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07 October 2025

Germany - At Hamburg Messe this week, TiMax will showcase its latest profile product and feature upgrades for TiMax SoundHub and TiMax panLab – as well as the latest integrations that harness the recent and significant OSC dictionary update for SoundHub.

TiMax exhibits on the stand of Audio-Technica for the first time, joining its new distribution partner, Audio-Technica Germany.

Tobias Franzgrote-vom Brocke, brand manager TiMax and Martin Audio at Audio-Technica Germany, commented: “TiMax has always been a reference point for creative audio professionals worldwide, and we are proud to represent such an innovative brand here in Germany. With the new OSC integrations and powerful tools like Scaling Surfaces, TiMax offers solutions that are not only technically advanced but also truly intuitive for sound designers. We look forward to supporting Ger

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07 October 2025

UK - White Light once again supported Gilded Balloon at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, delivering full lighting and rigging across 18 venues in celebration of the company’s 40th anniversary.

As one of the festival’s ‘Big Four’, Gilded Balloon transformed university buildings and cultural spaces into vibrant performance venues. With Teviot Row House undergoing refurbishment, the 2025 programme spanned Adam House, Applegate Tower, and the National Museum of Scotland; each presenting technical challenges for WL.

“Working with Gilded Balloon is always a rewarding experience,” said Dan Last, WL’s key account manager. “Their ambition and adaptability push us to innovate, and this year was no exception. From custom truss structures to advanced LED rigs, we tailored each solution to meet the demands of the space and the vis

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07 October 2025

UK - No Martin Audio dealer partnership has existed longer than that with Irish distributor Rea Sound, which dates back to 1982. Fast-forward 43 years and the system integrators continue to specify permanent Martin Audio solutions in a broad variety of facilities - most notably Houses of Worship.

Three churches demonstrate how Rea Sound has adopted a different approach to suit the needs (and protect the heritage) of the respective buildings.

One of these is St. Finnian’s Church of Ireland in Castlereagh, outside Belfast. States the church’s Mike Johnson: “We’d had our audio system since around 2017-2018. But with COVID came a necessity to stream services, and the rector asked me to put together a package. So I spoke to Rea Sound and very quickly they proposed a system which we installed five or six weeks later.”

Rea Sound director R

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07 October 2025

UK - When Barry Can’t Swim headlined All Points East in London this summer, audio specialists Patchwork London were tasked with delivering a wireless system capable of supporting both the full band and their orchestra on a major festival stage. With a large channel count, congested spectrum, and the pressure of a high-profile live environment, Patchwork required a solution that could deliver bulletproof reliability, centralised monitoring, and flexible control.

The RF requirements were significant and resulted in an audio design consisting of two independent monitor control rigs needed to run simultaneously - one for the main band and another for the orchestra with dozens of channels operating in a crowded RF spectrum.

As All Points East is an outdoor central London production landing on an August Bank Holiday weekend, it was clear that the show de

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07 October 2025

UK - DiGiCo has introduced the new S-Series V3.1 software update, which is immediately available from the DiGiCo website.

“Many of our Quantum and SD-Range customers are very familiar with the incredible longevity that they can get out of their consoles thanks to our R&D team’s downloadable updates,” says DiGiCo managing director Austin Freshwater. “But that same level of ROI is just as accessible to our S-Series user base, some of whom are now crossing a decade with their desks, and still getting new features and functionalities with our very latest software enhancements.”

Chief among V3.1’s new amenities is that it allows the S21 and S31 to each fully support DiGiCo’s latest MADI-based stage rack, the MQ-Rack. This unit features 48 microphone inputs and 24 line outputs, with four of these outputs switchable to AES/EBU digital outp

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07 October 2025

USA - Sound Devices has announced the introduction of Astral v8.20 – a set of feature upgrades for the Astral Wireless Product range. Astral v8.20 introduces over-the-air firmware updates, frequency exclusive regions, a whip antenna length tool, Sound Devices’ patent-pending TV Channel Finder, and a wide range of web app usability enhancements.

New features include Multiple Astral Outpost Network support that allows ARX16 and ARX32 to connect to up to eight outputs for seamless command and control of transmitters across extended NexLink coverage; a new TV Channel Finder feature that automatically detects and displays TV channels to avoid assigning frequencies within the 6-8 MHz bandwidth; a new Whip Antenna Length menu that allows you to instantly know the necessary length of a whip antenna by frequency range; and several quality-of-life improvements to

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07 October 2025

USA - As Adamson continues to expand its manufacturing facilities in Canada to meet rising global demands, the company is simultaneously expanding regional sales and applications teams to provide hands-on support to its customer base.

“We’re thrilled to have Sean join our team as regional sales manager US,” says Frank Loyko, US sales director for Adamson. “With his vast experience in pro audio, most notably with Bosch Building Technologies in the install vertical, combined with a high-performing track record of customer success, we are confident that Sean will greatly contribute to taking the brand to the next level in our territory.”

