UK - Multi award-winning Scarisbrick Hall School in Ormskirk, Lancashire has just opened Oak Theatre & Studios, where an Audient ASP8024-HE has been installed, along with 33 iD4 audio interfaces in a dedicated music programming Mac lab.
The opening of the newly built theatre and arts buildings heralds the beginning of a new era for the school. It not only puts music technology firmly on the curriculum, but also provides a high-end studio for hire with a gothic-style backdrop.
Oak Theatre & Studios was designed from the ground up with recording flexibility in mind. The fact that it is available for commercial use as well as teaching is something technical manager Ross Krige was careful to consider when specifying the Audient console. “Overall I’ve tried to keep the studio very simple for learning but still accessible for external hire,” he explains.

UK - Global management consulting firm Oliver Wyman, with over 6,000 employees across 70 offices in 30 countries, has recently revamped its UK head office on Baker Street, London. Seeking audio-visual solutions for the second and third floors, Oliver Wyman partnered with AV experts Insight Visual Systems.
The ambitious project aimed to outfit over 60 spaces of varying sizes and functions, ranging from expansive meeting rooms to more intricate and flexible audio solutions for smaller spaces. With a substantial £1m budget, Insight proposed a solution featuring industry-leading brands to align with global standards and seamlessly integrate with the office's fresh decor.
On agreement of the proposal, Insight engaged distributor Audiologic to help facilitate and source equipment for the project. According to Matthew McGill, managing director, at Insight, "The Audiologic te

USA - Drawing on a deep repertoire of chart-topping songs, John Mayer is one of the rare artists able to fill ‘A level’ arenas as a true solo act. The success of his recently concluded Solo Acoustic Tour relied on an intimate connection with his audience, accomplished aurally via a reinforcement system of Meyer Sound Panther large-format linear line array loudspeakers provided by UltraSound.
The spring leg of the tour kicked off on March 11 at New Jersey’s Prudential Centre and wrapped at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum before Mayer embarked on a summer tour with Dead & Company - also supported by a Panther-based system from UltraSound.
The fall leg was another east-to-west marathon, launching at Madison Square Garden with the November finale again at the Kia Forum. The FOH engineer for both the solo legs and the triumphant final tour by Dead & Company was Dere

USA - Blowing away crowds with his blasts of dubstep beats and trashing techno shreds at one turn, then picking up a guitar the next to venture forth into dreamy dance tunes, Gryffin is a one-person ensemble of diverse sounds.
This was evident during the artist’s recent performance at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. Taking the stage in his trademark baseball jersey, Gryffin treated fans to a dynamic, EDM-infused set, as he performed on the stage and an exposed-scaffold riser.
Keeping pace with him and reflecting his energy with colours and motion was a compelling stage production by lighting designer Julie Reux, content creator/VJ Eddie Perez, and TM Jonny Stiegler. Like the artist’s performance on stage, the looks supporting him were multi-faceted, while still being perfectly harmonious.
“Everything about any show I do begins with balanc

South Africa - Atlantic Studios, Cape Town is a multi-stage film and television production facility and hub of creative activity serving the Western Cape and far beyond.
One of its current productions (produced by HBC Broadcasting Solutions) is the South African edition of Deal or No Deal (DoND), the popular risk-taking gameshow where contestants make seat-edge decisions on whether to accept a cash offer from 'the banker' in exchange for what might - or might not - be contained in a series of unassuming boxes.
Lighting designer Daniel Louw is using some new Robe Esprites which were purchased by HBC for this show and delivered by Robe’s South African distributor, DWR at the start of the recording period in February.
Dan is a freelance lighting designer / director and has worked on several projects at the studios which also has other Robe moving li

Germany - Wacken fans don't let the weather stop them. It's not for nothing that ‘rain or shine’ is the rallying cry of party-loving metal fans who travel to northern Germany from all corners of the world for Wacken Open Air (WOA).
This year, metalheads had to be particularly strong. Days of constant rain had so softened the ‘Holy Ground’ of the festival site that a travel stop had to be imposed for the first time in the festival’s history. Anyone who made it onto the grounds though still got the full Wacken experience, including knee-deep mud.
Lighting designer Jerry Appelt, who has been associated with the massive metal festival for 20 years, has also experienced a lot in Wacken. “I am emotionally attached to the festival,” he said. “It was remarkable how the organisers dealt with the very difficult situation this year.”
More than ever, Elati

