USA - In choosing its touring sound reinforcement system, the Wanderlust Yoga Festival had very specific requirements: to provide both pristine vocal clarity for yoga instruction in the daytime and high-impact musical reinforcement for evening revelries. With the tour's truck space and trussing constraints, the production also needed a system with an exceptional power-to-size ratio and versatility. All of this has led to the selection of a Meyer Sound Mina line array loudspeaker system, supplied by DBS Audio Systems of Coatesville, Penn.

"In prior years we had used four different systems from four different suppliers, with inconsistent results," says Sage Anthony Plakosh, production manager for the tour. "This year we wanted to assure that the yoga teachers and musi

USA - Built in the early 1970s, Westfield Hawthorn Mall is located in the Chicago suburb of Vernon Hills. Its classic mall architecture boasts four anchor stores, 180 retail spaces, and 1.3m square feet of space. However, until recently, its sound system possessed the lifeless quality of 1970s-era contractor-grade components. Music was low-fidelity, speech was of poor intelligibility, and volume throughout was too loud during slow times and too quiet during busy times.

Renaissance Communications Systems, located nearby in Franklin Park, Illinois, overhauled Westfield Hawthorn Mall's sound system. In addition to replacing the ceiling speakers, Renaissance also gave the mall modern auto-levelling control and multi-zone support using two Ashly Audio ne8800M 8-In x 8-Out Protea DSP System Processors and two 8-channel Ashly ne8250.70 Network Amplifiers.

"Certainly, one big iss

Italy - From 20 to 22 June, the Sforza Castle in Milan was transformed into a stage for a magical journey of lights and music that took the audience back in time from the Milan of today to 1906, during the Belle Époque, when the world exposition was first held in the city. "The project not only enhanced the Sforza Castle and its precious art collections, but it also linked the monument with Expo 2015," said Milan city councillor for culture, Filippo Del Corno.

All the façades of the Rocchetta courtyard were animated with images from the Achille Bertarelli print collection, which is kept in the castle itself and tells us about Milanese life and culture in the early 20th century.

The Castello di Carta (Paper Castle) project was curated by Sebastiano Romano and Studio Comunicazione & Immagine di Mariella Di Rao. It was promoted by the Milan City Council Departme

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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 -Three leading UK-based audio console manufacturers - DiGiCo, Allen & Heath and Calrec - have joined forces to create a pro audio group. Confirmation of the group's formation comes after 18 months of talks with private equity fund management firms Electra Partners and ISIS.

It is understood the companies will still retain their "different skills, customer relationships and the identities of each brand".

A statement outlining the move says that the DiGiCo team has spent the last 18 months consulting with Electra Partners about the possible combination of both Allen & Heath and Calrec with the DiGiCo family. The culmination of this "brings together three British console companies to create a new professional audio group, while retaining their unique skills, customer relationships and the identities of each brand".

James Gordon will become Group CEO suppo

Singapore - Robe Lighting s.r.o has confirmed Lighting & Sound Distribution (LSD) as its exclusive distributor in Singapore as of 1 August 2014.

This is part of Robe's medium term expansion strategy in the region and follows the launch of a new Asia Pacific office - also in Singapore - in January this year, which was set up in response to the brand's growing business.

Robe's relationship with LSD - one of Singapore's most proactive and successful sales and installation operations - actually dates back to 2002 when LSD first started selling and specifying Robe products, a situation that has developed steadily over the years.

LSD's general manager Brenda Keung comments, "Naturally we are excited to be appointed as Robe's exclusive distributor in Singapore, which will consolidate our existing business model and enable us to work even closer with Robe.

"We really loo

UK - As the sun set over Sonisphere festival 2014's opening day at Knebworth, The Prodigy walked on stage to sirens, screams and the bright blasting lights of 165 Showline SL Nitro 510 and 510C LED strobes, specified by the group's longstanding lighting designer and creative director of HSL Andy Hurst.

After a three-year hiatus, the Sonisphere festival came back with a bang, seeing The Prodigy perform alongside a stellar line up of heavy metal and rock giants including Metallica and Iron Maiden.

Hurst wanted to create a 'mind blowing' lighting design that would be a spectacular end to day one, and he didn't disappoint. Locked together by the luminaires' unique quick-connect system, which allows SL Nitro 510 and 510C units to connect together easily top-to-bottom and side-by-side, Hurst rigged the 84 SL Nitro 510 and 72 510C strobes in mixed groups of 10. His design saw them bl

UK - The Theatres Trust has announced its fifth round of small capital grants to theatres. Among the five successful theatres in this round are the Grade II listed Trinity Theatre in Tunbridge Wells and the community-owned Shanklin Theatre on the Isle of Wight.

Grants from the Trust's Theatres Protection Fund Small Grants Scheme have been awarded to:

Shanklin Theatre, Isle of Wight: This Grade II listed theatre receives £5,000 towards its 'Fly-tower stabilisation' project to repair the brickwork of its fly-tower.

Theatre Royal Stratford East, London: This Grade II listed East London theatre by J.G. Buddle, and later refurbished by Frank Matcham, receives £5,000 towards its 'Repair the stage curtain' project to clean and mend the fabric of its trompe l'oeil curtain.