“Having Sean joining our sales organisation is part of Adamson’s strategy of global expansion. Sales is foremost about building a relationship based on mutual trust, and customers will know that Sean has t

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07 October 2025

Portugal - Europalco has appointed Francisco Capote da Silva as its new sales director. With a background in international MICE sales and a passion for innovation, Capote da Silva steps into this role to strengthen client relationships and support the Lisbon-based company’s continued expansion in key markets.

“Throughout my career, I have always sought challenges that allow me to grow, learn, and, most importantly, make a meaningful contribution to the projects and teams I work with,” said Capote da Silva. “Joining Europalco marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter, both personally and professionally.”

Before joining the firm, Capote da Silva held senior sales roles at W Algarve, a luxury resort in southern Portugal, as senior sales manager, and at Discovery Hotel Management as head of sales MICE International.

“We are delig

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07 October 2025

Festival Feasibility - The exorbitant cost of accommodation is putting pressure on the “very feasibility” of Edinburgh’s arts festivals, according to a recent report. The report also cites political tension between the UK and Scottish governments, inadequate transport and technological infrastructure, net-zero climate targets and recently introduced local legislation as significant challenges facing the festivals.

It was submitted to the UK parliament’s inquiry into the large-scale events industry by Festivals Edinburgh, the umbrella organisation that unites 11 festivals in the Scottish capital, including the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The report, first covered in the Herald, claims that Edinburgh’s festivals are a “cultural mega-event on a par with a FIFA World Cup”, attracting 4m peop

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06 October 2025

Egypt - Three major mosques across Cairo - Al-Sayyida Nafisa, Osama Ben Zaid and Al-Ali Al-Azeem - have received major audio upgrades powered by JBL Professional and Crown. Each project, integrated by partner Audio Technology, reflects a tailored approach to acoustics in sacred environments, ‘uniting high-performance sound with architectural reverence to ensure sermons, recitations and prayers reach every corner with clarity and balance’.

Recently inaugurated during Ramadan by Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, the Al-Ali Al-Azeem Mosque in Almaza, Heliopolis, represents one of the most ambitious house-of-worship projects in the region. Spanning 8,100sq.m and accommodating up to 5,000 worshippers across three floors, the mosque also houses a library, clinic, nursery, and classrooms, making consistent audio coverage a complex challenge.

“Given

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06 October 2025

USA - Dave Matthews Band (DMB) took their signature live show on the road this past summer, delighting fans across North America with their hits and jam numbers. Wrapped in August, the tour featured a large Elation lighting package, including Proteus, Pulse, and SŌL series luminaires.

Production design was led by Fenton Williams, who has been with the band since its beginning in 1991, with Williams and Aaron Stinebrink handling lighting design on this latest tour. Stinebrink, who has worked with Dave Matthews Band since 2002, also handled lighting programming.

The tour featured 36 Pulse Bar S, 21 Pulse Bar L, 18 SŌL I Blinder, 12 Proteus Rayzor 1960, 22 Proteus Rayzor Blade L, and 17 Chorus Line 16, all provided by TMS of Omaha, Nebraska, who have supported DMB for over two decades.

The tour introduced a fresh visual design concept. “We t

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06 October 2025

Costa Rica - System integrator Bansbach Akustik has completed a comprehensive audio update for the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), selecting Powersoft’s Quattrocanali fixed-install amplifier platform to drive a networked conference system designed for ministerial-level sessions and international delegations.

Established in 1942, the IICA is an agency of the Inter-American System, an organ of the Organisation of American States (OAS), promoting agricultural development and sustainability in its 34 member states. Bansbach Akustik, which operates in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, is a long-time commercial partner to the IICA and was brought in to manage the upgrade to the agency’s main auditorium, located at its headquarters in the Costa Rican capital, San José.

Akustik was tasked with conceiving and managing the transiti

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06 October 2025

USA - Fans got an unexpected surprise near the end of Bassrush Arizona’s closing slot. Headliners Black Tiger Sex Machine shocked everyone when they tore off their glowing tiger masks and performed the final 10 minutes of their show bare-faced.

Matching the sounds with an equally dynamic visual background was a distinctive lighting design by Luis Torres of HiLite Designs powered by 164 Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied by Hardwired Productions.

Torres used this power-packed rig to immerse the entire venue in intensely bright light. At times this light was made of monochromatic washes accented by splashes of white and amber. During other passages during the one-day festival the immersive light was created by video displays, geometric patterns, and laser beams that hurled their way over the entire dancefloor.

“The venue here really enh

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06 October 2025

Czech Republic - Leyard Europe has successfully deployed a Leyard VDS Series LED wall at the Emergency Medical Services of the Pardubice Region (ZZS Pardubice), transforming the dispatch centre into a high-performance command hub for coordinating emergency responses. The installation showcases ultra-fine 0.7mm pixel pitch technology while supporting ZZS Pardubice's mission as a critical emergency response provider across the region.

