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16 December 2024

India - Shillong, with its vibrant music culture and awe-inspiring landscapes, has once again proved itself as a premier live music destination – all thanks to the Cherry Blossom Festival 2024.

Manoj Singh, director of live events technical solutions provider KG Movie, says that for his team, the festival wasn’t just another project – it was a labour of love. “From breathtaking performances by global legends and Indian stars to the flawless sound engineering that elevated each act, the Main Stage at the Cherry Blossom Festival 2024 has become a testament to what’s possible when artistry and technology align,” he states.

Held on 15-16 November at the sprawling RBDSA Sports Complex, this celebration drew an attendance of over 50,000 visitors on each of its two days. Acts featured on the main stage included AKON, Boney M, and Clean Bandit, s

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13 December 2024

Italy - The organisers of Afterlife invited fans to embark on “a captivating sensory journey and unique immersive experience” when promoting their show at the Snai Hippodrome in San Siro, Milan.

The one-day techno event delivered a multi-sensory mix of music and visuals that enveloped fans in a transformative blend of sensations.

Afterlife’s creator Tale of Us performed at the event and was joined by a line-up that featured Mind Against, Massano and Olympe as well as two performances alternating on stage by Anyma introducing Genesys, and Mrak introducing We Don't Follow. These DJ sets captivated with the telling of intimate and visionary travel stories of the musicians behind the decks.

Supporting the DJ performances and endowing them with even greater mind-expanding power was an audio and visual prod

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13 December 2024

Nigeria - Mr Panther, a recent addition to Lagos’ nightlife, is a high-energy resto-lounge. Owned by the Standalone Group, the venue is located on the seventh floor of The Avenue Suites Hotel, offering a dynamic atmosphere that transitions from a fine dining experience into a vibrant lounge as the night progresses.

With its gold-accented interiors, sleek glass façades, and an overall design that epitomises opulence, Mr Panther aims to leave a lasting impression on every guest. KV2 Audio was chosen to create an audio system to match this elevated vision.

The project resulted from a collaboration between Standalone Group and Freehand Acoustics. When the group decided to expand into Lagos, they brought Freehand Acoustics into the fold during the concept phase. “We were brought on board to design and commission the sound system. This allowed us to c

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12 December 2024

USA - Goldsboro, North Carolina, is home to the historic Paramount Theatre. Built in 1882 as an office building, its high Victorian Italianate style was noted for its ornamental features such as quoins, arched windows, and cornices. Over the years, the building has been used in many different ways – including a temporary synagogue, vaudeville theatre, and movie house.

In 1993, the renovated building was donated to the City of Goldsboro, and the city managed the theatre for the next 12 years. Early one morning in February 2005, a fire destroyed the Paramount Theatre. The loss of the theatre was personal to many members of the community. However, the theatre was rebuilt and officially reopened in February 2008. The Paramount Theatre’s auditorium has a capacity of 500, with seating for approximately 350 on the lower level and 150 in the balcony.

The

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12 December 2024

Japan - Kadokawa Daiei Studio Co, a video and film production studio based in Tokyo, has unveiled its new facility, No.C Stage. This virtual production studio now features Brompton 4K Tessera SX40 LED processors and Tessera XD 10G distribution units powering Sony Crystal LED VERONA, marking a significant investment in advanced LED display technology.

These enhancements are designed to elevate the studio’s capabilities in in-camera visual effects (VFX), enabling the creation of immersive, high-quality virtual environments for films, commercials, and other creative projects.

Kadokawa Daiei Studio, part of the Kadakawa Group, has consistently been at the forefront of innovation, blending cutting-edge technology with traditional art production expertise. The studio is set to install a Sony Crystal LED Verona LED wall, measuring 15m wide by five metres

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12 December 2024

USA - Custer Road United Methodist Church in Plano, TX, faced a challenge: its sanctuary's traditional architecture and high ceilings, while beautiful, were creating audio issues that prevented the congregation from fully connecting during services. Recognising this, church leadership wanted to improve audio quality to foster a more engaging worship experience.

Custer Road UMC wanted a modern audio upgrade to match its sanctuary’s refreshed look and offer clear, consistent sound. “The church underwent a major renovation, and part of that effort was to ensure the technical systems were up to date,” says Shawn Slocum, account manager at Electro Acoustics. “We knew it was time to improve the audio system, and EAW’s AC6 ADAPTive system was the perfect solution.”