Players Theatre, Thame: Its 'Building A Better Theatre' project receives £5,000 to install

UK - Leisuretec Distribution has announced their new trade partnership with SGM, the Danish manufacturer of LED lighting products, effective August 2014.

Bedfordshire-based Leisuretec will become a key partner to SGM as a trade only distributor, promoting and marketing their range of products, including the SixPack and award-winning G-Spot.

Leisuretec managing director, Cliff Dounting comments, "I'm very pleased that our strategy to grow our lighting portfolio is taking another very positive step forward. We are very proud to be partnering with SGM and to have the opportunity to provide our customers with some amazing products. The history of the brand coupled with the pedigree of the owner is a great recipe for success.

"A key part of Leisuretec's continued growth and success over the past few years has been the prudent partnering with new suppliers, who complemen

UK - The most recent event organised by the Shure Academy European Audio Network, the microphone manufacturer's European education and training arm, was another in the continuing series of Wireless Mastered RF microphone workshops hosted by Shure Distribution UK's RF specialist Tuomo Tolonen.

The 22 July date differed from all of the previous such sessions, however, as it took place in the prestigious surroundings of the Champions' Suite at Emirates Stadium, North London - Arsenal Football Club's home ground. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it proved popular; the event was full to capacity, and the only spare seats were the three reserved in the front row for the siting of the overhead projection system.

Attendees at Emirates were given a thorough grounding in the operation and capabilities of modern wireless microphone technology during the day with specific reference to Shure's QLX-

Switzerland - Lausanne's Haute Ecole de Musique (HEMU) is the leading music college in French-speaking Switzerland. Offering degree and Masters level courses in classical, jazz and modern music, it opened a brand new performance venue in June 2014 which features a comprehensive Yamaha and Nexo audio system.

HEMU's new BCV Concert Hall is located in Lausanne's Le Flon district. Historically one of the city's poorest areas, the project is the latest instalment of a long-running drive to improve its fortunes. Designed to host a wide range of concerts, as well as rehearsals, exams, conferences and film screenings, the BCV Concert Hall features Yamaha and Nexo equipment throughout.

Supplied by Zap Audio and installed by Vevey-based Auditech, the main 300-capacity performance space features a Yamaha CL3 digital mixing console and Rio3224-D i/o unit. Output is via a Dante network to

USA - The Summer Concert Series has launched on NBC's The Today Show and Clay Paky's A.leda B-EYE K20 LED-based moving lights are being deployed on the live music segments, which air at least once a week on the morning show.

The concert series is a popular feature on The Today Show every Friday from late spring through the summer; performances are sometimes staged during the week, as well. The concerts launched with Mariah Carey and have showcased Tim McGraw, Cher Lloyd, Rascal Flatts, Sara Bareilles, Train, Little Mix, Fallout Boy and Phillip Phillips.

The night prior to a concert a mobile stage rolls onto Rockefeller Plaza outside The Today Show's picture windows. Lighting is rigged and programmed overnight so a rehearsal can be scheduled for 6:30 am. The concert begins with the first of a three-song set around 8:25 am; two more songs wrap up the show fr

UK - Lifting equipment specialists Hoist UK are continuing with their structured growth, this time expanding the engineering and installation side of the business, Geoff Cromwell joins them as their new lifting equipment engineer. Geoff brings with him over 40 years of experience within the lifting equipment industry, having being previously employed with Aabacas Cranes, Fellow Stringer, Pfaff Silberblau / PCM and most recently with LTM.

"Feeling part of a team is sometimes daunting when you start with a new company" says Hoist UK director Paul Jordan, "but Geoff has worked with some of the team before, he was at Aabacas with Wayne Ridgeley for six years and worked alongside Tony Dickson for 10 years at Pfaff and PCM and I have known him for several years myself, he has already fitted in and is a valued member of the Hoist UK team."

Geoff will be heading th

USA - Brian Wiser has been named president of sales - North America for Bosch Security Systems, Inc. In this position, he will lead the sales, support, training, customer service and marketing organizations in North America.

Joining Bosch in August, Wiser will replace Jeremy Hockham, who will take on a new assignment for Bosch in Europe, effective 1 October, 2014. In the interim, Wiser, Hockham and the Bosch management team will work together to ensure a smooth transition for customers.

Wiser joins Bosch with more than 25 years of channel sales and marketing experience. He most recently served as a senior vice president for specialty, direct and consumer markets in North America for technology distributor Ingram Micro Inc. Throughout his career, he has repeatedly delivered accelerated growth and increased profitability for the divisions under his leadership.

"Brian is a

USA - Superhero and comic book lovers of all sorts met June 5-8 at Phoenix Comicon, a comic book and multigenre entertainment convention held annually in Phoenix, Arizona. Event production company Endless Entertainment used a bevy of Elation equipment to light the general session room, hotel ballrooms and other rooms for parties, interactive events, contests and after-hours events.

