Bulgaria - Located in the heart of the capital, Sofia, the Bedroom Premium Club is one of the largest and highest profile nightclubs in Bulgaria. A recent upgrade has seen the club's desire to deliver the very best sound satisfied by an L-Acoustics system.

Emil Yanakiev - owner of Forte Music, one of the country's biggest audio importers and rental companies - had previously supplied an L-Acoustics system for events at Bedroom Beach, Bedroom Premium's summer extension venue. Here, sets by high profile DJs had demonstrated the positive difference that the quality of L-Acoustics loudspeakers makes to the clubbing experience, so when Vesselin Borisov, the 800-capacity venue's co-owner, decided to install a new audio system in Bedroom Premium, he approached Emil Yanakiev for advice.

Romania - More than 100 PR Lighting fixtures were out in force recently, when Greek superstar Nikos Vertis arrived in Romania for his sell-out concert at Sala Palatului Bucharest.

Part of his Nikos Vertis Tour 2015, with 4,000 people packed into the venue it proved to be the biggest concert of the year - to the delight of local promoters and event organisers, VreauBilet.ro.

Handling the technical production were Temple Media, and the artist's lighting designer, Emiliano Bistri, worked closely with the venue's in-house lighting technician, Temple Media's Cristian Simon, to design a rig based heavily on PR Lighting fixtures.

In order to light up the star and his 38 piece orchestra they deployed 40 x XR 200 Beam, 18 x XLed 1061 and 44 x XR 230 Spot as the mainstay of the production lighting - supported by 36 x Showtec Sunstrip bars.

The production crew included 30 technicians

South Korea - The National Gugak Centre in Seoul, South Korea has added M'elodie line array loudspeakers to upgrade the decade-old Meyer Sound system in its 800-seat Yeak-Dang Theatre. Renowned for its role in preserving and promoting ancient Korean musical traditions, the centre continues to count on the durability and reliability of its UPM-1P, CQ-1, and CQ-2 loudspeakers, which were reconfigured for the upgraded system.

The decision to upgrade with M'elodie was not a foregone conclusion, despite the Yeak-Dang's previous positive experience with Meyer Sound. "When it comes to government spending, it's not always easy to specify a particular brand," says Ungseop Kwon of SOVICO, Meyer Sound's Korean distributor. "The committee members listened critically to several loudspeakers and all agreed that the M'elodie was the best system for the hall.

"With a Meyer

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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.

USA - On their recent tour in support of the Top 40 album Lift A Sail, the unpredictable Yellowcard returned to their hard-edged punk-tinged roots. To complement the more aggressive sound, the band punched up its lightshow with help from the Rogue RH1 Hybrid moving fixture from Chauvet Professional.

"The Rogues turned up the intensity on this tour," said longtime Yellowcard lighting designer Cody James of JDI Productions. "It was a trip back in time in a way, with the band returning to some older songs that were faster and more hard-driving than the new material they've been performing. We wanted a fixture that could reflect this attitude - and the Rogues fit the bill.

"Plus they were compact and easy to set up, which helped a lot on this cross-country tour. The user-friendliness of this fixture, together with the help I got from the guys at JDI Prod

UK - Production design and solution specialist Central Presentations Ltd (CPL) provided full technical production - lighting, sound and video - to Bright Productions for a major global sales conference event hosted by Education First's corporate solutions division. The organisation specialises in the development of language training, educational travel, academic degree programmes and cultural exchange.

The event encompassed a two day conference with two evenings of themed entertainment and was staged in the beautiful and majestic environs of Ashridge House in Hertfordshire. Nestling in 190 acres of impeccably preened gardens and parkland, the impressive stately home was built between 1808 and 1814 on the site of the original Ashridge Priory dating back to the 13th century. It is now owned by the National Trust, and more recently, full business conference facilities were added.

UK - Projection artist Ross Ashton and The Projection Studio produced another spectacular work The World Machine onto Durham Cathedral in the UK for the 2015 Durham Lumiere light festival which attracted upwards of 200,000 people to the city over four nights of light installations.

It was the fourth time that Projection Studio has created an art installation onto the Cathedral, but the first time it's been done using video projectors. In the past, PIGI film projectors were used.

The projection system involved 14 Christie 20K machines which were positioned on a series of custom towers and hides strategically located around the perimeter of the Cathedral. This was carefully calculated to ensure that all the front facing walls and their various return surfaces were evenly lit.

There is a depth differential of 25m from the front to the back projection surfaces which inclu

Italy - More than 50,000 people assembled in Florence's Artemio Franchi Municipal Stadium on 10 November to welcome Pope Francis on his short Italian tour, to mark the Fifth National Congress of the Italian Church.

The Holy Father celebrated Mass accompanied by a 400-piece orchestra, a giant chorus of 1,037 people - and an expertly designed Martin Audio MLA system to distribute the message to the faithful who had flocked to the stadium.

No fewer than 132 Martin Audio cabinets were deployed across the stadium - provided by Lucca based Amandla Productions, while the All Access consortium (of which they were founding members) supplied the award-winning Martin Audio MLA loudspeaker array.

