UK - Robe Lighting celebrated its 20th anniversary in style at a special gala dinner event staged in their Robe Arena booth one evening during the 2014 PLASA Expo in London's ExCeL Centre.

The dinner featured a keynote speech by CEO Josef Valchar, an after-dinner speech by Patrick Woodroffe, followed by live entertainment from comedian and magician Paul Zenon. It was enjoyed by 300 Robe 'friends and family' including many who have been instrumental in the company's success.

Says Josef Valchar: "The dinner was a fantastic way to unite so many people who are and who have been involved in our journey".

The Robe story started from humble beginnings in 1994 when Josef and his business partner Ladislav Petrek founded the company and started making their own lighting and effects fixtures. In that relatively short space of time, Robe has become one of the world's leading m

UK - Edinburgh-based Black Light has continued its work with one of the UK's leading football clubs by outfitting Arsenal's flagship shop with the latest in sound and AV technology. The success of the project at the Armoury store showcases Black Light's technical expertise and creativity and the fact that its team can deliver exceptional installations that bring interactivity and excitement to the retail environment.

"This project was the second time that we have worked on a retail project for the club," said Phil Haldane, who led Black Light's installation team. "Our client for the job was 442 Design and, as we'd worked with them before on the club's shop at Brent Cross Shopping Centre, they were confident in our technical and creative abilities."

The brief for the project was to install sound and AV systems throughout the newly refurbished Armoury store.

UK - UK projection specialists QED Productions have outdone themselves once again by taking on one of the most challenging projection mapping projects to date for the Branchage Festival, held on 24-28 September in Jersey.

For this ambitious film festival finale, QED Productions teamed up with Radiophonic Workshop, who performed a specially commissioned live score, and NOVAK, who provided the animations. In keeping with the theme of this year's festival 'Make Your Own Island', QED Productions decided to make their own island using projection mapping, with the iconic St. Aubin's Fort as its centre-piece.

Said QED Director Paul Wigfield: "From start to finish the challenge was extreme. At first we didn't even know whether it would be possible. We had to cover the whole island otherwise it would not have looked impressive enough when viewed from such a distance and at high ti

UK - Brighton-based pro audio, video and lighting integrator, Penguin Media Solutions, has recently completed an extensive installation into the University of Kent's new student bar, bistro and live venue, Cargo.

Head of Hospitality for the University, Keith Williams, wanted a system that offered quality, reliability and, above all, versatility. A complex noise management study had been undertaken, so strict guidelines also had to be adhered to from the initial design, through to final delivery.

"We wanted to offer Cargo a simple, versatile but eminently capable system," says Penguin's Director of Operations, Dylan Thompson. "By using quality components throughout, we were confident that we could provide a solution that provided just that."

The multi-purpose nature of the venue required inputs in various locations for DJ, live and daytime background music

Tunisia - The renowned International Festival of Carthage is a celebration of classical music jazz, folk, theatre, film and ballet that takes place every year in the ancient city of Carthage in Tunisia. Since 1964, the event has been staged in the ancient theatre of Carthage. The next festival event, taking place in the months of July and August 2015, is to be supported by the new Lawo mc²36 mixing console.

Lawo's Tunisian partner Pro Audio and Light (PAL) - the company responsible for light and sound systems for this festival in recent years - closed the deal on a 40-fader mc²36 for the festival's FOH position at IBC 2014. This will see a flightcase version of the RAVENNA/AES67-enabled console and two stageboxes delivered in spring 2015, when the preparations for the Festival of Carthage reach their peak.

"My guys at home in Tunisia followed the launch of the mc²36 at

Switzerland - ARX Systems has appointed Tonspur AG as their new exclusive distributor for Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

ARX's MD Colin Park said: "Tonspur are a well-known and respected Swiss distributor, here at ARX we're looking forward to working with Hansjürg Meier, Eddy Broquet and the team at Tonspur.

"They're very enthusiastic about the possibilities for the growing ARX digital and analogue product range amongst their extensive client base throughout Switzerland and Liechtenstein."

Tonspur's founder Hansjürg Meier said, "ARX fits perfectly in our portfolio to help our Livesound, Corporate, Broadcast and Studio customers."

Founded by Hansjürg Meier in 1989 Tonspur AG was initially a production facility with two Studios and rental & distribution divisions.

