USA - As the curtain rises on the 2012 season of Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, Masque Sound, a leading theatrical sound reinforcement, installation and design company, is celebrating its 50th anniversary of providing audio equipment and services to the theatre for one of New York City's most beloved traditions.

Shakespeare in the Park moved to its permanent home at the Delacorte Theater in 1962 and since then, New York natives and visitors alike have enjoyed free Shakespeare performances each summer season. The majestic, open-air theater has a seating capacity of 1,800, and each season more than 100,000 people attend performances produced by The Public Theatre.

"Masque Sound has enjoyed a long and successful relationship with The Public and Delacorte theaters and their summer productions of Shakespeare in the Park," says Den

UK - The 2012 edition of JHS's legendary annual trade Event came to a close on Wednesday 13 June and is being hailed as a resounding success.

The hands-on MI and Pro-Audio trade show saw attendees from across the industry turn out to see, hear and test out new product, pick up some deals, watch artists play, mingle with a number of industry stalwarts, and go home with extra profits.

The two marquees, the demonstration theatres and outside areas were bustling throughout, and visitors were entertained by music across three live stages, with electric sets played by the likes of Oliver/ Dawson Saxon, Jerry Donahue, John Verity, virtuoso acoustic offerings from the legendary Gordon Giltrap and

Raymond Burley, and a quirky Stylophone performances from Youtube sensation Brett Domino.

A stack of new products were on display, including the latest mixers, powered and passive speaker

UK - Lighting designer Lucy Carter has used Philips Selecon's new PLCYC1 LED luminaires to create an evocative environmental design for the Royal Opera House's production of Max Richter's new chamber opera, Sum.

The world premiere was staged in the Royal Opera House's Linbury Studio, Covent Garden. Set inside a specially built room the audience and performers were arranged on four sides of a centrally located sunken orchestra pit. The room, comprising four high walls each of which feature a built in video screen, are washed throughout with various colours to denote the changing mood and atmosphere of each story.

Carter chose to use sixteen of the newly launched PLCYC1 LED luminaires, supplied by Stage Electrics, to define the mood of each piece as she explains: "I needed a fixture that could give me multiple colour choices, wash the walls and the room but not deman

USA - Attero Tech, an AV networking specialist, and Audinatehave announced today that Attero Tech is now an official Audinate Authorized Implementer for Dante technology.

"The adoption of Dante technology has been accelerating rapidly in the market and we have more and more requests from OEMs to integrate Dante into their products" say Mike Sims, director of marketing and sales of Attero Tech. "Adding Dante to our portfolio of networked solutions will enable us to offer our customers a Dante solution today, while providing a seamless migration path to AVB."

"Attero Tech has a reputation for it quality and experience in the AV networking industry, as they are clearly recognized as the leading CobraNet implementer for the past six years," states Lee Ellison, Audinate' s CEO. "The combined knowledge of our two companies will help facilitate our

Germany - As a premium manufacturer of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems, Sennheiser is intensifying its global commitment to fighting product piracy. The clear focus of all measures is the protection of both customer and brand.

"Customers are being deceived in a criminal way with counterfeit products. With the clear intent to defraud low grade products are being sold as 'branded' products," explains Volker Bartels, of the executive management board. "The sound quality of the counterfeit versions falls far short of the strict quality standards of genuine Sennheiser products. Furthermore, because these fake products do not undergo any of the stringent quality checks of the genuine articles, damage to the user's hearing may potentially be an issue."

In future, Sennheiser product-packaging and the products themselves will be protected w

South Africa - dBTechnologies has announced the appointment of Viva Afrika Sound & Light (Pty) Ltd as the exclusive distributor for all product lines in the territory of sub-Sahara Africa.

Director Bernhard Pienaar comments, "dBTechnologies fit in perfectly with our company vision - to offer high quality loudspeakers at competitive pricing to the South African market. Viva Afrika and its team are looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship with dBTechnologies."

Bernard Pienaar and co-owner Luis Madiera set up the company over 20 years ago in which time it has grown to distribute a range of professional audio products including amplifiers, mixers, signal processors as well as loudspeakers and loudspeaker systems.

Gianluca Dalessandro, dBTechnologies export area manager was instrumental in securing the agreement. He says, "Bernard and Luis are two great

UK - A record attendance was posted for the 34th ABTT Theatre Show on its move to the Old Truman Brewery venue in East London.