The success of the event was due to the close cooperation between the technical managers of the respective companies, Wolfgang May for Amandla Productions and Paul 'Red' Talami for All Access.<

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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 - Doughty Engineering has invested in a new CNC saw at its Ringwood headquarters as the company continues to look at effective ways to increase production and meet customer demand for its products.

The new piece of kit replaces two existing saws and will be used to cut all of the company's aluminium extrusion. With the saw cutting faster and to an unbeatable quality, Mark Chorley, design engineer at Doughty explains that it's purchases such as this that help Doughty to stay competitive within the market place.

"This new CNC makes a huge difference to the production of all our items. The speed at which it cuts means we are able to increase our output, thereby meeting customer demand with minimum delay between order and shipping time. Customers will receive a top quality item produced with unbeatable precision and an extremely clean finish."

Doughty has invested h

UK - Sky Garden is a space in central London that not only offers a 360 degree view across the capital but also features a landscape garden, the Fenchurch Restaurant and the Sky Pod Bar; all of which play host to various parties and live music events. Run by rhubarb catering group, they wanted to enhance the existing space and create an unforgettable atmosphere for those visiting the venue. As a result, they called on complete production solution specialist White Light to help to achieve their vision.

PB Jacobse, managing director of rhubarb, comments, "Sky Garden is a unique venue as it is one of the few event spaces that offers panoramic, breath-taking views of London. That said, for those visiting the space on an evening, there was no actual lighting set-up. Therefore we wanted to create something which would not only compliment the space and surrounding views but also c

Secondary Ticketing - The music industry has called for action over secondary ticketing sites. Rock band Coldplay and managers of acts including Ed Sheeran, Elton John, Blur and Radiohead signed an open letter to the government calling for action over secondary ticketing sites.

Published in The Times, the letter said fans are being "ripped-off by touts who anonymously exploit fair ticket prices via online ticket marketplaces". It urges the government to put "the public's interests before the touts". A government consultation on the resale of tickets closed last Friday. "As artist managers, we deplore the increasing industrial-scale abuse and insider exploitation of tickets for music, arts and sports events by ticket touts," the letter says. "The consequence in many cases is that fans will attend fewer shows, meaning that the profits made

UK - ArKaos has released the latest version of its popular video-jockey software, GrandVJ, in time for the busy festive season. GrandVJ 2.1 users will have access to a whole range of new features to make their parties and events easier to run and more creative than ever, says ArKaos.

GrandVJ 2.1 is the result of intensive development from the masters of video manipulation, and has been comprehensively tested and approved by ArKaos aficionados. "We are always keen to hear the feedback from our loyal following to ensure that ArKaos software remains ahead of the market and provides the best experience and capabilities for all our GrandVJ users," says ArKaos' Managing Director, Agnes Wojewoda. "We think this version of GrandVJ is going to be welcomed by users old and new who will be keen to put it into action on their Christmas and New Year events."

GrandVJ ver

UK - An Edinburgh company which has designed light installations for the SSE Hydro and Gleneagles Hotel has announced it is to become employee-owned.

The move by Black Light Ltd will see its 21 members of staff given the opportunity to become owners in the business.

Black Light designs, supplies and installs lighting and AV equipment to theatre, architecture, education, entertainment and retail. The company has an annual turnover of £3m.

The business was founded over 30 years ago by Gavin Stewart as a mobile disco. In the years' since it has developed a worldwide reputation for its innovative lighting solutions, with other projects including the Botanic Lights at Edinburgh's Royal Botanical Gardens.

Gavin Stewart, managing director, Black Light, said, "I was looking for an exit strategy that allowed the firm to continue to grow and flourish. A sale to the employ

Secondary Ticketing - The music industry has called for action over secondary ticketing sites. Rock band Coldplay and managers of acts including Ed Sheeran, Elton John, Blur and Radiohead signed an open letter to the government calling for action over secondary ticketing sites.

Published in The Times, the letter said fans are being "ripped-off by touts who anonymously exploit fair ticket prices via online ticket marketplaces". It urges the government to put "the public's interests before the touts". A government consultation on the resale of tickets closed last Friday. "As artist managers, we deplore the increasing industrial-scale abuse and insider exploitation of tickets for music, arts and sports events by ticket touts," the letter says. "The consequence in many cases is that fans will attend fewer shows, meaning that the profits mad

Bulgaria - Located in the heart of the capital, Sofia, the Bedroom Premium Club is one of the largest and highest profile nightclubs in Bulgaria. A recent upgrade has seen the club's desire to deliver the very best sound satisfied by an L-Acoustics system.

Emil Yanakiev - owner of Forte Music, one of the country's biggest audio importers and rental companies - had previously supplied an L-Acoustics system for events at Bedroom Beach, Bedroom Premium's summer extension venue. Here, sets by high profile DJs had demonstrated the positive difference that the quality of L-Acoustics loudspeakers makes to the clubbing experience, so when Vesselin Borisov, the 800-capacity venue's co-owner, decided to install a new audio system in Bedroom Premium, he approached Emil Yanakiev for advice.