Phoenix Comicon, which takes place at the Phoenix Convention Center, started as more of a comic book and science fiction/fantasy convention but has expanded over the years to include a larger range of pop culture elements with many events taking place at downtown hotels. The event is growing each year with the 2014 convention setting an attendance record.

Endless Entertainment was Phoenix Comicon's partner in all audiovisual and entertainment services for the entire event with Endless Entertainment'

UK - Projection mapping and video content specialists Bluman Associates projected the Palestine flag onto the Houses of Parliament in the early hours of 1 August to raise awareness of The Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

Bluman worked with the organisation to implement the guerrilla marketing stunt.

The team, led by Pod Bluman, were in situ on Westminster Bridge for just four minutes; just long enough to ensure the PSC's photographer could take publicity photos.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Distributor Sound Technology has announced immediate availability of the new AKG DMSTetrad digital wireless microphone system. Designed for a variety of applications ranging from concerts and clubs, to conferences, this licence-free wireless system offers "uncompressed audio transmission, superior RF performance and 128-bit AES standard encryption".

The AKG DMSTetrad digital wireless microphone system features an integrated four-channel mixer, and an antenna front mount kit. With 24bit, 48kHz audio coding, it provides uncompressed studio-quality transmission and a linear frequency response, for uncompromising vocal and instrumental performances. The DMSTetrad's 128-bit AES standard encryption prevents tapping of the audio signal, which makes it a perfect companion for high-security conferences.

Two sets are available, the DMSTetrad D5 Vocal Set including the DHT

USA - Journey and the Steve Miller Band are touring North America this summer with the Meyer Sound Leo family of products, including the compact Lyon linear line array loudspeakers launched this year. The equipment choice for the 40-city tour was driven in large part by Journey's FOH engineer Jim Yakabuski, a former mixer for Avril Lavigne, Van Halen, and Matchbox Twenty. Tower of Power opens the show.

Yakabuski is especially impressed with the linear reproduction of the Meyer Sound system. "With Leo, I find that music-in translates to music-out," he explains. "The tonality I heard from studio monitors during rehearsals is what I heard when I cranked up the full Leo system. What I find with other systems is a 'colouring' of the sound. You often have to adjust your system EQ or even your mixing style to compensate for the tonal quirks of the PA."

Provided by

Hungary - The summer festival season means that Capital Sound is off on its travels again, but not just around the UK. A large Martin Audio rig has been despatched to Hungary, where two festivals are benefiting from Capital service.

First stop for the Capital Sound rig was the Volt festival in Sopron, where six days of diverse music culminated in a headline performance by the Arctic Monkeys on 6 July.

Supplied to main contractor, production, engineering and management company for the shows Animative and used on the festival's Telekom Main Stage, the main system comprised 15 Martin MLA and one MLD per side, plus two MLA Compact delays and a broadside array of 36 WS218X subs.

Capital Sound also provided a comprehensive monitor system, that included four flown Martin W8LC and two ground-stacked WS218X subs per side for side-fills,

System engineers Karoly Molnar, who is also f

South Africa - TC Group has announced the appointment of TID as the exclusive distributor of Tannoy, Lab.gruppen and Lake products in South Africa.

The deal will see TID, located in Ranburg, become the primary contact for all three brands in the country, with exclusive access to Tannoy professional loudspeakers, as well as exclusive access to the extensive library of Lab.gruppen and Lake amplification and processing products.

Tiaan Hoogstad, marketing manager at TID , commented, "The TC Group Install and Tour ranges are products that will enhance our offering to our customers. Tannoy, Lab.gruppen and Lake are some of the most respected brands in the pro-audio business, and we are extremely happy to bring them all on board. With a comprehensive training and support programme already in place, TID look forward to enhancing the reputation of these leading brands across South

USA - Production Design Associates lit up the Piccolo Spoleto Festival's kick-off event in Charleston, South Carolina, with Robe's Robin 300 LEDWash fixtures.

The Sunset Serenade, held annually on the steps of the United States Custom House, is a free outdoor concert featuring the Charleston Symphony Orchestra with more than 5,000 attending, marking the start of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival.

The festival, sponsored locally in conjunction with Spoleto Festival USA, featured about 700 performing, literary and visual arts events over the course of 17 days. Often referred to as America's premier performing arts festival, Piccolo Spoleto was founded in 1979 by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs. Their goal is to provide a rich dynamic cultural experience to all, as well as give local and regional artists the opportunity to showcase their talents.

When PDA was once

UK - Martin Audio was awash with emotion as the company recently said goodbye to the long-serving Martin Kelly, EMEA account manager, who retired at the end of July.

After 23 years at Martin Audio, and having witnessed huge change encompassing the final year of David Martin through to the breakthrough of MLA, it was time to pay homage and celebration to the man that has been one of the company's most ardent evangelists. Consequently, a special event with surprise guests took place at Martin Audio's headquarters and later offsite.

An informal gathering took place in the afternoon with Kelly being presented with an iPad, a retirement survival kit and a trip down memory lane courtesy of tales from colleagues and a photographic montage from across the years. This was then followed by surprise guests, as enter stage left came many of Martin's customers from across the years that ha

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