Custer Road UMC discovered the capabilities of the AC6 Column Loudspeaker during

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12 December 2024

Namibia - Liefde By Die Nam (LBDN) is a yearly event dedicated to Afrikaans music. 2024’s Liefde By die Nam took place in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia on 21 September, and event production specialists dB Audio Namibia brought the party to life by leveraging groundbreaking audio solutions supplied and supported by Stage Audio Works Namibia.  

To meet the complex audio demands of the event, dB Audio chose the Yamaha DM7 console for FOH mixing, which marked the first deployment of this model in Namibia. With its compact yet powerful design, the DM7 proved a perfect fit for the festival’s outdoor setup. "The DM7 is a self-contained, powerful, and versatile solution that slots in well to our operations here in Namibia," agree local sound engineers Gerhardus Engelbrecht and Titus Augustinus. dB Audio also supplied the trusted Y

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11 December 2024

UK - Unusual Rigging has played a pivotal role in the technical setup for Cameron Mackintosh & Nick Grace’s Les Misérables: The Arena Spectacular World Tour.

Unusual took on the full design of the rigging infrastructure for the entire show, as well as manufacturing and assembling a custom mothergrid, which supports the lighting and scenic elements for this ambitious production.

Luke McBride, design engineer at Unusual explained; “Our involvement with the concept of the Arena Spectacular tour began way back in 2020. This was a time when Covid-19 was at its peak and theatres had gone dark. At the time it was rumoured that arena events would be the first to restart as the scale of the venues would allow social distancing to be possible. Nevertheless, we didn’t begin work in earnest until February 2024, working with the show’s techn

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11 December 2024

France - Set along the northern edge of the Pyrenees, Pau is a city in southwestern France located some 85km from the Spanish border. A total population of less than 80,000 enjoys a rich cultural life with a range of theatre and concert venues, among them the Foirail.

A former livestock market, Foirail opened in 2022 and quickly established itself as a vibrant cultural space hosting a varied programme of cinema, jazz and classical music concerts, theatre and dance.

“The Nexo Geo M6 system originally installed at the Foirail was perfect for the venue at the time,” reports technical director Eric Vilchez. “However, the popularity of the theatre grew very quickly, and we soon found ourselves hiring in supplementary sound equipment for larger shows, particularly live music.”

So, members of the Nexo Engineering Support team revisited their

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11 December 2024

UK - Lady Gaga can always be counted on to set a singularly flamboyant fashion bar. The singer certainly didn’t disappoint when she appeared with co-star Joaquin Phoenix at the London premiere of the Warner Bros. film Joker: Folie à Deux.

Wearing a scarlet satin faille Celine gown paired with a matching bold-shouldered bolero jacket, accented by a 20-karat Tiffany brooch and sporting crystal tear drop jewellery under her right eye, the singer-actress captured widespread media attention for her appearance.

While the media focused on the star’s impressive fashion statement, the team at Milton Keynes-based Impact Productions Services (IPS) were impressed by how vivid the images displayed on the Chauvet Professional REM 3IP panels they installed looked in the press coverage of the event.

IPS used the bright, 3.9mm pitch video panels

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11 December 2024

UK - The Rose Theatre Kingston, the largest producing theatre in south-west London, has become the first performing arts venue in the UK to install Martin’s MAC Viper XIP, adding 30 fixtures to its house rig and replacing the theatre’s previous MAC Encores as its principal moving-head fixture.

Emma Sayers, head of lighting & stage at the theatre, first encountered the MAC Viper XIP at a private demonstration at the 2023 PLASA Show. After a direct comparison with the older MAC Encores, she was impressed by the superior performance of the new fixtures. “The colours are so much more saturated, and it does pastel colours nicely too. And because you can do the high contrast colours and the subtle colours it works for what we do here,” Emma says. "It was ticking all of the boxes."

The fixture's ability to handle both bold, high-contrast colours

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11 December 2024

UK - Producer, recording engineer and mixing engineer, Freemonk, has enhanced his nearfield monitoring setup with the addition of a Chord Electronics Alto. Freemonk is using the headphone and nearfield monitor amp to drive the NS-10 monitors at Friary Studios.

When it comes to creating music, Freemonk prefers to work with an analogue workflow, and the historic equipment at Friary Studios is a testament to this. While choosing to work in the analogue domain provides its fair share of challenges, the results that he has achieved in everything from jazz to hip hop are testament to a producer at the top of his craft.

He discovered Chord Electronics after talking with fellow producer MsM. “Chord Electronics came into my life with a typical nerd chat with MsM, who is a fantastic mixing engineer based in London,” he recalled. “I'd noticed he was using

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11 December 2024

Finland - In the world of Formula 1, technology plays a pivotal role in performance, not just on the track but before drivers even touch the steering wheel. Racing simulators, equipped with cutting-edge audio-visual systems, are increasingly being used to mirror the intense atmosphere of race day.

