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UK - Polar is to become a commercial UK distributor for US-based AV distribution specialist ZeeVee.
Polar will carry ZeeVee’s full AVoIP product range, offering solutions for all network bandwidths, budgets and applications.
Stuart Leader, director of Polar’s integrated solutions division comments: “We’re firmly established as a distributor of intelligent audio solutions but our increasing involvement with video in recent years has seen our integrated solutions division assist with the delivery of many large scale, complex AVoIP projects.
“To be partnering with an industry leading marque like ZeeVee, is a very exciting development which further strengthens our position. They have shown leadership and have a full product range that includes ZeeVee’s man

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Australia - Harman Professional Solutions has consolidated the distribution of AKG, BSS, Crown, dbx, Lexicon, JBL and Soundcraft solutions in Australia by strengthening ties with long-time distribution partners AV Technology (avt) and CMI Music & Audio Pty Ltd (CMI).
From 1 February, support, warranty and repair of Harman Professional products in Australia will transition to avt and CMI. Avt, who already distributes AMX audio video control systems, will take the complete Harman integration and installation audio product suite. CMI will represent the retail, recording and prosumer audio in addition to current Harman portfolio including Digitech and Axys Tunnel Solutions. All other Harman distribution in Australia and New Zealand remains unchanged.
“At the conclusion of an extensive review process, we identified reducing complexity and taking a solutions-driven ap

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Film on Hold - A controversial French film about the 2015 terror attack at the Bataclan theatre in Paris, in which 89 people died, has been put on hold. Broadcaster France 2 said the love story Ce soir-la (That Night), would be postponed until victims' associations had been "widely consulted". Claire Peltier, whose partner David was among those killed, has called for the "scandalous" film to be shelved. She has started a petition to block the film, attracting 39,000 signatures. She said it was too soon for "such a painful" story.
France 2 said the film was still being edited, adding: "No transmission date had been fixed for the film..., which has not yet been seen by the station's management." Arthur Denouveaux, from the victims' group Life For Paris, told the Agence France Presse news agency: "Even if we have never asked for censorship, we are glad that modest
featured content

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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USA - ESTA has named Erin Grabe to succeed executive director Lori Rubinstein in what is expected to be a year-long transition. Erin is currently ESTA’s assistant technical standards manager and part of the transition involves replacing her in that role.
Erin has been working in technical production in live events since the age of 15, including nine years working for Grand Stage Company as a sales associate, purchasing agent, and project manager. Following that, Erin worked as a freelance lighting technician and board operator for corporate and private events while pursuing a Bachelor of Technology degree in Entertainment Technology at New York City College of Technology.
Erin began as an intern with ESTA's Technical Standards Program in October of 2012, working as a scribe for some of the task groups writing American National Standards. In early 2013, Erin joined th

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USA - Rational Acoustics has announced the release of the second major version update for the Smaart v8 measurement platform - Smaart v8.2. This free update includes significant feature additions, interface modifications and bug fixes and is recommended for all Smaart v8 users.
The primary feature additions include a re-working of Smaart’s SPL measurement functionality as well as integration with SG Audio’s 10EaZy SPL measurement hardware and the incorporation of some of the core features of 10EaZy software directly into the Smaart user interface.
Connecting 10EaZy hardware to a computer running Smaart v8.2, either Mac or PC, will automatically enable a set of key elements from 10EaZy within the Smaart user interface. This gives Smaart users access to features like 10EaZy’s popular Maximum Average Manager (MAM) feature and means that Smaart is now able to provid

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UK - Allen & Heath has announced the latest firmware update for its GLD digital mixer range, adding a FX unit as well as microphone presets.
Included in GLD V1.6 is the Dimension Chorus FX unit. Inspired by a classic chorus based on bucket-brigade technology, Dimension Chorus offers varying degrees of density from subtle special effects through to heavier modulation.
Also new to GLD in V1.6 are the company’s ProFactory mic presets created in collaboration with Shure, Sennheiser and Audio Technica. ProFactory mic presets are designed to give engineers a fast track starting point when working with a variety of widely used microphones.
Other enhancements in V1.6 include a post-fade option for the Automatic Mic Mixer and a 50Hz noise on/off switch for the Space Echo FX Unit.
“From touring bands through to corporate AV, GLD has become a hugely popular wo

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USA - Lighting designer Matt Guminski lit a reworked version of Ghost The Musical recently at the White Plains Performing Arts Centre in White Plains, New York, using a rig that included Elation Professional Satura Profile and Platinum Seven LED moving heads.
Guminski worked with master electrician and assistant LD Lizzie Mahoney on the adapted version of the play at the 410-seat professional theatre outside of New York City.
“We used the Satura Profiles several ways to help create the mood, as template washes, specials and aerial effects,” Guminski stated. “The framing was especially useful as it allowed for ultimate control. It was a box set with multiple projection surfaces so it was important that the projection on the scrim not be washed out.”
The LED-based Satura Profile with CMY colour mixing, four-blade rotating framing shutter system, gobos, pr

