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USA - For rock or pop shows with large, exalted audiences, it is common for engineers to face the challenge of audience leakage. For Eddie ‘El Brujo’ Caipo, monitor engineer for Gwen Stefani’s Just a Girl residency at Planet Hollywood’s Zappos Theatre in Las Vegas, that’s not the case.
Recognising the importance of delivering pristine sound in every performance of the popular show, Caipo employed DPA Microphones’ d:facto 4018V Vocal Microphone to deliver clear, natural sound.
“Throughout her 20-year career, Gwen has tried many microphone brands and she has definitely noticed a difference with DPA,” he says. “She has told me that she can hear herself more clearly on her in-ears, and this allows me to keep her volume lower and protect her hearing.

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UK - In the late 1980s, the Theatre Royal Windsor underwent a minor refurbishment in which Stage Electrics provided new production lighting panels, moved and refurbished the existing dimmers, ensuring the theatre was operating in line with health and safety standards of the time. Nearly 30 years later, the company has returned to the theatre to upgrade their mains supply and 50 year-old dimmers.
“After a long period of service, the theatre’s dimmers were finally coming to the end of their lives,” explains Saul Eagles, business development manager at Stage Electrics. “With some of the dimmers being nearly 50 years old, the theatre contacted us to discuss their options for replacement.
“As the theatre is dependent on ticket sales to operate, the option of an extended dark period was unfeasible,” Eagles adds. “The project needed to be completed rapidly, wi

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UK - HK Audio’s Linear series of loudspeakers have been specified as part of the sound system at Nightrain, a new live music venue in Bradford.
Founded by Bradford trio Chris Dove, Andy Kettle and Keith Tempest, the club transformed the former Yates and Arena sports bar on Queensgate into a 400 capacity venue that plugs the gap between smaller venues and larger ones, such as St George’s Hall. Nightrain, named after a Guns N’ Roses song, is set to host a diverse selection of live acts every week-end and select weekdays, welcoming local as well as touring acts. The venue is also open throughout the day as a bar and games room.
Mike Smith and Brian Glover of Sound Alliance were commissioned to design and install an in-house sound and lighting system capable of satisfying the most demanding acts.
Having themselves relied on a variety of solutions from German ma
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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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South Africa - Johannesburg rental company MGG supplied the full technical production package for the Africa Play Conference.
Hosted at The Maslow Time Square hotel in Pretoria earlier this year, the conference is a partnership between the Lego Foundation, the Department of Basic Education of the Republic of South Africa, UNICEF South Africa and the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA).
Four hundred delegates from around the globe, including educators, policy-makers and researchers, joined together to share insights and come up with ideas to help equip children in Africa to become creative and life-long learners. The emphasis was to explore learning through play and how this could improve the quality of early childhood development and become an integral part of the education system.
“To add an element of fun, MGG was asked to include L

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France - Continuing a run of successful festivals as the house consoles of choice, Allen & Heath’s dLive and SQ digital mixing systems headed to Festival Musilac in Aix-les-Bains to provide audio support across FOH, monitors and comms.
Charged with supplying audio for the entire festival, rental company Dushow worked with Allen & Heath’s French distributor, Algam Entreprises, to provide dLive as a house console option on two stages. The dLive systems supplied included S7000 and S5000 surfaces, paired with DM64 MixRacks and fitted with fibreACE cards for optical links with the stage.
Bruno Dabard (application engineer at Algam) comments: “dLive is becoming more and more popular amongst the engineering community in France - it has an extraordinary balance between high-quality sound and powerful tools, all in a reliable package. It’s more than just a cons

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The Netherlands - In late May and early June, Dutch star Marco Borsato became the first artist to play five sold-out stadium shows at De Kuip, home of Feyenoord Rotterdam football club. A Yamaha Rivage PM7 digital mixing system helped ensure that the performer, his band and an array of guest vocalists gave a quarter of a million fans an unforgettable experience.
Borsato has consistently been one of the Netherlands biggest and most successful singers since winning Dutch TV talent contest Soundmixshow nearly 30 years ago. Playing to 50,000 people at each show, the four evening and one afternoon concerts ensured that fans of all ages were able to enjoy a huge and spectacular stadium production. It included an 80m wide stage set, pyrotechnics and a 1000sq.m. LED video screen, the largest ever used on a Dutch live show. The singer himself said: “It doesn’t get any bett

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France - On 14 July 1789, troops stormed the Bastille in Paris during the French Revolution. Just one year later, the first Fête de la Fédération was held to celebrate the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in France, following the inspiration of a French textile worker, who presented his design for a festival celebrating the Bastille’s storming.
Now formally La Fête Nationale, the tradition continues each year with parades, music and firework displays. More recently, Lawo has become an integral part of the celebration.
Central to the Paris celebration is the Concert de Paris, held at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. It is one of the largest classical music events held anywhere in the world and is followed by a spectacular fireworks display, attracting thousands of live spectators.
The concert is broadcast on France Inter, on France 2, and to 3.13 mill

