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USA - The 42nd annual CMA Music Festival, the world's largest country music festival and broadcast, recently stomped all previous attendance records at its 2013 event, which took place in Nashville from 6-9 June. As usual, the highlights of the festivities this year were the main stage concerts at LP Field, which nightly drew more than 45,000 spectators to cheer and sing along with dozens of the genre's top artists.

For sound reinforcement duties, the Country Music Association (CMA) awarded the contract to Sound Image, which supplied a large-scale L-Acoustics K1 system for the headlining concert each night--all four of which sold out more than six weeks in advance.

Project manager Curt Jenkins and his crew deployed a system comprised of 72 K1, 12 Kara and 16 Kudo line source ele

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Spain - Málaga, one of Europe's most historic cities, is building a much-needed new metro / subway rail network. And with the expertise of PA / VA integrators LDA AudioTech, Iconyx beam steering systems will make individual station announcements crystal clear.

Now dubbed the capital of the Costa del Sol, Málaga - whose 2,800 year history makes the port city one of Europe's oldest - has a profusion of excellent tourist destinations including the world famous Picasso Museum, a pedestrianised shopping centre, sea port, innovative restaurants and stylish hotels - many featuring trendy rooftop terraces with bars, pools and stunning views. And with its subtropical-Mediterranean climate, Málaga enjoys one of the warmest winters in Europe.

The main economic and financial centre of southern Spain, Málaga thrives on tourism, construction and technology services, while other sectors

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Greece - YOLO (You Only Live Once) is a newly established club/restaurant in Porto Rafti, a seaside town just outside Athens.

With its seaside terrace, stylish restaurant café and lounge as well as its own beach front, Y O L O offers "non-stop fun, starting with breakfast all the way through dancing in the wee hours of the morning". Lighting such a venue calls for products that are not only versatile, but also deliver the intensity, brightness and colour needed to compliment the club's dramatic setting. Lighting designer Omikron Pro Lighting selected a large a varied mix of Elation and ADJ fixtures installed by Andreas Baltzis.

Razor sharp hard-edged beams from 12 ADJ Inno Color Beam moving heads and eight Elation E Spot LEDs, along with crazily intense flashes from 4 ADJ FREQ 5 LED Strobe (each with five zones) and six ADJ Fun Factor LED combination moonflowe

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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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Italy - Iconic Italian rock singer Vasco Rossi played seven sold out stadium shows, making an impressive live 'come-back' to mark the latest episode of his colourful 35 year career. A stunning lighting design was by Giovanni Pinna which included a special back wall feature, created using 76 Robe Robin 100 LEDBeams.

Pinna - who has lit Rossi's shows since 1993 - also seized the opportunity to debut live the first Robe's new RobinPointe fixtures in Italy.

The triangular shaped upstage LEDBeam 100 matrix was revealed eight songs into the set and used for around 80% of the lighting 'specials' thereafter. For maximum impact, Pinna applied the effects sparingly and very precisely during the superstar's epic two and a half hour performance. Each time he did, the matrix looked refreshingly different.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - Green Hippo has designed a Hippotizer overlay for the Mackie MCU controller, giving ease of use when working with Hippotizer media servers. The hardware provides motorised faders making navigation between layers and observing changes during Timeline playback easy.

Mackie also features high accuracy level fades (greater than standard MIDI control change values) with three additional MIDI ports on the device for connecting additional controllers or other MIDI gear (which can be used with the MIDI2 component).

The Mackie controller software provides a hardware interface for programming timelines and the quick programming of cue-based timelines. Timed parameter fades can automatically be inserted when recording cues and can easily be customised to provide quick access to commonly used parameters for any eventuality.

Large networks of Hippotizer can be controlled using a sin

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Denmark - NorthSide in Denmark recently held its fourth successful festival - this year bigger than ever before. With nearly 27,500 visitors each day, the three-day event has a high focus on sustainability.

With an LED vision in mind, NorthSide's production manager, Jesper Philbert, approached SGM to discuss his ideas. Says Philbert, "Being neighbours with SGM [in Aarhus], it was obvious for us to present our initial ideas and outline sketches to SGM CEO, Peter Johansen. He immediately replied 'Yes' ... such is his innovative personality."

The cooperation caused much media coverage, as one of the outline ideas brought to reality consisted of an impressive 18m wide NorthSide sign (inspired by the famous Hollywood sign) designed for the main entrance, which was made from no fewer than 820 LD-5 LED domes. Philbert comments, "We were looking for the 'wow-factor' in

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China - Hong Kong's Space Museum has reinvigorated its visitor offering through Omnimax planetarium system film experiences. The museum's Lecture Hall has not only benefitted from the visual elements of cinematic styling, the audio system is also state-of-the-art - with the help of a TiMax2 SoundHub16 multi-channel delay matrix installed as surround system management and spatialisation processor.

The new d&b audiotechnik 7.1-channel surround sound system comprises a total of three E12D screen channels with two S18 subwoofers, with left and left-rear surround - mirrored on the right - distributed via a total of four E8s. All driven by d&b D12 and D6 amplification, with two d&b M6s for mobile stage foldback support.

