Australia - Sydney Theatre Company (STC) has reopened its home venue, The Wharf, at Walsh Bay in Sydney, following a two-year closure for a total renovation. A highlight of the complete technical upgrade was the installation of 32 new Meyer Sound loudspeakers, largely drawn from the company’s new Ultra-X series.
The system was designed by Bob McCarthy and Josh Dorn-Fehrmann to implement Spacemap Go, Meyer Sound’s new tool for spatial sound design and live mixing. When it opened in late February, STC’s production of Playing Beatie Bow became one of the world’s first theatrical productions to use dynamic spatial effects provided by the new technology based on the Galaxy 816 Network Platform utilising Milan and a new iPad user interface.
For the theatre’s s

USA - Asked to describe his impression of Global Citizen’s Vax Live, The Concert To Reunite The World, Tom Kenny answers with a simple six-word phrase, “Full of Grace, Full of Light.” The globally televised event, which raised $302m, enough to procure 26m doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, was certainly all of that.
There was the grace that arose from the inspired words of world leaders sent to the event via remote video, and from the impassioned live performances by artists like Jennifer Lopez, who brought her mother on stage to join her in a plea to ensure the equitable distribution of the vaccine needed to fight the pandemic.
As for the light, Kenny and the Diversified Productions Services team ensured that it was present in full force at SoFi Stadium, supporting the performances of Lopez and fellow stars Eddie Vedder, Foo Fighters, J Balvin, and H.E.R. with a var

Switzerland - The Andermatt Concert Hall, located in the village of Andermatt in the Ursern Valley of the Swiss Alps, opened its doors in 2019 to rave reviews by hosting the Berlin Philharmonic, bringing world-class classical music performance to the alpine wonderland (see LSi Jan-Feb 2021).
The concert hall is a beautiful venue with seating for up to 650 and offers an up-close and intimate atmosphere with enough room for a 75-piece orchestra. The hall's stage and lower level are below ground level, and the space features a high ceiling with upper-level walls of glass, wood-finished ceilings, and a wrap-around balcony. Studio Seilern Architects created a captivating space, int
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Indochine X PixMob Fan Immersion

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's - 40 thousand LED pixels on a ceiling!!! Indochine's whirlwind tour transports fans to another level of the live experience - immersing them from floor to ceiling with PixMob's X4 wristbands, and an LED ceiling made entirely of its NOVA Minis! With the vision of Indochine's creative team, PixMob used its LED fan-technology to turn attendees and venues into an ocean of effects, and a starry sky of LED magic. Très très cool!

Read more about the Indochine tour in the latest issue of LSi

USA - As part of a complete technical overhaul, River of Life Church in Crawfordville, FL has upgraded its full lighting system for the first time since its building was constructed 18 years ago. The new setup, which utilises ADJ fixtures for both house and stage lighting, has not only enhanced the aesthetic of the space but also significantly improved electrical efficiency through the use of LED light sources.
Firelight Media and Integration was the company selected by the church to carry out a complete refit of its audio, lighting, and stage power infrastructure. The relatively young but fast-growing integrator specializes in the church market, driven by owner and founder Joshua Branch’s 15 years of experience in music ministry. Established in 2017 and based in Thomasville, South Georgia, the company services churches throughout the South East, all the way from Virginia

UK - “All of us who flourish in this field have retained our child-like enthusiasm for playing with things to come up with something new and different,” says Johnny Palmer, the founder and manager of Pytch. “Really, when you come down to it, that’s why we do what we do.”
An entrepreneur who opened a string of livestream studios during the height of the pandemic, Palmer works hard to keep these creative flames glowing throughout his well-established event company, even when it means buying the fuselage of a Boeing 727 jet liner and parking it on shipping containers in his warehouse lot.
It was on a trip to Cotswold Airport to look at a private jet that he came across the Boeing 727. The plane instantly caught his attention. “I saw this beautiful old bird and thought why not,” he recalled. “So, I got permission from our local planning commission and agree

