France - French loudspeaker company APG has reported an exceptionally busy summer season so far following the sale of a number of Uniline line array systems to rental companies across France and abroad.

One of the most active has been Lyon-based rental company, Audio Technique, who have been very busy since they joined the Uniline Solution network with the purchase of their system in May this year. Two of their most prestigious festivals featuring Uniline this summer have been the FΩtes Escales in Venissieux near Lyon - a six-day festival that saw audiences of over 6000 every night for an eclectic music programme ranging from the Opera de Lyon to the urban rap sounds of Zebda and everything in between - and the Nuits de la Guitare festival held in the spectacular setting of Patrimonio in Corsica.

Held over eight days, this festival of international renown featured perfor

UK - Olympic athletes, officials and guests arriving at London's Heathrow Airport were treated to a musical welcome on 25 July, as Myleene Klass serenaded Terminal 5 with the theme to Chariots of Fire. London-based Capital Sound provided the audio infrastructure for an event which attracted widespread attention by the national media.

The solo piano performances had to be planned in meticulous detail, as the piano and audio system were set up directly in front of the international arrivals area in one of the world's busiest airport terminals. Robin Conway was project manager for Capital Sound, with the company providing all necessary equipment, crew and logistics.

"One of the key challenges of the event was that we were given specific load in and load out times to coincide with quieter moments in the terminal," says Conway. "We had to set up the equipment

Ukraine - A Jands Vista L5 was chosen by lighting and visuals designer, Rob Sinclair, to control lighting and media for British rock legends, Queen. Their recent string of high profile shows featured American Idol star Adam Lambert as lead singer.

The first highly anticipated show truly tested everyone's technical and creative skills. Performed in front of enormous crowds (estimated at up to 500,000 people) in Independence Square, Kiev, Ukraine - the concert was televised live as part of the Euro 2012 Football Championships as well as streamed online.

Although Sinclair has been a keen Vista user for a number of years, this was his first experience using the new flagship L5 console. Choosing to do so on a show of such stature and visibility was a real testament to his confidence in the reliability and flexibility of the Vista family.

Sinclair's design concept began wit

USA - - As Donny and Marie Osmond continue their successful run at Las Vegas' Flamingo Hotel, Audio-Technica is the microphone of choice for the superstar siblings' act. Between recent performances, Donny Osmond was presented with a limited edition AT4050URUSHI Multi-pattern Condenser Microphone.

The AT4050URUSHI, a visually striking version of Audio-Technica's acclaimed AT4050, was created to commemorate A-T's 50th anniversary and sports a stunning traditional urushi lacquer finish with hand-painted Japanese maple leaves.

(Jim Evans)

Israel - Television lighting designer Ofer Jacobi specified Robe Robin MMX Spots together with LEDWash 1200 and 600s for the latest series of Dancing With The Stars, Israel's version of BBC Worldwide's massively successful Strictly Come Dancing now in its seventh series..

Jacobi has lit all seven editions of the show to date, and each one has featured Robe moving lights.

However this was the first time that any of his lighting designs have included MMX Spots and Robin 1200 LEDWashes - all of which are supplied by Danor Rental.

Dancing With The Stars is recorded in Studio 1 of the GG Studio Complex in Jerusalem, the country's largest TV production facility.

The set is designed by Avi Fahima, with the basic elements styled on the original classic BBC version, with a new video theme added for this Israeli series, consisting of scenic LED panels running ar

USA - grandMA2 has gone country playing key roles on the Brothers of the Sun tour, with Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, and at CMA Music Festival, which held concerts at Nashville's LP Field.

"I've been one of the beta testers for the grandMA2, and this year marks the first time that I felt I could exclusively spec the grandMA2," reports Mark Butts who serves as programmer for the tour, with Chesney and McGraw, and programmer and lighting director for the CMA Music Festival. "I'm now specifying them for all my new projects."

The Brothers of the Sun Tour is the tenth that Butts has done with Chesney. The all-stadium tour features "simple straight trusses but a lot of stuff. I decided to go with four grandMA2 full-size just to manage the complexity of the show," says Butts.

The consoles need to manage large amounts of data. "Kenny

UK - The eagerly anticipated shortlist of lighting designers nominated for the coveted Knight of Illumination Award has been released.

