South Africa - With the breath-taking eastern foot of Table Mountain as a backdrop, British indie rockers James performed at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens. The full technical was supplied by Audio Engineering, who used their new MA dot2 to run the spectacular show.
“What an excellent production,” says Marcel Bezuidenhout, owner of Audio Engineering based in Cape Town. “James rocked it out at the Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts playing favourite hits like Lose Control, Sit Down and material from their 15th studio album, Living in Extraordinary Times.”
Associated with the Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts for the past 20 years, Marcel has been pleased to watch the annual event take off as his company has steadily built up a

Austria - The Vienna Metropol Theatre is one of the most tradition-rich venues in the Austrian capital. Today, the Metropol provides a stage for national and international music acts, cabaret and theatre productions.
The Vienna Metropol has three stages. The main stage with the big hall has an audience capacity of 700 standing or 550 seated. The stage is open on three sides and the hall has a comparatively low ceiling height. The audience sits around the stage in a 270° angle, which further complicates the sound reinforcement situation. The room acoustics are also unusual; It is characterised by a short reverberation time with pronounced diffusivity in the empty space. In short: a demanding task for every sound system.
After various modernisations were carried out in recent years, it was the sound system’s turn in 2018. The Austrian distribution partner of Alcons Au

USA - Global design and BIM software solutions provider Vectorworks has announced its fourth annual Vectorworks Design Scholarship is now open for entries.
The scholarship enables undergraduate students and recent graduates to gain professional recognition by sharing their work and win up to $10,000.
“The Vectorworks Design Scholarship is an incredible opportunity for up-and-coming designers to promote their work and win funds to support their future endeavours,” comments Alice Lowy, marketing programmes director at Vectorworks. “We look forward to seeing what these up-and-coming designers think up next.”
To apply, eligible students must submit their best individual or group project and answer three questions. A panel of judges will evaluate submissions based on design integrity, originality, the effective use of computer technology and communication of
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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

UK - London’s Ministry of Sound (MoS) has upgraded its lighting control with Avolites Arena and Quartz consoles.
The South East London nightclub has been at the heart of the capital’s scene for almost 30 years. Household name DJs and performers are a mainstay of its offering, backed by serious sound and uplifting lighting.
International technical event production company Bigabox drew on its longstanding relationship with MoS to realise the enhancement of lighting control options in the club’s two main rooms - The 103 and The Box.
“It was my recommendation the MoS team got Avolites consoles for their largest-capacity spaces and that’s precisely what they did,” says Bigabox Productions’ director, Dean Graves. “The guys at Avolites are helpful, informative, passionate and incredible people to work with. It was imperative their products were in the M

UK - inspHire has announced the appointment of Martin Bestwick as sales director. Martin’s promotion from general manager coincides with the rental software providers recent acquisition by Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) and is geared towards inspHire further strengthening its position in the UK and globally.
When asked about his appointment, Martin says, “I’m incredibly excited and very much looking forward to the challenge. I’ve worked in the rental industry and have helped deliver value for inspHire’s customers for some time now. Whether that be through implementing solutions which introduce operational efficiencies, or helping prospects and customers discover the true value in any potential investment.”
Graham Dobbs, inspHire managing director adds, “Understanding the wants and needs of rental businesses, being empathetic to the challenges they face

UK - Sparq, part of Saville Group, the technical event production specialist which underwent a brand transformation six months ago, is strengthening its senior leadership team with the appointment of John Moore as head of national operations.
Moore has been brought on board to spearhead Sparq’s ambitious growth strategy and oversee the operational direction of the brand, as it continues to develop its 360 technical event production offering. Moore’s remit will focus on improving efficiency across the division, developing and implementing strategic change, together with growing the specialisms and expertise within the national operations team.
Colin Nixey, managing director of Sparq, comments, “Following our rebrand in September, the last six months have been really momentous for us as a company. Our brand transformation formed part of a wider strategy to ensure w

Germany - Lighting manufacturer JB-Lighting has announced its commitment to ArKaos’s Kling-Net protocol, which will now be embedded in its newest product lines including the Varyscan P18 hybrid, the Sparx 18 LED wash beam and the Sparx 30 twin zoom LED wash beam fixtures.
JB-Lighting’s head of sales Jörg Zimmermann explained that this is due to “the current and future requirements of lighting and visual design” which are constantly fluid and need to offer LDs, programmers and operators the most flexible and creative options.
One of those future developments, he observes, will include moving heads increasingly working in conjunction with video content. This is one of the main reasons they have decided “to support all these JB-Lighting devices with a network interface for Kling-Net protocol”, confirms Jörg.
Kling-Net is a plug-and-play control protoco