ZZS Pardubice's services provide medical response through advanced dispatch technology, managing around 150 incidents daily while providing rapid response capabilities through 32 ambulance vehicles and 18 strategically located stations.

The dispatch centre serves as the main hub for emergency medical services throughout the Pardubice region. The facility operates continuously, representing the front line of emergency medi

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06 October 2025

USA - Pharos Architectural Controls will be exhibiting at NYControlled 2025, held at the Metropolitan Pavilion in NYC. The event opens with a hands-on workshop on 14 October, followed by the main exhibition on 15 October.

Over the course of two days, the event will feature a curated programme of manufacturer-led tech talks and educational sessions on lighting controls, complemented by an exhibition floor showcasing leading controls manufacturers and trade associations - making it the ideal forum to connect with specifiers and integrators.

At table 402 visitors will be able to meet the Pharos team, where they will demonstrate the newest developments across its ranges, with a focus on key updates to Pharos Expert and Pharos Designer.

The latest release of Expert 2.0 introduces Groups, providing a new way to organise fixtures within a s

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06 October 2025

USA - PPDS has announced the appointment of AV expert, Emily Pirtle as regional sales manager for TOLA, encompassing Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas

Reporting to Bruce Wyrwitzke, director of sales for North America at PPDS, Emily’s primary responsibilities will include developing and managing key relationships with integrators, resellers, and customers, identifying new sales opportunities and leads, and collaborating with partners.

She will also work with national and international teams to develop and implement new strategies to further increase and expand brand recognition and drive product awareness of PPDS' evolving portfolio of Philips Professional Displays, and complementary hardware and software solutions, to a wider audience.

Bruce Wyrwitzke commented: “Emily’s experience, enthusiasm, and proven commitment to best pract

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03 October 2025

USA - The Weeknd has become the first major touring artist in North America to use GLP’s Mad Maxx CW searchlights – on his long running After Hours til Dawn world tour, which is set to run until August 2026.

The artist’s long-term LD, Jason Baeri, had been an early adopter of the powerful fat-beam LED fixture, with its massive 750mm beam diameter, when he specified a pair of heads for the Canadian artist’s grand walk-on at this year’s Grammy Awards back in February. “But this time, the deployment was very different,” he states. “For the Grammys we just needed something that had an awesome amount of power behind it, without having to deploy 20 different fixtures. The Mad Maxx was the most effective tool for the Grammys, whereas this time we are taking advantage of the considerable throw, and the nature of this being a giant sky-tracki

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03 October 2025

USA - An Avolites Ai media server is at the heart of the new lighting installation that wraps both towers at Las Vegas landmark, the Rio Hotel & Casino.

This is being used to map, help control and schedule over three miles – and 351,032 pixels – of ‘illuminative possibility’, designed by the creative lighting team of Chris Kuroda and Andrew ‘Gif’ Giffin, using Clear LED’s X-Bar 25mm product which wraps 360 degrees around the buildings.

Well-known for their work as live music and entertainment lighting designers, Chris and Gif programmed a series of cues, scenes and sequences that run automatically.

Ruben Laine from Australia and US-based Creative Integration Studio was asked to devise a control solution that treated video as lighting.

This involved outputting lighting in a video-centric format, enabling micro-managea

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03 October 2025

Italy - SPACE - originally founded in Ibiza - brought its experience to Italy in 2024 with the launch of an open-air venue. Now, after completing its second season, the venue has firmly established itself as one of Europe’s most technologically advanced destinations. The club chose to partner with Claypaky when installing a permanent IP66-rated lighting system.

Designed specifically for the demands of a fully open-air venue operating during the summer season, the new lighting setup transforms SPACE into the SPACE Festival, a format that merges electronic music, artistic performances, and immersive technology. The 2025 season, which opened on 2 June and concluded on 30 August, featured internationally artists including Carl Cox, Gigi D’Agostino, Peggy Gou, Tale of Us, Marco Carola, and Charlotte de Witte, attracting a cosmopolitan crowd and deliv

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03 October 2025

Hungary - Sziget is staged on the Óbudai-sziget (Old Buda Island) in Budapest, an island on the Danube, a short distance from the city centre. The island is transformed into the ‘Island of Freedom’ community for the six-day duration of the event.

Robe moving lights were prominent on several major stages this year, including the Bolt Night Stage supplied by Light Positive with some fixtures that were a new investment, The Revolut Stage supplied by VEG Europe, and the Main Stage, supplied by Colossal.

Robe’s distributor AVL Trade organised a backstage area and tech hub for all crew, creatives and others working BTS across the site, which included the Avostream mobile demo vehicle, a comprehensive merch cabin, bar and chilling zone under the trees adjacent to the Night Stage backstage village. Up to 60,000 festival fans attended each day.