For Bedroom Premium, a team comprising Emil and Forte rental manager Alex Pigov, acoustic consult

Belgium - A crowd of over 200 lighting professionals marked the grand opening of Chauvet's new branch office in Ghent, Belgium, as well as the company's 25th anniversary, by enjoying an evening of festivities, product demonstration, music and a breathtaking lightshow. The invitation-only event, which drew guests from a variety of countries, also featured a cornucopia of food as well as beverages, including a sparkling special edition Chauvet branded champagne.

As Chauvet's second European facility, the Belgium office will cater to demand in the Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg regions. In conjunction with Chauvet's UK branch, the new office will also play a key role in servicing and supporting distributors elsewhere on the European mainland, with particular emphasis on France, Germany and Italy.

Among the highlights of the evening was a lightshow of epic proportions that

UK - Cambridge based alt-rockers Mallory Knox have been rapidly gaining fans and critical acclaim from their energetic live shows and rousing festival appearances this summer running on the back of their second album Asymmetry released in late 2014.

Right in the thick of all the Mallory Knox live onstage action is lighting and set designer Jordon Cooper who has worked with the band since 2013 after initially being asked to light a one off gig which they liked.

On the previous tour, Jordon has used Robe Pointes, and for this one as a floor package he chose 24 x Robe LEDBeam 100s which were supplied by north Yorkshire based R&M Productions together with four strobes and some LED battens. They hooked into the house overhead rigs at each venue.

R&M additionally built the set which was designed by Jordon and the band and inspired by the Asymmetry album artwork.

With

Portugal - Nexo has appointed Merging Select to represent its products in Portugal. Based in the capital city of Lisbon, Merging Select handles a portfolio of blue-chip brands, including Yamaha Commercial Audio, Steinberg and Nuage, which are sister companies to Nexo, as well as AuviTran and Powersoft.

Founded in 2007, Merging Select serves both the rental market in Portugal as well as the installation business. Projects include auditoria, theatres, multi-purpose and conference spaces, hotels and retail operations.

Merging Select aims to offer the Portuguese professional audio market something over and above 'black boxes', complementing technical solutions with a high degree of support, education and training. According to commercial director Joao Velhinho, there are two priorities. "First, helping our market to spend its money coherently in these difficult economic tim

UK - Earlier this year, KV2 Audio reported on its successful collaboration with Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance- one of the UK's top specialist higher educational institutions - during the College's annual symposium.

KV2 representatives were on hand to discuss the company's approach to loudspeaker design and offer information on all KV2 Audio's products and philosophies.

Following their experiences during the symposium, Rose Bruford College chose to invest in a number of KV2 products.

Having listened to a large selection of ESD, EX, ESM and ES products in a variety of the college's performance spaces, technical manager Jonathan Hill decided that a pair of EX 26 active 2-way 2x6" loudspeakers and the EX 2.2 active 2x12" subwoofer would be the ideal solution for a fixed install in their studio space.

In addition to this, six EX 6 active 2-way 6&

USA - The 49th Country Music Association Awards programme took place at a packed Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday 4 November. With country music stars Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood returning as hosts for the live ABC telecast, the show again lived up to its reputation as Country Music's Biggest Night, with three hours of live performances that combined country royalty with fresh newcomers, while sprinkling in several collaborations with country outsiders.

To keep the packed program on schedule, the production relied on wireless microphones and in-ear monitors for quick set changes, eliminating cumbersome floor wedges and cables. For monitoring, the performers typically bring their own custom earphones, all of which were powered by Shure PSM1000 wireless personal monitor systems.

As always at the CMAs, all major wireless microphone brands were represente

UK - The Tony Award-winning musical In The Heights will stand out from the crowd on a custom printed stage floor produced by Le Mark Floors. With a design printed and produced specifically for the production, the floor is set to endure months of performances. Even more so since the show has been extended due to popular demand.

With heavy foot traffic throughout every performance, both the stage floor and the printed design needed to be incredibly durable yet still provide a comfortable surface for the performers themselves.

"We explained what we needed and Le Mark were quick to provide a quality product. They were professional all the way: from placing the order right through to delivery. It was exactly what we needed for this musical." said Tristan Baker, producer at Runaway Entertainment.

The bespoke design was printed on to Le Mark's most popular floor

Slovakia - The Malá Fatra mountain range in the north-west of Central Slovakia is both a national park and a popular winter sports area.

In this beautiful scenery, Hotel Impozant is situated in Valca Valley. The hotel owner has for a long time sought the nearby creek illuminated by a light source which could be hidden under the bridge. His intention was to increase the attractiveness of the site to a new and higher level. Therefore, he turned to Milan Ondisko, sales manager of City Light Slovakia s.r.o., who quickly arranged a demonstration on one summer evening during sunset.

"The hotel owner preferred two strong quality lights instead of several smaller fixtures. Once we turned on the light, no more words were necessary. The SGM P-5 talked for itself and proved to be the perfect tool; plenty of rich coloured light output to illuminate the creek with its banks and sur

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