USA - Southern California-based Visions Lighting is one of the busiest production and lighting companies on the U.S. West Coast with an ever-growing client list that includes some of our industry's most influential events and artists. Serving major promotion companies like Insomniac Events, AEG and Goldenvoice, Visions has consistently turned to Elation lighting gear to fulfill lighting briefs and 2016 has been no exception with Elation products lighting this year's Coachella, StageCoach and Wango Tango festivals among other events.

Visions Lighting president Todd Roberts, who serves as the primary designer on many of the projects along with Visions' in-house drafting team of Jake Forbes and Nathan Jones, sums up the reason. "I continue to go with Elation because the products ho

Sweden - grandMA2 control was once again the choice for lighting and video control at the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) staged in the Globe Arena, Stockholm.

Four weeks of intense technical, production and artist rehearsals and two televised semi-finals featuring 42 participants preceded the final itself featuring 26 performances, which was broadcast to an estimated TV audience of 180m worldwide by host broadcaster STV, explained lighting designer Fredrik Jonsson.

Jonsson, a freelance LD with a vast fund of experience in lighting the highest profile live TV shows, worked with a team of four lighting programmers utilising eight grandMA2 light consoles. The grandMA2 network was running over 15 x MA NPU (Network Processing Unit) and 28 x MA 8Port Nodes and was controlling around 1, 600 lighting, LED and effects fixtures, consuming approximately 26,000 control channels ov

USA - Great fashion, as the designer Christian Dior once observed, requires a happy balance between accents and a base. So too does great fashion show lighting. LD Daniel Thibault of Alpha Production Group demonstrated this point recently by blending the warm white light of the Ovation E-190WW with the rich colours of the Rogue R2 Wash at Art 2 Wear, an annual fashion show that celebrates the work of North Carolina State Design School students.

Thibault used the Chauvet Professional fixtures to create complementing and contrasting looks on the fashion show's runway. "I wanted the warm white light from the Ovations with no colour gels, because I felt this gave us the kind of natural look that worked best for most of the fashion designs," he said. "When I needed something cooler for the harder edged styles, I used the Rogues to overlay light on top of the Ovation light. The two

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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

UK - H Power called upon Blackout's expertise to dress the Royal Box and Castle Arena stage, ahead of the Royal Windsor Horse Show in celebration of Her Majesty The Queen's 90th birthday, May 2016.

Chris Brain, Blackout project director and his three-strong team were entrusted to supply and hang the 18m of red velour swags adorning the Royal Box, onto which a large Royal crest was installed. During the show, which celebrated Her Majesty's historic reign, the Royal Box played host to Her Majesty The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Harry, The Princess Royal, The Duke of York, The Earl and Countess of Wessex and The King of Bahrain.

Blackout provided black drape masking on the Castle Arena's main stage, acting as a backdrop for the large screen and set elements. The Orbit stage, situated to the right

UK - Up, up and away! Moving light specialist Richard Martin Lighting has flown in to help lighting designer Richard Bowles light the first original studio series created by Sky exclusively for viewing On Demand, DC Fancast: Unmasked.

Each week hosts Rick Edwards, Bec Hill and graphic artist Des Taylor are joined in the studio by an assembly of superfans ready to go over all the latest episodes of Sky's superhero schedule; Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl and the latest series Legends of Tomorrow.

Each twelve minute episode is jam packed with more content than Oliver Queen has arrows and viewers can expect riveting recaps, daring discussions, behind the scenes looks of the superhero shows as well as sneak peeks of future episodes.

For the set, Richard has employed an old unsung hero from RML's stock - the Color Kinetic iColor Cove QL. The 300mm LED Strip features col

USA - Peavey Commercial Audio, a division of Peavey Electronics, has strengthened its senior management team with the appointment of Joe Kurta as chief technical officer.

An experienced technical architect and professional audio designer, Joe rejoins the Mississippi-based company, having previously served as a systems integration specialist at the turn of the millennium. In addition, Joe has acquired a wealth of experience in key positions at leading blue chip organizations including Walt Disney Entertainment and Bank of America.

Joe is also highly experienced in Peavey's MediaMatrix brand, having formed and managed his own successful audio system and consultancy business, TechSpa. He has over 20 years' knowledge of professional audio technology, its requirements and its possibilities and the appointment is a strong indicator of Peavey's commitment to its Commercial Audio

Germany - MA Lighting continues to work closely with production industry professionals to build upon and refine the grandMA2 control platform. The latest version 3.2 software is a massive release and offers significant developments across many areas of the console, resulting in faster and more flexible programming, says the company.

