Business

‘The objective was to establish Hungary’s largest audio-visual festival’ (photo: Bence Szemerey)

Martin Audio brings power plant back to life

Details: 03 October 2023

Hungary - Described as a “powerhouse of music and visual arts”, the four-day Hungarian INOTA Festival was a joint initiative between the European Capital of Culture (this year Veszprém-Balaton) and the electronic music scene of Budapest (Electronic Beats) - thanks to a collaboration between promoter collective NVC and video and 3D projection company Centrum Production.
The objective was to establish Hungary’s largest audio-visual festival, focusing not only on top music acts but also light installations, pixel mapping and unique visual works.
Located a short distance from Lake Balaton in Várpalota, the venue was the thermal power plant of Inota - the largest industrial investment in Hungary back in the 1950s, with its three cooling towers. Closed since 2001, and set on a 225,000 sq.m facility, the INOTA Festival brought the 6,000 sq.m Turbine Hall back to life

Image Marketing to represent ADJ

Details: 03 October 2023

USA - ADJ has appointed Image Marketing as its manufacturer’s representative for Southern California.
Image Marketing was founded by Bob Rufkahr in 1980, and since then has represented some of the most prominent manufacturers in the AV and lighting industry.
The company offers a variety of services tailored to meet the needs of their dealers and manufacturers. Since inception, Image Marketing's mission has always been to represent quality products from manufacturers and to act as a conduit between manufacturer and dealer with the end goal being to ensure that both entities achieve sales and profit growth. Today, Image Marketing is led by Bob’s son, Tony Rufkahr.
“At Image Marketing, we are thrilled to partner with the ADJ Group and represent ADJ, Eliminator Lighting, Avante Audio, Accu-Cable and Accu-Stand in Southern California,” comments Tony Rufkahr.

The new moving lights join around 300 other Robe luminaires in the Sound Stylists inventory (photo: DWR)

SA’s Sound Stylists grows Robe portfolio

Details: 03 October 2023

South Africa - Rental and production company Sound Stylists has invested in 24 Robe Painte moving lights, the first part of an order that has been delivered via South African Distributor DWR, with more to follow soon.
The new moving lights join around 300 other Robe luminaires in the Sound Stylists inventory and will be used on their diverse mix of corporate shows and events.
Owner and founder Kevin Glover explained that they are in the process of consolidating and rationalising the lighting kit as work has steadily returned after the pandemic.
They specifically wanted a compact LED fixture with shutters, and “something bright, reliable and with plenty of features to service indoor venues with a headroom of around 6 or 7m”, a size and level that constitutes a lot of their work.
They have also enjoyed a long history with Robe, purchasing the original Co

Showtools International will now distribute all SRS Group brands

SRS Group and Showtools extend partnership

Details: 03 October 2023

Australia - The SRS Group and Showtools International have announced their mutual partnership has been extended to grant Showtools International exclusivity to distribute all SRS Group brands including the SRS Rigging range of products for Australia.
"Having established the SRS Power and SRS Lighting brands as reliable and affordable products for the Australian market over the last two years, it was a logical step to include SRS Rigging so we are able to distribute and promote the entire SRS Group portfolio from under one banner," comments Showtools International managing director Robert Runko.
"SRS Group make great products that are industry-focused and deliver performance far superior to other products on the market, they are designed with a high degree of understanding and innovation, built tough to handle the rigors of life on the road and backed up by an amazing w

Sugababes’ O2 homecoming (photo: Luke Dyson)

ChamSys sweetens Sugababes O2 party

Details: 03 October 2023

UK - The original Sugababes made their moving O2 homecoming on 16 September. The 15,000 fans in attendance on that Saturday night not only eagerly embraced that chemistry, they expanded on it as well, creating a warm, emotional glow that transformed the entire arena.
Ed Warren felt the energy too. “I just loved how the whole thing came together,” he recalled. “It wasn’t just the lighting, but also the choreography, the music, the lasers, the confetti - and most of all, the beautiful harmonies of the three iconic singers.”
As the show’s lighting and stage designer, he supported the stars’ performance with a production that reflected the redolent moods that ran through every song in their 90-minute set.
Running his Colour Sound Experiment supplied rig on his ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M Stadium, Warren created myriad looks that ranged from flashy disco-like

