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UK - It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Alistair Grant, the much-loved UK lighting designer and production electrician, who died peacefully at home on 4 November 2019 after a battle with motor neurone disease.
Born in Dublin and raised in Belfast, Alistair came to London to join the National Youth Theatre, then trained at LAMDA and took his first professional role with Theatre Projects. This marked the start of a remarkable career which involved him in over 200 UK and international productions.
Known to all as Ali Barrel, his inate skill and professionalism was matched by his warmth and generosity. Don Holder remembers him as “a great and immensely loyal friend, a brilliant colleague and sensitive collaborator,” and Jeanne Koenig as “a

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USA - Harman Professional Solutions has launched the Martin ERA Performance Series that includes the 400, 600 and 800 fixtures, along with launching the first outdoor rated moving head, the ERA 500 Hybrid IP. The Martin MAC Allure Wash PC and VDO Atomic Dot fixtures will also have their LDI 2019 debut.
The Martin ERA 400, 600 and 800 Performance fixtures, ERA 500 Hybrid IP outdoor fixture, MAC Allure Profile spot fixture, MAC Allure Wash PC wash fixture and VDO Atomic Dot hybrid lighting and video fixtures offer powerful, versatile and cost-effective solutions for entertainment and rental applications, covering everything from the smallest stages to the largest live productions and events.
“The release of the new Martin ERA, MAC Allure and VDO Atomic Dot fixtures ushers in a new era of versatility, enabling lighting designers to create bigger, bolder and more creati

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USA - Claypaky and Osram have presented the CloudIO, an IoT device which provides technicians with complete diagnostics for Claypaky fixtures.
When the lights run checks after use, the unit collects data on hours of lamp life of each fixture, the conditions of various components in the units and update firmware, simply by connecting to the cloud.
The CloudIO is a compact device (240 x 230 x 93mm / 9.45 x 9.06 x 3.66 inches), equipped with a 7” capacitive touchscreen. It has two in/ out pass-through DMX connections, so it is possible to interface and communicate directly with up to 31 lights in series. This is particularly useful for rental companies, who can connect their lights to the CloudIO when they return from a tour.
The CloudIO is a retrofit system which allows it to be fitted to these Claypaky lights: Axcor series (all), Scenius series (all), Mythos / S
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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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Australia - On Sunday 6 October, the Canberra Raiders squared off against the Sydney Roosters at the NRL Grand Final in front of 82,922 spectators at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium, with millions more watching the broadcast. Impressive numbers - as was the 229 radio microphones active at the ground that Peter Twartz, radio frequency manager for the stadium and the NRL, had to coordinate to work flawlessly with one another.
Wayne Mulder, engineering coordinator for production provider JPJ, made Peter’s job that bit easier by using Shure Axient Digital and PSM1000 IEMs across pre-show entertainers OneRepublic, the choir, MCs, hosts, and national anthem performers. All up, 52 channels of Shure’s premium wireless mic and monitor products kept the show running flawlessly in an extremely hostile RF environment.
“At JPJ, we wouldn’t use anything else but Shure Axient for th

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USA - Garth Brooks wrapped up the 2019 leg of his Stadium Tour with a record-breaking, sold-out show of 85,000 people at The University of Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium. Knoxville is the tenth city this year to welcome the tour following sold-out performances in St. Louis, Glendale, Gainesville, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Denver, Eugene, Boise and Regina.
The concert at Neyland is his second show there since 2003 and comes on the heels of Brooks winning County Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award for the seventh time. Bandit Lites has provided the lighting for Brooks for more than three decades, and the Grammy-award winning artist once again entrusted his massive vision to the Bandit team.
Brooks also gave an impromptu shout out to Bandit Lites during the concert, sharing how he has worked with Bandit “ever since we could afford lights”. He praised t

