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UK - Atlas Show Control for spatial audio which was recently named Sound Product of the Year by the ABTT, has been officially launched.
The show control software is designed with the control and implementation of spatial audio engines at its heart. Atlas ‘aims to change the way in which designers and operators interact with the plethora of audio hardware and software within their environment’.
Atlas supports incoming positional data from trackers offering control and smoothing algorithms. Atlas can also output control data to other audio applications, sound consoles, video servers and lighting consoles.
Atlas allows for manual positional programming, the use of hardware trackers or a combination of both as demands dictates. Atlas is designed to provide users

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South Africa - Technical supplier, Stage Effects Group, has purchased a grandMA3 full-size. Company owner Theo Papenfus and director Erik de Bruin recently took ownership of the console from DWR Distribution.
“While we are definitely buying rider orientated gear to at least have the market on our side, this is also for our shows,” explained Erik. “We’ve had a grandMA2 console for quite a while now and it will also be used as our backup desk should we run a show in Mode 2. If you look at the MA history, both grandMA and grandMA2 desks are user friendly and grandMA3 will be too. We look forward to enjoying this desk the same way we did our previous console.”
Robert Izzett from DWR adds, “There are only a few grandMA3 full-size consoles in the country and generally, when there is a big international act, at least two are specified. Stage Effects are an awesom

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UK - One of the UK’s longest-running leisure operators, Potters Resorts, has recently completed a multi-million pound refurbishment of the luxury Five Lakes resort in Essex, which they purchased in 2021.
The improvements include a new leisure complex, upgrades to numerous existing facilities and the repurposing of a former sports hall into the Glade Theatre, a multi-functional performance space equipped with modern sound, lighting and video systems.
Already an established DiGiCo user (the theatre at their original site in Hopton on Sea features an SD10), following consultation with Autograph Sound the company chose two DiGiCo consoles for the new facility, a Quantum 338 for FOH and a Quantum 225 for stage monitoring.
Autograph subsequently supplied the two consoles plus two SD Racks fitted with the new 32-bit SD cards and an Optocore fibre network. The FOH con
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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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UK - Gary Numan’s three-night, “one thousandth celebration show” residency at the Electric Ballroom featured an evocative David Howard lighting design that often split the stage into two sections.
“The design took inspiration from the concept of us living with, or living against, machines,” said Howard, of David Howard Lighting Design. “A lot of Gary Numan’s tracks explore this theme, and much of our design inspiration comes from this aesthetic. Being able to split the stage in two creates an immediate visual juxtaposition. So, for example, we did things like divide the stage between a Cadbury purple with an electric green and had a constant bass note of low-level fizzling strobe to mimic machine workings.”
Balancing this duality on stage was a distinctive triangular-shaped video wall made with Chauvet Professional F4IP LED panels, which, like the rest

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Europe - Muse are currently on tour, featuring songs from their album Will of the People. Matthew Bellamy (vocals, guitar), Christopher Wolstenholme (bass, vocals) and Dominic Howard (drums, percussion) have been playing arenas and stadiums throughout the US and Europe.
As the band’s FOH engineer for over two decades, Marc Carolan is making sure the sound quality on stage exceeds every expectation. To that end, Carolan employs the Austrian Audio OD505 WL1 for vocals on the Will of the People Tour. The OD505 WL1 is a solution for those in the band who are mobile during their performance and depend on a wireless system. In many live situations, ambient sound is a big problem and mic’s supercardioid polar pattern smoothly rejects unwanted interference and focuses on the voice.
Monitor engineer Matt Napier, part of Carolan’s team and on his first tour with the

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USA - The Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium in Omaha Nebraska features a stunning environment and a spectacular after dark light show, controlled by ETC’s Mosaic system. The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) added special citation for ‘playful use of integrated colour to its outdoor lighting award’.
The playful element starts with the re-designed entry canopy that established the aquarium as the focal point of the Omaha Zoo. Blue stainless-steel panels with a rippled surface texture and a front canopy of perforated metal suggest a coral reef seen from underwater. The theme carries upwards to a roof decked with eight stainless-steel wave sculptures. The stainless steel oceanic-inspired structures reflect sunlight in daytime and become a pallet for dynamic lighting after hours.
Lighting designers Steve Gollehon and Jeff Frank of Morrissey Engineering were part

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UK - As the name suggests, Bristol-based Enlightened has its roots in lighting. But over the years, the company has evolved to become a prominent complete technical solutions provider in the South West of England, covering everything from sales, hire and equipment repair through to installation and full event production services.
A recent investment in a Nexo Geo M10 line array system has seen Enlightened bolstering an already significant inventory of Nexo ID and P+ Series point-source boxes.
“They’re like hot cakes” reports production manager Ryan Stromski. “The utilisation of our Nexo stock is so high, they’re never on the shelf.”
The new Geo M10 system was only in the warehouse for a few days before heading to Glastonbury where Enlightened had over 50 lists of equipment distributed over at least 10 locations around the festival site. On return, it

