USA - Sitting in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, Target Field is home to Major League Baseball's Minnesota Twins, and accommodates more than 39,000 eager spectators ready to cheer on their team. Though designed as a baseball venue, it also hosts football, soccer, and a wide range of outdoor concerts and various non-sports-based corporate events.
Target Field is a large venue with multiple areas around the facility that require high-quality audio support. This includes distributing audio out to various areas as well as pulling signals back to the control room for mixing and processing. For example, live bands perform before ball games and during breaks, and stadium managers must be sure the audio is pleasantly experienced throughout the stadium.
Technicians needed a wa

UK - Xerocon London 2018 brought together accountants, bookkeepers, ecosystem partners and industry leaders. Hawthorn was chosen by agency Taylor Bennett Partners to deliver the full technical production for the two-day event held at ExCel London on 14- 15 November.
Over 3,300 delegates gathered to find out the latest news and updates from Xero, a cloud-based accounting software company. Led by group creative director Pete Harding, Hawthorn was tasked to bring Taylor Bennett’s impressive vision to life, delivering full technical production for the main conference plenary, exhibition space, break-out sessions and evening party. Featuring three technical installations including a mammoth custom-made LED sculpture and an indoor zip wire, Xerocon London 2018 proved it wasn’t a typical accounting conference.
The Xerocon main stage cut an impressive figure. Measuring 57m

USA - As both the co-founder of the rock band Linkin Park and a solo artist in his own right, Mike Shinoda is one very busy performer. He’s currently approaching the end of the current leg of his Post Traumatic Tour, which will resume in early 2019 when it picks up in Europe.
Shinoda’s night after night tour schedule demands equipment that maintains sonic consistency and reliability throughout - and to ensure the best audio performance at monitor world, Shinoda and monitor engineer Kevin ‘Tater’ McCarthy rely on the performance of DAS Audio Event-121A powered subwoofers and Road 12A powered stage monitors.
Based in Detroit, MI, McCarthy delivers audio to Shinoda and the other band members on stage via a combination of in-ear monitors and conventional loudspeakers. McCarthy recently began using DAS Audio loudspeakers and has been very impressed. He shared
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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

USA - Garth Brooks headlined at the Notre Dame stadium in South Bend, Indiana in front of 84,000 fans at the sold-out, first ever concert at the venue.
Dan Heins, FOH engineer for Garth since 1989, reports: “By four o’clock in the afternoon, just hours before the show, because of the bad weather conditions, we still didn’t know if the concert would go on. We ended up doing soundcheck with the PA on the ground. The wind finally let up, so we were able to raise the speakers. Sound reinforcement was through Brooks’ custom-designed Clair Brothers PA.
Part of the show’s magic was the star-shaped stage with a 360° rotating centre-stage on which Brooks and his band performed - a theatre-in-the-round concept where Garth moves freestyle around the periphery playing to each side of the stadium.
According to Heins, “The Clair Brothers PA consistently sounds gr

Ireland - Nestled within the capacious surroundings of Curraghmore House in County Waterford, the inaugural All Together Now (ATN) festival may, on paper, have appeared an event of two halves. A family friendly bandstand perched alongside comedy and spoken word stages, dotted the foreground of the stately home itself. Whilst a field away, separated by woodlands, the ATN Stage played host to the likes of Underworld, Mura Masa, Chaka Khan and Fleet Foxes.
In fact, linked by the centrally positioned spectacle of Arcadia’s Afterburner installation - returning to Ireland to mark their own 10-year anniversary - the various elements of All Together Now blended seamlessly. The eclectic line up brought together by renowned Irish promoter John Reynolds of POD Concerts, drew a sell-out crowd keen to explore the diversity of talent on offer from Will Self to Thundercat, Mogwai to Sug

USA - Chauvet Professional’s STRIKE series is expanding to include its first batten fixture. The new STRIKE Saber “packs the intense punch associated with the series’ pod fixtures, but in a linear configuration that features 10 x 17W warm white/amber LED cells,” says the company.
The STRIKE Saber can be utilised as a blinder, strobe, footlight or tunable white wash. It is pixel mappable and can also be used to create captivating chase effects. Adding to the attractiveness and immersive qualities of the STRIKE Saber is its emulated amber shift, which warms the colour temperature of the light as it dims to create a realistic incandescent look. The newest member of the STRIKE family also includes 16-bit dimming for smooth fades.
“The response that our STRIKE series has received from leading designers around the world has been overwhelming,” comments Albert Ch

Mexico - Located in Purísima del Rincón, Guanajuato, the Auditorio de la plaza Purísima is a new performing arts centre built for the benefit of the more than 200,000 citizens in the Rincón municipalities.
Created as part of the Plaza Purísima complex, the new facility was backed by the Public Works Secretariat and envisioned to be a shining example of modern architecture. With an expectation to implement the latest in lighting technology into the design, Interlight Mexico worked with the design team at Genesist and installed Chalice LED downlights, PHX LED ellipsoidals, and Spectra Cyc LED cyclorama luminaires from Altman Lighting.
“We’ve had the opportunity to work with the client and specifier on the project on a couple of past occasions, so they know our company well and trust our experienced design team,” says Jose Zedillo, general director, Genesist.

