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UK - Aurora has opened newly upgraded pre-visualisation suites at their North London base.
Located directly adjacent to the company’s extensive lighting store in Whetstone, Aurora’s new pre-viz and programming facility provides lighting directors and crews access to a range of lighting tools installed specifically to assist in the creative design and technical planning of all manner of productions.
Forming part of an on-going pan-company programme of investment, this newly upgraded installation features MA and Hog lighting desks, dedicated computers running both WYSIWYG and MA3D software and 4K monitors.
Created with the customer in mind the self-contained area offers relaxed, informal surroundings, including a smart breakout lounge. Conveniently situated at th

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UK - Illumination specialists LED Creative supported set designer Rudi Thackray and lighting director Gurdip Mahal, providing LED and control systems to help create the look for the recent London run of The Late Late Show with James Corden.
Making a welcome return to the Central Hall Westminster, The Late Late Show with James Corden once again staged its mix of interview, sketches and live performance in front of a studio audience at the impressive venue.
With a set designed to mirror the feel of the US show, Rudi Thackray re-created the look with plenty of vibrant, bold colour, which perfectly complemented the lighting installation and provided the ideal juxtaposition against the imposing backdrop of the Central Hall.
One of the key features in the design was the inclusion of over 40 LED Creative Sigma Pulse Wands, which Thackray positioned through

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The Netherlands - Pinksterfeesten in De Moer festival has consistently delighted fans for 37 consecutive years. Looking to keep the festival experience fresh for performers and fans alike, Mercury Audiovisueel and Oetelaar Sound Service incorporated 24 Chauvet Professional Rogue R1 Spot and 8 Rogue RH1 Hybrid fixtures into their visual concept on the main stage at this year's festival.
"One of the main challenges with this festival is to keep the visuals and the energy fresh and interesting year after year," comments Mercury. "The Rogues were the perfect tools. They provided surprisingly large and intense output for a fixture of such compact size and weight."
To craft a number of energy-inducing looks for headliners such as the Dirty Daddies and Buren van de Brandweer, Mercury positioned the Rogue R1 Spot units on a lattice of trussing pillars behind the stage. As a r
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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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Chechen Republic - A new dolphinarium has opened in the Chechnyan capital of Grozny - the centrepiece of a major new complex that also includes several parks, attractions, race circuit, restaurant, theatre and an equestrian park. The total area of the facility is more than 300,000sq.m.
The Grozny Dolphinarium itself measures around 10,000sq.m. and includes eight swimming pools for training and a recreation area for animals where they can engage in water performance. In the centre is a 12m diagonal screen where up to 665 people can watch the water show.
The LTM Group was tasked with developing project documentation for the sections of stage lighting, electro-acoustics and suspension system, as well as the installation of acoustic and lighting equipment. A high technical specification was set for the audio visual, with particular attention given to the central pool, and

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UK - Central London camera hire facility Focus24 is hosting an event for guests to experience its new camera and grip facility.
Along with its purpose-built prep rooms, optical centre and engineering facilities, the company will be showcasing some of the latest additions to its growing inventory. Also on demonstration will be bespoke MoVI packages available from Motion24, complete with a tracking vehicle.
The event takes place on Wednesday 11 July from 4pm at Focus24 9 Vision, Kendal Avenue, London W3 0AF. Attendance can be confirmed via social@focus24.tv.
(Jim Evans)

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UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) will be hosting a free Nexo UK open day at the Victoria Theatre in Halifax.
The event will take place on 25 July (Wednesday) over two half-day sessions and will comprise demos of various Nexo product ranges, including the small ID series, the point-source PS series, the Geo M10 system as well as the venue’s own Geo M6 house PA system, which AC-ET supplied. Representatives from AC-ET’s specialist audio division and from Nexo will provide a full product demonstration and interactive listening sessions with each speaker series.
Shure will also be attending the event with their new Axient Digital wireless system.
Topics to be explored during the sessions will include Nexo power and processing; a general overview of line array theory; and an overview of the Nexo NS1 system design software.
The event is also an o

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USA - Currently performing at festivals across Europe, American rap and hip hop artist Vince Staples spent the first quarter of the year in the USA opening for headliner Tyler, the Creator.
To give each of the artists a dramatically different visual definition for their respective parts of the show, two contrasting designs were devised, with Staples’ performance taking place in front of a dramatic backdrop that juxtaposed cold white, stark and graphic looks, which then gave way to Tyler, the Creator’s set that featured a magical forest with lots of saturated colour, Kabuki drops and star drop visuals.
Add to that mix a rig that has to be moved away quickly to accommodate the set change to the headline act, and it’s easy to see the challenges that Staples’ lighting director and programmer, Tyler Santangelo, and manage r/ show director, Corey Smyth, had to overc