The Senate of the Asian country has installed two 5 x 3m screens

Alfalite takes LED display to Pakistan Senate

Details: 03 October 2023

Pakistan - Alfalite has announced its first project in Pakistan through its distributor World Wide Vision. The Senate of the Asian country has installed two 5 x 3m screens of the Alfalite Modularpix Pro 1.9 model with ORIM technology.
The project has been developed by the brand's local dealer, World Wide Vision, based in IsIamabad, who is certified and trained by Alfalite to carry out the installations of the manufacturer's LED screens.
The two displays, each with a resolution of 2560 x 1536 pixels, have a total of 120 Alfalite Modularpix Pro 1.9 LED panels and have been mounted on the plenary walls. The displays are managed by two Novastar VX1000 all-in-one controllers, also supplied by World Wide Vision.
Luis Garrido, executive director of Alfalite, says: “We are very happy with this first installation in Pakistan and would like to congratulate our partner Wo

Pucheng Grand Theatre serves as a focus for cultural and performing arts activities

Pucheng Grand gears up with Green-GO

Details: 03 October 2023

China - Opened in 2022, Pucheng Grand Theatre serves as a focus for cultural and performing arts activities for Pucheng County, in south-eastern China’s Fujian Province. As such, it hosts a varied programme of event and performance types.
While its main auditorium can accommodate up to 951 audience members, the building also features a range of other event and performance spaces across its five levels, including a movie theatre and a conference hall. Unsurprisingly, its busy technical team must rely on solid communications to ensure smooth operations across the site.
Responsible for the new venue’s audio system design, installation and commissioning was specialist AV solutions provider, EZPro. The company’s technical manager, FAN Gaoqing, says, “To meet the needs of the varied performances and activities, flexibility and stability is absolutely critical. The pr

Lord’s Long Room selects Genelec system

Details: 03 October 2023

UK - Widely known as the Home of Cricket, Lord’s Cricket Ground is a 31,000-capacity sports destination that’s played host to some of history’s most noted matches.
Since 2006, RH Consulting and RG Jones have provided Lord’s with bespoke audio solutions both on and off the pitch. This time round, a new Genelec loudspeaker system supplied by UK distributor Audiologic brought sophisticated audio to Lord’s members-only Long Room.
The Long Room, once referred to as "the most evocative four walls in cricket", is known worldwide for its opulence. It sits as part of the Grade II listed Pavilion and frequently hosts elegant dinners, lunches and wedding receptions.
The brief was for an enhanced entertainment system that could accommodate the events held in The Long Room. The space can quickly go from hosting grand lunches and dinners to jazz performances, small c

This move positions CTME as the region's largest stockholder of d&b equipment

CTME makes major investment in d&b

Details: 03 October 2023

UAE - Creative Technology Middle East (CTME) has announced the expansion of its audio services through a substantial investment in d&b audiotechnik products. This strategic move positions CTME as the region's largest stockholder of d&b equipment.
In 2022, CTME took the lead in introducing the XSL line array module to the region, showcasing their commitment to innovation. The expanded inventory includes an impressive range of d&b products, such as the AL-Series, Y-Series Point Source, V-Series Point Source, V-SUB, E-Series, S-Series, and D80 amplifiers.
Wissam Shaheen, CTME’s head of audio, explains: “The debut of the XSL line array module has been particularly well-received, enabling us to deliver unparalleled sonic performance in even the most demanding environments. This, combined with our extensive d&b portfolio, ensures we are equipped to addre

This year’s summit was sponsored by three of Absen’s key partners: Peerless-AV, Brompton and disguise

Absen partner summit convenes in Malta

Details: 03 October 2023

Malta - Absen brought together over 100 of its European partners for a dedicated partner summit, at the end of September. Taking place on the striking island of Malta, the two-day summit provided Absen with the opportunity to convene with its high-level partners from across Europe, to share industry insights, to inspire new projects and to thank its partners for their on-going support.
This year’s summit was sponsored by three of Absen’s key partners: Peerless-AV, Brompton and disguise.
On day one, guests attended a conference with news, insights, panel discussions and interviews, as well as the opportunity to get hands-on with a range of Absen products, including the PL 2.5 Lite, Absenicon C138, KLCOB 0.9, CL 1.2pp and AX 1.5 powered by Brompton. In the evening and on day two, guests attended a host of networking and sightseeing opportunities to take full advantag