Over the two days of the event nearly 2,000 visited the show - up five per cent on 2011 - previously itself a record year. There had been early indications that the ABTT Theatre Show's move to the Old Truman Brewery would encourage visitors this year, and the final statistics indicated the highest attendance ever, say the organizers.

Already buoyed by record pre-registrations (up 6% on the previous record level), the organisers were "delighted" with the visitor turnout. The show also fully sold out all exhibitor space. A number of visitors had travelled from Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the USA as well as those from all parts of the UK and Europe.

Running alongside this year's Theatre Show, which included a wide range of exhibitors

UK - Parc Eirias is a newly developed £6.5m multi-purpose venue for community, cultural and sporting events in Colwyn Bay, North Wales. Opened in November 2011, Parc Eirias is a cornerstone of the regeneration plans for the area. The large indoor centre includes conference and classroom facilities for business and commerce events, an indoor training ground, gym, high performance sports analysis facilities and an international standard pitch.

The site incorporates two grandstands offering covered seating for up to 2580 people and terracing for a further 3500, a hi-tech TV broadcast room, two commentator boxes and nine multi-purpose units which are used for conferencing and hospitality on match days. The venue recently put on its first major events, hosting the Six Nations under 20's tournament home matches and the Olympic torch relay celebrations.

Leading integrator Marti

USA - Robe moving lights were chosen by lighting designer Alex Blagg for the recent Alison Krauss & Union Station (AKUS) US tour, which saw the multiple Grammy Award winning bluegrass and country singer/songwriter play 3000 - 7000 seater venues and festivals across the US.

Lighting equipment was supplied by Knoxville, Tennessee based TERI Productions and co-ordinated for them by Brad White. Blagg has worked with AKUS for around ten years, and his creative starting point for this design was the fact that Krauss likes a very intimate atmosphere onstage which is conducive to her music and style of delivery.

The call was for subtle texturing and colouring of the environment, with different layers of illumination which could be added to or stripped back to the look of the performance space as necessary.

The set consisted of a set of black velvet drapes and white sharkstooth gauze

UK - Centrepiece of the recent spectacular celebrations for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in London, UK, was a massive concert staged just in front of Buckingham Palace around the Queen Victoria Monument, which was lit by Durham Marenghi and broadcast live worldwide on the BBC.

Six grandMA2 consoles and over 200 Clay Paky moving lights were utilised in programming and lighting this part of the event, which included a stellar line up of UK artists and performers.

Marenghi specified Clay Paky moving lights for the stage, while his associate LD and lead programmer Tim Routledge chose two grandMA2 full-size consoles (live and tracking backup) to control all the stage lighting on the night.

grandMA2 control was picked for its flexibility and stability - it is the preferred control platform of both Marenghi and Routledge - and has proven itself time and again on major events like th

USA - Visitors to Nashville this 12-14 July, will have access to two simultaneous business events. Summer NAMM (www.namm.org/summer/2012) and PLASA Focus: Nashville (www.plasafocus.com/nashville) have arranged for attendees to easily gain access to both events with just one badge, and at no extra cost.

PLASA Focus: Nashville 2012 is one in a series of regional events that cater to those who supply and use technologies and services to the event, entertainment and installation industries. The Nashville edition was purposefully planned to take place leading up to, and during, Nashville's premier music products show, Summer NAMM. The cooperation between the two shows will bring professional lighting and live sound exhibits to Nashville, alongside NAMM's hugely successful trade show.

Summer NAMM brings together over 400 musical instruments and products with buyers from around the w

Switzerland - Above the clear waters of Lake Geneva, in the small village resort of Caux overlooking Montreux, the locally-nicknamed 'Cinderella's Castle' hosts an annual series of conferences hosted by CAUX-Initiatives of Change.

An independent officially recognised Swiss foundation, the body works to promote peace, prevent conflicts, build trust and encourage intercultural dialogue and ethical conduct in business. CAUX-Initiatives of Change is a member of Initiatives of Change International, an NGO in special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations and participatory status at the Council of Europe.

Their summer seminars in Caux draw people from all over the world, in what was until 1946 the grand Caux-Palace Hotel. A magnificent and peaceful setting, but one whose acoustic legacy has proved a major downside for its current use.