This upgrade is a significant departure from the previous simpler left/right channels of speakers and subs, and goes a bit further than just a conventional and cinem

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Licensing Laws - Performers and producers will no longer have to obtain an entertainment licence to stage shows during the day with an audience of up to 500 people after regulations were relaxed. Following an amendment to the Licensing Act, entertainers can now present plays or dance shows, which includes street performances, between 8am and 11pm without a licence. Performances outside of these hours and for larger audiences will still require a licence, as will dance shows of a "sufficiently adult nature" according to Hugh Robertson, minister for sport and tourism.

Previously, groups had to apply to individual local authorities to secure a licence before they could stage these shows. Louise McMullan, head of Equity's general secretary's department, said, "This change is intended in the first instance to free up places like community halls and venues in your local

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UK - Marl International this year celebrates its 40th anniversary. The company has now supplied more than 500 million LEDs, many in assemblies designed and manufactured by its 100-strong British engineering and manufacturing team based in Ulverston.

Commenting, Adrian Rawlinson, managing director at Marl International, said, "Marl, a pioneer in the technology, is ideally positioned to ride the crest of the LED wave. The secret of our success is that our products are designed, assembled, tested and shipped from one manufacturing complex in Ulverston. Marl continues to invest in its business, recently spending £270,000 to double manufacturing output and speed up the delivery of prototypes. Our manufacturing strength is such that customers are now asking us to design and build other electronic systems for them that don't include an LED light." The company directly a

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UK / Italy - Outline, the Italian manufacturer of professional loudspeaker systems and associated products, has confirmed the formation of a new distribution partnership with CUK Audio. Effective immediately, CUK Audio assumes exclusive UK distribution rights for all Outline products.

Outline's sales director Chris Hinds said, "2013 is our 40th anniversary year and our business is expanding globally with year-on-year sales up significantly across our product range, which is especially encouraging given the economic situation around the world right now. Much of this growth is due to the new products we've introduced, but they are taken to market by our distribution network, and in this respect we are continually refining and expanding our worldwide partnerships. Bringing CUK on board as our UK partner is part of this on-going process, and we're fortunate to have found a comp

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Germany - XL Video has streamlined and optimised its corporate structure in Germany. Previously the enterprise was represented in Germany by two separate companies: XL Video of Hamburg and XL Solutions of Düsseldorf. It also had offices in Munich, Berlin and Nürtingen. On 1 July, XL Solutions and XL Video merged. The main office, with 25 employees, is now on the Hamburg site, whilst Düsseldorf, with 18 employees, is home to the branch office. From now on, Denis Papin, formerly managing director (CEO) of XL Video of Hamburg, and Thorsten Lipp, who held the equivalent post with XL Solutions, will share responsibility for the merged company, which will trade under the name "XL Video".

XL Video of Hamburg was founded in 1998 by René de Keyser and Denis Papin, with the latter at that time assuming the role of Managing Director. Under his leadership, XL Video grew

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UK - Pioneer is set to enter the professional audio market with the launch of its flagship club sound system. Drawing on the company's rich heritage in sound reproduction, deep understanding of the club industry, and close collaboration with Gary Stewart Audio (GSA) and Powersoft, this exciting arrival promises to make waves in Ibiza this season and, with Pioneer returning to the PLASA Show this year, will be available to hear at PLASA London (6-9 October, ExCeL, London) as Pioneer is set to demo the system in the show's exciting new AudioLab Arena.

"Pioneer and sub-brand TAD's expert sound engineers have been creating high-quality audio for many decades and, with Pioneer DJ's unrivalled expertise in the pro-DJ market, the move into club sound systems is a natural progression," says the company.

To create 'the ultimate club sound system', Pioneer partnered wit

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The Netherlands - Dutch PA company, Decibel 111 Audio, recently invested in an Allen & Heath iLive-T80 digital mixing system and ME-1 personal monitor mixers to supplement its hire stock and specifically manage the summer tour dates of top pop band, Hike.

Decibel purchased the new A&H equipment following a demo and training day for engineers and musicians at pro audio dealer, Aptronics.

"Decibel has supplied equipment and engineers to Hike for years, and GL Series analogue desks used to be our weapons of choice," explains Decibel's owner Eric Egging. "However, the launch of the ME-1 mixers, and their compatibility with the iLive T-series, meant we could take the tech spec to the next level. The timing was perfect to coincide with summer festival dates."

Hike is celebrating its 15 year anniversary in 2013. The band is a popular choice at many of the summer

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Germany - When the updated production of Starlight Express opened at Bochum's Stadionring - celebrating 25 years since its first performance at the specially constructed 'Starlight Express Theatre' in June 1988 - it featured for the first time Martin Audio's Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array (MLA) platform.

Advertising itself as "the fastest musical in the universe" it fell to sound supervisor Riccardo van Krugten and system engineer/installation manager, Georg Hentschel to supercharge the next generation production while remaining faithful to Martin Levan's original sound design.

