UK - The ALD has launched the ALD Awards for Excellence, a scheme aimed at students and recent graduates that replaces the annual Michael Northern Awards.
The ALD says the new format “better reflects” the association’s growing representation and introduces a restructured prize fund, with three categories instead of four.
Rory Beaton, head of the ALD’s Working Group for Awards, comments: “The awards have grown in stature and, like most things, need a firm foundation from which to grow further. With the consolidation of naming and prize structure, The ALD Awards for Excellence have a strong and flexible framework to shape them for the future.”
The awards

USA - Debuting on the Acoustic Sage at Glastonbury, the Maverick MK3 Spot from Chauvet Professional created such an impression on at least one visiting LD that he thought it was a 1700W arc lamp fixture when he first saw it. Such is the brightness of this 820W moving LED fixture with a 51,000-lumen source.
However, the new spot fixture is more than just a potent light cannon. Aside from packing enough punch to rock even the largest arena, the Maverick MK3 Spot is also loaded with features that make it right at home in a variety of applications, from major events to broadcast projects, says the company.
“We designed this tool to be as versatile as it is powerful,” says Albert Chauvet, CEO of Chauvet. “Our goal in developing this product was to create an extremely bright and intense fixture that was also flexible enough to meet multiple needs for designers and ren

Europe - Belgian audio manufacturer Audac has introduced MK2 versions of the popular ATEO4 and ATEO6 wall mount installation loudspeakers. Externally the product retains the same design that has made it so popular with designers, architects and installers including the CleverMount bracket system, however a number of internal improvements have been made. The most significant upgrade is a new crossover which delivers an ultra-flat frequency response for exceptional audio fidelity.
The ATEO range has also been expanded with the addition of 16 Ohm versions of the ATEO4 and ATEO6 without the integral 100V transformer found on the standard 8 Ohm model. These “D” versions of the ATEO loudspeakers offer an even more cost-effective solution for integrators working on small installations where a 100V system is undesirable or not required, allowing up to four speakers to be connect
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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

UAE - The Protec Group’s Dubai branch has started investing in Robe moving lights, including BMFLs, Pointes, MegaPointes, Spikies and RoboSpot systems.
The purchases have been spearheaded by Protec’s head of lighting, Aaron Russ.
The company delivers full technical production solutions across entertainment, leisure and commercial sectors - from corporate presentations to music festivals - throughout the UAE, Middle East and UK / Europe.
Russ explains that it was a case of the right product at the right time with Robe. Obviously, they had other moving lights in stock up until this point, but the first batch of 96 Pointes were sourced to replace a competitor beam light product, together with 48 Spikies on the same order.
Then in 2018, for opening ceremony of the Qiddiya Theme Park in Riyadh, KSA with a design by US-based LD John Featherstone of Lightswitc

USA - Summer may be winding down but Bandit Lites production schedule is still packed with tours, festivals and events. Due to the immense demand, the global lighting company has made another sizeable investment in Claypaky gear including the new Scenius Unico and Mythos 2 from ACT.
The Claypaky Scenius Unico can be utilised as both a spotlight for projecting effects and a wash light and features six rotating gobos, a rotating prism and an animation wheel. It also shoots a powerful narrow beam of hyper concentrated light. Bandit Lites supplied Scenius Unico fixtures for Nick Whitehouse’s design for Carrie Underwood’s Cry Pretty Tour 360.
“The Claypaky Unico offers designers a complete array of parameters from a high output spot fixture,” says Jake Tickle, Bandit Lites director of technology and service department. “It is truly a workhorse.”
Bandit

