USA - Each year, Inc. Magazine publishes its list of the 5000 fastest-growing publicly held small companies in the U.S. and follows the announcement with a black-tie awards ceremony at the Inc. 5000 Conference & Gala. To land on Inc’s list is not only public recognition that a company is on a successful track, it also serves as a source of pride for up-and-coming companies.
The Inc. 5000 Conference & Gala gathering brings some of the nation's most successful business minds together to celebrate the companies that appear on the prestigious ranking. The 10th anniversary edition of the conference was held 10-12 October at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort in Palm Springs, California, with the black tie awards ceremony capping the three-day event on th

USA - Optocore has been providing professional digital transport systems for high channel counts of audio, video and data for more the 25 years. The Digico SD series of consoles have been using the Optocore fibre network as their digital fibre transport system since their release because of the redundant and reliable performance of the network.
The Optocore platform is easily programmed and connected using redundant fibre connections and allows for near instantaneous transmission of audio, control and data without any loss or electrical interference. This makes Optocore enabled consoles an appealing choice for audio technicians that need to transport a large amount of audio, maintain great quality audio and not worry about IT integration or IP addresses.
An additional benefit to using the Optocore fibre network with SD consoles is the ability of using any Optocore R-

USA - Garth Brooks celebrated a new ticket sales record after three years touring North America with his wife, Trisha Yearwood, and his trusted sound system designed by Clair Brothers.
The exacting standards by which Garth works and his genuine thoughtfulness, from his song-writing and studio recording, to the level of planning, production quality, gear and pros he takes out on the road with him, set the stage for success. Preparation for this tour began in 2014 when Garth commissioned a custom-made sound system design from Clair Brothers.
Six months of research and system development engineering were required to meet the vision conceptualized by Brooks and his production team. This vision garnered Garth and his team a 2018 TEC Award nomination for Outstanding Creative Achievement for Tour/Event Sound Production.
His main touring PA consists of a combination 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

Sweden - With music and the spoken word at the heart of the modern worship service, any renovation of a church sanctuary calls for a critical appraisal of the performance of the fixed audio system. In the Bethlehem Church in Gothenburg, Sweden, just such a renovation resulted in the installation of a new Nexo Geo M6 compact line array, after careful analysis of the church room’s acoustics and a shoot-out between manufacturers’ solutions.
Tech 4 Event AB has specialised in church installations over recent years and was called in to assess the needs of the Bethlehem church, and its 800-strong congregation. Björn Carlsson, the CEO of Tech 4 Events, and his colleagues looked at a number of different sound reinforcement systems for the installation, considering the aesthetic appearance of the audio solution as well as its sonic performance.
The church called for a dem

New Zealand - Jands NZ recently installed a networked audio system by Harman Professional Solutions at the Australian High Commission facility in Wellington.
The Australian High Commission (AHC) acts as the Australian government’s official agency in New Zealand. In addition to providing a range of diplomatic services to the public, including passport, immigration, citizenship and cultural relations, the AHC also represents Australia’s interests to government and business organizations in New Zealand.
A dedicated event space in the facility allows the AHC to host numerous events and meetings throughout the year. The AHC event space consists of four individual rooms that can accommodate multiple events simultaneously or be combined for large events. In order to ensure maximum intelligibility, versatility and ease-of-use during a wide range of events, the AHC hired

France - The artistic adventure of the Grand T in Nantes began in 1983 with the inauguration of the Espace 44, an 879-seat theatre designed by architect Claude Jeffroy and scenographer Igor Hilbert. The venue gained a strong reputation under the aegis of Jean-Luc Tardieu, the Grand T artistic director from 1985 to 1998, who directed many shows starring iconic actors such as Jean Marais, Edwige Feuillère and Anouk Aimé. Catherine Blondeau is the director of the theatre since 2011.
Designed on the principle of an insulated staging area, Le Grand T stands out due to the short distance between the stage and the last row, creating an intimate feeling between the actors and the audience. To enhance this proximity, Le Grand T recently decided to upgrade the entire front-fill sound system. French integrator, Sonowest, trusted loudspeaker manufacturer APG and its new Uniline Compa