Hentschel was already familiar with Martin Audio's system, since his company (LiveAudio) has owned an MLA rig since May 2011. He later attended the world launch of the second-generation MLA Compact in London - and it is the smaller system that his company has now installed for this pr

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UK - Britannia Row Productions Training opened the doors of its Training Centre in Wandsworth, London on Monday 1July 2013 to the first trainee intake for its Live Sound Technology course. Trainees on this first course are from England, Scotland, the USA and Portugal. The intensive full-time three month course is the first of its kind and has been designed to address the skill shortage in live sound and to provide trainees with the skills and knowledge required to take up immediate employment as sound technicians in the industry.

Britannia Row Productions Training managing director, Matthias Postel, explains, "Britannia Row Productions, the live sound company behind BRP Training, along with other companies and venues, have been disillusioned with the level of knowledge that new entrants have in this sector. There are limited opportunities to train for live sound and existin

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Canada - CAST Software has released the full, market-ready version of wysiwyg R31, the new and significantly updated edition of its industry standard lighting design and pre-visualisation suite. R31 is available for download now from the Members Only Area of the CAST Soft website.

Bruce Freeman, Chairman of CAST Group commented, "CAST is delighted to release the full version of what is the most groundbreaking new edition of wysiwyg in a number of years. We're very proud of the exceptional new features in R31, of which there are many.

!We paid close attention to suggestions and requests received from our Members and, in response, the wysiwyg development team has given them exactly what they want - tools that will help them thrive in today's fiercely competitive production design market by making them more professional, more productive and more profitable. This is CAST's ma

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UK - Orbital's sell-out training course returns for 2013, combining theory, practice and a West End show visit within its popular two-day format.

Forming an important part of Orbital's training programme, this year's course is running across the 27-28 August. Designed to help aspiring theatre sound operators take their show mixing skills to the next level, this two-day course focuses on the practical skills and theory behind the best-practice FOH mixing requirements of musicals.

Participants will be taken through every stage of the process - from the rehearsal room to setting up a desk in its base state, including the theory, introduction to why line-by-line mixing is so important, and what happens when you don't do it. Hands-on experience is an essential aspect of the course, which includes a trip to the West End for a behind-the-scenes look at a show and chance to talk to th

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UK - For the European launch of the Huawei Ascend P6 in London, XL Events supplied a multi-screen blended projection, HD camera system, media servers and control.

Chinese electronics giant, Huawei, recently introduced their flagship Ascend P6 smartphone to gathered media in London. Huawei's creative event agency, Uniplan of Hong Kong, designed an immersive 180 degree projection onto gauze followed by a reveal at the end of the presentation to give attendees access to the experiential area behind.

To realise this creative Uniplan engaged production company Imagine Believe to produce the launch event at the Roundhouse, in London's Camden.

To provide the video element of the launch, Imagine Believe's production director, Tom Attenborough, contacted Mark Rooney, project manager at technical supplier, XL Events to design and specify the video for the show.

For the main multi-sc

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UK - West Wales has a new theatre. Partly funded by the Welsh Government and including the refurbishment of a listed chapel alongside a 504 seat auditorium and 100 seat Stiwdio Stepni , Y Ffwrnes will be run by Carmarthenshire County Council to provide a cultural and creative centre, offering space for community and professional events.

The theatre is set to achieve a BREEAM 'excellent' rating for environmental sustainability and is a key player in the regeneration of Llanelli. Y Ffwrnes is expected to attract some 70,000 visitors and provide new full and part time employment for 35 people.

GDS UK dealer Northern Light were commissioned to install a complete sound and lighting package for Y Ffwrnes. The consultants specified that the contractors installed the GDS Stage Manager's Console and CueSystem cue lights. The need to meet the exacting standards of environmental sustaina

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UK - Cadac Holdings has supplied a Cadac CDC8-16 to Glynd?r University AVL Technical Services for evaluation and first time ever use on a public performance. The company's latest digital console proved itself invaluable and capable of the highest performance standards, when deployed by senior AVL technician Darren Hughes, on his sound design for Chester Operatic Society's production of Kiss Me Kate at the university's William Aston Hall in Wrexham.

"We have two in-house desks available to productions in the 900 seat theatre," explains Hughes. "Current analogue and digital mixers; both reputable boards from leading manufacturers. But when we get a more demanding production in we often decide to bring in something special - more cutting edge - to deliver the best production capabilities. I had seen the CDC8 on the CUK stand at last year's PLASA Focus and had

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UK - LS-Live and Backstage Academy have joined the community benefit co-operative set up to restore the Grade II listed Unity Hall in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

The venue, which was a much used event space following its establishment as the Wakefield Co-operative headquarters in 1867, has been closed for the last decade.

Unity House Wakefield Limited formed in 2011 with the intention of raising funds to restore the building and turn it into a major music venue, conference centre and location for creative businesses.

The development team, led by director Chris Hill, raised £4m of funding to restore the structural elements of the venue, but its bid to the Arts Council for £300,000 to finish the interior of the building was declined.

Stage, set and studio company LS-Live, and its affiliated industry training centre Backstage Academy in South Kirkby, Wakefield, hav

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