USA - XXXX Audio Systems recently outfitted MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa with a Harman networked audio system.
MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa is a casino hotel in Stateline, Nevada owned by Bally’s Corporation. Originally constructed in 1978 and known as Caesars Tahoe until 2006, MontBleu includes a 48,456sq.ft casino and 438-room hotel along with multiple restaurants and shops.
MontBleu needed to upgrade its aging audio system and hired XXXX Audio Systems to replace its existing system with a networked audio system consisting of JBL Professional, Crown and BSS solutions.
“Our overall goal was to create a vibrant sound experience for our guests from the minute they arrive to the time they’re playing their favourite slot machine or table game,” said Marimille Dacia, director of marketing, entertainment and retail, MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa.

Croatia - Since its release in February 1987, Bon Jovi’s Livin’ On A Prayer has been embedded in our collective musical psyche. It seems that everyone, from the Royal Philharmonic to Alvin and the Chipmunks has recorded cover versions of this ‘80s anthem. 2Cellos are the latest.
In their latest video, Luka Šulić and Stjepan Hauser, the Croatian cellists who make up the group push the oft-played rock classic to new levels. Reflecting the driving force of their performance visually throughout the video is a dynamic and intricately layered light show by Crt Birsa of Slovenia-based Blackout Lighting Design.
Running the 6-universe, 126 fixture, time-coded show on his ChamSys Magic! MQ80 console, Birsa created myriad patterns of light to play off the music video’s unusual venue: a 33mlong tunnel in a former military warehouse. To focus the viewer’s attent

Russia - Truck brand Kamaz - Dakar Rally Truck category winners 18 times and lknown for their rally, drift, and stunt driver teams - celebrated its 45th anniversary with a spectacular live show, presentation and special event featuring jazz band Denis Matsuev & Friends, staged at its main factory in Naberezhnye Chelny, Tatarstan.
When Denis Matsuev suggested opening the event to the strains of orchestral suite Time Forward! by Georgy Sviridov, event director Irina Karimova had the idea of a video intro that would combine the movement of trucks with the rhythm and mood of the music. So, the event’s creative team decided to involve seven of the newest Kamaz-54901 tractor units in a ‘dance’ routine in the snow.
This challenged lighting designer Artem Sagaidak to produce some practical illuminative solutions for the video shoot and he turned to Astera Ti

USA - Singer, rapper, and songwriter Bryson Tiller recently recorded an XR concert - for later broadcast - in Calabasas, California at Xite Labs’ XR stage facility, which involved a lighting rig that included Robe T1 Profiles, SuperSpikies, Tetra2s and BMFL Blades.
Xite Labs - founded in 2018 by visual and production design specialists Greg Russel and Vello Virkhaus - was approached by producer Amish Dani and creative studio the 92 Group to assist the project in the production of ‘stunning XR environments’. They received a detailed brief with a set of storyboard images and a flow concept of the four dynamic worlds that they wanted to build. The 3D spaces were created by multiple highly skilled artists commissioned by Xite Labs using Unreal Engine and Notch.
For the shoot, the physical studio design comprised three-sides - including a back wall - of LED, an LED

Austria - As historic churches strive to serve their existing congregations and expand their reach using new technology, inevitably they find themselves balancing their needs for quality audio systems with the desire to maintain the aesthetic beauty and singular atmosphere integral to the worship experience.
That’s of particular concern in historically important spaces like Eisenstadt, Austria’s Dom St. Martin, which recently deployed a low profile, high fidelity Adamson Systems Engineering PA to improve speech intelligibility and reinforce small, contemporary musical ensembles with clarity and depth.
Previously known as St. Martin's Church, the Gothic cathedral was completed in 1522 and features a pipe organ created to the specific instructions of Austrian composer and ‘Father of the Symphony and String Quartet,’ Franz Joseph Haydn. Over time, it’s been dama