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USA - As Wheel of Fortune begins shooting its 37th season, the popular game show has been replacing its ageing lights with LED fixtures requiring less power, generating less heat and needing little maintenance. Joining the show’s upgraded rig are Ayrton Khamsin compact LED profiles provided by Sony Set Lighting.
“LEDs have finally caught up to where they’re able to replace a 1200W arc source,” says lighting director and programmer, William McLachlan. “I’ve used Ayrton fixtures on other shows; they’re building interesting lights that are becoming mainline workhorse fixtures.”
It was through McLachlan’s long-time relationship with ACT Lighting, the exclusive distributor of Ayrton fixtures in North America, that he learned about the new Khamsin fixtures. “We wanted to expand the show’s plot with moving key lights, and Khamsin had just come out

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USA - A forest of nearly 100 Astera Titan Tubes were used by lighting designer Nook Schoenfeld to create some high impact lighting effects during a sizzle-reel shoot to get player highlights for NHL ice hockey team Minnesota Wild, who are based in the Excel Centre Arena, St Paul, Minneapolis.
These are shown when the players’ names flash up onscreen before and during a game and are also used to highlight players on televised ads, interstitials and other promotions through a season. These clips are shot during a designated ‘media day’ about two weeks ahead of the season opening each season.
Creative designer Chad Gilmour of the Minnesota Wild worked directly with creatives Mark Hussey and Nook to come up with a new look to produce the footage. Chad brought in DoP Robert Durland who found he needed very little lighting other than four ellipsoidals to shoot through

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Finland - The Rantakylä School Centre in Mikkeli has recently undergone a major audio upgrade with two Allen & Heath SQ digital mixing systems.
With around 700 students, the renovated school centre prides itself on providing the latest cutting-edge technologies. “When our huge renovation project started, it was clear in our minds that our audio system needed to be as accommodating and up-to-date as possible without compromising on an easy and intuitive user interface,” explains Juha Lindbohm, a music teacher at Rantakylä school. “As we have several event locations within the premises, the key requirements for us were: a reliable audio network, wireless control and integration with lighting and video.”
The school turned to Allen & Heath’s Finnish distributor, F-Pro, who recommended two identical systems featuring an SQ-6 equipped with a Dante card a

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South Africa - Music lovers gathered for the RMB Starlight Classics at the Country Club Johannesburg in September to experience a harmonious journey that has become a springtime tradition over the past 20 years. The RMB Starlight Classics is hosted twice annually in Johannesburg and at Vergelegen Wine Estate in Somerset West respectively.
Sam McGrath and Joanne Jaques from Jam Events have managed the production since its inception in 1998, which is one of the crown jewels in the South African event calendar. “RMB Starlight Classics is an amazing product and has grown beyond anything we thought it would,” explains McGrath. “We have reached a point where the technical team is a family.”
Gearhouse South Africa once again provided the dome structure, as well as all lighting requirements. Peter Abrahamse, who has worked on the event since 2005, was appointed as pro

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Poland - Singer-songwriter Dawid Podsiadlo found fame by winning the second series of Poland’s X Factor in 2012, securing himself a recording contract with Sony Music. Following the success of his two Diamond certified albums, Podsiadlo embarked on a stadium tour, where FOH engineer Rafal Smolen relied on SSL L300 consoles, supplied by GMB Pro Sound and Polish distributor Audiotech Commercial.
“The L300 was the best possible choice for this tour,” says Smolen. “I got comfortable working with it, as it quickly became apparent that whatever I did on this console would always sound exceptional.”
One of the Dawid Podsiadlo concerts was held at the National Stadium in Warsaw, which Smolen says was always intended to be a 'one of a kind' show.
“We wanted it to be a real, one-time event that would really amaze people and make them want more. That was