USA - Seminal horror punk rock band and at The Forum in Los Angeles with a pair of high-octane shows guaranteed to please fans of the iconic musicians.
Lighting designer/Director Jason Cain selected Claypaky Mythos2 and Sharpy Wash fixtures for the back-to-back arena shows.
“The Misfits are the reason we have Metallica, Guns N’ Roses and Rob Zombie,” says Cain, who is also an account representative at Gemini LSV (Light Sound Video) in Dallas, which provided the lights. For the shows featuring long-time band members Glenn Danzig, Jerry Only and Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein, Cain wanted lights that delivered “a lot of output, were quick and able to strobe saturated colours. Both the Mythos2 and Sharpy Washes delivered that: They were pretty raw and powerful.”
The Misfits’ stage was outfitted with a 40x20ft 6mm LED videowall, a pair of 13ft tall prop

Italy/USA - Marani Pro Audio's recently-launched US office has partnered with Peavey Electronics Corporation to market and distribute Marani USA’s line of digital audio processing products.
The complete range of Marani Pro Audio loudspeaker management and audio processors will be available through Peavey Commercial Audio sales representatives and distributors worldwide. A selection of Marani products will also be featured on the Peavey Commercial Audio stand 7-M210 at ISE 2018.
“This is a very strong match for us,” explained Michele Marani, founder and managing director of Marani USA and Marani Proaudio. “Peavey has long enjoyed a reputation for pioneering excellence in sound reinforcement and pro audio products. Marani USA will augment Peavey’s considerable portfolio of brands with our unique high-performance digital audio processing products.”

USA - Broadcast live on 28 January, the 60th Annual Grammy Awards delivered all the excitement and drama audiences have come to expect from the music industry’s marquee event.
Several of the biggest artists in the industry, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year winner Bruno Mars, made use of 20 channels of Sennheiser’s digital wireless technology and four channels of its analogue wireless technology.
Kendrick Lamar kicked off the show with a powerful performance of his song XXX from his Album of the Year nominated record DAMN. Lamar used a Sennheiser Digital 6000 wireless system featuring an SKM 9000 transmitter and MD 9235 capsule for transmission of his riveting rhymes. He would take home five Grammy Awards on the evening.
Lady Gaga took the stage next, performing sensitive, piano-focused renditions of both the title track from

Spain - Madrid-based AV distributor Video Cine Import S.A. (VCI) has been announced as Avolites' new distributor for Spain.
VCI was founded in 1999 and was originally dedicated to the film and TV markets before expanding into TV studio lighting installation in 2011 and the events sector. The company is now a major provider of lighting consoles and media servers, with offices in Madrid and Barcelona, and a subsidiary in Portugal.
"We're thrilled to be able to offer all products from a respected brand such as Avolites for the Spanish market," says Pilu Baselga, marketing assistant at VCI. "We feel that it is hugely beneficial for us as a company to carry Avolites' full range of lighting controllers, from the Titan One to the Arena console, and from dimmers to their Ai line of industry-leading media servers, to cover all market needs. We're sure they will perfectly comp

The Netherlands - At ISE 2018, DPA Microphones will launch d:sign, the latest product group to join its d: branding that already encompasses d:facto, d:vote; d:screet; d:mension and d:dicate.
Microphones and accessories within the new d:sign Installation Solutions Series are specifically targeted at the installation and conference markets and will be on show at Booth 7-P240 where DPA is exhibiting in conjunction with its Netherlands distributor Amptec.
The d:sign Installation Solution Series is a flexible range of mics that “perfectly blends elegant design and amazing audio quality” From the boundary layer mount to an assortment of gooseneck mics for tabletop, podium or ceiling placement, you can “find the perfect solution for your space”.
“When it comes to delivering a successful event or conference what you really need is clear, intelligible sound,

