USA - Shure Incorporated has promoted Brian Woodland to vice-president of business development, and Patricia Knoll to associate vice-president of global facilities.
Woodland joined Shure in 2002 and has held positions of increasing responsibility in strategic planning and in global business development. He was responsible for several of the company’s acquisitions and manages Shure’s partnerships in joint business ventures. Woodland has a BA in Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA in Marketing from the Kelly School of Business at Indiana University.
Knoll joined Shure in 2005 and leads an international team responsible for all acquisition, leasing, construction, maintenance, disposition, and activities associated with company offices, manufacturing p

Belgium - The Belgian city of Genk in Limburg recently switched on a new civic lighting installation, Genker Ster (Genk Star). The piece of light art was designed by creative lighting and visual design practice Painting with Light and enables the community to enjoy the fun and excitement of this ‘architainment’ concept all year round.
The permanent lighting installation was the brainchild of Genk Mayor, Wim Dries. Ambient lighting has been part of the vibrant and forward-thinking city’s festive experience for the last decade, however the new stars can now make an atmospheric impact throughout the year.
Once the project was green-lighted by the city council, a tender was issued for a concept design and specification which was won by Painting with Light.
The design - comprising the 275 stars - was chosen both for its aesthetics, smart technolog

USA - The Minnesota Vikings have opened a new studio at their Twin Cities Optical (TCO) Performance Centre headquarters and practice facility. Featuring four distinct video-shooting areas, the studio, designed by Peter Provost of Provost Studio, is illuminated by a colourful lighting system created by Mike Grabowski of the Lighting Design Group that features close to 100 Chauvet Professional Ovation and COLORdash fixtures.
The studio offers maximum flexibility for broadcasting during the football season and throughout the year. An example of this can be seen its main section, which has a cutting-edge acoustic wall that rises to open to a 170-seat theatre for live audience programs.
With its ability to create a rainbow of realistic colours and change them quickly, the Lighting Design Group’s system supports the TCO studio’s combination of beautiful aesthetics and
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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 - Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi holds a theatre summer camp each year and this year Elation Professional was a sponsor, making available both LED and discharge-based moving heads that allowed students the hands-on opportunity to work with state-of-the-art lighting gear.
Camp on the Coast: Creating Leaders in Life and on the Stage is a theatre camp that teaches more than acting, lighting, props and costume design, according to Phil Johnson, lighting and technical director at the Department of Theatre and Dance at Texas A&M. “It’s an immersive experience promoting creativity, comradery and healthy competition,” he says. More than 120 of the best high school theatre students from around Texas attended the camp, an intense two-week summer programme for students.
The camp usually puts on six plays in both a proscenium and black box theatre, p

Portugal - Rock in Rio is still one of the biggest music festivals in the world, and its latest edition, held in Lisbon in early July, relied on DiGiCo consoles supplied by Brazilian rental company Gabisom.
Gabisom has been sound provider for the festival since 2001 and has worked with the organisers in Rio, Lisbon, Madrid and Vegas, specifying and designing the audio system for 17 of its editions. DiGiCo consoles were chosen as house desks across the site, along with a Martin Audio MLA PA. FOH ‘baby-sitting’ duties fell to Gabisom’s Peter Racy and Eder Moura, with Thiago Borges manning monitors.
“We decided to use the SD7as the master console on the World Stage, the main stage for the festival, because of its superb sound quality, which we knew the guest engineers would be happy with,” says Racy. “It’s also really robust with dual engines, dual power s

UK - Poole-based Pulse PA are typical of companies providing full technical infrastructure for small-to-medium sized events. With limited truck space and a trailer stage to erect in rapid time on site, easy portability and fast rigging of the sound system is vital.
The company has been successfully running Martin Audio LE1200 monitors for the past eight years, and when it was time to move into the next generation they kept faith with the brand, adding a quantity of the XE300 12” coaxial differential dispersion monitors to their inventory, powered by Martin Audio’s new iKON ik42 four-channel amplifiers.
“LE1200s have always been very successful and popular with clients and are very rider friendly,” says Pulse owner, Ralph Walsh. But he knew it was time to move on. “We were given a demo of the new XE300 - they sounded extremely good and were perfect for vocal

UK - Liverpool’s famous Cavern Club has moved into the digital age by retiring its long-serving Soundcraft analogue desks on its two main stages in favour of a Vi3000 and Si Performer 2.
Director Paul Jones expressed the desire to remain with the familiar Soundcraft topography and emphasised that the iconic Cavern Club (including the organisation’s third venue, the Cavern Pub) will remain exclusively a Soundcraft house.
“We have replaced both our MH3 and GB4 [analogue desks], which have been here since well before I arrived six years ago,” he confirmed. “The MH3 still sounded brilliant, but it was time to move into the digital age.”
The order for both consoles, along with Vi Stagebox, expanding the capacity to 64 mic/line inputs and 32 analogue line outputs, was placed with local dealers Adlib, with whom they have had a close relationship since the la