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UK - A group of industry colleagues are set to cycle 100 miles across the UK to Olympia London on 14th September (Saturday) to raise money for the entertainment industry charities Backup and StageHand.
Organised by PLASA and the Production Services Association (PSA), the initiative follows on from the success of last year’s bike ride, when industry representatives rode from Chippenham in Wiltshire to London Olympia on the Saturday before the PLASA Show.
This year's challenge will follow a similar route, starting at Chippenham's Premier Inn and finishing at Olympia. Those interested in taking part should contact PLASA's Nicola Rye (nicola.rye@plasa.org).
Peter Heath, PLASA MD, comments: “Th

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Cultural Affairs - Nicky Morgan has been appointed culture secretary by new prime minister, Boris Johnson. She replaces Jeremy Wright in the role, which he had held since July 2018. Morgan, who is MP for Loughborough, said her appointment to the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport was “an enormous privilege” and described it as a “fabulous role”.
She said: “DCMS’s dynamic and much-loved sectors are at the heart of what makes the UK a great place to live, work and do business. They are our global calling card, encouraging investment, driving innovation and making the UK a country people around the world want to visit. I will be working hard to make sure the future for our world-leading sectors is a bright one.”
Morgan campaigned to remain in the European Union before the 2016 referendum and is a staunch opponent of leaving the EU without a deal

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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.
Tyler utilised his own stock of Prolights Luma 700s, Diamond 19s and StudioCOB FC PARs to create the dynamic looks. “I needed to use quality fixtures that could truly do justice to this iconic event,” he explains.
Millstone Sound provided lighting and sound production, whilst Tyler purchased the Prolights fixtures from exclusive UK distributor, A.C. Entertainment Technologies.
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 mark

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USA - With most music festivals these days being multi-stage productions, sound reinforcement providers have become remarkably adept in speedily switching over backline setups and minimizing downtime between artists’ sets. But Wilkesboro, North Carolina’s annual Merlefest, reinforced by Greensboro-based SE Systems, was able to take that transition speed to a new level this year thanks, in part, to DiGiCo mixing consoles and the manufacturer’s new 4REA4 networked audio solution.
Established in 1988 in memory of Eddie Merle Watson, the son of bluegrass icon Doc Watson, as a fundraiser for Wilkes Community College, the festival has pushed the boundaries of what Watson called “traditional-plus” music to feature acts as diverse as Elvis Costello, the Doobie Brothers, and Zac Brown Band.
SE Systems has been the sound provider from the beginning, and the systems ha

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USA - Based in the foothills of Colorado’s Pike’s Peak, Charis Bible College is the main Woodland Park campus of a Christian school that has more than 70 extension and satellite locations around the globe. Founded in 1994 by Andrew Wommack Ministries, the college’s latest major development is the completion of the Auditorium, a new 3,200-seat worship, performance, and teaching space that now serves as the heart of the picturesque campus and will soon host Charis’ 25th anniversary festivities this September.
For the design and installation of the 150,000sq.ft auditorium’s audio, video, and lighting systems, Charis once again turned to Franktown, Colorado-based HOW systems integrator AcousTech, which installed three KLANG:vier immersive IEM mixing systems as part of the project.
According to Roland Dutzmann, AcousTech’s president and founder, he had planned t

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South Africa - Puleng Maponyane, the director of Ventso Productions, has recently purchased a DiGiCo S21 and D Rack from DWR Distribution.
The purchase was followed up with one-on-one training presented by Kyle Robson from DWR. “The training not only strengthened my knowledge, but Kyle showed me some advanced options that have really solidified my investment in the console,” says Maponyane. “I have admired Kyle’s work for many years now and having him teach me some of the more specialised actions has been really cool, he really knows his stuff.”
“Puleng’s work ethic and attitude is amazing,” adds Robson. “He is a talented young man and came in wanting to know more. The S21 is a perfect match for Ventso Productions, and with this kind of passion, we can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
(Jim Evans)

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Poland - Audio rental operation Target Sound has expanded its inventory with a major investment in Outline products, including GTO, C-12, Mantas 28, Superfly, X8 amplifiers and the Newton FPGA processor.
Based in the southern Polish city of Chorzów, Target Sound is one of Poland’s largest full-service production companies, providing lighting, staging, multimedia and audio for a variety of events including conferences, live music, festivals and TV.
The company is also an L-Acoustics K1 partner and owns a complete inventory of L-Acoustics products.
Target Sound’s owner Adam Guzdek describes his reasons for adding Outline: “We chose to make a large investment in Outline products for several reasons. Their systems are characterised by incredible precision in reproducing sound, with unprecedented SPL - the musicality of each of their products is overwhelming, a