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USA - Two lighting designers built a shared rig for two bands performing at Portland’s House of Music, with a Chauvet Professional anchored floor package.
Matthew Calabrese is the LD for up-and-coming jam band Strange Machines. Touring in support of their Voice of Colour LP this summer, the band announced that it would be appearing at the popular downtown Portland music hall. Opening for them was Revibe, a funk fusion band. When Kyle Rose, the Revibe LD, saw that his client would be opening for Strange Machines, he immediately reached out to Calabrese.
“I had worked with Matt several times in the past when Strange Machines and another one of his clients, Kung Fu, played at Higher Ground in Burlington (Vermont), where I am the house LD,” said Rose. “I always liked his approach to lighting – the way he supported his clients without distracting from the

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USA - Christmas came early for worshippers at Faith Family Church. Although they attended services on Christmas Eve, more than 8,200 of them began celebrating the holiday nine days earlier on Friday, 15 December, during the annual Christmas At Faith Family.
Christmas At Faith Family is an uplifting contemporary celebration of the season. Contributing to the transformative impact of the programme every year are the colourful and engaging lightshows designed by Aaron Cole of Goliath Lighting + Stage. This December, Cole gave his show an expanded look by adding 24 Chauvet DJ COREpar 40 USB fixtures to a rig that already included 40 moving wash and spot lights.
“We had COREpar 40s on either side of the centre stage video wall,” said Cole. “This rather large side space had really been underutilised in previous years, so the new fixtures made a big differ

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USA - Christmas is a time for homecomings, and so it was this year for singer Billy Gilman. Back in 2000, Gilman made history when, at age 11, he became the youngest person ever to have a Billboard Top 40 Country hit with his Grammy-nominated double platinum single One Voice, which reached No. 2 on the charts. His life and music have gone through their share of twists and turns since then, but the Westerly, RI-born singer has always returned to his native state to connect to his original friends and fans.
Gilman’s most recent homecoming took place on 14 December, when he performed a sentimental holiday show at Providence’s 14,000-seat Dunkin’ Donuts Centre. A Cody James-designed lightshow transformed the stage into a winter wonderland with a combination of big gobo looks and richly saturated colours created with Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied by JDI Pro

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Europe - From mid-October to early December, Finnish rock band Sunrise Avenue toured across Europe on their Heartbreak Century tour, a run of smaller venues before the five-member band hit the road on a bigger arena tour this year.
Light, set and video were supplied by Ambion GmbH. Lighting designer Stephan Aue, who supported the band for the first time in 2015 on their arena tour, was once again responsible for the lighting design, relying on products from Elation Professional, among others.
A total of 10 compact Elation ACL 360i beam effect lights were used, as well as five of Elation’s new Dartz 360 LED beam/spot fixtures. The fall Sunrise Avenue tour marked the touring debut of the compact narrow-beam Dartz luminaire.
The smaller venues presented a special challenge for Ambion and Aue, who explained that the entire production had to fit in a single

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USA - Texan evangelist Joel Osteen recently brought his Christian preaching to LA with a capacity crowd at the newly-refurbished LA Forum.
With a weekly TV audience topping seven million and an international monthly audience of more than 20m in over 100 countries, Osteen has been voted the most influential Christian in America. His Night Of Hope gatherings combine contemporary worship with live music, prayer time and inspirational messages.
A very different sonic challenge from most other live events, the principal technical requirement when presenting evangelism is vocal intelligibility - seamless full-frequency audio coverage, without ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ spots, delivered to every single person in the room at conversational levels. At the LA Forum that meant catering for a congregation of 18,000 and Special Event Services of Winston-Salem, North Carolina,

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Sweden - Alcons provided a new audio system for a 19th century theatre in Stockholm.
Vasateatern, which closed in 2010 during the transformation of the surrounding buildings into the new Scandic Grand Central, had poor sound-proofing and remained closed even after the hotel’s opening. To overcome the acoustic issues, the interior had to be rebuild on a smaller scale, making space for a sound-insulating air gap around the auditorium.
The new ‘floating box’ Vasateatern features most of the original fittings, but with modern acoustic materials, flexible seating and a brand new Alcons LR7 audio system.
Swedish systems integrator Electrosound has done the sound design and installation at a number of Scandic hotels, including the Scandic Grand Central complex. When it came to equipping the theatre, an Alcons LR7 system was chosen. This includes a main PA of 20 f

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Germany - The Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association (AVIXA) presented a session on the role of AV technology in higher education at OEB Global 2017 in Berlin.
The cross-sector conference focused on the latest developments in learning, with insights and best practices from leading organisations in the field. AVIXA took part in OEB Global for the first time and was a gold sponsor of the event.
Moderated by AVIXA CEO David Labuskes, the session The Power of Integrated Audiovisual Experiences in Higher Education demonstrated that AV experiences were important not only as a way of drawing the best students to their institutions, but also for improving their learning outcomes.
“Your next new class of students has grown up in a world that’s totally connected,” Labuskes said. “They live their social lives in the palm of their hands. They speak