In the early 2000s Tonspur decided to concentrate on product distribution and desi

Denmark - Although still only in the initial phase for Fredericia Theatre's production of Disney's The Little Mermaid - The Musical, production designers Anders D. Jensen and Jens Frausing already had their eyes on SGM's LB-100 LED Balls; lighting designer Christian Vigs° had introduced them to the IP65-rated RGB pixel strings at one of his designs for the Kolding Light Festival - set in a much different outdoor environment. The production team was keen to use them in their attempt to reinvigorate theatre scenography, and once implemented, the result has lived up to all their expectations.

More than 600 LB-100 - each measuring 0.85m and containing seven RGB semi-transparent LED balls - are driven by 18 SGM TLD-612A, run by a Hippotizer Rackoon and suspended from the roof as a curtain wall in different lengths with a maximum of 6m. Decorated with small pieces of cloth,

USA - As a resource for system integrators, consultants and front-of-house engineers, Bose Professional will be hosting one-on-one demo sessions of their RoomMatch Progressive Directivity Array loudspeaker systems at Wild Bills, the premier concert venue in metro Atlanta on Tuesday 28 October, through Thursday 30 October 2014.

The Wild Bills sessions are an extra-special opportunity, with plenty of time for attendees to mix live multitracks on an installed RoomMatch system. And attendees will have a chance to have discussions with Bose Professional Systems engineers. Snacks and refreshments will be available.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Avolites' fully featured, dual wide screen Sapphire Touch console is controlling ceiling panels of LEDs in theatre company Paines Plough's portable Roundabout Theatre. Premiering at this summer's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the theatre has since popped up in towns across the UK.

Lighting programmer Peter Small specified the Sapphire Touch to programme, control, and pixel map the 627 LEDs in the complex panels built into the touring venue's roof.

"The Sapphire Touch is excellent for programming Roundabout because of its speed - a lot of the console's features and hardware come together to allow this but a few that stand out are the large, bright, responsive touch screens, the 45 motorised faders (all electronically labelled) as well as the very well laid out programming section," says Small. "It also has advantages for us such as being able to handle the 13 u

USA - The multiple capabilities Lightconverse 3D Show Platform continue to expand with the recently released version 56.

First up in v56 are new functions for fixtures, including precise 3D volume Focus calculations for beams and beam footprints, accurate Frost calculation covering the complete range of depth for LED modules, Gobo Edge abilities, Objective Mapping for Shapes (RGB rings, segments, etc.) and added Pixel Shift functions for High End's Shapeshifter instrument.

The latest version additionally adds further enhancements to its integration with 3D Multimedia Glasses and Head Tracker support, which allows users and their clients to be completely immersed in a 360° Virtual World of their show or event - a definite way to bring clients onboard quickly!

LC's powerful Render Engine has been augmented also, including more detailed beams, higher quality HDR (High Dynam

UK - Pearce Hire continues its long-standing support of the Showman's Show by confirming their presence at the exhibition on 22-23 October. Pearce Hire has regularly participated at the Showman's Show because it offers an important platform for promoting their expertise in the provision of services for the outdoor and special events market.

Pearce Hire offers over 30 years knowledge providing power, lighting, audio, staging, project consultancy and production services to the outdoor and indoor event, festival, entertainment and corporate event industries. The Showman's Show at Newbury Showground happens at a convenient lull at the end of the busiest summer season on record for Pearce Hire. It is an important platform for the promotion of the full range of services offered by Pearce Hire, and a chance for the team to network with current clients and discuss plans for the next 12

USA - Diggerland USA is the country's first construction-themed adventure park, allowing children and their families to operate real construction equipment in a safe environment. The 14-acre park is located adjacent to its sister attraction, Sahara Sam's Oasis, in New Jersey in the suburbs southeast of Philadelphia.

Spellcaster Productions of nearby Hammonton, New Jersey designed and installed the system on a very tight timeframe; from land clearing to opening took just six months. An Ashly Audio ne24.24M modular Protea matrix processor outfitted with 12 inputs and 12 outputs provides all of the equalization, delay, ducking and routing for Diggerland USA, and seven Ashly KLR-3200 amplifiers power the park's seventy-plus Community loudspeakers. Ashly's networked neWR-5 wall-mount user control allows staff members to adjust input and volume within a given zone, and Ashly's iPad ap

UK - Steinberg Media Technologies has announced upcoming workshops in the UK. Together with Yamaha and sE Electronics, Steinberg has scheduled tour dates from Poole in the South to Perth up in Scotland.