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Germany - A long reach is not only in demand in sport, but also in the professional installation or event technology sectors. Many systems fail when it’s about the transmission of sound and picture over long distances. Customers of Sommer Cable don’t have to compromise here. The new generation of the Caddinal DVM-HDBT extender systems creates “a milestone in terms of transmission quality”.
“When designing the new Cardinal DVM systems, we focused on a stable, zero latency transmission of HDMI signals. That way uncompressed UHD content can be transferred in real-time by using only a single Cat line. And this over a maximum distance of 70m,” says Peter Rieck, key account & distribution manager at Sommer Cable.
The ultra-compact devices are optimised for continuous operation and process HDMI signals up to the 2.0 standard with all common features such as HD

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France - Lighting designer Thomas Dechandon of the 4eleven collective created a stunning show for pop-rock band Indochine’s recent tour, including over 200 Robe moving lights on the rig – with MegaPointes, Spiiders, LEDBeam 150s – plus a six-way RoboSpot remote follow spotting system that was run by three operators..
These were part of an impressive kit list supplied by leading French rental specialist Dushow, and it was the greatest number of RoboSpots to date on a French tour.
Each RoboSpot operator positioned behind the stage controlled two BMFL WashBeam moving lights running in conjunction with two RoboSpot MotionCameras. The compact moving head cameras were rigged in front of the BMFLs on a ‘magic arm’.
Three BMFL WashBeams being used as follow spots were positioned on the front truss and the other three on the central ring of a large circular vid

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UK - As announced by the #SaveStageLighting Campaign, the period of public consultation for the proposed ECO design regulation – that will affect lighting products of all types – has expired. The EU DG Energy department has passed on a revised draft to the next stage of the legislative process. Expecting to know its content within a few weeks, it will progress through the committee stages of the process of turning it into a law.
Ruari Cormack, SLX business development manager, comments: “Following on from the recent news from the #SaveStageLighting front we at SLX would like to applaud the efforts of those involved to date, including our sister company Stage Electrics, and echo the sentiment of the most recent articles published on this challenge.
“Certainly, as an industry we have been slow to respond to the initial proposals. However, the efforts of all areas

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USA - Hard rock band Stone Sour recently wrapped their Spring touring leg with a lighting package provided by Bandit Lites. The group released their sixth studio album Hydrograd last summer and are currently on tour in Europe.
“I wanted the rig to be compact so we wouldn’t have to take off 36 fixtures every night,” said lighting designer Scott Warner. “I asked Bandit to come up with a way to mount them on pipes which could lifted quickly, and stay wired,” said Warner. “At load out, they’d drop down into the pods. Bandit did a great job in building the pods so it all worked seamlessly.”
Bandit’s preproduction team handled building the pods before Stone Sour’s team made their way to Nashville for rehearsals.
“I would get pictures sent from Bandit to myself and Stephen Shaw (PM/TM) to look over. When we loaded into rehearsals in Nashville

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USA - Fayetteville First Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Georgia is aware of its strengths, even as it shifts to a more blended worship style. The goal is to engage the next generation so that they keep their roots firmly planted at FFBC without going so far as to make church an alien experience for the older generations who have been supporting the church their entire lives.
Although it met the church's needs when it went in 15 years ago, the sanctuary's sound reinforcement system was straining under the weight of the more contemporary demands placed upon it by the shift in service style. FFBC hired Gainesville, Georgia-based dB Integrations – the same company that had designed and installed the older system – to update its 500-seat sanctuary with a new Danley-based sound system that could simultaneously deliver excellent spoken-word intelligibility and exciting musical

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USA - Since 2006, Rock Community Church in Littleton, Colorado, has grown by leaps and bounds, adding to its congregation through strong leadership, dedicated purpose and family values.
Ben Carson, Rock Community’s technical director along with other key church decision makers chose to install a Clair Brothers sound system.
To make a greater impact through additional land, flexible building design and dynamic performance systems the church hired Kurt Butler of Butler Engineering & Technology Group (BETG). Notes Butler comments: “The AVL and acoustics installation at the church was designed to be an inclusive and intimate experience for the congregation, so everything related to the systems we installed were measured against that metric.
It was BETG and a design team of architects that initially formulated a package that would shape the worship centre in a

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South Africa - Joshua Cutts once again lit the Miss South Africa beauty pageant event, which this year selected the country’s delegates for the Miss Universe and Miss World contests.
The show was staged for the first time at the new Sun Arena venue at Times Square in Pretoria, and Cutts chose to illuminate the show – produced by Entertainment and directed by Gavin Wratten for live broadcast on M-NET (DSTv channel 101) and Mzansi Magic (DSTv channel 161) – with a substantial Robe moving light rig of 170 fixtures.
Josh is a leading South African lighting and visual designer and has used Robe products extensively in his work for some time, however this was the first time he had the chance to use MegaPointes on a live show.
The event’s overall lighting and technical vendor was Dream Sets, and their production manager Eben Peltz ensured that everything ran smo

