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

Canada - The Quartier des Spectacles Partnership has announced the two works to be presented for the fifth annual Luminothérapie event, from 10 December, 2014 to 2 February 2015. Visitors to the Place des Festivals will be dazzled by a giant kaleidoscope called Prismatica by the Toronto architecture firm RAW Design, the first Luminothérapie competition winners from outside Quebec.

Meanwhile, the Quartier's eight video projection sites will be lit up by a digital carnival called Fascinoscope devised by Lüz Studio, a Montreal-based visual design studio. There is also a major new development this year: audience interaction will be taken further than ever with a set-up that will allow the public to play games on the projection surface outside the Saint-Laurent metro station.

"Luminothérapie allows us to offer both fertile ground for creators to experimen

UK - When Richard Kiernan, building services manager at Nederlander Theatres called upon the team at Unusual Rigging to overhaul the Dominion Theatre's flying system as part of a multi million pound refurbishment of the entire venue, he had just one request - make the Dominion the best theatre in the West End.

"We wanted the Dominion to stand head and shoulders above all other theatres in terms of its flying and electrics. Having started the process with Unusual Rigging way before the project itself got under way we knew they were the team who could deliver our vision.", said Richard. "Having looked at some of their previous projects and systems, we then sat down with Mark Priestley to identify exactly what we wanted for the Dominion. The rest was a completely bespoke build flying system that we as a theatre are very proud of."

Unusual Rigging is renowned f

UK - Unusual Rigging has become one of the first companies to donate to the UK's new entertainment industry charity Behind the Scenes. Presenting a cheque for £10,000 to White Light's John Simpson, the charity's chairman, at the PLASA 2014 Award ceremony, Unusual's Alan Jacobi (AJ) called upon all organisations within the industry to dig deep and support this very worthwhile cause.

Behind the Scenes provides financial support to people working in the entertainment technology industry who experience hardship when they become ill or injured, or to their surviving family members. Grants are tailored to each individual but uses can include basic living costs, medical related expenses, transportation, retraining and funeral expenses.

AJ, who is also treasurer of the charity, commented, "PLASA has provided Behind the Scenes with a springboard to reach out to all sectors w

UK - HOG Factor, which was organised and hosted for the first time by AED Distribution, drew a lot of attention to the AED stand on Tuesday 7 October at PLASA London 2014. The Design and Programming Competition with High End Systems Luminaires and a HOG4 Console was open to full-time students currently enrolled on a Live Entertainment Technology course. Entering schools were Rose Bruford College, the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and the University of South Wales.

The five participating teams were given a piece of music chosen in advance by the judges, and a pre-determined rig of High End Systems' Fixtures. Their challenge was to release their full creative talent combined with good programming skills and to program a light show.

Colin Wood, freelance lighting designer, programmer and HOG4 Family trainer and product specialist, was onsite for coaching the teams duri

Spain - On 2 October II Conference of Lighting and AV in the retail sector was staged at the Escuela Superior de Disseny IED of Barcelona. This event was organized by CICAT and Secartys.

Juan José Vila, Product Manager of Equipson and vice chairman of the area of professional Lighting and Audio of Secartys, took part as speaker in the talk entitled AV in retail: setting the pace of sales along with Conrado Martínez, president of Trison Acústica, an leading installer. The aim of this talk was to discuss the current market trends and problems of the sector as well as analyse success stories in order to draw conclusions.

Both speakers broached different relevant subjects such as the importance of audio system's design and its integration in the store, the development of control devices and the possibility to control them through smartphones or tablets, without the

UK - Following the official release of the newly formed SES Academy at PLASA 2014, SES Entertainment Services are very pleased to announce that its BS7909 courses have been approved by City & Guilds.

With two training centres at either Ascot or Maidenhead, the academy is able to run courses for up to 12 candidates who on completion will receive the coveted City & Guilds certification. "We are also able to bring the courses to your offices providing you have certain facilities available, and we can offer overseas training too," says the company. "For a full prospectus on all the courses available, please contact our sales office or go online at www.ses-academy.co.uk."

(Jim Evans)

UK - Lighting director Franck Evin has used 40 ETC Selador Desire D22 fixtures in a London art gallery to make the colours in the artwork 'pop.' "Using ETC Selador LED is a radical way to fix the lights. It looks fantastic," he says.

The challenge Evin faced was that the painter, Berlin-based Jonas Burgert, likes to paint in big, bold colours. To make the colours really stand out, he needed something which would generate bright and vibrant but well balanced light, without the heat which would typically be generated by traditional light sources.