UK - Currently the majority of Tallescope users are finding it difficult to comply with the Work at Height Regulations 2005, as they do not have an effective method of rescuing a person who becomes incapacitated in the raised basket.

A number of groups have been looking at this problem recently, to try to find a solution; generally, these have relied upon using fixtures and fittings in the lighting grid, so would only be applicable in theatres having those items.

Aluminium Access Products (AAP) recently asked for a meeting with the Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and outlined two possible methods for such a rescue. Both methods require adjustments/additions to the Tallescope but, once applied, can remain fitted during storage and use, so will always be there should they be required. Crucially, neither method relies on

Slovakia - The 2012 Miss Universe Slovak Republic was staged at the National Tennis Centre in Bratislava, and saw an aesthetic departure from previous years with a stripped back, streamlined, high-tech look onstage with multiple LED walls and panels and a shrinking perfective set.

Martin Kubánka was once again the lighting designer - his fourteenth year of Miss Universe SK! The lighting equipment included a substantial Robe moving light rig - supplied by Q-99, Slovakia's leading technical production and rental operation.

Kubánka was given an open brief as to how to light the show. He used Daniel Šichman's raw, stripped back set as the visual starting point, complimenting it's clear linear cuts and shapes with a futuristic styled lighting rig to match.

The set and all the high brightness LED elements also had an impact on how the show was lit. Bright lightsources were need

Australia - Channel 9 productions Today Show, Mornings and A Current Affair have recently moved into their larger Studio 22 at the Sydney Channel 9 premises to share the studio with Wide World of Sport, Sunday Footy Show, Australia's Funniest Home Video, The Footy Show plus other shows. This studio can produce between up to nine hours of live television seven days a week so with this in mind, the decision was made to upgrade of the studio control room.

As well as a new vision switcher, production area and studio floor upgrade, the studio control room now houses a new MA Lighting system comprising of two grandMA2 light consoles, a MA NPU (Network Processing Unit), a MA onPC command wing and a grandMA2 fader wing. The installation was completed in only a few weeks and training was given for those in the lighting department who had n

UK - Chroma-Q Color Force 72 RGBA LED battens were specified by award winning lighting designer Paule Constable for the new Cameron Mackintosh UK and Ireland touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of The Opera.

Paule's prolific design portfolio includes creating lit environments for the highest profile international theatre and opera productions, and her work is renowned worldwide for its experimentation, invention and creativity.

She had not used Color Force products before, but sought a powerful, well sized lightsource that could be utilised as an even spread 'soft light' tool to illuminate the numerous cloths and drapes that give Cameron Mackintosh and Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic musical its period flavour and ambience.

Paule was impressed with the information available about the Chroma-Q Color Force range, so initially contacted Chroma-Q's exclu

USA - In order to keep the ETCP examinations fresh and current, the Subject Matter Experts have written new questions for the Theatre Rigging examination. ETCP is set to launch these questions 1 September, 2012.

To gather the statistical data necessary to properly score the exam, it is essential that as many theatre riggers as possible are tested during the month of September. To further this initiative, the test administration fee of $675 for groups of 10 or more will be waived for the month of September. Candidate application fees will still apply and score reports will be delayed during this time.

A new test form was also created for Arena Rigging and will be launched 1 July. Registered candidates and those interested in applying can assist in gathering data for these exams by testing at one of the 190 computer-based testing centres during that month.

ETCP will send a pro

USA - Lighting professionals and retailers can get a firsthand look at Elation's latest products in the company's new 'real life settings' showroom during a special open house and 'road show' stop on Wednesday 18 July. The open house, which runs from 11 am to 4 pm for dealers and 4 pm to 8 pm for end users, features hands on demonstrations, programmed light shows, free swag and give-away raffles for some of Elation's leading products.

Since the open house will be held in Elation's new showroom, visitors will have the opportunity to see the company's lighting and video products in realistic settings that mirror real world applications. The recently completed showroom has a full stage setting as well as a simulated broadcast studio and architectural display featuring our sister company Acclaim lighting products.

"Our new showroom has been designed to allow visitors to see h

France - Hire company Concept Audio has joined the growing list of Adamson's Energia beta partners. In addition to their new acquisition, the long-time Adamson partner also carries Y18s, Y10s, T21 Subs, SpekTrix and M15 monitors in their inventory.