Spain/UK - Television lighting specialists Aurora Lighting is supporting LD James Tinsley and the crew on the latest season of Love Island for ITV2.
Following the success of the previous series, the team has returned to the villa to build the setting for the latest batch of Islanders. Colourful and intense, the look created for the show provides the perfect backdrop to the on-screen twists and turns of the relationships evolving between the singles seeking love and a possible share of the £50K prize.
Working closely with lighting director James Tinsley and his team, Aurora has delivered a full location package to assist in creating the show’s setting. Along with a selection of Fresnels and PARs used for ambient illumination, of particular note is the creative mix of vibrant RGB LED flex and practical fixtures including the 2000m of festoon that frames the sur

UK - Harman Professional Solutions has been selected as the official audio supplier for Tottenham Hotspur FC at its new stadium.
The Premier League football club will soon be moving to its new 62,000-capacity home, which features a retractable pitch, cutting-edge video screens, a museum and club shop. To deliver an enhanced audio experience, Tottenham Hotspur has selected an integrated Harman Professional audio solution made up of JBL Professional loudspeakers, Crown amplification, and a Soundcraft digital mixing console.
The installation includes 156 JBL VLA-C2100 loudspeakers, 54 JBL VLA-C125 subwoofers, 196 JBL AWC82 all-weather loudspeakers, 140 Crown DriveCore Install amplifiers, and more than 3,500 JBL Control Contractor speakers installed across the facility. Audio will be mixed on a Soundcraft Vi2000 digital console and monitored via JBL LSR 305 reference moni

UK - Milton Keynes pro audio solutions manufacturer Studiomaster has struck an MI and pro audio retail distribution agreement with EMD Music for Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Switzerland.
The agreement covers Studiomaster’s comprehensive range of analogue and digital mixers and mixing consoles, entry level and mid-market self-powered and passive PA and installation loudspeaker solutions, portable PA systems, and the popular range of Carlsbro CSD electronic drum kits.
Studiomaster general manager Patrick Almond comments: “We have been growing our European market share significantly. Particularly in the last two years, when the rate of increase began accelerating to a point where it became clear that we needed to find a suitable partner with the presence on the ground to sustain further expansion.
“The search for the partne

UK - Shure UK has partnered with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) “to help foster a strong theatre industry for the years ahead”. As part of the partnership, Shure has agreed to donate some of its equipment to the Academy and carry out masterclasses in wireless technology.
Equipment supplied to RADA includes top-tier wireless microphone and in-ear monitor systems, such as Axient Digital and PSM300, as well as Shure's range of KSM studio microphones.
Steve Mayo, head of sound at RADA comments: "The collaboration between RADA and Shure is one of innovation, rigour and experimentation. Shure's company values sit perfectly with RADA's dedication to world-class education. The partnership between RADA and Shure ensures the high standards of excellence and helps to deliver consistency across specialist training, product development and application."
Tuomo T

Having already completed his own European headline tour this year, Jamie Lawson has recently headed back out on the road supporting Ed Sheeran on stadium shows across the UK and Europe. This year’s gigs see him showcasing songs from his latest album, Happy Accidents, released on Sheeran’s Gingerbread Man Records label.
For both the headline and support tours Lawson’s front of house engineer Rob Simpson (NUB Sound) has opted for Allen & Heath dLive digital mixing systems, which he describes as having “unique clarity and headroom - and the best ergonomics in the business”.
The arena shows see Simpson behind a dLive S3000 surface (with Waves v3 audio networking card) at FOH, in conjunction with a DM48 MixRack. The same MixRack model is used by engineer Mark Ellis for monitoring, with a dLive S5000 surface fitted with M-DANTE card for virtual soundchecks and

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies, a Patron of the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC), supplied the event lighting for the club's annual British Grand Prix party at Silverstone Circuit.
Staged within the grounds of the BRDC Farm as part of the Formula 1 Rolex British Grand Prix weekend, the occasion attracts high-profile members and motorsport personalities. AC-ET has been a patron of the BRDC’s Young Driver Programme for over a decade, and supplied the lighting design for the Party ever since.
AC-ET worked closely again with the BRDC to create the lighting theme for the event, which this year saw the Club celebrate 90 years, and the upcoming 70th British Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit. To commemorate it, the Farm grounds featured displays of historic cars which have played a key part in the history of Silverstone and Formula 1 over the past seven decades.