After a number of tests with different fixtures, he decided on the Desire D22 Lustr+ arrays, which creates full colour, perfect for a variety of uses. Set up was made easy by the fact that they can be programmed at the touch of a button on the back of each lamp.

Evin points out that with traditional LED fixtures, it would be

Slovakia - Senec-based Amex Audio in Slovakia has invested in a new Meyer Sound Lyon linear sound reinforcement system as its flagship product to serve its most important customers. With Lyon's power and clarity, Amex has been hired by clients that range from Mercedes-Benz to Pohoda Festival and the Slovakian X Factor show.

"We already had a M'elodie system, and were very happy with the sound of Meyer Sound products," says Igor Demcak, managing director of Amex Audio. "We wanted that same sound coherence and linearity in our new, large-scale system. And with its power-to-size ratio and truck-space savings, Lyon arrived at just the right time."

Amex Audio's purchase includes 28 Lyon linear line array loudspeakers and a Galileo(R) Callisto loudspeaker management system with two Galileo Callisto 616 array processors. The core Lyon system is augmented as

UK - Entertainment Workshops' Operations Manager, Paul Byrne, took to the TheatreStage at PLASA London 2014 (ExCel, London - October 5-8th, 2014) to demonstrate to the gathered audiences how simple it can be to enhance the lives of young people whilst also supporting the future of the industry.

Byrne introduced Entertainment Workshops - a unique alternative education facility that provides an opportunity for young people to access hidden skills through hands on learning - while showcasing some of its students who benefit greatly from the practical, work-based experience that EW provides, paving a pathway to a career in the entertainment technology industry.

Student Louie Coleman, summed up what the facility meant for him, "EW is a great experience and if you get the chance I'd definitely say grab it with both hands because it's a once in a lifetime opportunity and they ha

UK - Philips Vari-Lite's VL4000 Spot and Philips Strand Lighting's Emergency DMX Bypass Switch have both won a PLASA Innovation Award 2014.

GM PLS Entertainment Group at Philips Lighting Richard Schmit picked up the award for the VL4000 Spot from PLASA Governing Body chair Ed Pagett at a glittering ceremony presented by PLASA. Philips Selecon and Strand Lighting Product Segment Manager Bill Richards accepted the award for the DMX Emergency Bypass Switch, which was also presented by Ed Pagett.

Every year, PLASA recognises products that demonstrate progress, through attributes like a new style of thinking, an improvement in technical practice, new technology, materials or techniques, or an improvement in safety. The entries were considered by an expert judging panel comprising Tim Atkinson, Scott Burges, Jonathan Burton, Richard Cadena, Jenni Harris, Tapio Ilomaki, Steve Moles,

USA - Free registration is open now for PLASA Focus: Orlando 2015. This will be the second PLASA Focus event to take place in the Sunshine State, happening on Tuesday, 17 February and Wednesday, February 18, 2015 at the Rosen Plaza Hotel.

Companies already signed up to exhibit at the show include; Columbus McKinnon, Group One, A.C.T. Lighting, CHAUVET Professional, ETC, Lycian Stage Lighting, Candela Controls, Stage Equipment & Lighting, PixelFLEX, USHIO, TMB, Elation Professional, GLP, Creative Stage Lighting, Barbizon, Bulbtronics, 0EnergyLIGHTING, Harrington Hoist, MainStage Theatrical Supply, Techni-Lux, The Light Source, Ultratec Special Effects, Wenger and JR Clancy, Aeson Event Technologies, Apollo Design Technology and AVID Labs. With many other applications currently being processed, companies interested in exhibiting are advised to move quickly to secure their spots.

Everyman A Winner - Liverpool's rebuilt Everyman Theatre has won the Riba Stirling Prize for best new building of the year. The venue beat five other buildings to win the honour - the Royal Institute of British Architects' highest accolade. Riba president Stephen Hodder called the Everyman an "exceptional new building". He added, "It is a ground-breaking example of how to build a daring bold and highly sustainable large public building in a historic city centre.

The theatre - famed for launching the careers of actors including Bill Nighy, Julie Walters and Pete Postlethwaite - first opened in 1964 in the shell of a 19th Century chapel on one of Liverpool's main streets. However, over the years it fell into a state of disrepair and architects Haworth Tompkins were tasked with designing a new theatre as part of a nine-year £27m rebuilding project, retaining i

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