Tahiti - At the end of November last year, thousands of people from across the Polynesian island of Tahiti gathered for the first annual Tiki Fest. Featuring an extensive line-up of performers, the event was headlined by international DJ and producer Diplo. He delivered an epic performance on an impressive stage that featured over 2m pixels of ADJ video wall and 24 of ADJ’s powerful Hydro Beam X2 IP65-rated moving heads.
Tiki Fest 2019 was hosted right by the Pacific ocean at Bel Air in Punaauia. It was organised by Studio 87 Event and Production, a well-established Tahitian company with a reputation for bringing high-profile performers to the island. As one of the biggest events to take place in Tahiti last year, the production for the festival had to be world class and to

USA - With the implementation of high-resolution LED video environments that have become the backbone of such award-winning production designs as Star Wars: The Mandalorian, production houses across the nation have begun to look at applying this type of technology for the benefit of their clients.
Such is the case with PixelFLEX rental network partners Mountain View Staging and Elite Multimedia Productions, who have taken their live and virtual event capabilities into a new realm of possibilities using production designs with LED video.
“We saw how they were using the camera-tracking technology in conjunction with LED video and an Unreal Effects Engine to film the Mandalorian series and we thought this was something we could offer to our corporate clients to make their live events even more exciting,” began Robert Johnson, vice president of operation

UK - My Light Shines On was a large-scale light art installation designed by Kate Bonney and Simon Hayes from Lightworks, commissioned by the Edinburgh International Festival, to mark what would have been the opening weekend of Edinburgh’s 2020 Festival Season.
Celebrating the spirit, energy, vibe and imagination of the Festival - with a multi-disciplinary programme and was cancelled for the first time in seven decades due to the coronavirus pandemic - 14 separate lighting installations around the city highlighted some of the most famous venues of Edinburgh’s festivals in August.
Two hundred and seventeen Robe iPointes were selected by the artists as core components to My Light Shines On.
Four signature sites - Edinburgh Castle, Calton Hill, Bristo Square and Charlotte Square - all featured identical circular iPointe installations, with 36 fix
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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

China - Prolight+Sound Guangzhou (PLSG) 2020 is taking place from 21-24 August at the China Import and Export Fair Complex.
Organisers Messe Frankfurt and the Guangdong International Science and Technology Exhibition Company say they have put all of the necessary safety precautions in place to provide a safe and effective business platform for the industry.
“Participants will be able to reconnect with industry peers and explore sourcing and networking opportunities to help the industry reboot,” say the organisers, “677 exhibitors will utilise 80,000sq.m across eight halls. The fair will also provide enhanced services including online participation to facilitate interactions between buyers and exhibitors. Furthermore, over 40 seminars, forums and product demonstrations will be featured concurrently, highlighting the latest industry knowledge in the entertainment,

Europe - Wireless LED lighting manufacturer Astera has announced four new exclusive distributors for Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden reflecting the dynamics, diversity, and potential of these four key Nordic nations.
In Denmark, Astera will be represented by Light Partner, Finland it is Oy Lafoy, in Norway Prostage takes up the Astera portfolio and in Sweden, Bellalite takes on the distribution.
The move enables customers in each country to deal directly with a trusted and well respected local distributor, all of which have been chosen for their reach into both live show and events plus film and TV markets, in addition to their stellar after-sales service and support infrastructures, says Astera.
“Astera sales to Scandinavia started to take off in 2011,” explained the brand’s sales director Sebastian Bückle. With the volume of business at that time, i

USA - Two world-renowned touring and sound reinforcement companies are joining forces to focus on building industry capabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic pause.
Clair Global has announced the acquisition of Eighth Day Sound Systems with the specific goal of continuing to support the dedicated relationships for touring customers from both rosters.
The Eighth Day Sound brand will be maintained and will conduct business as it has for the last 40 years, under the same management and with the same staff. The company will become a stand-alone brand under the Clair Global umbrella, joining Britannia Row Productions in the UK, JPJ in Australia, and AudioRent Clair AG in Switzerland.
Before the industry slowdown, Tom Arko, president of Eighth Day, and Troy Clair, owner of Clair Global, discussed how this union could further improve and strengthen future tour support.

USA - Inspired by efforts in the UK, mainland Europe and South Africa, the US live events industry is set to host its own #WeMakeEvents ‘Red Alert’ day of action on 1 September.
Using the hashtags #WeMakeEvents #RedAlertRESTART and #ExtendPUA to gain momentum, the move represents a major call to action on Tuesday, 1 September, imploring the US Congress to pass the RESTART Act (S.3814) as quickly as possible, offering economic relief to America’s live events industry, which has been shuttered since March, 2020, putting millions of people out of work. Additionally, the movement is to support ExtendPUA.org in their efforts towards continuation and extension of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance to provide relief to those without work due to COVID-19.
#WeMakeEvents North American director, Brad Nelms comments: "The group has managed to gather incredible support fo