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USA - The Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina, located at the northern tip of Estero Island in the Fort Myers area, has won awards for its amenities and striking beauty. The resort is positioned in a prime location along the Florida shore and boasts premiere beach access, restaurants, a spa and incredible pools.
That said, the location also comes with some expected Floridian challenges, such as a recent hurricane that did damage to the resort’s audio system. But, while many would see this as a problem for the destination, Pink Shell saw it as an opportunity to reimagine its entire soundscape and AV experience for guests. And at the heart of the new system sit a number of Ashly Audio solutions.
“When I showed them the Ashly offerings, and then the price we could install a complete system at with Ashly, they were immediately on board with adding additional features

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Germany - Founded in 1952, the Maxim Gorki Theatre is Berlin's smallest with 440 seats, and regards itself as a contemporary city theatre in a historic setting.
In autumn 2019, the Maxim Gorki Theatre (MGT) adopted a new audio infrastructure. Central to this is a Lawo mc²96 production console as FOH console in the main hall, and a Lawo mc²56 console that serves as a backup and a remote console for the preparation of new projects. The mc²56 is also used as a recording console for the venue’s in-house recording studio.
A Nova73 compact serves as the setup’s central router with five Dallis units available as stageboxes, two of which can be used mobile in combination with the mc²56, or on stage. Further Dallis units are located where most of the inputs and outputs are needed, in the orchestra pit and in the basement (Amp-City). The ‘local inputs and outputs’ a

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South Africa - Robe moving lights were all over the rig designed by Ryan Lombard, H.O.D of show lighting for lighting suppliers Blond Productions, for the latest series of popular Afrikaans language music quiz Noot vir Noot which is broadcast on South Africa’s SABC2 channel.
It’s the longest continually-running TV game show in the country - first broadcast in 1991 and presented for the last 28 years by Johan Stemmet. He finally stepped down in January this year to focus on other projects including producing Noot vir Noot through his company Stemmburg Television. Popular actor and singer Emo Adams was revealed as the fresh new face of the perennially popular show in the latest series.
Ryan himself and Blond Productions, who delivered lighting, audio and LED screen, had already clocked up at least 10 years on the series.
For this series, with al

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UK - Creative technical production experts Hawthorn and AVC Live have been appointed as the preferred technical production partner at Wembley Stadium in London.
As part of the long-term joint partnership agreement, the companies, which are both part of the PSAV International family, will be the preferred technical production suppliers for events across all eight of Wembley Stadium’s event spaces and 160 pitch-facing corporate suites.
With a capacity of 90,000, Wembley is one of the largest stadiums in the UK and offers a flexible set of event spaces.
Michael Simmons, business development manager at Wembley Stadium, comments: “We’re delighted to have AVC Live and Hawthorn onboard as we continue to bolster our offering to event organisers. Wembley Stadium is a venue with a fascinating history and with that in mind, it’s vital that we work with highly knowle

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USA - ADJ’s new Hydro Wash X7 IP-rated moving head wash luminaire has been released to the market, the manufacturer reports.
This versatile 280W LED fixture packs a host of features into a compact housing, making the luminaire suitable for one-off events and concert touring as well as permanent installation in large nightclubs and other entertainment venues.
The latest addition to ADJ’s Hydro Series of IP65-rated professional moving head fixtures, the Hydro Wash X7, harnesses the power of seven 40W Osram 4-in-1 (RGBW) LEDs. Each LED can be controlled independently, which allows for the creation of dazzling ‘eye candy’ visuals through full pixel-mapping. The unit also offers motorised zoom with a wide range of between 6° and 40°. This makes the fixture equally suited to generating large washes of punchy saturated colours as it is to creating narrow solid beams

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USA - As part of the acquisition that was finalised in August 2019, global design and BIM software provider Vectorworks brings ConnectCAD 2020 to market in conjunction with the Vectorworks 2020 Service Pack 2 release. From simple to complex, the ConnectCAD add-on to Vectorworks Spotlight and Designer allows AV system designers to lay out signal flows in an easy-to-read format.
“Since ConnectCAD is built on Vectorworks technology and available as an add-on for Spotlight and Designer, you can take advantage of the flexible and robust design and documentation capabilities that have made Spotlight the entertainment industry standard,” comments Vectorworks CEO, Dr. Biplab Sarkar. “With features like data visualisation and bi-directional worksheets, along with an extensive manufacturer library and a customizable 2D/3D hybrid environment, you have everything you need to desig

