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14 March 2016

The KOI Awards, which celebrates the creative talents of international lighting and digital content designers working in the UK, has added a 'Club' category, which will allow the Awards to widen its reach to celebrate LDs working at all scales of touring.

Proposed to the committee by KOI chairman of Concert Touring and Events Sarah Rushton-Read, the category was introduced in response to feedback from lighting designers working with new bands just starting out on the touring circuit. It will mean that these LDs, often working with just a floor package and having to use each venue's house rig to realise their design, will also be recognised for their creativity.

"Often designers that are touring club style venues with just a floo

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14 March 2016

OSK Communications out of New York created "the big idea" and brought in NY production management specialists SIAM Productions to produce the overall event.. Creative Technology (CT) was consequently contracted to help deliver the spectacular reveal.

After the initial brief CT assembled a top-flight team to design the technical specs and lay out the execution strategy. The challenges were considerable - the 420,000sq.ft surface had a number of different angles of curves t

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14 March 2016

The auditorium forms part of the redevelopment of ADFA - a partnership between the Australian Defence Force and the University of New South Wales - which provides training and education for future leaders of the country's Navy, Army and Air Force.

Tim McCall, sales manager at L-Acoustics notes, "Consultant GUZ BOX design + audio was brought in to design the audio system for the new space. The requirement was primarily for a system to provide vocal reinforcement, presentation sound and background music on a limited a

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14 March 2016

Guil products will now form part of their high end portfolio, with emphasis on their lifting towers for line arrays and modular platforms for stages.

"Guil is delighted to start working with such a prestigious company and we are sure our products will be well received in their extremely conscientious market where high performance, safety and quality are the key to satisfying their customer's needs," says Eduardo Hinarejos, sales director of Guil.

Echo Beats Electronics will present Guil products at PALME Middle East Dubai from 11-13 May, at booth: ZC10.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

Maroon 5 launched its World Tour 2015 in Dallas on 16 February and will finish in Auckland, New Zealand in October. The tour is in support of the band's fifth album, V, which was released last year.

Roy Bennett, the production designer for the tour, has branded the stage with strong V motifs, inspired by the album artwork, incorporated into the trussing and transparent set pieces. Lighting and video create a dynamic, constantly changing environment on an arrow-shaped stage.

Plexiglass panels, filled with special effects smoke, act as upstage display surfaces for video content while the downstage stage was constructed as a giant, hollow plexiglass "fishbowl" that could also be filled with smoke and lit with 2

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14 March 2016

Lighting designer Rob Sinclair was approached in 2012 and asked to do lighting for the Queen Extravaganza, the official Queen tribute band. His work caught Queen + Adam Lambert's attention and they asked him to come and work for them on the upcoming tour. "It was a case of being at the right place at the right time," said Sinclair.

The lighting design process for the world tour started back in the fall of 2013, when Sinclair, the band and Set Designer Ric Lipson first met and came up with the idea of a Q-shaped stage. Lipson a

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14 March 2016

With its content tightly focused on preparing technical theatre and theatre sound students for careers in live entertainment, the course combines essential theory with practical skills. The teaching team for this year comprised Orbital Sound's course leader, Richard Carter, concentrating on key concepts, MIDI, computer playback, and networking. Richard was accompanied by Joseph Masters on communications and CCTV, Alex Waddle teaching radio mic fitting, John Wildridge on rigging

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14 March 2016

For the past five years, Hertfordshire-based Mr H Productions have supplied sound reinforcement at two points on the 26 mile route, one of which is right at the half way point.

"Every year seems to get better, we are placed at the half way mark, and entertain the cheering crowds as well as the participating runners." says Mr H Productions creative founder Andrew J Harvey. "This is very important, as the runners are given that extra encouragement. The main problem that we have faced in the past is throwing the sound way down this part of the route, without having undue noise to local residents.

"This year we tried out the HK Contour Array system, having 2 CT118 subs aside with 2 CTA208 mid/hi array cabinets, ground s

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14 March 2016

Run by a core of around 50 local volunteers of all ages, under the watchful eye of local pastor Don Basilio Mascetti and director of operations Fabrizio Ferrario, the 260-seat venue hosts theatrical performances, live music, dance, a film club, meetings and a range of other local events. Its core aim is to promote local culture, education and a sense of community.