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UAE - Lighting designer Aaron Russ of ARLD turned to Elation Professional’s Proteus Excalibur and Proteus Maximus as the building blocks of a lighting design for the closing ceremony of the 2023 Dubai World Cup, a Thoroughbred horse race held at Meydan Racecourse each March and the world's richest horse race.
The brief for the large-scale production called for something spectacular and different, a show that highlighted the horse race, its creators and Dubai as the host city. The creative team delivered a spectacle with pyro glider planes, drones, lighting, video and fireworks all working as one choreographed scene to the delight of onlookers both live and on television across the globe.
Technology solutions provider Creative Technology Middle East (CTME) worked as a key supplier for the closing ceremony event, delivering a full turnkey solution of audio, video, li

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Saudi Arabia - Since 2016 when the Saudi government opened the doors to public events, MDLBeast has been at the vanguard of nurturing local musical talent, hosting live and online events, producing artists on its MDLBeast Records label, and establishing XP Music Futures to accelerate the growth of MENA’s music industry.
Since 2019, MDLBeast has also curated Soundstorm Festival, the Middle East region’s largest gathering of artists and fans with over 200 acts and three quarters of a million visitors over four days. For the most recent edition, the push to offer innovative experiences saw Soundstorm invite Polygon Live and their L-Acoustics L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal technology to create and curate a stage for VIP audiences.
Polygon Live is a 360°, immersive sonic experience where speakers play spatialised sound synchronised with an immersive light installation, whi

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South Africa - Andrea ‘Dray’ Fowler has joined DWR Distribution’s sales team in Johannesburg.
For the past nine years, Dray has worked for a company that specialises in signage lighting while her career has seen her operate in business finance, office automation and sales.
“I knew about DWR Distribution from my husband Clint who also works in the live events industry, and from our friend Kyle Robson who works at DWR,” said Dray. “It always sounded like a vibey organisation where I've heard they work hard, play hard and fight hard. To me it seemed like a company where if I looked after them, they would look after me.”
“It’s wonderful to be able to expand the sales team and we are already impressed with Dray’s energy and the way she so easily fits into the team, almost as if she has always been part of it,” said Robert Izzett, sales director

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UK - Innovate Audio, creator of the panLab software, will show its latest spatial audio solution at the PLASA Show in London (3-5 September, Olympia). The new development, called panLab Console, is a software solution that adds spatial audio functionality to a range of live mixing consoles.
Cost and time constraints currently put spatial audio technology out of reach of smaller applications. Now, however, panLab Console presents a straightforward solution for more users than ever before. Put simply, panLab Console takes the proven panLab algorithm and applies it directly to the mixing console itself. It allows audio to be spatialised through existing hardware, without requiring expensive, dedicated processors. The solution is designed to be so simple to setup, users can be up and running in under five minutes.
“It enables people to deploy amplitude-based panning wit

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UK - VDC Trading has announced that it has promoted three employees to head up a new technical team, officially formalising its technical consultation service offering to customers.
The new department is spearheaded by Jim Bulbeck, technical support manager, and David Barnard, customer services manager, both supported by technical assistant Dan Tompkins.
Via an ‘added-value consultative sales approach’, VDC customers have always had access to experienced advisors helping them overcome any technical issues. The new team just makes it easier for them to have a dedicated and named point person to deal with their enquiries, says the company.
Niall Holden, founder and CEO of VDC Trading comments: “We’ve always had a technical support department but this year as we lurch back into ‘normal’ busy times we have seen a huge increase in technical enquiries so

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UK - Electric Airshows has announced its success in winning funding from The Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) for ongoing innovation projects. The specialist provider of drone light show services to the UK’s outdoor events market, which launched last year, made its application for funding as part of the UK government’s Create Growth programme.
Designed to help creative businesses explore new innovation projects as a stimulus for growth, the Create Growth programme provides targeted support for SMEs in the creative industries in six appointed UK regions outside of London. Run by Innovate UK EDGE, part of UK Research and Innovation, it makes significant sums available for such projects. To be successful, eligible businesses must demonstrate both a clear growth opportunity and their proposed innovation which will address it.
Electric Airshows, founded by e

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UK - At Glastonbury 2023, one dozen Claypaky Skylos seachlights held their own against headlining acts on the Pyramid Stage, including the UK’s last live touring performance of Sir Elton John. Placed on the ground and producing super-concentrated beams of lights, the Skylos searchlights showed themselves to be extremely versatile fixtures that are more than simple searchlights, creating dense, solid beams of light and ever-greater light output.
Terry Cook, partner and principal designer for Woodroffe Bassett Design, was committed as lighting designer for Guns N' Roses and Sir Elton John. He recalls seeing Skylos for the first time in Italy and recognising that “this was a fixture that would cut through the summer twilight sky at Glastonbury. We knew we wanted an ultra-bright, large beam fixture that would sit behind the iconic Pyramid stage creating fingers of light shi