Organised by the ALD, STLD and Clay Paky and now in its fifth year, the Knight of Illumination Awards provides public recognition for outstanding achievements in lighting design by lighting designers working on productions in the UK.

Professional reviewers who work in each of the specific categories have agreed the shortlists and the awards will be presented at a glittering ceremony on 9 September at Battersea Evolution, Battersea Park, London.

The shortlists for each category are as follows:

Television - ENTERTAINMENT: Mark Kenyon for Strictly Come Dancing from Wembley; Tom Sutherland for Red Hot Chilli Peppers Live at Koko and Mark Kempton for Not Going Out

Television - SMALL STUDIO: Tom Kinane for Just a Minute

Germany - Providing good, clear audio reproduction in a historical building can present a number of challenges for an installer, often with strict architectural limitations on where you can place the loudspeakers, as well as interiors rarely being open to having acoustic dampening installed to aid intelligibility.

The Federal Administrative Court - or Bundesverwaltungsgericht - was established in 1953 as supreme instance of the general administrative jurisdiction. It is one of Germany's six Federal Courts.

The building was erected between 1888 and 1895 by the architect Ludwig Hoffmann. Originally, it housed the High Court of the German Empire. After the end of World War II, however, Leipzig became part of the GDR and the High Court was moved to West Germany. During the years of the socialist regime, the courthouse accommodated various non-judicial institutions, two museums and

A packed programme of sessions is now confirmed for the 3rd annual PLASA Rigging Conference at the Earls Court Conference Centre in London on Monday 10 and Tuesday 11 September 2012.

The PLASA Rigging Conference is delighted to confirm that the conference will close with 'Question Time' hosted by Alan Jacobi LVO, MD of Unusual Rigging.

An iconic figure in the world of rigging, Alan's involvement with the Rigging Conference dates back to its inception, as Conference Consultant Chris Higgs explains: "Alan Jacobi (AJ) opened the inaugural PLASA Rigging Conference in 2010 in his inimitable style but sadly wasn't able to join us last year. I was therefore delighted that he agreed immediately to host the closing Q&A session this year. Alan is an inspirational character to many of us and someone who I have no doubt will again ask insightful questions, act as question m

Hungary - At the very heart of Budapest city is the Váci 1 shopping and entertainment centre. Originally built between1911 and 1915 and one time host to the Budapest Stock Exchange, the building is a historic, protected monument and was designated as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1987. As prestigious sites go, it doesn't get much grander than this. After extensive renovation work it has been redeveloped as the central hub of Budapest's retail area.

On 14 December 2011, the Hard Rock Café opened its doors to the Budapest public for the first time. Spread over four floors of the Váci 1 building, the magnet of the famous Rock Shop greets visitors as they enter on the ground floor and the views are what may attract people to the top floor. However, the main event is the restaurant, bar, kitchen and the performance stage which are all down on the basement level, boastin

Malta - Right Structures supplied its curved roof Geo Stage for Laura Pausini's Inedito World Tour performance in Malta, 1 August 2012.

The Right Structures team installed a 25m wide stage in the grounds of The Malta Fairs and Convention Centre (MFCC ), where the Italian superstar performed to over 5,000 fans .

Geo Stage engineering offers a cost effective system with flexibility to create curves and waves, proven structural integrity and weight bearing capacity.

Ruben Caruana, Right Structures business development director, said, "For us this was a particularly important gig. A rigger tragically lost their life after a stage collapse in Italy on an earlier leg of the Inedito tour, so safety of the artist, her team, the crew and the audience was of the highest priority for everybody. There were eight structural engineers and licensing officials, all diligent in their sc

How to get into the Live Audio Industry

There is no road map to success in the live audio industry and, as with many things worth doing, it can be tough. But if you have the passion and the determination, you could end up spending your life doing something you love. Having taught some of the best in the business, Alchemea know a thing or two about improving your chances. Register for free for this session and hear Alchemea's pro's giving their top tips for success in the industry.

presented by: Alchemea
Wednesday 12 September, 2.00pm - 3.00pm

To book this session and check out other session in the programme, please click here

Spain - XL Video, working with Live Nation Spain, supplied LED, cameras and PPU for the inaugural Ibiza 123 festival.