As a part of the ongoing Steinberg Training Centre education programme, these interactive education events feature critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Martyna Wren, session and touring drummer Emily Dolan Davies (Tricky, Becky Hill, Bryan Ferry, The Hours) and multi-instrumentalist, producer and Cubase expert Andy Schrav (Peter Andre, Delta Goodrem, Paper Aeroplanes). Over the next month the artists will visit South and City College in Birmingham, Derby University, Edinburgh College and Perth University and run a series of customized workshops for enrolled students.

In addition to supplying top-quality artists, the manufacturers will also provide a collection of the latest m

USA - Hip hop stars Outkast recently completed their summer tour with three sellout hometown shows in Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park. Dubbed #ATLast, the 20,000-plus crowds were supported by a Meyer Sound Leo linear large-scale reinforcement system as specified by FOH engineer Darcy Khan.

"The first time I'd mixed with Leo was earlier this summer at the Montreux Jazz Festival," says Khan. "I loved the way it sounded. It was astonishingly clear, with no phasing issues, and I could walk from the stage all the way to the back and hear a nice, even wall of sound. A few weeks later, I mixed on another LEO system at the Osheaga Festival in Montreal, where I experienced the system's long-throw power. That sold me. I knew I wanted a Leo rig for Atlanta."

Supplied by VER Tour Sound, the Atlanta system deployed main arrays of 14-each Leo-M and side arrays o

USA - A back-wall of 72 x Robe CycFX 8s and Pointes helped create awesome effects for Carrie Underwood's all-action high profile Introduction for NBC's 2014 Sunday Night Football.

Los Angeles based lighting designer Benoit Richard was responsible for lighting Underwood's energetic rendition of Waiting All Day for Sunday Night, a re-working of Joan Jett's classic I Hate Myself for Loving You for NBC Sports and San Francisco and New York based producers, Bodega Studios.

Richard's design included eight 35ft high vertical towers directly behind the stage, each of which was rigged with five CycFX 8 fixtures. He then placed 32 x Pointes in between the CycFX 8 for yet more variety, making an impressive Robe back wall of highly versatile fixtures.

It is the second year that Underwood has performed the opening intro for NBC's number one TV show, and also the second year

The Netherlands - The Art of Light, a Netherlands-based creative light designing, programming and operating company, used wysiwyg version R33 to previsualize lighting design and effects for DJ Armin van Buuren and his Armin Only - Intense worldwide tour.

"A completely original lighting design was designed by Marc Heinz. The Art of Light was in charge for all the programming and used wysiwyg R33 to previsualize the tour," said André Beekmans, founder of The Art of Light.

"Because the design includes 388 moving lights, 67 strobes, 100 LED fixtures and some conventional lighting, we needed to pre-program the lighting design in our studio before we started the rehearsals. The six-hour show includes 25 timecode tracks including live performances and dancers.

"wysiwyg is realistic and reliable. When used in combination with all paperwork and drawi

USA - While 2014 may be edging its way to a close, Bandit Lites continues to increase its inventory of new gear by purchasing Chauvet Professional Nexus Aw 7x7 LED panels, Nexus 4x4 fixtures and Rogue R2 Beam fixtures. With the most popular acts in music putting on bigger and brighter shows, Bandit looks to provide its clients with the best and most versatile technology available.

Lighting designer Chris Lisle took advantage of the Nexus Aw 7x7 LED panels versatility on Miranda Lambert's Platinum Tour, which just announced its 2015 plans following a successful 2014 leg. The panels project narrow beams of light, provides warm washes, makes instant audience blinders, and displays impactful text and vivid animated graphics.

Lisle built the Nexus panels into an 'M' shaped truss downstage. The panels were driven via the lighting console to create a variety of visual effects that fl

Columbia - Colombian music idol Carlos Vives is currently out on tour promoting his latest album Corazón Profundo, which dominated the Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart as soon as it debuted this summer.

Sound company C. Vilar was tapped to provide sound reinforcement for two of his most recent concerts held in Colombia. The back-to-back concerts took place at Macal Stadium in Villavicencio and Simón Bolívar Park in Bogotá.

"We used our full inventory of Adamson gear for these performances," explains Mauricio Vilar, owner of C. Vilar. "Because the shows were held on consecutive nights, we provided two complete PAs for both events. We set up for the Bogota concert while the Villavicencio show was taking place."