USA - Obsidian Control Systems and Capture Visualisation report a new global partnership agreement to include a Capture licence with every ONYX console, allowing all NX console owners immediate access to the lighting design and visualisation software.
Every NX2 and NX4 lighting console will include a download of the latest version of Capture after a simple online registration. Users will receive an unrestricted standard license of a Capture Edition depending on console type. All licences are eligible for upgrades through Capture or any of its authorized resellers.
Obsidian Control Systems and Capture Visualisation will be enhancing connectivity between ONYX and Capture over time for a seamless workflow and true plug-and-play experience, including synchronized patching and real-time autofocus.
“Capture has been a great partner for Elation over the years and we

The Netherlands - Pro Display completed a major project in partnership with Integrated Systems Europe, LANG AG, Panasonic, Tenfeet and Green Hippo to bring the nhow Amsterdam RAI hotel to life.
Pro Display supplied 392 pieces of its Projection Mapping Film which were installed across 25 storeys of the hotel’s glass façade. Throughout ISE 2019 the film was used as a canvas alongside Panasonic’s powerful PT-RZ31K projectors to advertise exhibition highlights and the potential of projection mapping technology.
The impressive 25-storey hotel boasts 650 rooms and was developed following a tender process by the City of Amsterdam and the RAI that began in 2014.
This ambitious display required input from a range of experts in order to successfully complete the project which was managed by LANG, hire and production specialists. They called on 14 of Panasonic’s PT-R

UK - White Light recently supplied the lighting equipment for Disney’s Broadway hit musical Newsies which recently had its UK premiere at ArtsEd.
Set in turn-of-the-century New York, Newsies tells the story of Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy and leader of a band of teenage ‘newsies’. When titans of publishing raise distribution prices at the newsboys’ expense, Jack rallies the newsies together against the unfair conditions to fight for what’s right.
The show was a smash when it played on Broadway and the lighting designer for the UK premiere is Nic Farman. Nic comments: “I hadn’t seen the original Broadway production but the moment I read the script and listened to the score, I knew it was going to be a great show to work on. The key for the creative team was creating a production that had the high production values associated with a show on a l

Taiwan - The third floor of Taipei’s Nan Shan Plaza - the second tallest skyscraper in Taipei after Taipei 101 - has been created as a vast and open exhibition space. With ceilings at an impressive 8.5m in height, the venue occupies a total of 56sq.m, but features no beams or support columns, creating a challenge to any sound design proposal.
With the prestigious space earmarked by Taipei City Government to host an event cooperative to the New Year fireworks countdown, the challenging space required a sound system that was compact and stable, offering excellent sound performance, which to audio installation company, Imagepro System Technology Corp., Ltd., signalled Powersoft amplification.
Working hand-in-hand with Imagepro’s Yung-Chin Hsu and the Plaza’s project leader Wen-Shan Tseng, Victor Shih of Powersoft’s distributor in Taiwan, Seapower Technology Co L

UK Equipment rental supplier Visual Elements has invested in a Vista 3 by Chroma-Q lighting & media control system featuring a Vista EX surface - taking its inventory to 18 separate Vista desks.
Established for almost 20 years, Visual Elements provides wet and dry hire solutions to live events clients across the world - including music festivals, theatre shows and film premieres. It is also the in-house supplier to leading London events venue, Tobacco Dock, whose diverse client list includes awards ceremonies, corporate conferences and consumer exhibitions.
A Vista user since the platform launched in 2004, Visual Elements has one of the UK's largest inventories of Vista systems, which range from full size all-in-one consoles to ultra-compact control surfaces.
Visual Elements director, Mike Townsend commented: "Visual Elements has been supplying Vista systems

South Africa - The Soweto Theatre has become a river that has quenched the thirst of art devotees in the busy community of Jabulani in Soweto, near Johannesburg. Staging ongoing productions ranging from poetry to choirs, and beauty pageants to music festivals, the theatre has nurtured both professional and emerging talent.
More recently, the Soweto Theatre took delivery of 20 Robe Robin LEDBeam 150s supplied by DWR Distribution.
“Initially we considered the Robin LEDBeam 100s as part of our venue upgrade,” explained Lebugang Mnisi, technical manager. “Having chatted to Kevin Stannett of DWR, he advised us that the 150s would be a better match.”
According to Kevin Stannett, the Robin LEDBeam 150 is small fixture with a massive zoom range and sweeping beams. Lightweight and compact, it will be useable across all three of the theatre’s venues from the smal

UK - December saw the newly restored Alexandra Theatre at Alexandra Palace open its doors after 80 years of darkness to reveal not only a stunning space that has undergone the most sympathetic of restorations, but a comprehensive technical infrastructure that includes audio system that delivers purity of sound and capabilities that will satisfy any visiting production. At its core is a DiGiCo SD12 mixing console supplied and installed by HD Pro Audio.
The Alexandra Theatre was originally opened in 1875 and hosted pantomime, opera, drama and ballet. However, it struggled to compete with the might of the West End and its use as a theatre ended. Subsequently it was used as a cinema, a chapel, home of music hall stars and, more latterly, as a BBC prop store and workshop. In 2012 the decision was made to restore it to its former glory and with grants from the Heritage Lottery Fun