Europe - Claypaky has introduced to the market its new LED spot fixture, the Axcor Profile 900. The unit is powered by a 880W white LED light engine and achieves 46,000 lumen (24,000 lumen output) with a 6,500 K colour temperature, while an optional high-CRI (>90) light engine produces 34,000 lumen (17,500 lumen output) and a 5,600K colour temperature.
The beam produced by the Axcor Profile 900 is described as dense and evenly distributed for the entire length of the beam, at any beam angle in its zoom range of 7-40 degrees, and its CMY colour mixing system uses gradual-insertion dichroic wheels supported by a linear CTO correction device to produce perfectly smooth transitions between colours. A separate colour wheel carries six professional colour filters, including a custom-designed CRI enhancement filter.
When exhibited at LDI 2017 in Las Vegas in November, the

The Netherlands - Absen will introduce its NXTGEN technologies and products on stand 12C50, at this year’s ISE. The company will introduce its new COBALT (Chip-on-Board Advanced Light Technology) platform featuring Absen Chip-on-Board and NanoShield technologies alongside its HBB (High Brightness Black) with Common Cathode solutions.
Absen’s innovations underpin the product ranges unveiled this year. NXTGEN presentations will run three times daily on the stand, adding an extra knowledge layer to support the newly-unveiled Polaris Series, featuring a range of high performance products with innovative technologies for indoor and outdoor events; Altair Series, a lightweight rental system featuring advanced carbon fibre materials and the world’s lightest touring frame solution; and the Cassette Series, designed to support a direct-into-housing upgrade of existing paper ba

The Netherlands - Architectural and installation LED lighting manufacturer Anolis will showcase a mix of new and existing product ranges on stand 7-X195 at the 2018 Integrated Systems Europe Exhibition (ISE) at Amsterdam’s RAI.
The stand will be shared with Robe Lighting.
Anolis will highlight its Ambiane downlight luminaires, the first in a new range of specialist high performance fixtures that bring dynamics and colour to any ambient lighting scenario. There will also be a focus on the new ArcLine Outdoor DVP (Direct View Pixel); the ArcPix, a robust pixel-mapping solution and the super punchy little Arc Dot, also ideal for matrix effects and kinetic media projects.
The striking booth design itself will incorporate Ambiane, DVP, ArcDot and ArcPix into an elegant showcase, also giving visitors an idea of how the products can look in situ.
Robe will show

Europe - KLANG:technologies has announced the release of KOS 3, a major upgrade to its operating system. KOS 3 introduces many new features that provide user benefits and an improved workflow when working with the KLANG 3D in-ear mixing system, says the company.
A key feature of KOS 3 is the introduction of parametric EQ, providing the equalization of each input signal when no dedicated monitor console is available. Known for its user-friendly operation, KLANG provides a comprehensive range of easily understood pre-sets as well as graphically clear fine tuning with root intensity. This allows users to gradually blend in the tone signature of the EQ, and even invert it. With just one touch of a finger the pitch of the tonal characteristic can also be adjusted. KOS 3 additionally provides an output mix EQ with pre-sets and output phase invert.
KOS 3 also adds an improve

The Netherlands - Live sound engineer Ash Hannis will be running a series of live demos on the Crest Audio Tactus digital mixing system on the Peavey Commercial Audio booth 7-M210 at ISE 2018.
Well known for his stints with Nizlopi and Kasabian as well as regular FOH engineering responsibilities on some of the biggest stages on the festival circuit (including Summer Sonic Festival, O2 Wireless, and Glastonbury), Hannis is currently using Tactus on tour with Showaddywaddy. Demos will be taking place on the stand every day at 11am, 1pm and 3pm.
Built in partnership with Waves, the comprehensive Tactus modular mixing system combines front-of-house and stage input/output boxes with a compact control console and state-of-the-art software options. A simple, customisable touch-screen operating interface puts all of the audio routing, processing and mixing tools within easy