The first concert, held at Estadio Manuel Calle Lombana (Macal), was filled with 25,000 fans. C. Vilar equipped the venue with a main P

Canada - Show Distribution, maker and distributor of the Tour Series chain hoists has just unveiled its new Imperium console. This console, the company says, runs the same intuitive and reliable Raynok software that operators have come to appreciate, in a compact and feature-rich package.

"The versatility and simplicity of the Imperium Console puts the power and control of all motion functions at every operator's fingertips. They can call and recall functions and cues with the press of a single button. Programmable macro buttons also allow operators to customise their desktop to not only save time but improve efficiency and safety," say Show Distribution.

Other features include a MS Windows Operating System, a built-in touchscreen, an HDMI monitor output for a crisp and clean image, an integrated Hold-To-Run (HTR) safety device, a fully integrated Emergency Stop Syst

USA - The Academy of Production Technology (APT) will conduct a class on entertainment electrics, power distribution, and control systems in Burbank on 3-4 December, 2014. The class covers topics that are listed as being in the content outline for ETCP Entertainment Electrician Certification and are intended for beginning to advanced electricians and technicians lighting, video, and audio.

The classes will be held at the IATSE Local 728 Facilities at Magnolia and N. Glenwood Place in Burbank. This is an ETCP Recognized course.

The event is presented by Richard Cadena, who is founder of the APT; an ETCP Certified Entertainment Electrician and a best-selling author. The educational and entertaining event covers the theory of electricity, power distribution, and control networking for the stage and studio. The Entertainment Technician Certification Programme (ETCP) is an industry

USA - Oprah Winfrey has taken The Life You Want Weekend, a high-profile two-night self-help show on the road for eight weekends this fall. Along for the ride is CTS Audio, who is providing sound for the tour including a SSL Live. L500 console at the mix position, operated by CTS veteran front of house engineer Jon Schwarz.

This two-night event starts the first night with Winfrey offering the inspirational story of her life's journey. She speaks about identifying life's purpose and leads exercises on taking action to reach goals. The second night, Oprah introduces motivational speakers from her network, who each give their own monologues in turn. Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert, pastor Rob Bell and OWN TV personality Iyanla Vanzant are joined in some cities by alternative-medicine guru Deepak Chopra as well as DJ performances.

With the majority of the aud

UK - Biodiesel specialist Midas will provide power and distribution to Lee Valley VeloPark in December, when the UCI Track Cycling World Cup brings the professional sport back to London for the first time since 2012.

Manchester-based British Cycling tasked Lee Valley Regional Park Authority with finding a local contractor able to deliver a quality service and solutions to the challenges that come with working at a different venue.

Naomi Chant, events manager at Lee Valley RPA, comments, "We will be using Midas for other winter activities and had no hesitation in recommending the company to British Cycling. Their technical knowledge and extensive experience means there are always options and answers, not only for the power elements of a job, but how it works as part of the event as a whole."

Olympic gold medallist, Laura Trott, said, "Lee Valley VeloPark is suc

USA - Chicago-based sound engineer Aaron Patkin went on the road mixing monitors for Chance The Rapper, one of hip-hop's fastest-rising young stars, in early 2013. Since then, the artist has progressed from Internet sensation to main-stage attraction, as evidenced by his acclaimed performance as a final-night headliner at this summer's Lollapalooza festival in Chicago.

Over that time, Chance (full name Chancelor Bennett) has gone from being a voice-and-DJ act to having a full live touring band. However, one thing has remained constant: using Sensaphonics 2MAX earphones for monitoring. Patkin especially appreciates how the full isolation and comfort of their soft silicone earpieces made the transition to in-ears easy.

"When the in-ears arrived, it was my job to help them make the transition - just three days before the tour," Patkin recalls. "Chance had never wor

UK - S+H Technical Support has designed and supplied stage lighting and an interactive projection wall for the newly opened Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parks' Twitchen House Holiday Village in Devon, UK.

The new £2.5m entertainment complex opened this summer after work began in 2013. Great attention to detail has been paid in the design of the glass complex that has been built and carefully integrated with the historic Edwardian pile of Twitchen House ... under the watchful guidance of English Heritage.

The new facilities include the Sail Loft entertainment lounge that contains the stage and the impressive interactive projection wall, and the all-day glass roofed Bar 5 cafe / bar together with a tasteful lighting scheme to reveal the magnificent facade of Twitchen House after dark.

S+H - based locally in Ilfracombe - was approached by owner, entrepreneur Rudi Lancaster with

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