Brazil - API has announced the addition of a new distributor in Brazil, Just Pro Audio. Distributing professional audio brands for Latin America, Just Pro Audio’s extensive product line will now include analogue sound of API.
Just Pro Audio focuses on musical production, broadcast, radio, and live audio, and offers a wide variety of services including consulting, systems design, integration, installation, training and technical support.
“API is honoured to have Just Pro Audio on board to help us expand our sales into the very vibrant and growing Brazilian market,” noted API’s managing director Gordon Smart. “Just Pro’s level of professionalism and expertise is an excellent match for the API brand, and their timing is perfect with the arrival of three new API consoles over the past 24 months.”
(Jim Evans)

UK - The first UK installation of Adamson Systems IS7 line array loudspeaker systems has been completed at Howden Park Centre in Livingston by Adamson Certified re-seller Live Systems Ltd.
West Lothian's premier centre for arts performances and events Howden Park Centre was transformed in 2009 by architects Nicoll Russell Studios. The Centre was awarded the accolade of Building of the Year from the Edinburgh Architectural Association.
Stephen Oakes and Cliff Carrie who form the core technical team at Howden Park commented: "Our existing sound system was failing and we managed to secure finance through West Lothian Leisure for a replacement. We demoed three major loudspeaker brands including Adamson, unanimously we decided that we liked Adamson the best.
“The system was clean, controlled and dynamic, it delivered constant sonic impact from low levels of sound al

The Netherlands - ELC Lighting, manufacturer of the multi-award winning Ethernet-based digital intercom system for event production and broadcast applications, has announced the appointment of two new distributors. These latest appointments bring the brand’s global sales network total to 39 countries, as Green-GO continues to increase its market presence worldwide.
The new exclusive distributor for Green-GO in Slovenia is MK Light Sound, based in Ljubljana. The long-established and highly respected company provides top-end lighting, audio and multimedia equipment and systems as well as consultancy, engineering, installation and technical event production services.
In Thailand, Bangkok-based Broadcast Audio Service becomes the exclusive Green-Go distributor. A systems design and integration specialist founded in 2008, the company provides equipment and services to a

USA - Rocky Paulson will become the third recipient of the ESTA Lifetime Technical Achievement Award.
The award, which recognises individuals with ‘significant and sustained’ technical contributions to the entertainment industry over at least 25 years, will be presented at the conclusion of the New World Rigging Symposium at the Hyatt Regency Louisville at 5:15pm on 20 March.
After being discharged from the Navy and while in college, Paulson worked for the stagehands' union, rigging at the Cow Palace arena in San Francisco and other locations. In 1973, Rocky took a job with the NBC network as a production rigger for Peter Pan and toured the world with them for several years.
After returning to the Bay Area, he founded Stage Rigging in 1977. The company went on to become one of the preeminent rigging companies in the world, providing services to such s

Europe - The Litec RL76 double pitch roof is the new version of the RL105 double pitch roof. Designed for high-loading capacity and long spans, but with an eye on your budget, it's an attractive structure that adds a nice touch to your outdoor events, as well as providing increased resistance to high wind loads, says the company.
Scalable from 18m x 16m to 21m x 16m, and up to 15m in height, it’s designed for medium-sized outdoor events. Built with rectangular RL76A high load aluminium truss with steel fork connections, it provides high loading capacity on medium-long spans.
(Jim Evans)

UK - In recognition of the demand for high-performance reliable LED modules, Forge has introduced a custom module to do exactly that.
Forge has also recently developed a <10⁰ optic to suit the module, fulfilling that demand for a tight crisp beam pattern to complement the medium and wide offering. With Forge’s optic design and manufacturing capability, you can also create your own bespoke beam pattern and achieve specific light distribution. All of this is before you even consider your light CCT and CRI requirements - you really can put light where you want it, says the company.
(Jim Evans)

Europe - ISE 2019 saw the launch of the third system in the EM Acoustics’ HALO line array family, HALO-B. The move follows the introduction in early 2018 of the British company’s large format HALO-A arena system. As its name suggests, HALO-B sits between HALO-A and HALO-C in both physical size and overall system output, and as such is perhaps the most versatile system in the family.
Built on the same ‘maximum headroom’ design principles as HALO-A to ensure consistent performance across all SPL levels and consistent horizontal dispersion pattern across the operating frequency band, HALO-B is a two-way reflex-loaded line array element featuring dual 8” LF drivers and four 1” HF drive units.
Festivals, stadia, sports arenas, concert halls, theatres, houses of worship and corporate AV events are all candidates for HALO-B which is designed to be equally comfort

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