USA - CP Communications has announced the next generation of Mobile Viewpoint’s IQ-Sports Producer (IQ-SP) family of automated live sports production systems.
Powered by AI and supporting a range of outdoor and indoor sports from football to hockey, the updated series brings several key technology enhancements and adds a new entry-level model - IQ-SP Lite - built for customers focused on single-sport productions with one output stream.
Designed to remove the need of an onsite camera crew, IQ-SP makes professional sports production affordable for minor leagues, training camps, universities - and now, with IQ-SP Lite - smaller colleges and high schools previously hindered by budget constraints. CP Communications is the exclusive North American distributor of Mobile Viewpoint solutions.
Mobile Viewpoint developed IQ-Sports Producer to easily capture, stream an

Mexico - Ballerina Elisa Carrillo, principal dancer at the Staatsballett Berlin and 2019 winner of ballet’s top prize, the Prix Benois de la Danse, travelled to her country of origin to present a series of ballet performances called Gala of Stars, Elisa and Friends. The special shows, which took place last year in some of the most renowned venues in Mexico, including the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City, were lit by Rafael Mendoza using Elation Artiste Picasso LED profile luminaires.
Gala of Stars, Elisa and Friends featured performances by renowned figures in classical and contemporary dance from some of the most important ballet companies in the world such as the American Ballet Theatre, the Mariinsky Theatre, the Berlin State Ballet, and the Mikhailovsky Theatre.
Mendoza has served as lighting designer for the Elisa and Friends ballet gala f

USA - Accustomed to lighting and supplying production to large festivals and live music venues, John Garberson was concerned that the smaller livestream production area he put together in his company’s Phoenix warehouse after the COVID-19 outbreak would limit his creative possibilities. He has since learned otherwise.
True, the 18’ by 20’ space doesn’t afford the opportunity to wow crowds with big looks, the way he has done for years at events like the Pot of Gold and West Coast Music Festivals, but lighting livestreams isn’t just about scaling down, it also involves the challenge of reorienting the focus of design.
“This has been like a learning lab experience,” said Garberson, director of Creative BackStage, which produces a new LIVE From Backstage livestream series with Pro Production Services. “At first I thought this would just be limiting,

Germany - With the demand for virtual production space steeply rising, Entertainment Technology Concepts GmbH (ETC-Europe) and MMC Studios organised an informative event to update their clients on the latest available technology and hardware, involved in creating successful virtual film productions or events.
The cooperation partners MMC Studios, LAVAlabs Moving Images and ETC-Europe presented their virtual production showcase on 30-31 July 30 on MMC’s soundstage 32 in Cologne. The virtual production set offers a dynamic backdrop for a variety of productions.
As a full-service event provider, ETC-Europe offers tailored turn-key solutions for trade fairs, film and TV productions, concerts and stage events.
MMC Studios operates the Coloneum in Cologne, Germany, one of Europe’s largest and most advanced TV and film s

USA - Golden Age Hollywood movie mogul Jack L. Warner called it ‘The Castle of Your Dreams’. The Warner Grand Theatre is the last of a series of classic Southern California Art Deco-Moderne cinema palaces from the 1930s designed by architect B. Marcus Priteca and interior designer Anthony Heinsbergen that retains its original contours.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the theatre was renamed the Warner Grand Theatre in the 1980s, and in 1982 was designated as City of Los Angeles Historic Cultural-Monument #251. In 1996, the theatre was purchased by the Department of Cultural Affairs and has continuously operated this venue since that time.
Now, the 1,525-seat historic film house in San Pedro, California hosts classic and art films as well as concerts and other live performances. It’s doing that with very modern sound thanks to newly installed D

UK - Lighting control manufacturer Zero 88 stages a product awareness livestream airing on Monday, 24 August, which will be broadcast from The Congress Theatre, Cwmbran - the nearest local theatre venue to the manufacturing facility.
Usually busy with a lively programme of music and performance shows in the centre of Cwmbran, The Congress has been repurposed to function as a virtual studio during the pandemic and for the immediate future.
The Zero 88 team will be highlighting some of the brand’s newest technologies and product releases during the stream and will be joined by local singer-songwriter Tobias Robertson offering live entertainment.
This presentation will last 30 minutes and embrace all three primary Zero 88 product categories - control, data, and power.
The stream will specifically address the new ZerOS Server, the Splitter 8 and Gateway 4 /

Europe - Sennheiser’s popular live Crew Calls continue with four members from Ed Sheeran’s live touring crew from the world record-breaking Divide Tour
On 8 September at 8pm CET, Sennheiser hosts Andy Egerton and Tim Moore will welcome Chris Marsh (production manager, FOH sound), Mark Friend (tour manager), Matt Jones (lighting director) and Dave White (guitar/Chewie tech). Organisers are urging those wishing to tune in to register early for the live round table with the touring crew behind Ed Sheeran’s.
During the 90-minute Crew Call, Chris Marsh and Mark Friend will discuss production and tour management and speak about the FOH sound, while Matt Jones will give insights into the tour’s lighting design. Guitar fans will be delighted to see David White on board, who designed and built Ed Sheeran’s Chewie looper pedalboard. As always, all panelli