Belgium - Named to celebrate the region’s rich industrial heritage, De Factorij is a bustling new cultural centre and performing arts facility in the historic district of Zaventem, near Brussels. The centre, which opened in 2017, hosts a diverse programme of performances, exhibitions and events. Its main performance space is the 680-seat Ivo Maupertuis Theatre, a shell-shaped auditorium designed as an acoustically isolated box-in-box construction.
With quality, diversity and inclusivity at the heart of the venue’s vision for the local community, the management required “fast and efficient” control of its technical systems, audio included. Belgian systems integrator and audio specialist Amptec, already installing the cabling infrastructure for the new venue, was also asked to design and implement the sound reinforcement system for the main theatre.
Despite the

Europe - Italian composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi has been filling the world's biggest halls for years with his mixture of minimalist neo-classicism and pop adaptations. This spring, the musician also visited arenas throughout Germany as part of his current world tour before journeying to Asia and North America.
In order to transport Einaudi's sparkling, dynamic piano works to the furthest corners of every location in the highest degree of transparency, the German service provider satis&fy relied on an L-Acoustics configuration including K1 and K2 system along with Kara and Kiva as supplementary side-fill and near-fill loudspeakers.
In contrast to his solo concerts, Ludovico Einaudi brought various musicians on stage for the current tour in order to bring his genre-defying compositions to life in an approach combining both conventional and unusual instruments

USA - Queens of the Stone Age are on an epic international tour and FOH engineer Jay Rigby (The War on Drugs, The 1975, Cage The Elephant) has specified a Solid State Logic L500 console supplied by Eighth Day Sound.
The most recent QOTSA tour started last June with an SSL L500 console already specified. Rigby and the monitor engineer Francois Pare joined the tour in April this year, and Rigby decided to stick with the SSL console. "I haven't looked back," he says. "I absolutely love it."
Choosing to start from scratch rather than try to adapt himself to the previous set-up, Rigby used multitracks from earlier shows to build a new show file. "I was able to go into the Eighth Day Sound warehouse and prepare as much as possible.
"The first show I did with Queens of the Stone Age, and the first time I met the band, was headlining at a festival

UK - The Piccadilly Theatre in London’s West End opened in 1928 as one of the largest theatres in London. In 2017, it underwent a major refurbishment, aimed at enhancing many of its original features using modern technology, as well as meeting modern sustainability targets.
Theatre owners Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) wanted to completely replace the Piccadilly Theatre’s existing house light system with low-energy LED lighting, without detracting in any way from the theatre’s Art Deco heritage. This was to include emergency lighting throughout as well as provision for the recently restored dome ceiling, including new centre-piece chandelier. Integrator White Light was engaged to install the new system.
GDS supplied products from across its entire range to meet this extensive brief, including a number of bespoke special project items that avoided any compromise w

USA - The stately building at 1615 Vine - one of the first legitimate Broadway-style theatres in Hollywood - was purchased in 1999 by the Ricardo Montalbán Foundation as part of its mission to promote theatre education and the work of Latino artists.
In 2005, it was renamed The Montalbán and has served as an incubator of budding theatrical talent by hosting the Chauvet Professional Student Lighting Showcase.
Now in its fifth year, the annual interactive educational event, which was sponsored by 4Wall Entertainment, provides lighting students from Los Angeles-area college theatre programmes an opportunity to collaborate on design projects and have their work evaluated by noted lighting designers. This year’s group of designers included Jeff Ravitz, Matt Ford, James Schipper, Rachel Miller, Mark Devlin and Aron Altmark.
Aside from having the opportunity to rec

Italy - Giudizio Universale: Michelangelo and the Secrets of the Sistine Chapel is the immersive, multimedia stage show created by Marco Balich of Balich Worldwide Shows. For the show's lighting, Balich worked alongside award-winning designers Rob Halliday and Bruno Poet who selected a range of ADB and Claypaky lighting products (see LSi June 2018 for a full production report).
Now running at the Auditorium Conciliazione in Rome, the show features live theatrical performances, dance and aerial acrobatics. Vivid, 270° high-resolution projections of Michelangelo's work, created by live video design company, Luke Halls Studio are mapped across a 'vaulted' digital p

Tax Relief - Statistics published by HM Revenue and Customs show that theatre benefitted from £77m of tax relief in 2017/18, up from £44m the year before - a 75% increase. There were 910 claims made in 2017/18, representing 2,980 productions. Of this, 1,140 were touring and 1,840 were non-touring shows.
Since September 2014, when tax relief for the sector was introduced, a total of £137m has been paid out in relief, covering 1,670 claims and 4,680 productions.
The tax policy follows similar schemes for other media such as film, television and video games. Touring shows can claim back 25% relief on eligible costs and other productions can claim 20%.
Society of London Theatre chief executive Julian Bird said the tax relief had “allowed producers to become more adventurous and compensated for reductions in funding from other sources”.
Reunion Blues<

UK - Devon-based S+H Technical Support has launched a new HD video banner designed for all types of live events, as well as conferences, exhibitions and other applications requiring plug-and-play digital signage.
S+H’s Terry Murtha comments: “Whether it’s indicating the way to a plenary session or a breakout room, directing delegates to different seminars or providing fun and entertaining branding and content in specific areas of an event space - like hallways and corridors - or highlighting an area of an exhibition stand, this is a really fast and simple way to get noticed or to issue clear directions” enthuses Terry.
The standard S+H Video Banner offers a 2.5 mm pitch and 224 x 756 pixels per panel in a .622 mm wide by 1980 mm high format. The 6.7 mm deep modules can be butted up together and are housed in robust aluminium panels for protection and easy trans

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