Audiologic to distribute Netvio in UK

Details: 03 October 2023

UK - Audiologic has announced a strategic partnership with Netvio, a developer and manufacturer of audio-video hardware and software solutions. As part of this collaboration, Audiologic will serve as the distributor of Netvio's solutions, expanding its portfolio of products and services to meet the growing demands of the professional audio industry.
Netvio's specialised range of HDMI, HDBaseT, and AVoIP hardware provides comprehensive end-to-end solutions that encompass video, networking, software, and control. The H2, HT2, and JP4 series software products come with the latest configuration user interface, ensuring an optimal experience for installers, thereby achieving peak product performance. Inclusive, licence-free control applications allow for the seamless control of audio, video, displays, media sources, and third-party integration products, utilising the latest in us

The Fourier team will present their new platform at the AES New York conference later this month

DiGiCo acquires software developer Fourier Audio

Details: 03 October 2023

UK - DiGiCo has announced the acquisition of UK-based live sound software developer and manufacturer, Fourier Audio.
Fourier Audio’s team of software engineers and sound designers are focused on delivering live audio solutions that ‘enhance an engineer’s ability to create superior sounding performances.’ Over the last 24 months they have been developing a new platform bringing the power of studio audio software plug-ins to live engineers, codenamed Project Core. The Fourier team will present their new platform on the DiGiCo booth #823 at the AES New York conference later this month, with product shipping Q1 2024.
Austin Freshwater, DiGiCo MD, comments: “At DiGiCo we are always looking at how we can enhance our customers’ ability to provide new and exciting possibilities in live performance audio. With Fourier Audio, we are investing in a team that will soo

‘ClearOne University serves as a central hub where integrators can elevate their product knowledge’

ClearOne University opens for registration

Details: 02 October 2023

USA - ClearOne has announced an updated line-up of online training courses. Open to participants worldwide, the ClearOne University October 2023 training schedule is now open for registration here.
“As the AV industry continues to evolve through ground-breaking product developments and research, it’s crucial for manufacturers and AV professionals to prioritise ongoing education to remain at the forefront of innovation and expertise,” said Terry Mathis, technical trainer at ClearOne. “We’re proud to deliver an array of professional development and learning opportunities to our partners through ClearOne University, which builds on our investment in AV channel networks and business channels.”
ClearOne University serves as a central hub where integrators can elevate their product knowledge, dive deeper into advanced AV concepts, and acquire hands-on experience

The new system handles a variety of broadcast, music production and multi-media projects

Epic acquires SSL System T for broadcast

Details: 02 October 2023

USA - Medical software supplier Epic has upgraded the audio mixing console in the multi-purpose audio facility on its campus in Wisconsin’s rolling farm country to a Solid State Logic System T platform.
The new system, comprising an S500 large-format modular mixing console and dual redundant TE2 Tempest Engines plus various Net I/O interfaces, including MADI Bridge units, that handles a variety of broadcast, music production and multi-media post-production projects at the studio.
Audio-visual media team leader Paul Micksch, an audio engineer, composer and producer who has been with the company since 2006, explains: “This space is used as the broadcast facility for the meetings that take place in the auditorium. I record and broadcast to 15 countries. In addition to that, I run the media team here and do a lot of production and post-production for our video media, i

EAW products are now available to the professional audio markets throughout Indiana

Techrep brings EAW to Indiana live sector

Details: 02 October 2023

USA - For over 22 years, Techrep Marketing has provided audio solutions to the live sound and commercial AV markets in the Ohio Valley region. With a focus on representing respected brands within the industry, Techrep offers the entire suite of Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) products, including its ADAPTive line and its newest KF210 line array, to its customers. Together, the brands are proud to expand this partnership, with EAW products now available to the professional audio markets throughout Indiana.
“Our sales team is elated to bring the EAW brand to our Indiana customers,” says Chris Bednar, Techrep’s vice president of sales. “Techrep has had the privilege of representing EAW in much of our Ohio Valley territory this past year, and we now look forward to helping EAW realise their goals in the Indiana region, which is home to many key players in the live sound, c

