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UK - Version 2, which specialises in lighting hire specifically for the television industry, has expanded its stock of MDG products with the addition of two ATMe haze generators. “Our clients trust us to specify the right products and we know that MDG produces the best haze for the television market,” says Nick Edwards, managing director of Version 2.
Edwards has 25 years of dedicated television lighting experience, having held technical, commercial and management positions at PRG, Panalux and Aurora, after his training at the flagship training facility in BBC Wood Norton, prior to founding Version 2 in 2016. This experience puts him in a strong position when it comes to choosing the best products for his clients, many of whom have worked with him for years and trust his

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Blossom Time - Music fans in Liverpool are to get the chance to enjoy a near-normal gig as part of a government pilot event. A crowd of 5,000 will see headline act Blossoms without having to social-distance or wear face coverings. But they will only get into the 2 May event by having a negative Covid test.
The outdoor concert at Sefton Park will operate below its capacity of 7,500. Ticket-holders will be required to take a lateral flow test, which can produce a result within 30 minutes, at a local testing centre before entry, the Department for Digital Culture Media and Sport said. Attendees will also be asked to take a test after the concert - and will have to provide contact details to NHS Test and Trace to ensure they can be reached if someone who attended tests positive.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: "We're one step closer to a summer of live events

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Russia - As part of the 17th CPS-2021 International Cinema Production Service Trade Show, Russia’s biggest and most high-tech XR studio facility was opened in a grand ceremony at the AMEDIA production company. The facility is named Pavilion 7.
TDS and Spektr Video initiated the project. The companies fitted the studio facility with the most advanced equipment, including a Pixotope virtual studio, a Mo-Sys camera tracking system, high-resolution LED screens, NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 graphics stations, Xsens and Dynamixyz motion capture and facial animation systems, among others.
Pavilion 7 has all the capabilities and resources to meet the toughest production challenges with VR and AR technologies, such as live virtual studio broadcasting of events and TV shows, in-studio filming of vehicles passing remote locations, in-studio filming of remote acting areas, hosting of
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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

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USA - The Denton Bible Church (DBC) in Dallas, TX recently underwent a large redesign of its audio capabilities and added a new DiGiCo Quantum338 console for both front-of-house and monitor mixing as well as a new DiGiCo SD12 console as its new broadcast audio console. The 3,500-seat sanctuary is tied together on an Optocore Digital Fibre network, at the heart of which is one of Optocore’s new AutoRouters.
The audio network was installed and set up by Digital Resources, who are based close by in Southlake. Lance Eddleman, audio sales manager, implemented the Optocore AutoRouter solution for the church when he was presented with its ease of use and flexibility. Lance worked closely with Optocore North America’s Brandon Coons and Group1 Ltd to ensure the AutoRouter would be a good fit for the church.
The AutoRouter works as a central patch bay and replaces the typi

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USA - SPH Engineering, a multiproduct drone software company, has released a Drone Show software update which allows users to run a drone swarm show with up to 1,000 UVify IFO light show drones. The technology was upgraded in partnership with UVify and is only available with UVify IFO swarm light show drones.
The software was developed from managing from 500 to 1,000 UVify IFO swarm light show drones, with performance being upgraded to improve the ability to control large scale fleets. While scaling a fleet, the software allows preflight checks to guarantee safety during the show based on a dual geofence principle.
“2020 was a turning point in outdoor entertainment history as drone light shows were almost the only activity that could be safely enjoyed by the public from a distance,” says Alexey Dobrovolskiy, CTO at SPH Engineering. “Options varied from small 20-

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UK - Scheduled to open in Summer 2021, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella features a new score by Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Oscar-nominated David Zippel, with a script from Killing Eve’s Emerald Fennell, recently multi-Oscar nominated for Promising Young Woman.
But before Cinderella can go to the ball, the Gillian Lynne Theatre in London’s West End needs to be transformed to host the spectacular production. And, with Cinderella’s fairy godmother currently shielding due to COVID restrictions, Unusual Rigging was called upon to work its magic instead.
Jeremy Featherstone, design engineer, Unusual Rigging explained: “Unusual was brought on board by production manager Paul Hennessy to provide all the rigging for the new show. This involved modifying the flying system that’s already there, adding an additional 60 drop pulleys onto the grid in order to

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UK - When the COVID-19 pandemic forced UK theatres to close in December 2020, the National Theatre’s pantomime, Dick Whittington, at the Olivier Theatre had only previewed four times. The performance on the 15 December was filmed and shared on YouTube over the Christmas holiday period with the National Theatre looking to reach as wide an audience as possible despite the closure.
“It was a stunning production and great fun to work on, but a shame people couldn’t experience that magic first-hand,” says its multiple award-winning lighting designer, Jessica Hung Han Yun. “But at least the streaming made it accessible to more people.”
The Olivier Theatre had already been re-configured in-the-round before the pantomime took place, reducing its capacity to approximately 500. A new temporary lighting rig, designed by lighting designer and NT lighting associa