USA - Audio-Technica has announced two limited-edition iterations of its AT2020 Cardioid Condenser Microphone featuring a reflective silver finish: the AT2020V (standard) and the AT2020USB+V (USB model). The visually striking finish is meant not only to celebrate the mic’s clear, natural sound quality, but to mirror the creative force of its user, making these mics suitable for YouTubers, livestreamers and other content creators.
These side-address condensers are equipped with low-mass diaphragms, custom-engineered for extended frequency response and superior transient response. The mics’ cardioid polar pattern reduces pickup of sounds from the sides and rear, improving isolation of desired sound source. All models in the AT2020 mic line - the price/performance standard in side-address studio condenser microphone technology - offer a wide dynamic range and handle high S

UK - AnyBrand is introducing face coverings treated with HeiQ Viroblock technology, a “tested and proven COVID-19 barrier” that counteracts the airborne transmission of the virus.
HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 Swiss technology has been tested to be effective against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) in the laboratory and the ISO-tested 18184, which is added to the fabric during the final stage of the textile manufacturing process.
AnyBrand founder Colin Graham states: “The new every-day problems we face need high tech and sustainable solutions. Partnering with HeiQ allows us to do this with a unique and invaluable edge.
“We don’t have the cure all solution, but we do have a ‘silver bullet’ that could make the all-important difference to minimise the social distancing requirement that has decimated the live events sector.
“We believe our brandable face covering

USA - ADJ has introduced its new range of Encore Profile Pro professional LED-powered ellipsoidal fixtures, complete with a wide selection of lens options.
Designed for theatres and other performance spaces looking to embrace the power-saving and heat-reducing benefits of LED, without compromising on performance or features, two models are available. The Encore Profile Pro WW has a powerful warm white LED engine, while the Encore Profile Pro Color offers full colour mixing from a 6-in-1 LED source.
The Encore Profile Pro WW features a potent 260W warm white LED light source with a color temperature of 3200K. It generates an even field of light, with no hot spot, and boasts a high CRI in excess of 97. When used with a 26° lens, it measures a total light output of 10,000 lumens, while the LED engine has an average lifespan of 50,000 hours.
The Encore Profile Pro C

USA - Meyer Sound has announced the release of MAPP 3D, the most extensive upgrade to its industry-standard system design tool since the original MAPP Online software program was introduced in 2001. MAPP 3D works on both the Mac and Windows platforms, employs local processing (no Internet connection required) and is now available as a free download from the Meyer Sound website.
As the name implies, MAPP 3D provides highly accurate, three-dimensional renderings of predicted sound system performance within detailed, wire-frame venue drawings. Equally important, MAPP 3D now offers complete integration with the Galileo Galaxy Network Platform and Compass control software for a seamless workflow from initial design through on-site tuning. Comprehensive processing parameters for complex systems can be optimized using MAPP 3D predictions, with the resulting processor settings pushe

Croatia - The city of Zadar lies on Croatia’s Dalmatian coast, and is renowned for the Roman and Venetian ruins that characterise its Old Town peninsula. For all its historic architecture, the city could never be accused of living in the past, hosting a vibrant progressive culture centred around its bustling shops, cafés and nightspots.
Located within a refurbished, revitalised old cinema building in the heart of the city sits Guma, a flexible 300-capacity venue that combines traditional hospitality with a lively atmosphere, and describes itself as the ‘living room’ of Zadar’s cultural community. Guma’s attractive interior design is complemented by a selection of urban music which appeals to a discerning crowd who can relax with friends in its comfortable surroundings by day, and hit its dance-floor in the evening.
The Guma team recently took the decision to

Turkey - Turkuvaz Media Group (TMG) is Turkey’s largest private media group operating in television, radio broadcasting as well as news and printed media. When seeking to build a new media centre in Istanbul, TMG turned to TSL Products’ audio monitoring, advanced broadcast control and technical display solutions, across 10 studios and control rooms.
Built with systems integrator Teratek, this project consolidates TMG’s distributed studios into one location to improve efficiency, future-proof its capabilities for 4K broadcasting and create a scalable system that is prepared for the group’s future growth.
TSL’s TallyMan advanced control system is one of the only systems available that offers an expansive protocol library by default, allowing TMG to control many different devices without the need for expansive development or additional cost.
The TallyMan s

Canada - Driving over an hour on the highway, headed northeast from Montreal, motorists find themselves at Parc Bellerive, a secluded, peaceful expanse of green on the banks of the River Richelieu.
Time seems to stand still here. Being far enough away from the big city, the clear and fragrant night sky is free of light pollution. This creates an idyllic setting for star gazing. It also provides a beautiful canvas on which to project colourful and dynamic aerial effects.
This attribute was not lost on Érik Nowosielski-Lamoureux when he was called upon to light a two-hour drive-in concert headlined by Québécois recording stars Les Colocs for Canada Day.
“Saint-Ours is a small city about 100km from Montreal, so the sky over the riverside park was completely dark,” said Nowosielski-Lamoureux. “I used this aspect to create interesting looks in the sky. Beca

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