USA - At times it seemed that everything that could go wrong would go wrong at the one-day Desert Sky Music Festival in Chandler, AZ. Not only did rain delay the 2pm start of the first act by over 30 minutes, but once the music started playing, bumps in the road kept threatening to derail the best-laid plans.
“The event gods were not smiling on us,” said John Garberson of Creative BackStage, who set up production for Desert Sky. “It rained off and on for eight hours, creating a lot of mud. There was a power outage, a medical emergency, though fortunately that turned out ok, and networking issues that disrupted the sound and lighting.”
Still, no one in the sold-out crowd of 15,000 was thinking about any of these snafus when the curtain went down on the festival late that night. They were too busy savouring the good times, and the rollicking music they just enjoy

USA - Front-of-house engineer Joe Vegna (Loreen, Peter Jöback, Stefan Sundström, Lolita Pop, Pernilla Andersson) has chosen the Waves eMotion LV1 Live Mixer and Waves plugins for the 2023 tour of Swedish ensemble Stonemountain Orchestra.
Describing his choice of the Waves eMotion LV1 for this tour, Vegna comments: “In two words: sound quality. The LV1’s sound is exceptional. I was looking for a console that sounds amazing and is also small enough to actually tour with when going into smaller venues.
“My good friend Rompa (FOH, Ronny Bernstein), who tours with the rock band Europe, has been using the eMotion LV1 for years and always raves about how good it sounds. So I thought I’d give it a go for an earlier tour I did this spring with Peter Jöback. And wow, it did not disappoint. That tour was very challenging, but with the LV1 I could do things that no othe

USA - We Came As Romans recently wrapped the fall leg of their Darkbloom II headlining tour, a 30-date run with a lighting system from Bandit Lites. The metalcore band kicked off on 10 October in Indianapolis and made its way throughout the country, culminating in Nashville, Tennessee on 19 November.
Lighting designer Corbin Alvae worked with guitarist Lou Cotton and bassist Andy Glass who sought to recreate a ‘black hole’ style stage design and update it with a space feel. A 10ft diameter circle truss was outlined with Elation ACL 360i fixtures as well as Elation DTW Blinder IP 65 fixtures.
“The band played around with different ideas and concepts, but the final look that was seen on this tour was absolutely solid looking and how everything panned out at the end looked wild,” said Alvae.
The large circle truss required them to adjust depending on

New Zealand - JPRO is celebrating 35 years of success and dedication to excellence. Since its inception in 1988, JPRO has been at the forefront of the AV distribution industry, supplying world leading brands, providing local support and customer satisfaction.
Established in 1988, JPRO began as the demand for JBL Professional products increased in New Zealand. Over the past three and a half decades, the company has evolved into a powerhouse, with a diverse portfolio of brands, customised solutions, technical expertise and consistently exceeding customer expectations.
JPRO's success story is not just about its products and services but also about the enduring partnerships it has forged with suppliers and customers over the years. The company takes pride in collaborating with a diverse range of clients, from the small one-man integrator to multinational corporations, fos

UK - Burna Boy took to the stage at London Stadium in June as part of his Love, Damini tour. The production team trusted professional audio and video partner Solotech, which relied on Shure’s Axient Digital Wireless System and software solutions to deliver audio and a spectacular show.
The production team aimed for a robust and reliable sound system that could handle 40 channels accommodating Burna Boy, his core band, an 11-piece marching band, and a 10-piece choir. A sophisticated range of the Shure Axient Digital Wireless System equipment was selected and deployed by Jamie Skey, hire project manager - live productions at Solotech, and Valentin James, RF technician at Solotech.
Jamie Skey said: “Having extensive experience with Shure wireless products in the field, I was confident we could achieve exceptional performance, even in the congested RF environme

UK - Singer, songwriter and keyboardist Howard Jones this year celebrated 40 years in the music business.
Having toured extensively in Europe, Asia, and North America during 2023, Jones returned in October to conclude his live schedule with a UK theatre tour. The 10-night tour, which included nights at the London Palladium and Birmingham Symphony Hall, demonstrated the star’s versatility. A full-on synth-driven electronic attack was complemented by acoustic trio and solo sections which showed off Jones’ talents as a pianist.
Liverpool-based production specialists Adlib took care of the audio, with the tour opting for a Coda Audio system based around the company’s ViRAY compact line array. Coda has been FOH engineer Chicky Reeves’ choice for Howard Jones since he began working with the artist in 2016, having first encountered the brand some years earlier while