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USA - At LDI this year, BroadWeigh will offer ‘a bold new look and new vision for the future’. This comes as the company prepares to give its award-winning Bluetooth system its US trade show debut.
BroadWeigh is collaborating with CassidyRig, one of its US product partners, with Dan Cassidy, founder and CEO responsible for the design and build of the stand - which of course will be monitored with BroadWeigh loadcells.
Speaking ahead of the show, Robert Wilmington-Badcock, MD of Mantracourt says: "BroadWeigh really came about as a result of some clever thinking by one of our employees, who happened to be a part time rigger. He saw the potential for Mantracourt to break into the entertainment technology market with our core wireless technology which, at the time, had just been released and was being rapidly adopted in the under hook industrial market. Little did we r

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USA - Designed in the spirit of the award-winning Sharpy Plus, the Sharpy Plus Aqua luminaire is an IP65-rated moving head fixture designed for outdoor events, touring, permanent installations, cruise ships, and much more. This new fixture maintains the same performance features of its predecessor, the Sharpy Plus luminaire, in a new weather-resistant package; giving you greater flexibility in a single luminaire.
The cooling system has been redesigned and optimised specifically for this new outdoor configuration for the Osram Sirius HRI 330W X8 lamp currently used in the Sharpy Plus fixture. This lamp is a proven performer in its reliability, output, and being consistent in both brightness and colour temperature.
Like the Sharpy Plus, the Sharpy Plus Aqua fixture offers two distinct operating modes - beam or spot. The 3° to 36° zoom covers the entire zoom range linea

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Jamaica - Located in Kingston, Main Event Entertainment Group (MEEG) is a multi-level experience agency. Their technical services department recently acquired a large Martin Audio MLA/MLX multicellular array system.
Solomon Sharpe, CEO at MEEG, comments: “Main Event is a full-blown experiential marketing company that has grown organically; the company operates as small internal business units, thus allowing us to deliver a holistic brand experience to our clients from the root to the fruit. We work with numerous corporate giants in Jamaica and have supported major campaigns and activations from above-the-line advertising to below-the-line marketing strategies.”
Sharpe adds: “Over the years we have produced everything from major festivals to executing multi-level engagements for the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Events) market. Jamaica is positioned a

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UK - Protec supported its client Optimum for the Jaguar Land Rover Long Service Awards at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry on 25-26 October. This event, held over two nights, hosted over 2,400 guests in total celebrating employees who have given 25, 40, and 50 years loyal service to the company.
Protec put together a bespoke audio and video package working alongside Christie Lites for this production servicing a corporate presentation, an awards ceremony, the showcasing of two new vehicles, live entertainment including singers, dancers and theatrical performers, and a gala dinner.
Production manager for Optimum, Tony Butler reports: “Protec have been fantastic on the most recent production for Optimum at the Ricoh Arena. From early planning and budgeting, all the way through the pre-production process and on-site delivery the whole team have supported me superbly. I can

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Slovenia - Over 30 Chroma-Q Inspire XT LED house lights have been installed in the Conservatory of Music and Ballet Ljubljana (KGBL) to provide high quality lighting with minimal noise.
Regarded as being instrumental to the development of the Slovenian music and ballet profession, KGBL’s basic music education, secondary music and ballet education, and higher ballet education programmes have earned it numerous awards and recognition on the international stage.
As part of an upgrade to KGBL’s main performance auditorium, the project brief was to source a multi-purpose fixture that could be used as a high-quality working light for musicians, a show light for performers, and a house light for the overall room.
In addition, the requirement was for a very powerful solution, which could illuminate the large 16m by 16m space using as few fixtures as possible. Howe
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