In Finland, experienced AV engineer Andy Symonds and his Cave Oy company have taken this technology a step further by employing Genelec loudspeaker systems to create a one-of-a-kind simulator facility aimed at nurturing the next generation of Finnish racing talent.

Symonds’ simulators, located at Cave’s headquarters in Seinäjoki, are designed with a clear purpose in mind: to provide young drivers with an opportunity to train in an environment that closely replicates the real-world conditions of Formula and GT racing. To achieve this, Symonds relied on

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10 December 2024

Germany - St Hedwig’s cathedral in the heart of Berlin is modelled after the Pantheon in Rome. Construction work began in 1747, finally opening its doors to worshipers in 1773. The building is highly regarded by the people of Berlin, and to preserve its rich history, it has just undergone an extensive renovation period that’s seen the entire interior transformed. Holoplot has been chosen to supply the audio solution, delivering its X2 Matrix Array system for seamless, unobtrusive spoken word reinforcement.

The brief for the publicly funded construction work was exceptionally detailed, with high expectations. St Hedwig’s is benefitting from a complete renewal, the new look reflecting the cathedral’s history. The nave sees big changes, whilst the original interior layout returns, but now with seating in the round. The aesthetic is clean and simple with

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10 December 2024

UK - Taking place at The Vaults beneath Waterloo Station, Rhythm and Ruse offered theatregoers an immersive night of magic, music and revelry. Harkening back to the prohibition era, the show took place in a ‘Speakeasy’ and allowed audiences to experience astounding close-up illusions from mere inches away, live music from a four-piece jazz band, a secret society of magicians devised by immersive theatre experts as well as food and drink across the evening.

The show featured a lighting design by up-and-coming designer Skylar Turnbull Hurd, with this being her first time lighting a show of this scale and with a full LX team. With its reputation for both supporting young lighting designers, as well as supplying immersive theatrical productions, White Light (WL), a d&b solutions company, was called upon to provide the show’s lighting fixtures.

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10 December 2024

UK - The Last Dinner Party is a British indie rock band formed in 2021 and fronted by lead singer Abigail Morris. Promoting their new album, Prelude to Ecstasy, the band has just completed a two-month UK and EU tour with a theatrical set, and lighting design by award-winning LD, Ed Warren.

Key to Warren’s design were Ayrton Rivale Profiles and Kyalami laser-sourced spots, compact units which fit well into the touring rig. Warren used seven Rivale Profile and 12 Kyalami on the stage floor behind the band and 27 Rivale Profile and 24 Kyalami spread across three overhead trusses.

“For our spots we needed something with a nice wide zoom and smooth colour mixing as the main spots of the show,” says Warren. “The Rivale Profiles met these criteria very well. We used the floor spots to backlight the band and predominantly Abi, the lead singe

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10 December 2024

Poland - Experienced sound engineer, Bartosz ‘Bartek’ Kurkowski has found Optocore to be a vital component in the stage production of Polish singer songwriter Dawid Podsiadło.

The artist’s massive 360° arena and stadium tour is the biggest to ever take place in Poland, and Optocore’s M8 MADI device has been at the heart of a playback that runs additional tracks, clicks, cues and timecode at both FOH and monitor world on a DiGiCo loop.

Explaining the underlying reasons for adopting the M8, Bartek said, “I decided to use MADI for this set-up to give maximum flexibility, in case we needed to expand track count in the future.”

The challenge, he said, had been to incorporate MADI streams into their Optocore loop. The M8 MADI switch can do precisely that, providing four MADI input and four MADI output ports, offering 256 digital audio

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10 December 2024

Ukraine - The Anniversary Concert of Onuka, accompanied by the renowned Naoni Orchestra, took place at the majestic October Palace in Kyiv, celebrating a decade of Oouka's career.

Astra Wash19Pix fixtures by Prolights, supplied by Complex-V, were utilised, delivering lighting that highlighted the orchestra and created a dynamic visual experience. Compactly positioned among the orchestra, the fixtures seamlessly enhanced the ambiance of the event. Additionally, the outer pixel ring of the Astra Wash19Pix was used to craft dramatic visuals that perfectly blended with the structure and rhythm of the show.

The lighting design was led by the creative duo Vasilii Tonkonog and David Vasilenko, while the production was expertly managed by Franz Audio. Together, their collaboration brought an immersive and visually stunning environment to life, complementing

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10 December 2024

USA - Dating back to 1932, Raleigh Memorial Auditorium at the Martin Marietta Centre for the Performing Arts in North Carolina, is the principal performance location in a four-venue performing arts centre. This also includes Meymandi Concert Hall, A.J. Fletcher Opera Theatre and Kennedy Theatre.