Rome-based systems supplier Delta Tecno Studio has a local office in nearby Varese, whose technical manager Pier Luigi Pecchenini worked closely with Don Basilio Mascetti on specifying the system.

"We needed an audio system that would fulfil the

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14 March 2016

In designing a system that enables separate video and audio streams to be combined, councils can engage more with their constituents by allowing sessions to be web-streamed and viewed over the internet.

At the heart of his solution is RCF's intuitive Forum 9000 digital conferencing and voting system, and Sound Advice has now built up a portfolio of 14 councils who have been eager to adopt this platform.

It was the versatility of the system that first caught the attention of Jeremy Luckett, business analyst at Wiltshire Council Unitary Authority, after five councils had been

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14 March 2016

"With CAL, speech intelligibility at the far back of the full room is excellent," reports Stefan Gurr, head of event and communication technology for the Grand Elysee Hotel. "Guests have commented that it is very easy to understand the presenters. And with the additional subwoofers, the system is equally suited to music reproduction."

For Gurr, CAL has solved both the sonic and logistical challenges in the Spiegelsaal as it has eliminated the need for installing ceiling loudspeakers, which would be difficult to place with the mirrors in the ceiling. "Ceiling loudspeakers would

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14 March 2016

The Theatre at Solaire is the highlight of the Solaire Resort and Casino, and is considered to be the most advanced theatre in the Philippines. Its stage technology system was designed and specified by Coherent Design, a Las Vegas based theatrical consulting group. They faced a unique challenge due to the fact that there are few theatres in the country. Having technical support nearby was an absolute necessity, especially when it came to programming and commissioning the system.

"The experience that ETC Asia had in similar facilities a

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14 March 2016

Lighting designer Mark Dymock specified Robe moving lights to help create the vast array of special X Factor moments in the show, with 10 x Pointes, 12 x LEDWash 600s and 4 x LEDBeam 100s on the rig.

Mark originally lit the show two years ago at the Queen's Theatre in Hornchurch, Essex, and was asked back to keep the action moving on tour, with a chance to upgrade the rig he'd originally used.

The brief included retaining a classic retro rock 'n' roll feel - when the show was first launched it would have been lit with a selection of theatre lanterns and PARs which would have been considered radical at the time in that environment. In keeping with th

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14 March 2016

The tour's stage / scenic concept was a triumvirate creative process evolved by Chris Kuroda, production manager Chris Gratton and stage designer Nick Demoura. Grande, on her first full production tour, was integrally involved with the process.

Chris Kuroda's starting point for the lighting was a 60ft wide LED video wall, centre stage that parts in the middle for entrances and exits. With this massive lightsource already dominating the visual horizon, he needed exceptionally bright lighting sources and opted for Robe's BMFL Spot.

The BMFL Spots and Pointes are dotted all over the rig, positioned on a series of diamond-shaped pod

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14 March 2016

Following a star studded award ceremony at Theatre Royal on Drury Lane, some of television's best known faces celebrated their nominations and award success at the Grosvenor House on Park Lane.

Appointed production company Light Motif delivered a striking setting for the after party in the famous Great Room inspired by the history of television.

Arriving on the 'House of Fraser pink carpet' guests were guided through to the great room where iconic images adorned the façade & the evening began.

Working with creative florists "Rebel Rebel", Light Motif were keen to create one overall look for the client, matching colours, styles and themes across the entire space.

Rob Mills, lead creative for Light Motif, said, "We wanted

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14 March 2016

The genre bending four-piece played a range of venues from Portsmouth Pyramids to London's iconic Roundhouse. Positioning the Clay Paky fixtures, supplied by Neg Earth, on boxes on the floor to the rear of the stage, Bewley used them to give depth to his energetic design.

"I chose the Alpha Spot QWO 800s as I needed bright sharp beams to pierce through the metal framework that surrounds the band, creating silhouettes," continues Bewley. "They delivered this perfectly, adding some great perspective and dimension.