USA - Matthieu Larivée with Lüz Studio in Montréal serves as production and lighting designer on the current tour of American rock band The Raconteurs and uses Upstaging-supplied Elation DARTZ 360 LED moving heads to complement the group’s guitar-driven sound. Formed in 2006 by Jack White of The White Stripes and Brendan Benson, The Raconteurs recently emerged from a 10-year hiatus with launch of a new album Help Us Stranger.
White, known as a dedicated yet somewhat unconventional artist, is widely credited as one of the key players in the garage rock revival of the 2000s. “He is completely focused on the music and performance and wants to keep the audience very focused as well,” explains Larivée, who also worked on Jack White’s most recent solo tour. “He wants to make sure the audience is getting a good experience so there are no cell phones allowed dur

USA - In the two short years since he released his debut album, This One’s for You, Luke Combs has soared in popularity. Recently honoured as the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry, the North Carolina native is now taking a breather between the first and second North American legs of his Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour, which is being reinforced via Special Event Services’ (SES) L-Acoustics K1/K2 loudspeaker rig.
The first stretch of Combs’ arena headlining trek initially ran from March through July and quickly sold out every venue, prompting the musician to add a 29-date fall leg running from late September through early December.
“When putting together my production budgets for the 2019 tour, Michael Brammer from SES and I discussed the PA options in their inventory,” notes production manager Jerry Slone. “When I found out that K1/K2 would fit wit

USA - Passaic County Technical Institute is a large vocational, public high school that serves over 3,300 students in northern New Jersey. Its sizable campus is well-appointed, and its programmes are well-supported. Two full-time professional sound technicians number among its staff and oversee operations in its performing arts department and at its sporting events. Until recently however, the PCTI Bulldogs football team played for 1,500-plus crowds using only a portable sound reinforcement system that was underpowered and frequently unintelligible.
JD Sound and Video of Voorhees, New Jersey, remedied that for the Bulldogs’ most recent season with the installation of Danley OS80 loudspeakers and OS115 subwoofers. Because they’re designed and built to be fully weatherised, the Danley OS-Series boxes will serve PCTI for a long time.
“The Passaic football stadium ha

Costa Rica - Obsidian Control Systems has appointed Luces y Sistemas as its exclusive distributor in Costa Rica. Under the terms of the agreement, Luces y Sistemas will provide full support for the entire Obsidian line of hardware and software lighting control solutions.
To introduce the brand to its customers, the San Jose-based company is holding a two-day Onyx training event on 20-21 August at its facility in Tibas, providing a basic and advanced look at hardware and software. Those interested in attending should contact info@lucesysistemas.com for more information.
“Our goal is to provide our regional market with a diverse range of popular control and programming products under the DMX protocol, a project that we have been working on for years,” comments Luis Ricardo Sanchéz, president of Luces y Sistemas. “The decision to support our clients by di

UK - Theatres Trust, the national advisory public body for theatres, has confirmed programme details of its 2019 conference - Centre Stage - artist and audience at the heart of theatres to be held on Tuesday, 15 October at the Battersea Arts Centre in London.
Conference 19: Centre Stage will look at theatres from the perspective of the people they are there to serve. It will ask how to ensure that the needs of artists and audiences sits at the centre of theatre buildings.
Plenary speakers include celebrated sociologist and urbanist Professor Richard Sennett, who chairs Theatrum Mundi, a network of artists, critics and scholars who explore the relations between stage and street, Rebecca Holt, Battersea Arts Centre and the architect who worked on its recent restoration, Martin Lydon, Haworth Tompkins. David Micklem, 64 Million Artists, Hannah Fox, Derby Museums an

Lithuania - The Sakiai Culture House is an institution dedicated to preserving the rich and unique heritage of Lithuania.
Located in the southwestern region of the country, Sakiai Culture House pays homage to the revolving tapestry of Lithuanian music and theatrical productions, which have helped earn the country recognition by UNESCO as an “Intangible Heritage of Humanity”. Bringing this tradition to life is a new lighting system designed and installed by Scenos Techninis Servisas (STS) of Vilnius, Lithuania, that features a collection of Chauvet Professional LED fixtures.
Installed as part of a comprehensive renovation of the 60 year-old building, the new system features six Ovation E-260WW ellipsoidal fixtures, four Ovation B-195FC batten units, 10 Maverick MK2 Spots and 15 Maverick MK2 Washes. In addition to delivering even key lighting, the new system opens u

