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USA - First a lighthouse, then a military base, then a military prison, then a federal prison, and finally a National Park Service historic site, San Francisco’s Alcatraz Island attracts over 2,000 visitors every day. Although it only served as a federal prison for 29 years (1934 to 1963), Alcatraz lives on in the cultural conscious as the most notorious and inescapable prison ever – the subject of books, TV shows, and movies.
True to its reputation, the government sent all of its worst criminals there, including Al Capone and George ‘Machine Gun’ Kelly, and, despite numerous attempts, no one is believed to have survived an escape from Alcatraz. Recently, local AV integrator San Francisco Audio designed and installed a sound system for the nine most important locations

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USA - Creative studio Obscura Digital recently worked with Vornado Realty Trust to install a permanent projection system to illuminate the façade of Chicago’s Merchandise Mart (theMART) with images reflecting Chicago’s cultural heritage.
Art on theMART will be launched with an opening ceremony on 29 September featuring original content from Obscura media team and select international artists. The reins will then be handed to theMART's curatorial team to craft two-hour projection shows five nights a week, 10 months of the year.
Art on theMART will be lit nightly by 34 projectors shining over one million lumens across the Chicago Riverwalk onto the building’s 2.5 acre façade.
Through a custom, software-driven curatorial platform, the building will be transformed into a singular curatorial canvas for fine art. theMART’s curatorial team promis

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UK - The Last Ship made its returning debut at Northern Stage in Newcastle in March. This musical, written by Sting and Lorne Campbell, is a drama with songs bound together across two strong interwoven narratives.
Sound designer Sebastian Frost used d&b Soundscape, a signal processing technology, with two optional software modules: En-Scene a sound object positioning tool, and En-Space which allows designers to add room emulation of reverberation signatures particular to any given space, real or imagined. Frost harnessed this technology to his own vision of how the musical should be perceived and enjoyed by all audience members.
“I went to hear a demo in Hall 14 at d&b’s HQ in Backnang about a year ago,” Frost comments. “The experience was inspirational because the biggest thing you want from any system is that it doesn’t tie you down or restri
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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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The Netherlands - The ADJ Group has announced ‘the sudden passing’ of Jo Mulders (61) on 17 September.
Described as an ‘esteemed and beloved colleague’, Mulders worked for the company for over 15 years, most recently as a general manager at ADJ Group’s European headquarters in Kerkrade, The Netherlands.
Toby Velazquez, ADJ Group president, comments: “On behalf of everyone at the ADJ Group, we are stunned and deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Jo Mulders and send our sincerest condolences to his family. Those of us that had the privilege and honour to know and work with Jo have lost an inspiring friend. Jo was a warm, infectiously positive person who really cared for others and his absence will be felt with great sorrow. Jo was always sympathetic and team-oriented, valued for his know-how and drive, and was essential in helping to lift the company

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UK - Microphone windshields and suspension systems manufacturer Rycote has been acquired by The Vitec Group.
The acquisition will enable Vitec, a camera supports maker and distributor, to bring complementary audio products to its customers whilst growing the Rycote brand, which will become part of the Creative Solutions division. Rycote MD Simon Davies will remain with the company.
Davies comments: “We are thrilled to become part of the Vitec Group and I’m really excited and confident that we can continue to go from strength to strength; designing, manufacturing and selling our fantastic Rycote products.
“We are looking forward to celebrating 50 years of Rycote next year and, as we enter into this new chapter, we remain committed to serving the needs of our professional audio customers and exploring other markets for our existing and new products.

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Europe - Audio-Technica has introduced the ES954 hanging microphone array, a cost-effective solution for huddle rooms, conference rooms and other meeting spaces.
When controlled by the Audio-Technica ATDM-0604 Digital SmartMixer, the four-capsule microphone array provides 360° coverage through virtual hypercardioid or cardioid outputs which can be steered horizontally and tilted vertically.
Intended primarily for video conferencing, the ES954 may be used singly or in multiples to capture every person speaking in a room, with the total number of channels restricted only by the capacity of the mixer or DSP device controlling the system. When using the ATDM-0604 Digital SmartMixer, the intuitive graphic interface enables control of the width and orientation of each virtual polar pattern, which may be steered in 30° increments, with a tilt function accommodating differi

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Europe - NEXT-proaudio has unveiled the Matrix Series of passive column arrays aimed at installed and small, portable applications. With a chassis of aluminium and wood, the cabinets are described as ‘stylish and yet sturdy’ and designed for architectural integration as well as portable solutions.
The Matrix Series comprises two models: the Matrix M8 (8x3”) and the Matrix M3 (3x3”), with eight and three 3-inch neodymium transducers respectively. Built to offer a ‘high intelligibility at high SPL’ and ‘wider frequency response while providing constant beam-width over a user selectable vertical coverage’, the Matrix columns provide beam control that reportedly extends up to 10kHz.
To better control the lower frequencies, the Tuned Dipolar Technologywas developed by NEXT-proaudio engineers to provide much more consistent low frequency pattern control than

