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World - Challenging times call for extraordinary responses and for DJ EZ, a man not unfamiliar with marathon sets, what could be better to put smiles on faces than to set up, plug in and play for 24 hours on the spin?
DJ EZ’s response to the current unprecedented worldwide circumstances, was to team up with the My Kind Deed website to lift people’s spirits whilst they observed social distancing and self-isolation due to the Covid-19 pandemic. From 6pm GMT on 28 March through to 6pm GMT on 29 March, DJ EZ streamed a 24-hour set via Boiler Room TV. My Kind Deed is a project that encourages positivity and kindness as a way to promote better mental health and general wellbeing in society.
It wasn’t the first time that this hugely respected DJ has put himsel

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Europe - LED display manufacturer, Absen, has hired Philippe Poppe as its new business development manager for the Benelux region.
Poppe has a strong background in the corporate AV market, having worked at Harman, AMX, and Crestron among others, and will primarily be tasked with helping Absen to build its fixed installation business in the area. In addition, he will work closely with Absen’s local distributors and system integrators (VADs/VAPs) and help develop the company’s regional channel strategy.
Poppe started at Crestron in 2007 and was focussed on the Benelux region as a technical sales manager, before moving away from the tech side of things to work as a sales manager. In 2011, Poppe moved to AMX, which was, in turn, acquired by Harman in 2013.
“At Harman in 2018 I worked internationally in the EMEA region, specialising in the corporate, education,

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Australia - Progressive metal band Tool have just completed the southern-hemisphere leg of their extensive and technically ambitious arena touring schedule, supporting the launch of the album, Fear Inoculum. As they headed to Australia and New Zealand, it was confirmed that the tour’s TiMax SoundHub-driven 3D surround sound system - that started out as something of an experiment - would continue for the rest of the tour as it had ‘become part of the show’.
The system design - a distributed d&b arrangement of main left and right, plus overheads focused vertically down forward and back, rear surround hangs and upper seating ‘front’ channels - is the result of extensive research by the band’s system engineer, Liam Halpin, to realise the suggestion of FOH engineer, Alan Hopkinson, that their audience would love ‘sounds to appear from different places aro
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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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UK - This year’s Buckinghamshire Music Trust (BMT) Battle of the Bands (BOTB) contest for young aspiring musicians saw two leading pro audio manufacturers provide a top tier concert touring spec. By being able to broadcast their sound through a premier touring PA, on a Dante backbone, will have taken the 12 bands competing in the final into new territory.
The two High Wycombe-based manufacturers concerned were Martin Audio and Focusrite Pro, both now under the umbrella of parent company, Focusrite plc.
It was Stephen Button, Focusrite’s EMEA channel marketing executive, who established the relationship with Buckinghamshire Music Trust (BMT) several years ago. It started when he helped them out as a local musician with their monthly event Guitari Lounge, an open mic night created for under-18-year-olds.
BMT evolved from teaching young people ‘traditional’

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USA - Boston is a town with many traditions and one festive custom that Bostonians have enjoyed since 1975 is First Night Boston, New England’s biggest New Year’s Eve celebration. Produced by Conventures, Inc., this past season’s festivities were lit by Port Lighting Systems using Elation weatherproof luminaires. First Night Boston is an event the New Hampshire-based lighting specialists have worked for many years.
As veterans of First Night Boston and other outdoor events, Port Lighting Systems knew the secret to its success would be carefully selecting equipment and crew. “We tapped team members with experience lighting in all weather conditions, and chose a combination of outdoor-rated fixtures, equipment designed to protect fixtures from the elements, and back-up gear should anything fail,” says Port Lighting’s Graham Edmondson, who serve

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Canada/Europe - Montreal-based visual design practice Luz Studio, headed by Matthieu Larivée, created the eye-catching production design at the core of French-Canadian singer and impressionist Véronic DiCaire’s Showgirl tour, which had a very successful launch in Canada in December 2019, then toured arenas in Europe, before the coronavirus pandemic took hold and curtailed all live events.
The Showgirl concept saw the artist delivering material written / performed by around 50 female vocalists - from Dua Lipa to Celine Dion - in their style and voices, backed by six dancers and four musicians.
Matthieu proposed a harmonious and integrated set, lighting and video design which featured Robe moving lights at the centre, with 28 MegaPointes and 12 Spiiders, plus six BMFL Blades and two BMFL Spots being used with a RoboSpot remote follow-spotting system. <

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USA - Behind the Scenes holiday cards have become a tradition in the industry for those who want to spread holiday cheer while supporting their colleagues in need. Proceeds from card sales help provide grants to entertainment technology professionals, or their immediate dependent family members, who are seriously ill or injured.
Each year, designs have been created and donated to the charity by everyone from Tony Award winners to high school students. The design guidelines (btshelp.org/carddesign) are very simple and you can also view previous examples (btshelp.org/cardexamples).
If you are interested in designing a card, Behind the Scenes will need your commitment no later than 24 April and your artwork by 15 M