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UK - British loudspeaker manufacturer EM Acoustics returned to Glastonbury’s Acoustic Stage, following the success of last year's outing.
Housed inside a large bright red tent, the Acoustic Stage is said to be a ‘festival within a festival’. Blues, folk, contemporary and country music are the order of the day. This year’s line-up included the Magic Numbers, Seth Lakeman, Badly Drawn Boy, Richard Thompson, Newton Faulkner, Paul Carrack, Steve Earle, and Rumer, among others. In conjunction with De Brabant Audio, EM supplied the full PA package for the Acoustic Stage.
“We are thrilled to have returned to the Acoustic Stage for the 2023 festival,” says Mike Wheeler, operations director at EM Acoustics. “Returning to Glastonbury for a second year confirms our belief in the capabilities of the HALO-A system. The feedback we’ve received has yet again been univ

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Finland - Genelec has been chosen as Finland’s Brand of the Year. Organised by Finland’s Chamber of Commerce, the annual competition is focused on fostering Finnish brand expertise and long-term brand development work, with the results being announced during the recent Great Brand Day at Helsinki’s Music Centre.
With a shortlist that also included the celebrated Finnish brands Lumene, Niemi and Siili, a jury of brand and intellectual property professionals evaluated many criteria - including brand story, customer experience, innovation, intellectual property protection, communication strategy, brand book and brand image. Additionally, members of the Finnish public were also able to play a part in the shortlisting process by nominating their favourite brand.
“The Genelec brand is built on the company's core values and is based on competence and enabling people t

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Singapore - Acoustic & Lighting System has joined the international network of Fenix Stage distributors.
Discussions began at ISE Barcelona 2023. Acoustic & Lighting will add Fenix Stage's lifting towers, ground support towers and display support solutions to its product offering for the Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore markets.
“We are delighted with this partnership, as our international expansion efforts are paying off and our network is growing rapidly,” says Fenix.
Fenix Stage sales director Alex Bryan has already presented training sessions at Acoustic and Lighting bases in in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) and Bangkok (Thailand).
These training sessions marked Fenix's official welcome to Acoustic & Lighting System. “We thank the attendees and our new distributor for their support and are excited to a

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UK - AUX Import has announced its expansion into video solutions with its appointment as the exclusive distributor of Ecler Video in the UK.
"This is a significant milestone in the growth and development of AUX Import as we expand our range of products and services to meet our customers' needs," said Mike Newman, sales director at AUX Import. "With Ecler Video on board, we will be able to offer a complete and comprehensive AV solution that further strengthens AUX Import's position as a leading supplier of Pro AV solutions in the UK."
Ecler Video's product range includes video distribution over IP, wireless conferencing switchers and other advanced video solutions that will meet the requirements of clients in various sectors, including corporate, hospitality, education, and retail.
"We are thrilled to have AUX Import on board as our exclusive video solutions dis

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Norway - Prism Sound has appointed Matrix Pro Audio as its distributor in Norway, with responsibility for its entire range of audio conversion products including the recently launched Dream ADA-128 modular system.
Based in Rykkinn, near Oslo, Matrix has over 20 years’ experience of providing pro audio equipment to the Norwegian market and specialises in supporting all market sectors, including project studio owners, singer/songwriters, sound designers, educational establishments and science and research academies. As well as handling Prism Sound, the company also retails products from manufacturers such as PMC, Dangerous Music, Wes Audio, Tegeler Audio Manufaktur, Manultec, Rockruepel, Flock Audio, Elysia, Gainlab Audio, Buzz Audio and more.
The company’s owner, Frank Oestrem, says he is delighted to represent an established brand with a range of products that fit

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Strong Performance - Turnover at Nimax Theatres rose to £31.9m in the year ending October 2022, which marks the first full year of trading figures since the pandemic and a 6.7% increase on 2019. When compared to the previous year, ending October 2021 and including disruption caused by the pandemic, the increase in turnover is 289%.
Nimax Theatres’ venues include the Palace, the Garrick, the Duchess, the Vaudeville, the Apollo and the Lyric theatres in the West End. According to its annual accounts filed this month, turnover to October 2, 2022 was £31.9m. This is up from £29.9m compared with 2019, prior to the pandemic. In the year ending October 2021, turnover was just £8.2m. According to the accounts, profit for the financial period in 2022 was £6.7m
The accounts state that "a major aspect of the strong performance was the successful run of the shows in the ye

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UK - Roger Fox and John Whitaker have retired as directors of global technical theatre consultancy Theatreplan.
Both men helped to build the consultancy whilst working alongside the late pioneering stage engineer, Richard Brett. Having been with Theatreplan as partners and subsequently directors for a combined total of over 60 years, they will be continuing their working association with Theatreplan, as founder consultants.
Fox has brought his knowledge and expertise to a wide range of important heritage theatre projects, including at the Royal Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, and the Victoria Hall and Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, which was one of his first, and biggest projects, involving the repurposing of a 1928 cinema into a modern touring theatre.
Fox also worked as project leader for the technical installations at the St. Luke’s Centre for th
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