Turnpike Troubadours play New York’s historic Beacon Theatre

Chauvet lights Turnpike Troubadours in NYC

Details: 02 October 2023

USA - Joshua Schultz wasn’t overly enthused about lighting a show against a large, deeply rippled curtain background for his client, Turnpike Troubadours when they performed at New York’s historic Beacon Theatre. That quickly changed, however, when he saw how this billowy background played off against light.
“I was sceptical, but I quickly fell in love with having another canvas to incorporate looks onto, said Schultz. “Too many times having just a black backdrop deadens the stage. This curtain added another dimension.”
A big reason why the curtain worked magic for this Top 20 country rock band from Oklahoma can be found in Schultz’s inspired colour mixing. Overlaying light in subtly different shades of the same colours, he created deeply nuanced and redolent monochromatic looks that beautifully complemented the music and the venue.
“I like to think

Emily Ann Roberts plays Knoxville’s Bijou Theatre

Emily Ann Roberts shines at Bijou with Bandit

Details: 02 October 2023

USA - Bandit Lites lit country singer Emily Ann Roberts at her album release concert at her hometown Knoxville’s Bijou Theatre. Before she even graduated from high school, Roberts made a name for herself on Blake Shelton’s team on NBC’s The Voice. As the runner up for the entire season, she went on to amass 19m streams and 16 performances on the legendary Opry stage. She’s now stepping into her own with a new album entitled Can’t Hide Country.
“Emily Ann is a natural talent, period,” stated Bandit Lites chair, Michael T. Strickland. “She shared with the audience her journey of the last few years and it ended with Emily simply being exactly who she is. Emily delivers every note from her heart and the emotion attached is stunning. She is well on the way to the top of the industry and her show is a refreshing family friendly event suitable for eve

The main requirements included a large LED screen to give guests a better visual experience

Dreamwave and Highlite upgrade The Hangar

Details: 02 October 2023

UK - The Hangar at Milsoms Kesgrave Hall has recently undergone a major audio-visual upgrade with a DMT Alpha Series A3.9i screen and DAP Odin Audio Systems line array. The venue’s long-term supplier and production partner, the Dreamwave Group, designed, installed and commissioned the upgrade.
The Hangar in Suffolk is a versatile venue and is renowned for hosting weddings, parties and corporate events throughout the year. The brief from the co-owners of Kesgrave Hall was to update The Hangar’s AV facilities after almost 10 years to enable the venue to deliver its own immersive event experience. The main requirements were a large LED screen to give guests a better visual experience, an upgrade to the audio system and a redesign of the entertainment lighting.
The AV installation was designed and implemented using products from Showtec, Infinity, Odin AudioSystems by

Gameday audio is delivered to various terrestrial, web, mobile and social media platforms

Barix brings Spanish broadcasts to life

Details: 02 October 2023

USA - With the National Football League’s 2023-24 season underway, San Francisco 49ers fans have already enjoyed access to live Spanish language game broadcasts thanks in part to Audio over IP technology from Barix. The technology was embraced by 49ers Studios to create a simple remote broadcast workflow for away games, allowing engineers to plug in a Barix Instreamer device and return live gameday audio to studios in Mexico and San Francisco.
The Instreamer is Barix’s ‘classic’ Audio over IP encoder and is used worldwide at origination points to encode and stream program audio to studios, transmitter sites and other end points where audio is received. In sports, the Instreamer is a popular choice for remote broadcasting, where the producer or engineer needs only an Instreamer, a microphone, and a laptop to reliably move high-quality audio back to the studio. Some cu