USA - When Treasure Island casino on Las Vegas Strip decided a renovation would include a new sports bar, The Golden Circle, the casino knew it couldn’t be subtle if it wanted to stand out.
To shake things up and create a space for watching the city’s new, popular NHL team the Golden Knights, NanoLumens was contracted to design and deliver an ultra-wide 24ft by 5ft, 1.8mm pixel pitch LED videowall that is now the centrepiece of the all-new sports bar.
According to Shane Snell of National Technology Associates (NTA), the firm that installed the bar’s technology infrastructure, the NanoLumens fine pitch LED display was the best choice for a number of reasons.
“One of the most important factors of any casino technology installation is longevity,” Snell says. “For the most part, owners try to keep infrastructure relevant for as long as possible, only re

UK - Hey Tracey! is a new quiz show for ITV2, hosted by Joel Dommett, where celebrities play to win cash for members of the public with some unpredictable consequences. The show needed vibrant lighting covering the full colour spectrum to “really emphasize the changing mood”, and lighting designer Roger Williams chose LEDJ Pixel Storm 12 Quad MKII battens for the job.
The Pixel Storm 12 battens from LEDJ have a 3000Hz refresh rate, valuable for studios and TV applications where flicker-free operation is essential. The fixtures are also versatile with end and central brackets for multiple rigging or floor standing applications. They also come supplied with an eyebrow to reduce glare and hide the LEDs when uplighting.
Roger Williams, lighting designer for the show, says: “I was asked to light a new ITV2 show called Hey Tracey!, filmed at BT sport stu

South Africa - Joburg Theatre’s longstanding technical crew, headed by Enos Ramoroko, have taken delivery of new equipment to complement their busy theatre situated on Braamfontein Hill.
DWR Distribution delivered 20 Vari-Lite VL2600 Spots and four Robert Juliat Cyrano followspots to be used in the Mandela Theatre, while the audio in the Lesedi Theatre has been upgraded to an L-Acoustics ARCS Wide and Focus (WiFo) system.
“The Vari-Lite VL 2600 Spots met our needs for an LED spot,” says Enos Ramoroko, head of technical at Joburg Theatre. “The full blade shutters will be very useful for theatre applications.”
The crew are planning to use the new fixtures on productions like Sarafina, and this year’s annual pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk.
“The Mandela Theatre’s followspots, which have probably stood the test of time for aro

Italy - Prase Media Technologies is one of the leading Italian AV distributors for audio, video, digital signal processing and professional control systems. Davide Buonasorte, Prase’s sales manager of the rental, retail and broadcast division, has overseen progress at the company, which has recently been rewarded for its hard work with the recruitment of two fast-growing companies, Franz AVL Rent and Tecnostruttura; both now utilise Clair Brothers products at their high-level events.
For more than 10 years, Franz AVL Rent, based in Senigallia, has been dedicated to servicing the touring industry, concentrating its scope on the central and northern areas of the country. The need to reach ever higher led them directly to a new monitor system from Clair Brothers - the road-tested 1AM stage monitors. Sixteen C12-M enclosures with 90º horizontal dispersion and 12 CS218-M subwo

Denmark - No-frills Norwegian-owned supermarket chain Rema 1000 celebrated its 25th anniversary of trading in Denmark with a massive conference and party for nearly 9,000 staff, staged at the Jyske Bank Boxen arena in Herning.
The challenge of lighting this was down to Sune Verdier, well-known for his creative flare in concert touring and theatre. He utilised 124 Robe moving lights at the core of his production design, which had to cover a full seated conference session in the afternoon followed by a full-on dance party and concert in the evening.
A star-studded line-up featured some of Denmark’s most popular artists - rockers Nephew, dance-pop band Infernal, post-punk phenomenon Minds of 99, rap group Benal and DJs Martin Jensen and house guru Kato.
The evening’s action kicked off with a hi-energy DJ set by Rema 1000 CEO Ole Robert Reitan and after a brief