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USA - Nexo’s flagship modular line array system, the STM Series, with supplementary Geo S12, was used for a very large house-of-worship event in the impressive US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Fifty thousand people attended the free Pulse - Twin Cities show, with Reach Communications providing the 360° Nexo PA system.
Multiple headliners played the concert, including LeCrae, Hillsong and Jaberwockies. The recently-built stadium is already known for its challenging acoustics, but, as one of the largest venues in the region, it has played host to many world-class touring artists and their engineers. All eyes were on Nexo, to see how STM Series would perform!
System deployment was in a 360° arrangement, with STM as main, out, side and delays, S12 as rear, and M10 for front-fills. Subs were a combination of flown and stacked STM S118, as well as cardio stacked Ne

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USA - Barry Manilow began an extended residency at the International Theatre at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino on 24 May. The 1,600-seat theatre is where Elvis Presley performed 837 consecutive sold-out shows. As part of a $150m renovation, it now boasts a RoomMatch sound system from Bose Professional.
Ken Newman, Manilow’s long-time front-of-house engineer, says he had some hesitancy about using the new sound system ahead of the first shows, having never worked with a RoomMatch system before. “I went there and put the system through the same evaluation process I always do, including analysing pink noise through the system and then playing eight sets of stem files through the house console from previous recordings I’ve done of Barry in other venues,” he explains.
“I came away rather impressed. It’s a challenge keeping Barry’s vocal above the

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UK - Martin Audio has completed a management buyout (MBO) from global audio specialist Loud Audio. The MBO has been backed by private equity investor LDC, the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group.
As part of the deal, LDC, alongside the Martin Audio management helmed by MD Dom Harter, has invested £12m in the company. The investment will enable the business to further develop its product range, improve its sales and marketing capabilities through the extension of its global distribution network and enhance its digital infrastructure through software development, says Martin Audio.
As part of the deal, LDC investment directors Troy Harris-Speid and Philip Weston will join the board, alongside James Browning who will join as non-executive director.
Dom Harter, managing director of Martin Audio, said: “Our success to date has been underpinned by providing

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UK - Stage Electrics have supplied the Stamford Shakespeare Company with a new Altair wireless communication system ahead of their summer season of plays. The Stamford Shakespeare Company is an amateur theatre group, who perform at the distinctive Rutland Open Air Theatre, within the grounds of Tolethorpe Hall, Stamford.
Requiring a new wireless comms system ahead of their 2018 season, the Stamford Shakespeare Company enlisted Stage Electrics for guidance. “The client approached us with an idea of what they wanted. We discussed several different comms systems but settled on Altair’s WBS-202HD dual channel wireless intercom system,” comments Jonty Gray of Stage Electrics.
The WBS-202HD offers a secure communication between the base station operator and a maximum of eight wireless beltpacks. “The client specified that they needed the ability to allow the backsta

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USA - Calvary Chapel Las Vegas supports five worship services each week, using an Allen & Heath dLive Digital Mixing System in their main worship space and an Allen & Heath GLD-80 Digital Mixer in a smaller chapel. Vocalists and musicians in both spaces use Allen & Heath ME-1 Personal Monitor Mixers.
The church’s several buildings, including a K-12 school, are connected with a fibre network and its audio systems communicate via Dante so that the chapel can be used for overflow from the main worship space and services or events in either space can be broadcast over a streaming service and recorded for the church’s website.
Technical director Michael Millington explained the decision to adopt Allen & Heath. “I wanted the dLive because, at 96k, it was an amazing option and it met our budget. Second, it doesn’t scare volunteers away like some of th

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USA - The inaugural American Knight of Illumination Awards (KOI-USA), has announced the full judging panel for the five awards in the Concert Touring & Events category.
Concert Touring & Events judging panel:
John Featherstone, principal lighting designer and founder of Lightswitch and chair of the judging panel, has worked with The Pretenders, Van Halen, Duran Duran and Bryan Adams
Barry Lather, creative director, began his career starring as a dancer in Michael Jackson's film Captain EO, and has since gone on to direct world tours for Usher, Mariah Carey, Rihanna and Carrie Underwood
Angie Warner, touring manager for Guns'n'Roses, has more than 18 years' experience in the industry and has previously worked with NSYNC and Imagine Dragons
Yelena Filipchuk, artist and co-founder of installation art collective HYBYCOZO, creator of large-scale,

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New Zealand - Wellington’s Te Auaha is a new university campus that provides a home to students of creative disciplines such as photography, film production, performing arts, visual arts and music.
Supporting the wide variety of productions at the school’s 200-seat theatre auditorium is a carefully planned LED lighting rig that features a large collection of Chauvet Professional fixtures installed by MDR Sound and Lighting, including 12 Ovation F-915FC Fresnel, 12 Ovation F-165WW, 10 Ovation E-910FC LED and 10 Maverick MK2 Spot fixtures.
"The Ovation F-915FC is a remarkable LED Fresnel," comments James Kearney, technical manager of Te Auaha. "One of the most impressive features is its ability to reproduce true theatre colours with near perfect CRI – astonishing, considering the fact that the LED source has none of the drawbacks of traditional tungsten Fresnels.<
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