DJ duo Two Friends delivered two hi-energy sets in the Sahara Tent

Two Friends play Coachella with grandMA3

Details: 02 October 2023

USA - Lighting designer Kyle Kegan of Voyage Productions enthusiastically embraced a full grandMA3 platform for lighting control whilst DJ duo Two Friends delivered two hi-energy sets in the Sahara Tent at the 2023 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival.
Kyle, who works with many high-profile international clients, adapted the lighting design and showfile he had created for Two Friends’ recent tour to work with the Sahara Tent production lighting rig, collaborating closely with Michael Sheck who was the LD and helped program the show.
Their show was based around the same spaceship DJ booth designed by Kyle and built by Dark Moon Design for the tour, complete with over 3,000 LED pixels across 24 DMX universes all running through their grandMA3, plus some onboard practical lights.
All of this was integrated with Coachella’s house rig which was coincidentall

Wizkid became the first African artist to headline a concert at London’s largest club stadium

GLP impression bars spice up Wizkid show

Details: 02 October 2023

UK - When Entec Sound & Light was asked to provide technical services for Afrobeats legend Wizkid at the near 63,000-capacity Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, it found itself making one of the first deployments of the new weatherproof impression X5 IP Bar from GLP in a concert setting.
The Nigerian Made In Lagos star became the first African artist to headline a concert at London’s largest club stadium. But it was his LD, Shepherd Lowrey, who had specified GLP battens.
Expecting to see the older impression X4 Bar 20s, he discovered Entec had gone a step further and lined up the next-generation impression X5 IP Bars: “What a pleasant surprise when I arrived to a rig full of X5 IP Bars… like stomping the gas pedal of a Porsche 911!” Referring to it as “the spice”, he adds: “It provides that little sizzle of excitement.”
Entec project manager Patch Cle

World Youth Day celebrates with Newton

Details: 02 October 2023

Portugal - World Youth Day is a celebrating event that Pope John Paul II initiated in 1985, every edition of which has been held in a different country; after repeated rescheduling due to Covid pandemic, 2023's finally happened last August in Lisbon, Portugal, before a 1.5m pilgrim audience.
Ensuring live audio coverage to a gathering of such magnitude isn't a small technical achievement, in terms of event technology, over an area of 3-by-1km, pilgrims prayed and sang and danced at the sound of 109 PA towers hosting a total of 1,100 loudspeaker systems driven by 327 amplifiers, whose signal reached through 103km of optical fibre, across 300 network switches.
In order to safeguard the signal being matrixed and transported to this plethora of audio systems, two Outline Newton FPGA-based signal processors had been specifically custom-modified by their very Italian manufac

Imagine Dragons on the Danube (photo: Louise Stickland)

Robe shines on The Island of Freedom

Details: 02 October 2023

Hungary - The Sziget Festival celebrated 30 years in 2023, earning its place as one of Europe’s largest, most popular and diverse music and cultural festivals which is staged annually in August on Óbudai-sziget (Old Buda Island), a leafy green 108-hectare island on the Danube just a stone’s throw from central Budapest.
Robe moving lights had a big presence this year across three major performance areas - the Main Stage, the massive FreeDome Tent and the dropYard rap stage - as well as on some of the other venues around the site that hosted over 1,000 performances on the ‘Island of Freedom’ as it’s known for the duration.
Headlining the Main Stage this year were a host of internationally acclaimed artists like Imagine Dragons, David Guetta, Billy Eilish, Florence + The Machine, Lorde and Macklemore, plus a plethora of other top level artists, together with ev

Grammy-winning duo Rodrigo y Gabriela performing with the Austin Symphony at Austin City Limits (photo: Scott Newton)

Austin City Limits makes history with DPA

Details: 02 October 2023

USA - As the longest-running music television series in history, Austin City Limits is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year. The PBS Austin production got its start in 1974, with Willie Nelson performing on the very first episode, and has since helped Austin, Texas establish itself as the “Live Music Capital of the World”. One of the most notable pieces of the show’s history is its connection to the Austin City Limits Music Festival, which takes place each October.
Unlike the festival, which hosts thousands of attendees across eight stages over two consecutive weekends, the TV series presents up to 20 performances each year from Downtown Austin’s historic, 2,800-seat Moody Theatre. Among the most recent artists to take the stage was the Grammy-winning duo Rodrigo y Gabriela, who performed with the Austin Symphony to kick off Season 49 of the show.

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