Over the generations locally based rental partner RMB Audio has been a frequent visitor, providing tech support for all spaces.

But it is the 2,369 capacity Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, with its varied programme of musicals, comedy and dance shows, that is the crown jewel. And it is here that the sound contractor has upgraded an ancient public address system with Martin Audio’s latest Wavefront Precision technology.

RMB Audio owner Cooper Cannady reports that it was way back in late 2020 - right in the middle of the COVID pandemic - that the request

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10 December 2024

UK - Sarner International has announced its appointment by East Staffordshire Borough Council to lead the initial visitor experience design stages for the ambitious Brewery Heritage & Social History Experience in Burton-upon-Trent.

This new immersive visitor attraction aims to celebrate Burton-upon-Trent’s pivotal role in brewing history and revitalise its standing as the home of IPA. Blending advanced technology, engaging storytelling, and interactive elements, the experience will reveal the art and science of brewing beer while highlighting Burton’s historical role as a global leader in beer production and the social fabric that shaped the town.

Through a sensory journey into Burton’s brewing heritage, visitors are introduced to the concept of Burton’s naturally mineral-rich water and immersed in the tale of the ‘waters of life’. Th

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09 December 2024

USA - The Latin Grammy Awards were back in Miami on 15 November to celebrate the 25th edition of the Latin Music event. Artists, musicians, and producers gathered at the Kaseya Centre to award the most successful hits of the year. Shure Axient Digital Wireless System was selected to ensure quality audio throughout the night.

Axient Digital delivered solid RF and consistent signal quality throughout the event. Engineers and artists relied on 24 channels of Shure PSM 1000 In Ear Monitoring System and 12 channels of the Axient Digital Wireless System. The production also included 18 ADX2 handheld wireless microphone transmitters, four AD2 handheld microphone transmitters and two ADX1 bodypack transmitters.

The show started with the Person of the Year Carlos Vives. Next, Ela Taubert, winner of Mejor Artista Revelación surprised all the attendee

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09 December 2024

Spain - Since 2004, SeeSound has offered top professional solutions in the audiovisual market. With the mindset that the best technology and innovations are the keys to achieving this goal, SeeSound often turns to a variety of RF solutions from Wisycom. This includes the brand’s MRK16 Ultra-wideband Wireless Receiver System, MCR54 Four-channel True Diversity Wireless Microphone Receivers, MPR50 Wideband IEM Receivers and MTP60 Multiband Bodypack Transmitters.

For the theatrical touring productions of The Phantom of the Opera and The Producers, SeeSound deployed the Wisycom solutions mentioned above, in combination with the brand’s SPL2208 Wideband Active Antenna Combiner/Splitter.

“The Wisycom wireless coverage capabilities are great, and the audio quality is one of the main strengths of this system,” says Javier G. Isequill

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09 December 2024

UK - Video rental company Universal Pixels (UP) wraps for Christmas on the back of shows with Idles, Massive Attack, and Nile Rodgers & CHIC at M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool, plus the alt star-studded Mark Lanegan 60 – A Celebration, and Kelsea Ballerini, both at London’s Roundhouse.

In its eighth year, UP brought the big picture to an array of video projects in 2024, celebrated turns/tours from the likes of Black Keys, Chemical Brothers, Depeche Mode, Green Day, and Thom Yorke/The Smile.

Across the same 12 months, Universal Pixels’ staff numbers are up by a third and more than £2m has gone into new kit, the biggest annual spend in UP history.

Founder/commercial director at Universal Pixels, Phil Mercer, comments: “It’s been an incredible year. Again. Teaming up with outstanding creatives, delivering, designin

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09 December 2024

USA - Country music group Midland has taken to the road for the Get Lucky Tour with a lighting system provided by long-time vendor, Bandit Lites. The Grammy-nominated group (comprised of Mark Wystrach, Jess Carson and Cam Duddy) recently released their fourth studio album Barely Blue to critical acclaim.

“It’s a whole new tour, whole new look, whole new set, whole new lighting setup and stage plot,” Carson told a Rio Rancho reporter. “It’s just fun to rebuild the set list and the whole, kind of, live experience when you have a new album. You can kind of integrate that into it, but it’s going to be the same Midland energy and entertainment, so it’ll be a fun night of honkey-tonkin’.”

Inspired by the retro rigs seen on various tours, Cam Duddy (bassist for Midland and creative director) sought a PAR can look. Working