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UK - GLP launched the impression E350 LED moving head at PLASA 2018, a new, supercharged companion to its popular impression S350, in an optimised package.
With an advanced LED engine offering ‘unprecedented’ output in its class, the fixture will find favour in any type of showcase event or installation with dynamic, articulated lighting as the centrepiece. And since it offers flicker-free operation, with smooth electronic dimming from 0-100%, multiple dimming curves, with no colour shift while delivering random and pulse electronic strobing effects it will also find favour in the broadcast segment.
This compact fixture features a baseless design, high colour temperature of 7500K for a hard-edge mid-air effect beam, bright gobo projections, and a notably tight iris as well as GLP’s motorised 7:1 zoom range (7°- 48°). According to GLP, this creates an even and f

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UK - Robe brought a ‘theatre-meets-rock ‘n’ roll’ live show to the centre of its stand design at the 2018 PLASA Show held at London Olympia.
Putting performance at the heart of the presentation, the Czech lighting manufacturer launched its new SuperSpikie moving light.
The show also utilised other new and current Robe products, including the new RoboSpot remote follow spotting system running with MDC (multi device control) and the new iParFect, the first in a series of upcoming IP-rated luminaires.
Inspired by the Tomb Raider / Indiana Jones movie and e-games adventure genre - the show concept, The Lost World Trilogy, was originated by Robe’s own creative team led by Nathan Wan and Andy Webb.
It’s the first of three stand designs that will be rolled out by Robe at selected trade expos worldwide over the coming months.
Seven dancer

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USA - Shortly after it opened in 1917, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia was heralded as “the greatest 20th century accomplishment of any city in the world.” More than a slight exaggeration perhaps, but for the past 101 years, the mile-long road in the City of Brotherly Love has brimmed with creative activity, hosting historic concerts and serving as home to great works of art like Rodin’s The Thinker.
This Labour Day Weekend, the famous boulevard reverberated with a distinctly 21st century form of artistic expression when it hosted the Jay-Z curated Made In America EDM festival. For all its rich history, though, the Philadelphia landmark does have spatial restrictions that aren’t found in typical (and lager) festival sites. This presented lighting designer Patrick Dierson of The Activity with some unique challenges, but he overcame them in

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USA - Charity Behind the Scenes has said the deadline for ordering its 2018 holiday cards is 4 October.
Three card ordering options include personalised cards with a company logo and custom message, card packs of 10 with a standard greeting, and e-cards.
Seven designs are featured this year. Perennial favourites Andrew Hefter and Robert Mendoza are back while Mount Vernon Senior High School is represented by Madelyn Plough. New contributors are Vicki Davis, Jocelyn Joyah Henry of Scenic Art Studios, Vicki Pui and Anastasia Vasilakis.
Those interested in purchasing cards should place an order at www.behindthescenescharity.org/holidaycards.
(Jim Evans)

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UK - The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School utilises an Electro Kabuki system to stage a kabuki drop.
The system uses electromagnetic technology and a load hook. At its heart is the same technology used in life-critical safety applications on oil rigs and shipping to release heavy-duty shuttering to prevent the spread of fire. The solutions is also a more reliable theatrical reveal technology compared to solutions deployed in the past, such as strings and ropes, loops and pins, or wooden spars fitted with cup hooks.
The system was supplied and is supported by Electro Kabuki distributor and theatrical chandlers, Flints.
The syllabus at the Bristol Old Vic school includes staging and rigging for events and shows, with a focus on the history of special effects, including staged reveals. Over the centuries, productions have used a huge variety of techniques and mechanis

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UK - Blitz, the technical event production arm of global events company GES, has announced a strategic alliance with audience engagement and event analytics platform Glisser.
This agreement will see Glisser’s audience engagement and analytics solution delivered and managed by Blitz’s in-house team of technical experts. Blitz has a longstanding reputation for technical innovation and has already successfully deployed Glisser’s complete audience participation platform - including live slide sharing, integrated live polling, audience Q&A, and social media walls - for a number of high profile customers. 
Mike Piddock, Glisser’s founder and CEO, comments: “We’ve worked with the Blitz team at numerous events since we launched three years ago, and have always been impressed wit

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Sweden - Stockholmsmässan - the Stockholm International Fairs and Congress Centre - recently installed 68 channels of the Shure Axient Digital Wireless System.
The dedicated in-house AV department, which oversees the small, mid-size, and large conference and exhibition applications, needed a dependable wireless system with excellent performance. Fredrik Zetterberg, head of production event technologies, says that the system had “exceeded all expectations in sonic quality”.
“Axient Digital is the best sound quality we’ve ever heard in a digital system,” explains Zetterberg. “From exhibitions to corporate events, we use Axient Digital constantly. This month we will use 132 systems for a two-day corporate event, with a total of 212 wireless systems in operation, showcasing the system’s flexibility and reliability.”
The installation was managed by s