The new Bitmap Fixture Engine is a radical new concept, allowing users to patch virtual fixtures comprising of a layout of real fixtures. Content and media server style effects can be applied across any parameter of these virtual Bitmap Fixtures. Standard Effects Engine features and playback priorities work in harmony with the results and offer un-paralleled creativity.

RDM bi-directional communication is now supported in version 3.2 when using MA DMX output hardware directly connected to fixtures. This allows configuration, status and monitori

USA - At InfoComm 2016, Clear-Com will present its latest interoperable communication product lines that enable user collaboration and instant communication. Clear-Com solutions are known for increasing effectiveness among work groups and ensuring the success of the operations and productions.

Products that make up Clear-Com's Unified Voice Communication Solution include HelixNet, Agent-IC, FreeSpeak II and the LQ Series. The product lines are fully integrated so that any operator on a wired keypanel, wired or wireless beltpack, or even a mobile app could make real-time voice calls with any other user or group of users on the network, irrespective of the type of intercom device they are using. The solution can operate over a standard IP network, effectively enabling communication to take place anywhere.

As a digital network partyline intercom platform, HelixNet now provide

Europe - Yamaha is introducing the HS-I range of powered speakers, which adds mounting points to the popular HS Series studio monitors, making the range suitable for a significantly broader range of monitoring, sound reinforcement and installation environments.

Ever since making their 1970s debut, Yamaha studio monitors have been an industry standard. With Yamaha's philosophy of sonic purity, the HS Series has continued the tradition of being one of the most trusted speakers for nearfield monitoring applications, lauded for their signature sound and superior accuracy.

The HS-I range features three models - HS5I, HS7I and HS8I - with all available in black or white finish. By adding mounting points, HS-I models speakers can be used for a much wider range of applications. With three optional bracket types available - wall, ceiling and baton - installation in studios or comme

USA - The new Meyer Sound Galileo Galaxy network platform will make its worldwide debut at InfoComm 2016 in Las Vegas. As the next generation of the Galileo processor line, Galaxy offers "the most advanced processing power and networking standards available".

Showing for the first time anywhere, the Galileo Galaxy network platform marks a quantum leap forward for the Galileo platform that was first launched in 2005. Galaxy is the first Meyer Sound loudspeaker processor to be fully networkable, with multiple units sharing 24-bit/96 kHz multi-channel audio via an AVB network. Maximum input count has been increased from six to eight for easier implementation of 7.1 systems, and a new generation of FPGA-based processing with 96 kHz floating point resolution delivers increased dynamic range, a lower noise floor, and super-low latency of 0.6ms analog in to analog out.

"GalaxyY i

USA - Sensaphonics held its first gold Circle seminar session of 2016 in Chicago recently. Designed to help audiologists better serve musicians and sound engineers, the two-day Gold Circle seminar features practical and technical class instruction at Sensaphonics headquarters, then concludes with a hands-on demo featuring a live band to teach the basics of live sound and in-ear monitors.

"As audiologists, it's important that we do more than just take ear impressions.That's what the Gold Circle seminar is all about," says Dr. Michael Santucci, Sensaphonics founder and president. "Musicians aren't like other audiology patients. They are striving to improve their on-stage performance, not necessarily their hearing. Gold Circle audiologists can show them how to do that effectively without compromising their hearing."

The new graduates of the Sensaphonics Gold Circle seminar in

USA - In today's post-rock music world where genre-bending has become the norm rather than the exception, touring companies - now more than ever - require concert sound systems that are both impactful and articulate while still being road-friendly in terms of transport and deployment. Those challenges recently influenced a decision by Special Event Services (SES) of Winston-Salem, NC to specify to a system combining L-Acoustics' K1 and K2 systems for an extensive North American outing with The Avett Brothers.

Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as having the "heavy sadness of Townes Van Zandt, the light pop concision of Buddy Holly, the tuneful jangle of the Beatles, the raw energy of the Ramones," The Avett Brothers combine bluegrass, country, punk, pop, folk, rock, indie, honkytonk and ragtime to produce a unique sound that can be a challenge to reinforce in a co

USA - For most, going to the ocean and beach is enough incentive for a weekend away, but at the Hangout Music Festival, the seaside is just one of the many draws.

Bandit Lites provided the lighting for the festival's main Hangout Stage, the Surf Stage positioned at the opposite end of the beach and the AXS TV Stage, where those who could not make it to the beach could still see live performances online and on television.