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Italy - More than 200 years old, the Teatro Donizetti opera house in Bergamo, Italy, recently underwent a comprehensive three-year renovation and restoration project. The work was aimed at upgrading every aspect of the historic venue, from structural and safety considerations to improving the functionality of the building for the benefit of artists, audiences and the in-house staff.
Detailed attention was paid to every aspect of the renovation, which was completed during the venue’s Coronavirus pandemic-enforced closure. A fundamentally important part of any music venue is its audio system and following extensive work on the acoustics of the horseshoe-shaped, three-tiered interior, integrator and specialist in theatre technology Decima 1948 was appointed to install a new system.
Decima has wide experience of handling sensitive projects in heritage settings. As a syst

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Qatar - In the main hall of the Qatar University Sports and Events Complex (QUSEC) a combination of close co-operation and Yamaha and Nexo audio technologies saw systems integrator and installer Techno Q win the award for Best Flexible Space Experience for the project at the 2020 AVIXA AV Experience Awards.
The main hall at QUSEC was designed to host sports like basketball and tennis, as well as exhibitions, banquets, conferences, presentation ceremonies and more. To deliver sound that matches its construction quality, a major, multi-functional Yamaha AFC acoustic conditioning system, using Nexo loudspeakers, is a feature of the design.
One of the main audio challenges for Mohanad Is-Hak, senior projects manager at Techno Q, was that the space would vary in volume between 22,400m3 and 35,900m3, thanks to a 70m x 40m height-adjustable ceiling, which created obvious acou

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Germany - The Staatsschauspiel Dresden joins a long and growing number of high-profile performing arts venues that are investing in Robe’s T1 series of moving lights, a product line tailored to meet the exacting demands of this sector.
The 52 T1s – 20 x T1 Profiles and 32 x T1 Fresnels – were specified by Staatsschauspiel’s head of lighting and video, Andreas Barkleit, after careful consideration.
The Staatsschauspiel Dresden runs two venues – The Schauspielhaus in the old town with 788 seats and the Kleines Haus in the Neustadt area which offers three halls with 400, 150 and 99 capacities respectively plus the Kleines Haus Mitte which can accommodate up to 60 people. The main focus is on theatrical performance, but the vibrant programme – in a standard year – will also feature music, dance, concerts and spoken word performances.
Andreas has been

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USA - For Floridians, one of the perks of living in the perennially warm Sunshine State is that their concert season never needs to end, even during a pandemic, when shows can be taken outside and properly socially distanced year-round.
Dr. Phillips Centre’s Frontyard Festival in Orlando, presented by AdventHealth, is a good example. The festival features more than 350 live performances, films, and other events, staged daily, on the front lawn of the Dr. Phillips Centre for the Performing Arts, with as many as 2,000 guests seated in distanced private boxes spread across the yard.
To ensure that all productions over the festival’s six-month run would be heard loud and clear, local sound reinforcement provider OPAV has been deploying K2 and Kara loudspeaker systems from L-Acoustics.
The performance area, known as the Mainstage at Seneff Arts Plaza, features le

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Germany - Genelec has announced the appointment of Marcel Schechter as senior customer experience specialist, with special focus on the domestic German market.
Based near Stuttgart, Schechter forms part of Genelec’s international marketing and sales team and will be working in close collaboration with business development manager Eric Horstmann and local German distributor Audio Pro, and will be concentrating on strengthening activities in marketing, education and customer support.
Having graduated in Audiovisual Media, Schechter then worked as a studio engineer and lecturer, spending seven years as engineer at Bauer Studios in Ludwigsburg before joining Audio Pro in 2014 as Genelec product specialist. In this role Schechter gained a deep knowledge of the Genelec brand, specialising in assisting customers with loudspeaker selection, installation and room calibration,

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UK - Colleagues, clients and friends have been paying tribute to Ken Watts, the popular tour director who died last week. Acts he worked with include George Michael, Duran Duran, Natalie Imbruglia, Bond, Blues Brothers, Jamiroquai and Duran Duran.
Dennis Gardner, production manager for singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, wrote in a Facebook post: “It is with much sadness, this weekend I received news of the passing of my mentor, my friend, my brother and fearless leader Ken Watts. He was (and will remain) an industry legend and a personal hero of mine. I have learnt and continue to learn from Ken and the way he approached everything he did with heart, a heavy dose of common sense and, as ever, a wonderful sense of humour. Simply put, Ken taught me nearly everything.”
Neg Earth Lights wrote on Facebook: “The shock with which we learnt of the loss of Ken Watts, who pass

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USA - Bose Professional has unveiled the new AMM multipurpose loudspeaker line, comprised of two full-range loudspeakers - the AMM108 and AMM112 and a companion subwoofer, the AMS115.
Featuring a coaxial two-way design, AMM loudspeakers are purpose-built to perform equally well in a variety of applications. They can be deployed as mains, monitors, fills or delays in temporary setups or permanent installations, such as houses of worship, music venues and auditoriums. Designed for peak flexibility, AMM108 and AMM112 loudspeakers can be deployed with a specific role in a system or used in multiple roles within the same system.
Consistent voicing with the existing Bose AM array module line and Bose AMU utility loudspeaker line means system designers and installers can easily mix and match models from all three lines, saving time during system configuration, says the compan