Pierrick Burgin and Hugues Mongrand are founders and the managing directors of Concept Audio. "The Y18 did not disappoint, our techs and customers were in heaven", comments Burgin recalling the early days of line arrays. As Adamson started to make the new Energia system's details public, Concept Audio kept in close contact with Adamson's French distributors DV2, about becoming a member of the Energia Network. Recently Concept Audio had the opportunity to join Project Energia and jumped at the chance.

The first Concept gig with the E15 system was Spring Fest promoted by FM Radio Allouette, taking place outdoors for a

Australia - Brisbane's Family Nightclub is one of Australia's largest and most enduring nightclubs spread out over four floors and five bars, including one made completely of ice. It has been host to some of the biggest names and best DJs from DJ Tiesto to Paul Van Dyk and Deepdish.

The venue regularly reinvents itself in order to keep on top of the city's club scene and the latest transformation saw a new Martin lighting system installed courtesy of Josh Frey Productions, the club's preferred lighting installer.

Production manager David Fairless received an all Martin lighting package consisting of eight MAC 700 Profiles, eight MAC 101 LED moving head wash lights and four MAC Aura compact LED moving head wash lights with zoom.

Every three months or so, Fairless changes the lighting set up but currently there are two circular trusses above the dance floor; the outside ring h

USA - General Scenery has officially opened its doors in Orlando, Florida at 1701 Directors Row. Specialising in custom built scenery, rentals and graphics for large corporate productions, theme parks, studios and special events, General Scenery is housed in a 34,000sq.ft facility. The company is able to ship and work anywhere in the world, but is conveniently located near all Orlando convention hotels, theme parks and the Orange County Convention Centre.

Selby Sullivan, owner and president, has re-assembled an experienced staff capable of meeting the demands of deadlines with the greatest attention to detail. Selby opened his first scenery company in 1994 which grew from a small garage workshop to its current size. "General Scenery is the next evolution of that company and the culmination of many years of experience," says Sullivan.

General Scenery is a fully equipp

France - Wireless Solution Sweden was recently a quiet and unobtrusive contributor to an exclusive private event at the Opera Garnier in Paris, a historical monument built in the 19th century.

Audioscène supplied the lighting and the W-DMX for this event and managed by Paris-based W-DMX distributor CSI-France.

The client wished not to impinge on and distort the scene but highlight each relief and ornament of the palace and Audioscène co-manager Vincent Cognard was asked to provide discreet and quiet products. Two Wireless Solution W-DMX BlackBox F-1 transmitters were used to send signal to a subtle assembly of EventKolor Starway and Vari*Lite VL3500 fixtures. The result was a stunning reveal of the architectural aspects of the interior of the building.

"CSI is a very strong team," says Niclas Arvidsson, CEO of Wireless Solution, "Our products fit in very nat

Hong Kong - Fohhn Audio Linea LX-100 line source loudspeakers have been installed at the Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong. Located in the New Territories, Sha Tin is the larger of Hong Kong's two racecourses, with a capacity of 85,000 including two grandstands and stabling for around 1260 horses.

The new loudspeaker systems are required to cover main spectator areas. Used for transmitting commentaries and announcements during race meetings, speech intelligibility is high on the agenda, as is the demand for the systems to appear relatively unobtrusive.

Twenty-nine Fohhn Linea Series LX-100 loudspeakers have been installed in the spectator areas, supplied in a special colour to blend with the surroundings. The lightweight speaker systems are based on Fohhn's hybrid line array principle, combining eight 4" neodymium high performance low-mid speakers and a 1" compression

Germany - Pro audio and MI manufacturer Music Group has announced an agreement with Neutrik to incorporate REAN components into all Behringer and Bugera products. This agreement comes on the heels of several initiatives undertaken by Music Group over the past year and the surprise announcement of a three-year warranty launched at NAMM in January and covering all Behringer and Bugera products.

"We have been using Neutrik components on all of our Midas and Klark Teknik products for decades and started to use Neutrik products on the X32 digital mixer; we have come to respect both the company and their products in the process," states Music Group founder and CEO, Uli Behringer. "In our relentless drive to build the world's best pro audio products we are switching over to REAN components on all Behringer and Bugera products."

Neutrik representative Mr. Bachmann

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