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South Africa - Global design and BIM software solutions provider Vectorworks has announced that DWR Distribution has been appointed an official distributor for Vectorworks Spotlight, Braceworks and Vision software in South Africa.
The agreement will also facilitate greater technical and sales support with direct access to the team at Vectorworks.
Tara Grant, director of channel operations at Vectorworks, comments: “DWR has demonstrated a strong commitment to Vectorworks and has deep roots in the entertainment industry, and it was a natural progression to have them officially join the Vectorworks family as a distributor. As the demand for our solutions grows and Vectorworks continues to expand, we are looking for strong distribution partners like DWR to provide local support in markets around the world.”
Duncan Riley, owner of DWR Distribution, adds: “It

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UK - The PLASA Awards for Innovation, organised in collaboration with LSi magazine, took place at the end of a buzzing Monday at this year’s PLASA Show. The Awards recognise and reward pioneering product designs and the people behind them, and are highly regarded as they are independently judged by a team of industry experts.
This year saw 47 entries vying for the respected Awards, with the judges selecting eight winners and one Gold Award winner. 
The winners, along with the judges comments, are:
TMB for ProPlex IQ Tester
“The ProPlex is a data tool-kit that every technician should have, supported by a clear roadmap for future development and a really good price.”
Bose for EdgeMax
“The EdgeMax is a product which edges out the competition to flood the room with sound. The HF waveguide was particularly innovative, and the

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Germany - Absen Europe has announced the appointment of Christian Czimny to the role of R&D director, EU Business Unit. A new role for the company and the first R&D position based in Europe, it will see Christian take the lead on establishing a R&D team in the region to develop the future pipeline of LED display technologies and solutions with features that are specifically sought after by customers in the market.
Christian will be working closely with Absen Europe’s team based in the Rüsselsheim HQ in Germany, where he will also host customer visits. Christian will also travel frequently to Absen’s China-based HQ and manufacturing facilities in Shenzhen and Huizhou respectively, in order to align with all departments. The position will take Christian on site visits to customers in Europe to gather their feedback on existing and future products and what deve

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USA - Community Professional Loudspeakers has completed EN54-24 certification for its compact R.35-3896-EN loudspeaker.
Community’s R Series has long been a standard for stadia and other large scale, all-weather applications worldwide. The company has consistently invested in improving performance across the range, introducing new models, and meeting increasingly stringent worldwide standards. Since gaining EN54-24 certification on the larger R1, R2 and R6 models, permitting their use in voice alarm systems in venues across Europe, Community has seen demand for these certified versions building significantly year upon year.
The R.35-3896-EN meets the need for a high performance compact loudspeaker for fill and supplementary areas in larger venues and for smaller venues wanting to conform to EN54 standards. The R.35-3896-EN is equally suitable for indoor and outdoor u

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South Africa - DWR Distribution has announced the grandMA2 Beginner to Intermediate Training, an intensive three-day course to be hosted from 10 to 12 October 2018.
Presented by Jannie de Jager, a range of topics will be discussed from patching and fixture editing to tracking and cue list management.
Delegates are requested to supply their own grandMA2 console and laptop for the MA 3D Visualizer.
The cost is R2 550 and includes refreshments and lunch. The course will be hosted at DWR Distribution, Block C, Unit 1, Kimbult Industrial Park, 9 Zeiss Street, Laserpark, Honeydew.
Bookings should be made on-line at http://dwrdistribution.co.za/register/grandma2-intermediate-training-october-2018/
(Jim Evans)

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South Korea - Kinoton Korea recently equipped Incheon SK Happy Dream Stadium with a complete networked sound reinforcement system by Harman Professional Solutions.
Built in 2001, SK Happy Dream Stadium plays host to home games by SK Wyverns, a professional baseball team based in Incheon, South Korea. As part of a continuous effort to improve the stadium, which seats 25,000 fans, the stadium recently decided to upgrade the stadium’s aging sound system.
In order to provide fans with a rich audio experience with superior coverage and intelligibility, SK Wyverns hired local audio integrator Kinoton Korea to design and install a premium sound reinforcement system. Kinoton Korea selected a complete Harman networked audio solution for its sound quality and reliable performance.
The Harman system installed by Kinoton at SK Happy Dream Stadium features a range of weathe

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South Africa - As the technical supplier to most international Bollywood productions performing in South Africa, rental company Bass Mechanics have invested in additional L-Acoustics equipment to complement their existing systems. Besides new LA8 and LA12X amplified controllers, they have also purchased KS28, ARCS Wide and ARCS Focus from local distributor DWR Distribution.
What started off as a mobile disco company run by 16-year-old Sushil Patidar in 1997, has grown as he has persistently invested back into his company to offer professional gear and service to the entertainment industry.
“I was in standard seven (grade 9) when I started,” Sushil recalls. “We were all turning 16, so my friends were having birthday parties.” Before long he was doing his friends’ 18th birthday parties, 21sts and so it continued with him making a name in Lenasia, the neighbourh
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