"As this is The Mindsweep album touring campaign, I wanted to bring the concept of brain neurons and thought processes into each venue."

To achieve this, Bewley video-m

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14 March 2016

For the very first time Hirezone supplied the full technical which included Robe lighting with control on an Avolites Tiger Touch, sound and AV, this being one of the their largest and most prestigious productions to date.

The Royalty Soapie Awards is the annual celebration for the TV soap industry in South Africa including everyone from celebrities and entertainers to the writers and technicians involved. Richard Gild, owner of Hirezone says he used detailed planning to ensure a successful set up. "As we proceeded, it all came together," he says. "We had more space and the right people. It was great working with the client."

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14 March 2016

Doctor Zhivago has been described as one of the most romantic stories of all time. The Broadway musical, based on the Nobel Prize-winning novel and Academy Award-winning motion picture, is directed by Tony Award-winner Des McAnuff. Doctor Zhivago reunites McAnuff and Binkley, long-time collaborators who both garnered Tonys for their work on Jersey Boys.

"There is a lot of big storytelling in this show," says Binkley. "Being epic in size but small in content, as far as the scenes are concerned, means that there are a lot of isolated m

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14 March 2016

The company which has supplied equipment to bands including Muse, Biffy Clyro and Simple Minds plans to boost turnover with expansion into new market sectors and the addition of a third branch in the near future.

Former sales director, Derek Blair who joined the company in 1994 completed the multi-million pound management buyout of The Warehouse Sound Services last month to become the sol

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14 March 2016

W E Audio was the first rental partner in the UK to invest in MLA Compact back in 2013, and their most recent investment has included another 12 MLA Compact, bringing their stock to a total of 36 elements. In addition, the recent purchase also included four more DSX-F Flying double 18" subs and four MLX Hybrid double 18" subs that will be used as ultra-sub extension and support dry hire market demands.

Furthermore, the order extended to an additional six MLA Mini enclosures, taking their stock to eight complete systems. This comprises a total of 32 MLA Mini elements and eight MLX single 15"subs.

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14 March 2016

Show designer Michael Fullman worked with event technology supplier, Black Box Music to transfer the show from the USA to Europe. As the show transitioned from the US specified automation system to XLNT's CyberHoist II for Europe, Fullman says he was keen to reinvigorate elements of the original design.

Black Box Music's Moritz Stockschläder worked closely with the production and says, "It was great to be the first company to supply a full CyberHoist II system in Europe and on such a dynamic and exciting tour. For many reasons CyberHoist II, with its silent, smooth, unrivalled accuracy, proved to be the ideal solution."

Fullman concurs, "We rehear

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14 March 2016

Faith No More's current set-up will feature a floor package consisting of 16 MAC Auras, a mirror ball and M1 console. The existing design was created to be supplemented by venue house lighting, but due to the original tour dates selling out so quickly, Faith No More quickly added 10 more venues including arenas.

This is the first US journey in many years for the group. The set and lighting for this run, designed by long time production designer Harry Bastard, is as unusual and spectacular as ever. FNM are always pushing the edge and this ye

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14 March 2016

Housed in the Festsaalbau wing of the Residenz is the Herkulessaal (Hercules Hall), which provides a beautiful and atmospheric setting for classical concerts and is one of the primary concert venues for the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. With a seating capacity of 1,450, safety is a major consideration and the venue recently installed a new voice alarm system.

With the challenge of ceiling heights of up to eight meters and a reverberation time close to five seconds, Herkulessaal spe

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14 March 2016

The stage show is being directed by Gurinder Chadha, who also directed the film, designed by Miriam Buether, with lighting by Neil Austin.

For the show, White Light is continuing its long-standing policy of providing lighting designers with the latest tools and technology. Neil Austin's design is based around a core of 26 ETC Source Four LED series 2 Lustr profile spotlights, which the designer first used on Shakespeare In Love last year. Because of their versatility and popularity with designers, White Light has rapidly expanded its stock of these fixtures over the last year, in addition to supplying