France - ETC’s automated fixtures range Halcyon has been selected by the noted Parisian theatre, la Comédie-Française.
A total of 27 Halcyon Platinum fixtures and 12 Halcyon Gold fixtures have been installed at the famous theatre, which has several productions including French plays by Molière, Racine, Corneille and others. A cultural institution, la Comédie-Française is the only French national theatre since 1680 to have a permanent drama troupe.
Sales manager for France Nicolas Da Canal comments: “la Comédie-Française already has High End Systems SolaFrame Studio, SolaFrame 2000 and SolaFrame 3000 moving lights installed which have been particularly appreciated for their colour-mixing quality. The team at the theatre were therefore happy to again proceed with High End Systems automated lights in their process of further transitioning to LED.”
The H

UK - Manchester-based sound design specialists and audiologists tube uk are supplying audio systems to eight popular Christmas trails throughout the UK and one in Germany this season - totalling an impressive 168 individual sound systems, consuming 1,681 loudspeakers.
Working closely with the production team from Culture Creative, a specialist in creating trail experiences and numerous other live events, Melvyn Coote and the tube uk crew have developed a fully weatherised distributed sound system hardware concept for trail experiences. They have also optimised techniques for delivering the very best aural experiences for these creative and entertaining festive events.
UK sites this year include Leeds Castle in Kent, Dunham Massey in Cheshire, Stourhead in Wiltshire, Bedgebury in Surrey, Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire, Chester Zoo and Heaton Park in Manchester, and K

UAE - Sennheiser was the official audio sponsor of the United States reception during World Radio Conference 2023. Organised in the opening week of the conference, the event was a resounding success, welcoming more than 1,200 delegates who enjoyed a captivating gig by the Sonic Crusaders.
The band used Digital 9000 wireless microphones, with a hand-built WMAS development prototype ensuring crystal-clear digital in-ear audio for the band members. Dubai-based event service provider 3DB, with project manager Stuart Andrews, supplied all audio, video, lighting and stage production requirements for the event.
“We are honoured that the U.S. ITU Association (USITUA) selected Sennheiser as the audio partner for its prestigious reception,” says Dr. Andreas Wilzeck, head of spectrum policy and standards at Sennheiser. “For the show part, we operated a hand-built broadban

UAE - Powersoft is further expanding its distributor network in the GCC market by welcoming Dutco Tennant as its newest distributor. The appointment of Dutco Tennant will play a significant role in strengthening Powersoft’s presence in the Middle East. The company will join historical Dubai-based distributor, Pro Lab, and Saudi Arabia based aDawliah.
Established four decades ago, Dutco Tennant LLC has built a strong reputation in providing a wide range of products and services, providing audio, video and UCC (unified communications and collaboration) solutions in the GCC region.
“We pick and choose our partners carefully after extensive research and Powersoft will play a vital role in our audio portfolio,” states Julie Thomas, product manager at Dutco Tennant. “Powersoft is highly respected in the industry for its reliability and is an incredibly valuable addit

USA - Snowbird Restaurant & Lounge opened aiming to bring the cocktail lounge scene to Frisco, a suburb of Dallas, Texas where the dining scene is booming. This 4,100sq.ft space includes dining seating, lounge seating, and a 35ft-long bar, aiming to set a sultry lounge setting with cocktails as the star. Bespoke Technology Group based out of Dallas, was contracted to bring this after-dinner destination to life by integrating the audio system.
Snowbird has DJ booths upstairs and downstairs and had to have an audio system fit for dinner ambiance as well as for private events and all-day brunch events. Bespoke chose to go with 1 Sound premium loudspeakers for this lounge to offer high-fidelity sound quality and sonic intelligibility but with the capacity to get louder for high-energy nights. This was accomplished by utilising the Cannon Coaxial Series.
The Cannons a

USA - Tempest enclosures have been used to protect Epson projectors at a projection mapping installation in Carmel, Indianapolis. EOS: The First Dawn is a permanent installation created by Blockhouse Studios and features 12 Epson EB-PU2220B 20,000-lumen large venue laser projectors, each safeguarded by a Tempest Cyclone enclosure to ensure they run at peak performance.
Mounted on the roof of the James and Tarkington buildings, these powerful projectors tell the theatrical story of Eos, Greek Goddess of the Dawn, presented in a dream-like projection onto the face of the Carter Green Palladium.
Blockhouse Studios owner, Kevin Winkler comments: “We have four full seasons in Indiana. Temperatures can range from -15 or more in the winter, and upwards of 100 degrees F in the summer, with high humidity. The Cyclone enclosures are perfect for these tough conditions