The Netherlands - ISE 2018 will see the official introduction of the latest d&b technology: the d&b Soundscape. Operating on the DS100 signal engine matrix and dynamically integrating engineering and artistry, the d&b Soundscape allows for a completely new auditory experience; no longer defined by physics alone, but by the unlimited power of the imagination. The methodology processes signals, accurately places sources and recreates acoustic environments, building the level of detail needed to craft an authentic, enveloping experience.
The driving force of Soundscape, Ralf Zuleeg from Sales Services & Application Engineering and Marcus Bäumler from Product Management, will provide in depth explanations and demonstrations in the d&b demo room E106.
It won’t just be the new DS100 available to explore, attendees will also have the chance to join othe

UK - Following the success of their last show A Christmas Carol, Voice of the Show were back in 2017 with The Adventures of Pinocchio. Based on the original book by Carlo Collodi, David Mansell directed and adapted the tale into a magical family performance which follows the naughty puppet on his many adventures and begins on Christmas Eve in toy maker, Geppetto’s workshop (played by Guy Siner).
The Little Theatre by the Park in Chesham played home to the dark family fable for 19 shows throughout December, boasting West End-worthy lighting designs and a small but talented cast. At the heart of the lighting rig were four Chauvet DJ Intimidator hybrids, six Chauvet Professional Q-Wash 436Zs, four Rogue R2 Spots and eight ETC Source 4 Junior fixtures that were evenly positioned around the circular stage.
Both Rogue R2 Spots and Intimidator hybrids were c

USA - The 2018 Bounce Trumpet Awards were held on 20 January at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre with a lighting package supplied by Bandit Lites.
2018 honourees were Jermaine Dupri, Richelieu Dennis, Tamika Mallory, Marley Dias, Dr. Lonnie Johnson, Rhyon Brown and Cameo. The evening featured performances from Arrested Development, Michel’le and Major along with a musical tribute to So So Def Recordings founder and honoree Jermaine Dupri which included performances from Anthony Hamilton, Bow Wow, Xscape and a surprise appearance by Ludacris.
Using over 180 fixtures from Bandit Lites, lighting designer Bob Peterson crafted looks that would translate both for those in attendance at the live awards and for those who would be watching at home.
HES SolaSpot 2000 Framings provided reconfigurable, automated key lights from the rail and first electric, while Rob

USA - Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Conquest, which cruises to the Bahamas, Bermuda, and the Caribbean, recently upgraded its sound reinforcement capabilities for its poolside LED screen. After carefully considering options from several well-known loudspeaker manufacturers, the company ultimately selected loudspeakers from the WR Series catalogue of D.A.S. Audio.
North Miami, FL headquartered Control AV, an AV system design / build firm that specialises in entertainment technology projects for cruise ships and other specialist applications, was contracted to design and deploy the new sound reinforcement setup for the ship’s outdoor theatre. Ultimately, the firm installed 16 D.A.S. WR-320FXW installation line arrays and four WR-S218FXW subwoofers. Amir El Yordi, President of Control AV LLC, discussed the job and his reasons for selecting D.A.S. Audio equipment.

France - Sound engineer and designer Alain Roy, head of rental company Espace Concept, is one of the most respected names on France’s professional audio scene. A recent classical concert in eastern France gave him the opportunity to examine the Nexo STM Series modular line array as part of his new conceptual approach to immersive sound.
The event, staged at the Axone Arena in Montebeliard near the Swiss border, featured 80 musicians of the Orchestre Victor Hugo Franche Comté, who were joined by a blues band for the second half of the concert.
For the main PA, the Besançon-based rental team of Espace Concept set up a L/R system with (per side) 12x M28 main and six B112 bass modules from Nexo’s modular STM Series. In this application, Roy’s system design exploited the sound quality of the 12” drivers in the B112s, rather than increasing the number of double 8

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