Major acts this year included Jason Isbell, The Weeknd, Alabama Shakes, Cage the Elephant, Panic! at the Disco, Ellie Goulding, Florence + The Machine and Lenny Kravitz. In addition to the nearly 90 musical acts, those who attended Hangout could enjoy poolside seats, a Ferris wheel, volleyball courts, gulf seafood, waterslides, or even get hitched by the ocean.

At one end of the beach, The Mainstage consisted of copious amounts of Bandit's VL3500 washe

USA - Every year, traditional TV networks put on an annual event called Upfront Week to showcase upcoming programmes to potential advertisers. Of course, the big networks are no longer the only ones offering original programming. Now that new media companies like AOL, Google and Netflix have joined the fray, they're wooing advertisers with their own annual Manhattan extravaganza, appropriately called Digital Content NewFronts.

AOL grabbed the spotlight at this year's version of the new media jamboree with AOL Access: A New Kind of NewFront. A giant interactive block party that covered 50,000sq.ft in Manhattan's Seaport District, the AOL event featured a mind-bending blend of interactive and virtual reality exhibits, along with electrifying on stage performances by Snoop Dogg, Demi Lovato, and Years and Years. Adding to the immersive feeling at the block pa

UK - The general rise in demand for wireless LED lighting technology has seen UK manufacturer CORE Lighting's various battery powered wireless LED lighting fixtures providing solutions for a wide range of companies and projects - large and small, both internationally and in its home UK market.

With a reputation for quality and robustness, CORE products are cost-effective and perfect for lighting all types of events. Featured here are three dynamic SME enterprises that have made steady investments in CORE technology in recent years.

Luminate is based just outside Manchester in the busy northwest corridor and is active as a full technical service provider for the premium events market sector, tailoring lighting, sound, AV and staging packages for high-end production companies like RSVP Events, Taylor Lynn and others on a diversity of projects.

They purchased their first

USA - Philadelphia-based lighting designer Michael Korsch selected Clay Paky Alpha Spot QWO 800 and Alpha Profile 800 ST moving lights as part of the rig for the world premiere of Don Quixote at the Pennsylvania Ballet.

A lighting and scenic designer who frequently works in dance, Korsch has many years' experience using Clay Paky products. A big fan of the Alpha Spot HPE 1500, he incorporated three of them into his lighting design for Alchemia, a MOMIX production that premiered in 2013 and has been touring internationally ever since.

Don Quixote was created by Angel Corella, artistic director of the Pennsylvania Ballet, with music by Ludwig Minkus. The new ballet features authentic Spanish-flavoured dance and comic interludes to bring to life a story based on Cervantes's classic novel. The production was staged from 3-13 March at the Academy of Music i

USA - LiteGear, designers and builders of LED lighting gear for professionals in Cinema, TV, and HD Video industries has become a Behind the Scenes Pledge-a-Product Partner. LiteGear has pledged a percentage of the profits from sales of their new flagship fixtures, LiteMat+ Plus, to support the charity.

The new fixtures are the ideal luminaires for stage, studio and location lighting setups. Available in six sizes, these bi-colour studio fixtures feature all-new Cinemitter LEDs, the first truly cinematic LED light sources available. TLCI rated at 96/97, this duo of 2600

UK - Last month saw the world-premiere of The Shepherd's Life which ran at Theatre by the Lake in Keswick to rave reviews. Based on the best-selling novel by James Rebanks, the play tells the story of life as a modern-day shepherd in the Lake District, using film, puppetry and, of course, lighting.

The lighting designer was Andrew J Lindsay whose design had to both replicate the Cumbrian landscape as well as the ever-changing skies that surround it. He approached White Light to supply the lighting equipment, drawing particularly on a range of ETC products.

The Shepherd's Life was adapted for the stage by Chris Monks, former artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, and featured a community cast. Andrew comments, "The show had quite a large ensemble so the set was kept as minimalistic as possible. This meant that the lighting was crucial

UK - d&b audiotechnik Great Britain has appointed SFL, Reading based AV supplier as an official UK sales partner, in a move which sees d&b strengthen the UK partner network.

Founded in 1990, SFL specialises in sales support, permanent installations and corporate hire, as well as offering an in-house training program for live production engineers. As AV partner for the Royal Albert Hall, SFL has a leading reputation throughout the UK and international markets, where the company's commitment to forging productive relationships results in long term added value for customers.

Gianni Abruzzese, commercial manager at d&b GB, comments, "d&b and SFL have shared a rich 20-year history. As a key user of d&b products, the expertise and experience the team brings can only be a benefit to d&b and our end users. SFL have an impressive infrastructure, with their dedicated sales, install

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