Australia - Titan Fitness is an independently owned fitness studio in Coogee, a coastal suburb of NSW, Australia.
The fully-equipped four-floor facility has been open since 2009, and its Spin Studio has recently seen the installation of 24 Astera AX1 Pixel Tubes in a new LED lighting installation. These were supplied to installers Aeromic by Astera’s Australian distributor, ULA Group.
Aeromic has been supplying and manufacturing audio and AV products to the fitness and professional health industries since 1994, and Titan Fitness has been a client for some time, explained Andrew Zarounas, Aeromic’s director and co-owner.
He and Titan Fitness CEO Mets Analin share a passion for the industry and a flair for being innovative, different and pushing the envelope.
Mets approached Andrew about the potential lighting installation, wanting to ensure that Titan Fi

USA - With five floors and four stages, Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk and Rock ’n’ Roll Steakhouse is the largest and most advanced entertainment venue on Nashville’s always-crowded Broadway.
Thanks to a comprehensive audio installation from QSC, the sound from multiple live acts on different floors is audiophile-grade. “The entire venue holds about 2,000 guests, with up to 600 in the main room and mezzanine,” says lead sound engineer Josh Hastick. “During busy seasons, all four stages are going at once, and we host as many as 16 bands, each with a four-hour set, in a business day.” That kind of turnover requires equal measures of flexibility and predictability from a P.A. system, which Hastick says that “QSC delivers in spades”.
The stage in their main room is flanked by three KLA12 active line array cabinets per side, complemented by four KW181 ac

UK - Lighting designer Matt Tyler used Prolights LED fixtures to provide lighting for space-age performances by Orbital, Public Service Broadcasting and The Radiophonic Workshop at Apollo 50, a one-off event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Moon Landing.
Held at Cornwall’s Goonhilly Earth Station to celebrate the technological accomplishment of the Arthur satellite dish, which in 1969 beamed the moon landing footage live to 200m people in Europe, the anniversary was marked with a day of music, science, art and culture.
For the evening’s triple-bill concert, Matt drew upon the technological advancements of Prolights’ LED fixtures to deliver spectacular lighting to bring the artists’ space-age themes and sampled astronaut voice recordings to life. Matt utilised his own stock of Prolights Luma700, Diamond19 and Studiocobfc PARs to create the dynamic

Switzerland - Ayrton has appointed menzi ebz of Horgen to its international distributor network.
From 15 September, menzi ebz will exclusively distribute and support the full Ayrton range of LED lighting fixtures across all three language areas of Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein. Clients can still contact Ayrton’s current distributor, cast Switzerland AG, until the end of 2019.
To introduce the French lighting brand to its customers, menzi ebz is holding an open day at its head offices on Tuesday, 17 September, with members of the Ayrton team also attending.
Marco Menzi, CEO of menzi ebz, comments: “We aim to have the industry’s leading brands in our portfolio and pride ourselves on working closely with our customers with a focus on service and support. For this reason, we consider the partnership with Ayrton a perfect match. Ayrton is a

Europe - With his Lederhosen and accordion, Austria’s Andreas Gabalier sold out all eight stadiums on his summer tour of Germany celebrating 10 years of his Volks-Rock’n’Roll music. While the audience energy was high, actual energy consumption was lower, due to the High End Systems LED fixtures.
Lighting design team Michael Mayler and Andreas Fink collaborated to create a design that fits the requirements for a huge stadium tour, but simplified for the tight time schedule for building and setup. Part of the plan was to reduce their power needs without sacrificing powerful production looks.
The two turned to High End Systems’ product line and chose 38 SolaHyBeam 2000s, 36 SolaFrame 1500s and 32 Shapeshifters to fit their lighting needs. “When the LED fixtures are off, they are off, not like with discharge lamps which are still drawing power,” Mayler notes.

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