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UK - Green Hippo has expanded its international sales network with two new distribution appointments in Northern Europe.
In Estonia, Green Hippo has appointed Frequency OÜ, a live event specialist offering expertise in video engineering and equipment for live concerts, conferences, expos and more, founded in 2017 by Matt Villis, a video professional with over 15 years’ experience in the event production industry.
“Hippotizer Media Servers provide a great range of products for all aspects of the market,” says Villis. “With events and installations beginning to move again, clients are mindful of their spending. But with Green Hippo’s diverse range, we’re able to offer clients a specific product to match their exact needs, and with expandability when it’s required.”
He adds, “We need media servers that can handle anything, whether it’s project

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UK - Audio-Technica has announced their appointment as distributor for Optimal Audio – Focusrite plc’s new commercial audio brand – in 17 territories across Europe and Africa. The company will assume distribution activities following today’s launch.
Focusrite Group’s seventh brand, Optimal Audio has been in development over the past three years to simplify the often unnecessarily complex world of commercial audio, as Focusrite CEO Tim Carroll explains, “Optimal Audio provides a streamlined product offering working seamlessly together to deliver high quality sound that is easy to install and can be operated by anyone, not just engineers.”
Dom Harter, now managing director for both Martin Audio and Optimal Audio, describes the focus of the brand as “offering a one-stop solution of control, amplification and loudspeakers for small to medium-sized commercia

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USA - “Historically, younger engineers believe that it is impossible to record in a professional studio,” says Music & Arts Production Studio (MAPS) owner Mike Willson, who hopes to change this with his pioneering new business model. Keen to attract engineers and producers who don’t have their own space to develop their craft, MAPS offers autonomous access to the studio, whilst keeping costs down by removing the need for multiple, full-time staff members.
After an induction - which includes a thorough training session on their AudientASP4816 mixing desk - MAPS clients are ready to access the space whenever they like. Mike explains, “All of our clients are freelancers that we’ve developed close relationships with. They just hop on our Producer Dashboard, book the session and let themselves in.
“Luckily, the Audient is so easy to navigate and I always fee

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USA - The town of Clinton, NY is the home of Hamilton College. Precision Audio Services has provided audio engineering services to the college’s Music and Theatre Department for several years, and this spring the company heads up a sound system upgrade in Wellin Hall.
The 700-seat hall has served as the central hub of music education and concerts for the college since its construction in the 1980s. The bare concrete and polished wood walls combined with flown wooden acoustic panels above the audience creates a highly reverberant environment.
However, these properties that make the environment desirable for acoustic performances, also make sound-reinforced events a significant challenge. "With an RT60 of almost 2.5 seconds, achieving a clear mix and vocal delivery is typically a major source of frustration for visiting mix engineers,” says Michael Lawrence from Prec

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Canada - The Jack Singer Concert Hall, the largest venue in Calgary, Alberta’s Arts Commons complex, has installed a new and highly “hybrid” Meyer Sound reinforcement system. It replaces a Meyer Sound system based on the same concept that had contributed to the success of the 2,000-capacity venue for more than 16 years.
Both the new replacement system and the prior system were designed by GerrAudio, Meyer Sound’s Canadian distributor, in consultation with the venue technical staff.
“Meyer Sound and Gerr had worked together back in 2004 on what proved to be a wonderful solution for this venue,” says Brian Beaulieu, associate director, venue operations at Arts Commons. “Everyone was very consultative and worked closely with our team to again come up with the best solution.”
As before, the theatre’s system is anchored by a flown centre cluster, thi

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UK - David Howard appreciated the flowing quality of cellist Jo Quail’s music when he was called upon to light a virtual concert by the London-based artist.
“Jo’s music is truly a joy to bring to life with light,” he said. “The pieces are very strongly connected and rooted to their respective inspiration. This provides a brilliant foundation to draw upon. Using looping and layering techniques, the music itself has a quality and structure that encourage lighting elements to reflect and visualize the sounds Jo produces with her cello. The visual experience builds with the music.”
Featuring six individual compositions taken from a variety of Quail’s discography, the concert took place in an improvised demo space, since the production team did not have access to a livestream studio. Helping Howard create a variety of looks within this space was an extensive c

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Cyprus - On Friday 2 April, World Autism Awareness Day, the Dreaming Hearts livestream event was broadcast from the historic Kourion Ancient Theatre on the island of Cyprus. Organised by local event and production company Sound & Vision by DJ Nick, the hour-long broadcast featured short, high-impact sets from four local DJs performed in front of an epic backdrop.
More than 70 high-tech ADJ lighting and atmospheric fixtures were positioned around the theatre, which has stood on the site for more than 2000 years, creating a juxtaposition between the old and the new.
Based in the city of Limassol, Sound & Vision by DJ Nick has over 30 years of experience in the AV industry, having served customers on Cyprus since 1989. It provides technical production, as well as organisation and entertainment services, for events of all sizes. The company has relied on ADJ
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