stage. Lights are controlled using RC4Magic Series 3 wireless, and that's just the beginning of a long list of untethered props and set pieces brightening practically every scene to come.

When the plot brings us to the Empire State Building, four coin-operated binoculars are on the Observation Deck. These free moving props, pushed around by the ensemble dancers, are

USA - A Motionless in White concert is not for anyone expecting a predictable metalcore experience. Sometimes described as "horror metal," the iconic group never fails to surprise and unsettle audiences by pulling unexpected tricks out of its musical bag, whether it's a shattering blast beat that bursts out of nowhere in the middle of a verse or a haunting keyboard effect that leaves audiences looking over their shoulders. The band's headline performance at the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival was no exception, arousing the crowd with its unexpected twists and turns.

Keeping pace with the music was an intense and sometimes darkly theatrical lightshow by lighting designer Freddy Thompson of JDI Productions that featured a collection of Legend moving fixtures and Vesuvio RGBA foggers from Chauvet Professional. Thompson used six Legend 230SR Beams and eight Legend

Denmark / USA - Neets is entering the US market in cooperation with its new distributor Starin Marketing. Starin is committed to creating the foundation to make Neets Control Systems the natural choice for classroom and meeting room control by integrators.

With over 100,000 control systems deployed, Neets has focused on developing reliable, user friendly and effective room control systems for the AV-integrators around the world. Configuration of the control systems is straightforward without code complexity with Neets Project Designer software.

Starin and Neets recognize the essential trifecta in a successful integrator partnership. Reliable product, dedicated support and profitable programs. Versatility to meet the end-users individual needs is also what sets Neets apart. Neets US keypad control systems will fit into standard US back-boxes.

For over a decade, Neets has spec

South Africa - Set and lighting designer, Joshua Cutts from Visual Frontier, used one grandMA2 full-size, one MA NPU (Network Processing Unit) and grandMA2 onPC for back-up on Miss South Africa, hosted at Sun City's Superbowl. Cutts explains that the beautifully lit HD televised production, with the set and full technical supplied by Dream Sets, went back to a fashion show feel.

Gavin Wratten was the producer and director from Sic Entertainment: "The show concept came about as Gavin talked me through his ideas," commented Joshua Cutts. "He wanted to go back to a fashion show production. The main stage, with two wide staircases on either, tapered into a long ramp which extended into the centre of the Superbowl.

"Miss South Africa is usually a banquet affair, but this year Gavin felt the audience should be seated around the ramp, without any distracting table

South Africa - Mediatech Africa, the largest media and entertainment technology trade show for southern Africa, will be staged this year from 15-17 July at the Dome at Northgate, Johannesburg. Staged biennially, Mediatech Africa presents the latest technologies and trends to southern Africa's broadcast and film sector and rapidly-growing live event and AV systems integration industries.

The exhibition area will feature over 130 exhibitors including manufacturers and distributors, and over around 700 brands, while the conference running alongside will cover the latest trends in AV and broadcasting.

Mediatech allows thousands of decision-makers in these key industries to discover new trends, solutions and service providers and assess top technologies from manufacturers and distributors locally and around the world. Visitors also benefit from the environment that includes hands-o

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