Czech Republic - Czech sound engineer Jiri Jehlar was one of the first front of house engineers in the country to use digital mixers. He was so impressed with the Yamaha Rivage PM7 digital mixing system that he has invested in one.
Jiri is a long-term user of the Yamaha CL5 digital mixing console and Nexo loudspeaker systems, highlighting his commitment to delivering the best FOH mixes. When local Yamaha dealer and Nexo distributor MusicData demonstrated the Rivage PM7 digital mixing system earlier this year, the well-respected engineer chose to purchase a PM7 console and an RPio622 I/O rack.
“I really liked the quality of the A/D converters, the Rupert Neve Sound Designs SILK processing, the effects and the high capacity of the system, thanks to the innovative TWINLANe network,” he says. “As soon as I heard the system in action, I did not hesitate to invest.”

Austria - Lawo reports that its new Lawo mc²96 console was installed in Bregenz, to support sound reinforcement and directional listening systems for a sold-out run of Georges Bizet’s Carmen at the annual summer Bregenz Festival, taking place on the floating stage at Lake Constance.
The previously installed Lawo systems simplified an upgrade of the production console, which plays an important part in the production’s remarkable use of sound as a complement of the on-stage performance.
Sound designer Alwin Bösch and sound engineer Gernot Gögele shifted from the Lawo mc²66 production console they had used at the Bregenz Festival since 2005 to a new IP-based Lawo mc²96 grand production console, which was installed just prior to this year’s live opera performances. Although memorizing the new operating sequences took a few days, Bösch and Gögele were up

USA - Playing three-hour shows with 30-plus songs and setlists that change with each performance, Pearl Jam is well known for giving audiences their money’s worth. But on the band’s most recent stadium run, there was another group that received an even more tangible financial benefit: Seattle’s homeless population.
Following Pearl Jam’s two sold-out Safeco Field Home Shows - the band’s first hometown Emerald City concerts in five years - the band donated $868,189 from ticket and merch sales to a variety of King County homeless-related organisations and service providers. Furthermore, this outpouring of generosity helped prompt philanthropic donations from other organisations ultimately totalling $10.8m, according to The Seattle Times.
Pearl Jam’s pair of Seattle shows followed tour legs in South America and Europe this spring and summer, and s

USA - Audio-Technica supplied nearly 100 vocal and instrument microphones for the 52nd Annual Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, presented Wednesday, November 14, 2018, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
Broadcast live in 5.1-channel surround sound on the ABC Television Network, the awards show featured an extensive selection of Audio-Technica hard-wired microphones, plus Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless Systems with ATW-C6100 Hypercardioid Dynamic Microphone Capsule. Audio-Technica microphones were chosen for their ability to provide clear and consistent audio quality for live broadcast.
The team of industry veterans responsible for the audio at this year’s CMA’s again included a who’s-who of broadcast audio. Tom Davis served as audio producer; Kevin Sanford served as audio coordinator; ATK/Audiotek provided the sound system with FOH mixers Patrick Ba

UK - Adlib has moved to a new Liverpool headquarters in Knowsley.
Located just off junction 4 of the M57, the new hub offers 83,600sq.ft of space including a large pre-production area, a training suite, a comprehensive showroom, dedicated service facilities and a huge contemporary open plan office.
After a long search, Andy Dockerty and the team are pleased to announce the move, which will take Adlib into a new era with more advanced levels of operation, service and efficiency.
John Hughes, Adlib’s director, comments: “Following an extensive four-year search, we are delighted to announce the relocation to our new home. We’re sad to be leaving the old site in Speke in some ways, as it’s a place where we’ve nurtured and grown the foundations of the business.
“The new premises, however, allow us to expand and develop in other - and new - areas. Thi

UK - North American entertainment technology supplier Solotech has acquired UK-based audio services company SSE Audio Group, thus forming one of the largest AV companies in the world.
SSE Audio’s founder John Penn will continue to head the organisation in the UK. The established brands of SSE Audio, Capital Sound, Wigwam and Sigma Products will also be maintained.
Martin Tremblay, president and CEO of Groupe Solotech Inc, comments: “This is the most important transaction in Solotech’s history. With the addition of SSE Audio, Solotech becomes one of the world’s largest AV and entertainment technology companies. The acquisition will generate growth opportunities and expand the services available to current and future clients on both sides of the Atlantic.”
Tremblay adds: “We are thrilled that SSE is joining the Solotech team, especially their well-known

USA - Vincent Lighting Systems (VLS) has announced that Bill Groener will be joining the company as its new president. Founder and former president, Paul Vincent will remain connected with VLS as an advisor moving forward. Groener, who will be based in the Cleveland area, will be taking on the responsibilities of his new role immediately. He will work closely with the VLS Leadership Team to assure a smooth transition.
“I have a huge amount of respect for the company that Paul built over the 40-plus years that VLS has been around,” says Groener. “I've known Paul since 1984. I continued to work with him over the years and got to know the good person and outstanding employer that Paul is. It is great to know that Paul is still going to be available as a resource to our team in an advisory role. All in all, it's a great situation and I'm looking forward to this new challen