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USA - Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania has completed the first phase of upgrading its park-wide audio systems. Located in the bottom of an abundantly green valley formed by two converging streams that flow through the very heart of the park, Knoebels is America’s largest free-admission amusement park, with over 60 rides, award winning food, swimming in its 900,000 gallon Crystal Pool, games, and gift shops. Visitors can also enjoy golf at Knoebels’ Three Ponds Golf Course.
Drew Kanaskie, Knoebels’ audio technician, was in charge of the project from conception to implementation, with design assistance provided by Moyer Electronics of Pottsville, PA. Kanaskie explains: “The audio upgrade is planned for completion over several years of off-season projects. The first phase of the upgrade was to replace our aging 70-volt system, with a new system that

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USA - Broadweigh Bluetooth has been put to the test for the first time at the New York International Auto Show.
Broadweigh’s US product partner Paradigm Rigging supplied the kit to Hang Ten Rigging, who were hired by brand experience agency, Imagination Group, to oversee the rigging component of the build of the Ford booth, complete with lighting, video and scenic truss.
As the exhibit booths at these motor shows compete to be ever more impressive, the designs become more and more challenging. Michael Sorowka, managing director of Paradigm Rigging is no stranger to these events. He explains: "Not only do the auto shows put the riggers to the test, but increasingly, the kit they use in order to build impressive, safe displays is also being required to do more.
“Load cells have become an absolute must, at times, in this industry - whether that's because of wei

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Belgium - In the heart of Brussels, private members’ bar Impérial oozes with charm and the underground cool of a turn of the last century speakeasy. The vintage atmosphere and jazzy vibe that draws guests in, however, integrates a full, leading edge, AV solution with TiMax SoundHub and dcontrol central to the immersive environment, realised from concept by design and installation integrator, FACE Projects.
The vision of Carl de Moncharline, owner and manager of several successful Brussels venues was for an ‘immersive environment creating spherical sound experiences’, as well as a stylish lighting system in keeping with the historical façade and vintage ambience of the venue, that was versatile enough for live jazz concerts, a DJ clubbing experience, or even as a cocktail bar. The challenge to create this in a low-ceiling and small, 300sq.m space fell to long term and

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UK - The summer classical concert season is in full swing at a range of heritage sites across Britain. The Proms in the Castle in the grounds of Pontefract Castle, West Yorkshire was an evening of music with the West Yorkshire Symphony that took place at the end of June and was witnessed by a capacity crowd of 2,000 people.
Local full-service production company, Sound & Light UK, put an EM Acoustics HALO-A large format line array system through its paces for the first time on a live outdoor event.
SLUK has been looking after the event since 2015 with an active system that required covered PA towers to protect the internal electronics. The client was extremely nervous about changing the system which, according to SLUK’s Chris Bottomley, had always done the job well enough, but as he pointed out, the opportunity to put HALO-A on the event was too good to miss.

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UK - The beautiful surroundings of the Royal Botanic Gardens in south-west London, better known as Kew Gardens, provided the location for the facility’s annual six-day music festival Kew The Music.
Now a consolidated part of London’s summer festival tapestry, and with the world’s biggest Victorian glasshouse as the imposing backdrop, it is the quintessential summer event. For the past five years rental company, Capital Sound, and its loudspeaker partner, Martin Audio, have enjoyed a growing presence on the site.
Working with promoter, Stuart Galbraith from Kilimanjaro Live, and production manager, LarMac Live director Ian Greenway, Capital Sound again fielded Martin Audio’s MLA for audiences of 8,000 who arrived to see headliners, including Lewis Capaldi, Rick Astley, Garbage, Craig David and Billy Ocean.
To provide balanced audio coverage, Capital had t

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UK - The stars came out in force to celebrate the career of the late Dame Gillian Lynne, with Unusual Rigging brought on board to rig the event at the newly named Gillian Lynne Theatre in London's West End.
The evening also saw the launch of the Dame Gillian Lynne and Peter Land Foundation, set up to help young performers, with Jerry Donaldson, technical director at Cameron Mackintosh providing his experience and expertise to manage the production.
Lean Two Productions, the producer behind the event, comments in a statement: "It was Jerry who brought Unusual in to work on this project which made complete sense as they are not only the very best at what they do, but had themselves worked with Gillie on shows for many years."
Scenically, the show was kept very simple with a small band onstage and a 'moon' which had been designed and built for the re-naming of the

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Denmark - In lighting Musicalteatret’s Jack the Ripper musical at Copenhagen’s intimate Folketeatret, lighting designer Mikkel Bedsted faced some major lighting challenges. He found his solutions in the new VL2600 Profile LED stage luminaire from Vari-Lite.
Bedsted’s main challenge was the venue’s limited weight loading. With the small theatre’s fly bars able to support only around 125kg, it became essential that his lighting fixtures were lightweight and compact in size. Versatility was also a crucial factor, as the more functions a single fixture could fulfil, the fewer units would be needed overall. Next, as the show’s designer, operator and sole lighting technician, Bedsted required maximum reliability. And, of course, he needed quality performance - including high output, excellent optics and advanced theatre lighting features.
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