Ibiza 123 is the first music festival to be held on the island, and played host to a diverse line-up of artists featuring global superstars Sting, Elton John and Lenny Kravitz; live performances from chart stars Labrinth and Tinie Tempah; plus sets from DJs including Tiesto, Fatboy Slim, Chase & Status, Luciano, and David Guetta!

For the three-day festival, held on the San Antonio coast, XL Video was asked to provide an LED package which would highlight not only the first 123 Festival but also herald the first ever full music festival in Ibiza.

To achieve this XL Video specified an LED backdrop measuring 16m wide by 9m high, made from Pixled's F-30. F-30 was selected due to its suitability for outdoor use.

Three circular LED displays of decreasing size were

USA - The Jazz Theatre on the top floor of the Old US Mint Building in New Orleans is designed around the music itself: the small (120-seat) rectangular room is intimate and acoustically pristine, fitted with complex movable panels that provide both diffusion and absorption while offering variable acoustics as they slide into place as needed for different types of jazz artists.

As part of the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, the Jazz Theatre is part of a larger museum that incorporates the State Museum's already substantial collection of jazz artifacts, a collection that includes sheet music, manuscripts, photographs, records (including what is thought to be the first jazz recording, from 1917) and instruments such as Louis Armstrong's first cornet.

The theatre is a modular 4,000sq.ft performance space with a stage that can be configured multiple ways to accommodate

UK - A.C Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) Ltd's specialist audio division recently hosted two dedicated open days in conjunction with Yamaha, to showcase the new Yamaha CL series of digital mixing consoles.

Staged at both AC-ET's Northern office in Leeds and Southern HQ in High Wycombe, the events were very well attended with a wide cross-section of attendees representing many different industry sectors - including rental and staging companies, educational establishments, theatres, sound engineers and a variety of venue staff.

Three identical sessions were run each day in both locations to offer maximum flexibility, enabling interested parties to attend at their own convenience.

Each session started with the CL series launch presentation followed by a Q&A session, and then a full hands-on workshop, allowing guests to discover first hand and in-depth, the innovative and adv

Denmark - Martin Professional has been marking its 25th Anniversary throughout 2012 with a number of activities and one of the more ambitious projects is an historical Evolution Gallery that recently opened at the company's headquarters in Aarhus, Denmark.

The Martin Evolution Gallery, a permanent installation, retraces Martin's history in the entertainment technology industry from its roots in the '80s as a fledgling producer of fog machines and disco effects to the leading company it is today.

The historical timeline is set against a background of major world and Martin events and showcases the company's record of technological advancement and product launch frequency through the years, an evolutionary journey that continues to develop.

Besides a fascinating look at technology's unrelenting march over the past 25 years, the timeline offers the visitor a chance to examine t

USA - PLASA Events has announced an unprecedented new deal for member dealers. Over the coming days, PLASA member dealers are being given the opportunity to book a strictly limited number of discounted booths at PLASA Focus: Stamford 2012. The all-inclusive booths, which are being offered on a first-come-first-served basis, are available for the heavily discounted rate of $2500, which represents a huge 57% reduction on the standard rate.

PLASA's new regional trade show model, first seen in Austin and Nashville, and making its way to Stamford on 12 & 13 November, 2012, has been designed to bring manufacturers, regional dealers and end users together in a way that has never before been possible.

"PLASA believes that dealers play a vitally important role in the progression of the industry as a whole and should be represented and supported alongside manufacturers, at any PLAS

Russia - Russian PA company, City Sound, recently selected Allen & Heath's new GLD digital mixing system to manage BMW Group's national launch of its new generation 6 Series Gran Coupe.

"We were one of the first sound companies to adopt Allen & Heath's new GLD system in Russia, and had already tested the system at several top level events before the BMW presentation, so we had no doubts about the system's capabilities," comments Alexander Kosarev, general director of City Sound.

Hosted on a specially constructed rooftop stage in downtown Moscow with panoramic views of the city, the agenda included an overview with a sound and light show demonstration of the car, plus performances from a live band and a DJ.

"GLD has proved to be very reliable and we are especially happy with the quality of sound," said Kosarev. "We originally purchased the system for

Iceland - Located in what many people know as Gardentown, Stjarnan F.C. is an Icelandic football club that is part of the KSI Premiere League. For their home games, the stadium had previously used various portable PA systems for announcements. This situation resulted in inconsistent sound quality, creating a most frustrating experience for both the announcers and the fans alike. Recognising the need for a better solution, stadium management recently elected to deploy a more permanent solution-one that was drawn from the catalogue of D.A.S. Audio.