USA - Created to be the Christian Music Broadcasters’ premier annual event, Momentum is a four-day conference which brings together radio and record industry professionals from around the world. Since its inception in 2009, Momentum has been dedicated to the success of Christian music broadcasting offering a showcase of the hottest musical artists today.
Held for the second year at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando, the CMB events team wanted to create an attendee experience “like none before”, so they called upon the Nashville-based production provider Elite Multimedia Productions who supplied three event stages using a full package of audio, lighting and LED video.
“We are a non-profit ministry, so when we start looking at the production design for the Momentum conference, we have to look at what will offer the best experience for our attend

UK - Flying the flag for the city’s cultural resurgence is the Liverpool Disco Festival, a weekend-long celebration of underground dance music inspired by the house and disco beats of Chicago and New York.
Tasked with providing exciting visuals for the Stateside and European disco DJs was Cheshire Event Production, which specified seven Chauvet Professional Rogue R1 FX-B, two Rogue R1 Beam, four Rogue R2 Wash and four Rogue R1 Spot fixtures to stunning effect.
With the festival now in its third incarnation and catering to over 3000 people, Cheshire Event Production’s pièce de résistance was to be the scenographic incorporation of the central mirrorball element within the main room at the festival, The Furnace, utilizing the versatile Rogue R1 FX-B fixtures.
“I’ve been toying with the circular truss and mirrorball idea for a while now, and the wild and v

USA - 10 years ago, Rosco Laboratories became Behind the Scenes’ first Pledge-a-Product partner and Mark Engel, Rosco CEO, and staff members recently presented their 10th annual cheque from the sales of Roscolux #359 Medium Violet bringing the total donated to over $32,500.
“It is our privilege to support Behind the Scenes Foundation, and we are proud to have reached a decade of giving to an organization that passionately provides help to those in need from the entertainment technology industry,” said Engel. “This year we are pleased to contribute $3,000 from the proceeds of Roscolux 359 Medium Violet and we express our gratitude to Behind the Scenes for the support and services they offer to industry professionals and their families.”
Rick Rudolph, chair of the Behind the Scenes Foundation, accepted the cheque, saying: “Rosco led the way as our first corpo

South Africa - Cape Town-based rental company Core Productions has taken ownership of a dot2 XL-F, dot2 F-wing, a DMX King Pro1 (which integrates with Dot2 on PC software), and a dozen Longman Facepars.
For the tight-knit group of creative individuals who make up Core Productions, the new equipment will bring ‘peace of mind’. “We are always motivated to come up with amazing ideas, sell it to the client, stress on how we will pull it off, and then pull it off - blowing the socks off people,” says Bernard Gramann, owner of Core Productions.
Gramann says he decided the dot2 console and DMX King Pro1 thanks to the functionality of the operating system and the after-sales service he will receive from DWR Distribution. “The dot2 also has the Resolume Profile which we often use for effects on shows, and my team is very excited about ‘giving it a go’ as well as

USA - With over 250 million books sold – including The BFG, James and The Giant Peach and The Twits – few writers have made more impression on the world’s children (or their parents) than Roald Dahl.
Last year, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory opened on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. It featured one of the movie’s most memorable tunes, with the evocative line: “Come with me, and you'll be, in a world of pure imagination”.
Creating such a world on the stage is notoriously more difficult to do than in a movie – which is why the musical relies heavily on staging company WorldStage and its well-established mastery of the technologies that can help turn a designer’s vision into a theatrical reality.
As well as providing an ambitious, custom-made Unilumin LED wall to tell the story of how the Golden Tickets were won, WorldStage also dep

USA - The 52nd Annual Country Music Association Awards ceremony, held on 14 November at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena and hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, recognised the best in country music released during the CMA’s annual eligibility period. Winners included Entertainer of the Year Keith Urban and Song of the Year Broken Halos by Chris Stapleton, who also garnered the Male Vocalist of the Year award.
Everyone who heard the show’s 22 music performances and awards introductions by those artists and others listened to them through a pair of DiGiCo SD-Range consoles: an SD7 helmed by Blackhawk Audio president Rick Shimer at FOH for the event’s music performances, and an SD5, which mixed the evening’s production audio, piloted by ATK Audiotek principal Pat Baltzell. The house audio was played through a JBL PA using a combination of VerTec 4889 and

France - L-Acoustics has acquired HGP - a manufacturer of precision sheet metal, based in Amboise, France – and its sister entity API, specialist in powder coating. "This operation represents a new and extremely positive step in augmenting our R&D and production capabilities,” says Hervé Guillaume, managing director of L-Acoustics. “This alliance will allow us to improve our technical skill set and market intelligence regarding precision sheet metal, a vital technology in our professional audio solutions. HGP’s expertise and savoir-faire are highly complementary to our own, enabling us to better comprehend the constraints and specificities of the trade at every stage, from conception to production.”
Bertrand Bounoure, president and commercial director of HGP, comments: "This constitutes a natural extension of a decade-long, successful supplier/client relation

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