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UK - Back to the Future The Musical arrived in 2020 at the Manchester Opera House on 20 February. The 1985 movie and pop culture phenomenon has been transported to the stage by the film's original creative team of Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis. Sending audiences on a ride through time with a hit music score, and featuring the famous DeLorean, production manager Simon Marlow, brought Unusual Rigging on board to handle the complex rigging requirements of the show.
Unusual Rigging was contracted to supply all the rigging - both for the load in and the run of the show. Marlow explains: “Unusual's Emily Egleton has been at the helm; we have a great relationship, having worked closely on a number of shows together including Bat out of Hell the Musical and And Juliet. She was tasked with designing all the diversions and the hanging plot for Back to the Future

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UK - SARM Music Bank rehearsal studios in London recently hosted a major series of demos from UK loudspeaker manufacturer, EM Acoustics and Out Board, immersive spatial reinforcement and performer tracking specialists.
In the spotlight was the y Reference Series R10 point source loudspeaker from EM Acoustics - seen for the first time anywhere at ISE 2020 - and the HALO-B medium format line array. Out Board showcased the new HARDCore FGPA processing for the TiMaxSoundHub and the all-new TiMax TrackerD4 precision stagetracking for live performer vocal localisation and multimedia effects control.
Held from 3-5 March, EM Acoustics’ Mike Wheeler deems the event to have been “a huge success” with high attendance figures and, more importantly, positive reactions from the industry.
Renowned sound designer, Sebastian Frost, whose credentials include plays, musicals

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USA - For those missing the comradery and exuberance of a live concert experience, long-time Bandit Lites client Garth Brooks offered some words of encouragement amidst a one-hour Facebook live stream that was so popular, it apparently kept crashing the social media site. Brooks was recently honoured as this year's recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
“Garth stands alone in music at this point,” said Bandit Lites founder and chair, Michael T. Strickland. “Never has anyone been so impactful, yet so giving to the world as a whole. There is never a cause or a moment that Garth does not only rise to the occasion, but he sets the bar. Garth and Trisha provided a free concert for anyone that cared to listen, an incredible move that was 100% them giving of themselves to a public in need of a moment of relief. Thank you Garth and Trisha; we ca

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Europe - As the industry is facing an unprecedented down-time as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, French lighting manufacturer Ayrton wants to help break up the monotony by offering an opportunity for creatives who are self-isolating.
“Let’s channel that creative energy into something positive and fun," says the company. "Show us what you can do by participating in the Ayrton Boredom Buster!”
To get involved, create a show to the song of your choosing using your favourite pre-visualisation software and an ‘Ayrton only’ virtual lighting rig, and submit your video, mailing address and shirt size via email to bb@ayrton.eu with the subject Ayrton Boredom Buster.
In return, you could receive swag and an opportunity to be featured on Ayrton’s social media pages.
Ayrton is also urging people to follow its social media pages for the latest

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USA - Over the next few weeks, ADJ will host a series of live video broadcasts that will provide educational content and in-depth product overviews. Each installment of Stay Connected will have a specific focus and provide an opportunity for lighting and event professionals to upskill from the safety and comfort of their own homes ready for when the covid-19 pandemic is over.
This is the season that ADJ, like many in the industry, would usually be exhibiting at trade shows around the world, demonstrating its latest products to new and prospective customers. In lieu of these industry events, which have all been cancelled or postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, ADJ wants to offer something of the tradeshow experience but in a way that can be accessed safely in these times of social distancing and home working.
ADJ wants to serve the industry by providing fre

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USA - As a way of helping to enhance microphone hygiene in these challenging times, Point Source Audio has added extra windshields into every microphone it sells.
Standard mic packages that had typically included one windshield have been upgraded to six at no additional charge to address stricter hygiene measures brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic with respect to shared equipment.
“While it is always important to keep your microphones clean, this is particularly important now,” reasons Yvonne Ho, VP of sales and marketing at Point Source Audio. “We hope that supplying these extra windshields will be a reminder to users on proper mic cleaning and etiquette now and into the future.”
Point Source Audio has also created a new video dedicated to cleaning microphone systems. The video demonstrates the techniques needed to clean a microphone system using al

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Curaçao - Reaching 56.4m above the crystal blue waters of St. Anna Bay, the Queen Juliana Bridge - the highest such structure in the Caribbean - affords spectacular views of this nation’s capital city, Willamsted and its beaches. On the evening of Sunday, 22 March, it also offered an inspiring view of the future, when it served as the centrepiece of Light The Sky in Curaçao.
Initiated on the island nation by Ian Sillie, the project, which originated in The Netherlands, was built around the theme Let’s Inspire Hope Together. With beams from a collection of Chauvet Professional Maverick and Rogue fixtures cutting through the dark sky, the display served as a reminder to all that the creative spirit that runs through Curaçao will continue to shine brightly long after the coronavirus has faded into history.
Massive Productions was contacted by Sillie