UK - The 2021 BRIT Awards made history on 11 May as 4,000 audience members gathered at London’s O2 Arena for the UK’s first indoor live music concert in 14 months.
In celebration of the best in British and international pop music, The BRIT Awards audience - made up by primarily of NHS key workers - brought hope back to live music crews.
The test show was a momentous return to multi-artist, large scale productions, and although the limited numbers presented challenges, the Britannia Row team was happy to take up the mantle.
Safety was paramount, as crew chief Steve Donovan explains: “The BRITs were very different this year in terms of crew logistics and, in particular, the Covid-19 testing of every individual onsite. Crew were tested every 72 hours minimum throughout the course of the build and show. It was critical to ensure we didn’t have positive tests

Europe - Neutrik UK has announced the appointment of Karl Cowing as its new sales manager. Cowing comes to the position with an extensive 22-year career in engineering, and engineering sales, support and key account management roles within the electronics, automotive, transport, aerospace and defence sectors, including with Formula BMW, Varta, Aerco, Molex and Smiths Interconnect.
His experience includes responsibility for electronic interconnect solutions into strategic aerospace and defence customers, helping them adapt to rapidly changing technology requirements within the radar and electronic warfare sector, and positioning high reliability RF electronic connectivity solutions, including fibre optic technology, to help customers address future bandwidth issues.
Commenting on his appointment, Cowing says, “Over the years I have known of Neutrik connectors as best

France - Modulo Pi has announced the immediate availability of Modulo Kinetic version 4. With this release, the fully integrated media server solution offers a revamped user interface, improved 3D engine, and new extensive capabilities dedicated to virtual productions.
Introduced in 2016, Modulo Kinetic makes a major step forward in its development with a variety of new features and improvements. The Modulo Kinetic Designer offers a revamped user interface with new icons, optimised views, toolbars, timelines, nodal programming editor, and more.
Special attention was paid to the 3D scene viewer to offer users a smooth navigation and polished experience with the software.
Version 4 includes the support of Notch Block, 10-bit Apple ProRes, and 10-bit GoPro Cineform. Modulo Kinetic also supports LUT format, allowing creative filters and real-time colour grading.

USA - Established in 2001, Oaks Christian School (OCS) in Westlake Village has quickly flourished over the past two decades to become one of the most sought-after private middle/high schools in the West Los Angeles area. With a number of the school’s events now being held outdoors on its 25-acre Conejo Valley campus per current health and safety protocols, OCS recently purchased a portable sound reinforcement system that is being piloted via an S21 digital mixing console from DiGiCo.
David Alexander is Oaks Christian School’s technical director as well as the facility manager for the Bedrosian Pavilion, the campus’ 30,000sq.ft multipurpose performing arts centre that opened in 2007. “We have a large-format desk as our mainstage console at the pavilion, but it’s far too big to move quickly and deploy easily as an outdoor desk for mid-size events,” he says. “We n

USA - Ridgeland High School in Jasper County, South Carolina, is an school of about 700 students focused on preparing young adults for successful college and career paths. When faculty at the school decided they needed to modernise and upgrade their gymnasium sound system, local installer, Sound Systems and More recommended LEA Professional amplifiers.
Ronnie Carroll, the lead installation technician at South Systems and More, explained that the Ridgeland High School had a sound system in place that was out of date, limited in its functionality and connectivity, and only half functional. The gymnasium seats a little over 200 and the old system had poor sound quality and coverage and was difficult to use.
"Ridgeland had many issues with their previous sound system, and their top requests for a new system were for excellent system quality, flexibility and usability," sai

South Korea - Daelim Musical, Amate Audio’s long time exclusive distribution partner in South Korea, has been installing Amate Audio line array systems extensively in churches throughout the country. Over the previous 14 months the company has installed Amate Audio systems in more than nine churches.
The largest of these, in the First Presbyterian Church in Wonju city, comprises 16x Nitíd N208 1500 W active, self-powered line array cabinets and two 2500 W N18W sub bass cabinets, flown in L – R strings. A majority of the installations, however, have deployed Amate Audio’s Xcellence series X12CLA ultra-compact constant curvature array.
Since March 2020 Daelim, has designed and installed five sound systems in churches featuring the X12CLA array together with the X18T active sub; with left and right flown strings comprising an X18T sub and four X12CLAs: Seo Won Chur