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The Netherlands - Dutch astronaut André Kuipers presented his SpaceXperience Live show as the central element of an immersive intergalactic journey in-the-round at Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome, with Kuipers relating his many stories and real-life experiences working in space on various ESA programmes.
Lighting designer Henk-Jan van Beek from Dutch creative visual practice Light-H-Art was asked to light the show by production company LiveLane. He’s worked on many shows in the Ziggo Dome throughout his career, but this was the first time a concept like this was central to the 90-minute presentation.
Audiences were also treated to a simulated rocket blast off right in the middle of the venue, a jaw dropping piece of theatre for which Henk-Jan specified 40 x Robe BMFL WashBeam moving lights and 16 x Robe Cyclones to assist in creating all the drama and excitement of

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Australia - Live events technical solutions provider NW Group has recently added 370 L-Acoustics cabinets to its inventory, including a substantial L‑Acoustics K2 system. The purchase has been made in anticipation of the upcoming Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games for which NW Group’s audio brand Norwest has been chosen to supply the sound system for the opening and closing ceremonies.
The new system comprises a total of 124 K2, 24 K1-SB, 60 KS28, 72 Kiva II, 24 SB15m, 24 SB18m, 42 ARCS WiFo, and 18 LARAK II with 28 LA4X amplified controllers.
“We have had enormous success with our V-DOSC, dV‑DOSC and Kudo inventories. They have delivered a great return on investment and have been the cornerstone of our success in the sports ceremonies market,” says NW Group general manager, Gra Whitehouse. “Adding K2 made perfect business sense. It’s a ‘do everything

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USA - Adamson Systems Engineering will lead a training session as part of the inaugural AES@NAMM educational programme during the 2018 NAMM Show running 25-28 January in Anaheim, CA. The company is a first-time exhibitor and will occupy booth 17305.
Jeremiah Karni, head of education at Adamson, will lead the session alongside senior applications engineer Brian Fraser.
Karni says: “As part of our commitment to on-going education for our users, we’re excited to support the AES@NAMM Line Array Loudspeaker System Academy. During the half-day courses comprised of software and practical hands-on sessions, we will give a comprehensive taste of our two-day Adamson Applied Certification training and share our many years of experience in the application of line arrays and the theoretical principles behind line array technology. This is a great opportunity to bolster people

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UK - Our daily online news service is taking a short break over the holiday season and will resume on 2 January 2018 (Tuesday).
Thank you for reading and supporting LSi both online and in print throughout 2017. From the entire LSi team, we wish you a Merry Christmas, happy holidays and all good things for 2018!
(LSi Online)

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Brazil - Developed and published by Riot Games, League of Legends has become one of the world’s most popular third-person multiplayer online battle arena games, attracting more than 100m active players each month.
This year the Brazilian finals took place on 2 September at the Mineirinho Arena to a live audience of approximately 8,000 and was also broadcast live on ESPN in Brazil. Audio supplier Gabisom were there to ensure the gamers aural experience would match the intensity of the final battles taking place, trusting DiGiCo as their weapon of choice.
Gaining popularity since 2010, multiplayer online battle arena or ‘MOBA’ is currently one of the most widespread forms of game play and League of Legends is at the forefront of this, attracting thousands of eager gamers to the championships.
For this large-scale, multi-facted production, Gabisom was

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UK - Cardiff-based events specialist 11th Hour will bring its 11th year in business to a close by supplying a huge New Year’s Eve fireworks spectacular to its home city.
Sayers Amusements, with whom 11th Hour work to deliver Cardiff’s Winter Wonderland, commissioned the public display which will be fired from Cooper’s Field in Bute Park on the stroke of midnight.
The six minute aerial show will comprise professional Category 1.3 explosives with calibres ranging from 75 - 200mm, culminating with a loud, rapid-fire finale. Fireworks are a growing area of 11th Hour’s portfolio, the company having already delivered a number of high profile displays, not least of which was at this year’s Pride Cymru Big Weekend in Cardiff.
The New Year’s Eve show will be its biggest to date but as 11th Hour Director and British Pyrotechnists Association qualified and regis

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UK - The Association of Lighting Designers (ALD) announced the first full-year Lumière Scheme at this year’s Annual Lighting Lunch held in London on 18 December (Monday).
The scheme, which will run in continued partnership with Chichester Festival Theatre, underlines the ALD’s commitment to emerging talent, enabling them to work in mainstream theatre with established lighting designers, fostering important relationships with those whom they may work again as assistants or associates on future projects. They will receive first-hand experience of the collaborative nature of creative teams together with knowledge of how various departments work together, creating further opportunities in the industry as they develop their careers.
Having previously run two successful six-month pilot schemes, the intention is to build up to three Lumières per year.
ALD chair
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