Garðabær based Northern Lights Audio, a design/build firm specialising in audio, video, lighting, security, and heating solutions for both the professional and residential markets, was contracted to design and install the stadium's new sound reinforcement system. Þorsteinn Halldórsson, the firm's owner discussed the project and his

Spain - Lighting designer Oscar Gallardo has turned to an energy and cost-saving MAC Aura lighting rig supplied by MFO S.L. Productions for Joan Manuel Serrat and Joaquin Sabina's current tour.

After the spectacular success of their first tour Dos pájaros de un tiro (Two Birds with One Stone), Serrat and Sabina have launched a follow up tour Dos pájaros contraatacan (Two Birds Strike Back) that is playing to audiences across Spain and South America this summer and fall.

Oscar Gallardo is one of Spain's top lighting designers, having lit Serrat and Sabina shows for years, as well as other artists like David Bisbal, Luz Casal, Presuntos Implicados, Rosana and many more.

Oscar, along with Juan Gomez Cornejo, Tano Astiaso and Nicolás Fischtel, is one of the forerunners of the Asociación Española de Autores de Iluminación (Spanish Association of Lighting Autho

Germany - TTL Veranstaltungstechnik, based in Ochtrup Germany, has invested in a complete Nexo 45°N-12 monitor package, which it is putting to work over the summer festival season.

Based not far from Hannover, near the border with the Netherlands, TTL has spent some time with Reinhard Steger from NEXO's Germany distributor audiovation, getting up to speed with the new wedges and with the NEXO philosophy.

"We've been heavily impressed by the product as well as by the service offered by audiovation, they've made us feel comfortable about investing in a new brand,," says Bernd Michael Tombült, MD of TTL.

"After the first six weeks on the road, they've performed steadily, and we've heard the best comments possible coming from all sides. For sure, investing in the N-12s has been the right decision."

The 45°N-12 package has already served its first t

France - The city of Agen in France is undergoing great changes with several projects seeing the light of day in recent years. The facades along Boulevard de la République and Place Wilson have been beautifully illuminated thanks to the use of 350 Martin Tripix 300 linear LED luminaires and six Exterior 410 colour changers.

In charge of the project and installation were companies Electromontage and Inéo while lighting design was by Lionel Bessière of the Toulouse-based company Quartiers Lumières.

The Tripix 300s are attractively-designed IP66 LED bars based on tri-color LEDs for a better mix of colors under the lens. This produces a wide range of shades, in particular bright whites, subtle pastels, and vibrant saturated colors, with no chromatic decomposition.

The Exterior 410 houses very powerful pre-mixed LEDs and is used for lighting designs requiring perf

The Introduction to Navigator course gives students an overall view of the principles of entertainment automation systems and teaches the basics of how to configure and program automation systems using FTSI's award winning Navigator hardware and software.

This class gives a basic overview of the current state of the art in entertainment automation and introduces students to the basic principals involved in mechanical methods, rigging, and show automation. Mechanical system components, network architecture, safety systems and considerations, motion control techniques, system programming tools and instructions, console operation, and basic troubleshooting will all be introduced, with examples and exercises provided for all students. This three day course costs £380 to attend. The course is ETCP recognized for 28 renewal credits for Electrical and Rigging certifications.

This cour

UK - Midlands-based production and rental company, Codex Audio, has recently invested in a pair of Midas PRO2C digital mixing consoles, supplied by LMC Audio.

Dave 'Lofty' Lockhart, owner of Codex Audio, is currently working as system technician, tour manager and head sound engineer (amongst others!), for The Blockheads and Bruce Foxton's From the Jam.

Codex Audio recently engineered the Wake Up Woking charity event with From The Jam where Lofty was "looking forward to giving some of the new FX an airing". He adds, "The PRO2C is the best of both digital and analogue. It sounds and feels like the best desk with knobs you've ever used, and you don't need a truck to get it to the gig. People (myself included) get excited just looking at them."

Codex Audio recently supplied PA for the Modrophenia show at Wulfrun Hall in Wolverhampton for FTJ and

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