USA - One of the first companies to invest in Claypaky Mini-Bs, OSA has put its inventory of 48 fixtures to work on a diverse range of projects despite the coronavirus pandemic. OSA provides entertainment technology, event production and systems integration from offices in Chicago, Las Vegas, and Nashville.
“The Mini-B seemed to be the right size, the right brightness and had great zoom capabilities,” vice president of lighting Mark Fetto recalls. “As a wash light Mini-B may be small in stature but it’s large in output.”
Although the coronavirus pandemic slowed production for many businesses, OSA’s development of the Concertata digital engagement platform has enabled a roster of virtual events to take place, a number of them utilising the new Mini-Bs.
A national telecommunications company tapped the fixtures for a trio of corporate events staged live

USA - Costa Mesa-based manufacturer, QSC, will present Mental Health Amplified, a special virtual fundraising event to celebrate the healing power of music. This live, 90-minute musical event, to be held on 27 May from 4pm to 5:30 pm (PST,) will celebrate the magical power of music to transform peoples’ lives and enhance our mental, physical and emotional well-being.
All proceeds support The Priority Centre of Orange County California, whose mission is to deliver life-changing programmes to assist people in crisis by giving them the tools and support necessary to end the generational cycle of trauma- including prevention of child abuse and neglect, through early intervention and mental health services and advocacy.
Headlining the event are three of today’s top up-and-coming artists – singer/songwriter Lee Coulter, R&B artist Cedrice and Latin soul artist Andy

Germany - Last year, GLP presented the new Creative Light 1, a battery operated, completely wireless LED system for maximum flexibility. With 24 individually controllable RGB pixels, the Creative Light 1 offers ‘countless design options and can be installed in no time, thanks to the integrated magnet’. In March 2021, a small GLP team demonstrated this by transforming a dreary motorway underpass into a pulsating dance temple within a few hours.
GLP managing director Udo Künzler had previously discovered the aforementioned tunnel during an evening walk. Immediately he had the idea of equipping the tunnel wall, which proved to be magnetic, with Creative Lights.
Boogie Pimps (Somebody To Love) were tasked with making the project a special audiovisual experience. The duo not only contributed a track (Awesome), but also agreed to perform on site in the tun

Europe - Harman Professional Solutions has introduced the Martin by Harman VDO Atomic Bold Creative LED lighting fixture.
High-lumen output, true tungsten emulation, smart interlocking mechanics and a compact footprint make the VDO Atomic Bold powerfully versatile. Combining an audience blinder, strobe light, creative LED pixel/surface (beam and aura) and stage wash; the VDO Atomic Bold equips lighting designers with a palette of application possibilities.
The fixture retains the same precision interlocking mechanics, same universal cabling and a similar look as its popular sibling, the VDO Atomic Dot, but is much larger with higher, full-colour LED lumen output. In addition to its octagonal-shaped design that offers single light or large array configuration options, the VDO Atomic Bold features control via Martin’s proprietary P3 software and Art-Net, sACN and DMX p

Europe - Robe has launched two new products in its all-weather IP65-rated iSeries - the iPointe65 and the iSpiider – both suitable for exterior work or any damp, misty, steamy or high condensation environments.
The iPointe65 is a bright, high-performance multifunctional luminaire modelled on the company’s best-selling MegaPointe. The new fixture works equally well as a beam, spot, effects and wash, says Robe. Designed, developed, and manufactured to be sealed against water and particle ingress, the iPointe’s aluminium housing also gives a dust-free environment for the optical, gobo and colour systems, eliminating the need for frequent cleaning and maintenance.
Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology enables access setup, diagnostics and other performance-related features directly from a mobile device using the Robe Com app - even when the fixture is not powered

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