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Europe - With the health and safety of our attendees, membership, exhibitors, and staff being of utmost concern during the global Covid-19 pandemic, and following weeks of discussions with the host Austria Centre Vienna, the Audio Engineering Society has officially cancelled the live, in-person components of the AES Vienna 2020 Convention scheduled for May.
AES leadership, the convention organising committee and headquarters staff members are working to organise the logistics of a virtualisation of the convention technical programme into “an engaging, compelling, educational and productive online experience”.
“Details on the virtual convention, which are being developed to include video presentations of papers, workshops, tutorials, tech tours and other technical programme content along with live- and forum-based dialog with presenters, will be shared as they b

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USA - Pro AV tradeshow InfoComm 2020 has been cancelled as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The event was due to take place on 12-18 June at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.
AVIXA, InfoComm's organiser, says in a statement: "Like many, we had remained optimistic that the show would go on and we continued to monitor recommendations from the local health authorities, the WHO and CDC, but the extreme circumstances of today’s reality have led to a different path forward. While we explored the option to postpone the event until later in the year, this was not realistic given InfoComm’s size and the lack of possible venues. Both the current and likely future environment of economic hardships, travel, spending freezes, and uncertainty with the Covid-19 virus made it clear to us and our partners that not proceeding with InfoComm 2020 was the best decision

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USA - Interactive Technologies has announced the release of its latest software version for all models of its CueServer 2 platform.
CueServer version 4.0 includes over 70 new features and bug fixes and introduces the concept of CueServer plugins, designed to add a new level of customisation to every CueServer.
Additionally, CueServer now speaks Javascript, enabling users to mix and match Javascript code with the traditional CueScript language. CueServer’s multi-lingual feature gives users the ability to create more complicated logic or write a custom plugin.
“With CueServer's new capabilities, we're enabling a next-generation of lighting control projects,” says Rob Johnston, founder and president of Interactive Technologies. “These next-gen projects reach far beyond just DMX. They react to changes in the weather, integrate with multiple media types, and

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UK - A new improved version of DMX-Workshop, the free software application for lighting network management, analysis, configuration and diagnostics, is now available for download.
The latest update includes numerous improvements based on work done at February's PLASA PlugFest in Lille. 
The software offers functionality across many protocols, including Art-Net, sACN, DMX512, RDM, VLC and DALI. Key improvements include the curve editor for Artistic Licence's PLASA Gold Award-winning trailing edge dimmer, sunDial. 
Using DMX-Workshop, users can now define whether they want sunDial to generate a linear or log response. The latter results in a very smooth low end curve - a major benefit for dimmable replacement LED bulbs, which often perform poorly in this range.
In addition, Artistic Licence has put in significant R&D effort into developing custom cu

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Europe - Yamaha Unified Communications has announced that its CS-700 Video Sound Bar is certified for use with Zoom Video Communications, Inc., Zoom Rooms.
The all-in-one video conferencing system passed Zoom's extensive testing process for the audio system, camera and USB interface to ensure it seamlessly integrates with the video conferencing software. The certification verifies that the CS-700 is interoperable with Zoom, making it even easier for users to connect and control the Video Sound Bar while benefitting from the highest quality audio and video.
Designed for huddle rooms, the CS-700 video sound collaboration system delivers the highest quality audio, video and collaboration capabilities in a simple, smart wall-mounted unit that is easy to install and deploy. It features an adaptive beam-forming microphone array, four Yamaha speaker elements and a wide-angle

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USA/Europe - Elation Professional has several new lighting products launching this spring. The weatherproof Proteus range welcomes the Proteus Lucius, a compact and powerful LED profile with IP65 rating that features a 580W hotspot LED engine and over 30,000 delivered lumens to cut through in any environment.
Feature-packed and outfitted with framing shutters, 20 gobos on 3 wheels, animation and CMY + variable CTO colour mixing, Proteus Lucius offers outstanding projection qualities and is the latest step in Elation’s quest to provide “the widest range of IP65 moving heads on the market”.
Elation is introducing two additions to its multi-award-winning Artiste LED moving head series, the Artiste Rembrandt and Artiste Mondrian. The Rembrandt and Mondrian partner alongside the Artiste Monet and feature the same seven-flag SpectraColor colour mixing system (CMYRGB+CT

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UK - Following his India Idol win, the Mewat-born Salman Ali went on to record songs for popular TV programmes and Bollywood films, in addition to cutting his own records. On 15 February, just weeks before the prohibition of live events took effect, he reached another milestone, appearing for his first solo concert in the UK before a sold-out crowd at SSE Arena Wembley.
Providing big bold looks that matched the budding star’s soaring performance, which was produced by Rock On Music, was a sweeping Roosevelt Dsouza lighting design that featured 42 Chauvet Professional moving LED fixtures supplied by Pro System Services.
Filling the air with vividly coloured crossing beam patterns, and accentuating his client’s performance with bursts of white audience lighting, Dsouza endowed the venerable arena with a sense of energy that captured the moment. Balancing the
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