UK - Georgia Browns in the town of Hindley, Greater Manchester is a destination sports and entertainment venue. Recently re-furbished and re-launched, and featuring a large media wall, the venue also hosts multiple additional screens showing a wide range of sports, as well as staging live bands, DJ sets and karaoke.
The team at Georgia Brown gave careful consideration to its technical needs, and having invested in its media wall through Richer Sounds, consulted with the company’s custom installation design team over the best way forward for its audio requirements.
Richer Sounds recommended an Optimal Audio system to deliver the venue’s requirement for background and party level music. Custom installation manager Tim Smith and his team designed the system in conjunction with the venue, and engaged experienced subcontractor James Mahon of Hi-Tech AV to install the sy

Spain - Broadcast live for the first time in history from Seville, Spain, the 24th Latin Grammys trusted the Shure Axient Digital Wireless System and Shure software to enable quality audio for the biggest night celebrating Latin culture, passion, and music.
Shure Axient Digital Wireless was selected for its robust and reliable signal quality. Sound company Fluge provided 60 channels of Shure Axient Digital Wireless and 32 channels of Shure PSM 1000 In-Ear Personal Monitoring System, delivering consistent RF coverage over the whole venue.
“Shure PSM 1000 continues to be a consistently reliable piece of a complex live show puzzle, which demands both high-quality audio and rock-solid RF,” said Michael Bové, monitor mixer for Latin Grammys 2023.
The technical team relied on Shure software, including Wireless Workbench (WWB) and WAVETOOL by Shure. Diogo Nunes Pe

UK - ABTT’s popular Pyrotechnic Safety Awareness Training was a sell out in September 2023, and booking is now open for the 2024 course which takes place on 11January at The Elgiva Theatre, Chesham.
Equipment and devices used, demonstrated or viewed during the course include products from: Le Maitre: Pyroflash - ProStage II - Virtually Smokeless (VS) - Illusion - Skyhigh - Torch - Blakes - Viking - Theatrical Pyrotechnics - Wells - Ultratec - LunaTech - PyyroPak.
The course will provide candidates with an opportunity to keep ‘up to date’ with ‘considered best practice’ and familiarise themselves more readily with new and current regulations, alongside forthcoming UK/EU legislation.
The course will also serve as a refresher for technicians who have to produce certificates of awareness, to keep themselves ‘in date’. The candidates will also receive a

UK - Prolyte is set to collaborate with long-standing partner Stage Electrics, one of the UK's premier Prolyte suppliers, for two exclusive campus events in Glasgow and Birmingham this January.
Prolyte and Stage Electrics invite industry professionals to join these insightful events, helmed by Prolyte's expert, Eric Laanstra. With over 23 years of expertise, Prolyte's seasoned product manager, promises a profound exploration into the intricacies of rigging, trussing, and staging.
The Glasgow event takes place 23 January 2024 at RCS Glasgow; Birmingham’s venue is MAC Birmingham on 24 January.
Both events will feature a comprehensive lecture, offering attendees profound insights into Prolyte's cutting-edge rigging solutions.
These events present an opportunity for those seeking rigging or trussing solutions for their venues or to learn more about their curr

South Korea - The Starnetworks group has become the official distributor of Holoplot Matrix Array systems in South Korea. This marks Holoplot's first foray into the Asian live entertainment market.
“Our philosophy is to look at sound as both an art and a science,” says Su Keun O, CEO at Starnetworks. “This philosophy aligns perfectly with Holoplot technology, which is science-based, software-driven, and hardware-enabled, offering unparalleled sound experiences through sound control.”
The Starnetworks team had their first opportunity to witness the Holoplot X1 Matrix Array in action earlier this year at the ISE Show in Barcelona. “We were fascinated by how Holoplot could visualise sound dispersion and control the sound with such precision and the creative potential of this. Since then, we’ve discovered many more benefits of Holoplot technology with X1 and th

USA - The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS) in Arizona, has installed two Solid State Logic Origin 32-channel in-line analogue mixing consoles in July. The two new consoles are installed in Studio B at the main CRAS campus in Tempe and Studio B at the satellite campus in Gilbert, where students are first introduced to the signal flow and operation of large-format recording consoles.
“Students who enter our programme have access to both consoles,” says Robert Brock, director of education at CRAS. “On any given day, we're running the same class at both locations in parallel.”
The two Origins have replaced a pair of 25-year-old consoles that were used by CRAS teaching staff to instruct students on the concepts of audio signal flow and the features and functionality of analogue consoles. With those two older consoles at the end of their serviceab

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