USA - The web forum formerly known as Gearslutz has unveiled its new name - Gearspace - repositioning the brand to be more inclusive. As an established resource for audio engineers, music producers, audio schools and organisations, the forum will continue to be an open platform for discussing and learning about audio recording gear and best practices.
“After nearly two decades, it feels great to move forward with a more progressive and inclusive name,” says founder Jules Standen. “We’re certain our new name, Gearspace, will stand the test of time and provide a more all-encompassing platform for the pro audio industry. The change will affect the forum’s name, logo and URL. Gearspace will continue to offer the same audio-focused content and will strive to be the best online community possible for people of all genders and cultures.
“This change has been in t

Europe - Typically utilised before and after performances and during intermissions as practical audience lights, house lighting has traditionally played only a minor role in creating the atmosphere of a space. With the advent of dynamic LED house lighting however, that has all changed. Today’s house lights have taken on a more flexible and increasingly important role as an integral part of a broader and more immersive lighting design impression.
In Elation’s 1 April Coffee Break, Alistair Smyth and Frederik Afif delve into the adaptable aspects of Elation’s colour-changing Fuze Pendant. This LED downlight produces high CRI variable tones to flood a space in hues of colour or functionally wash a venue in shades of white light. Add in a multitude of control, connectivity, mounting and lens options and it is the ultimate lighting tool for modern house and area lighting a

The Netherlands - The new MIMIK cultural centre situated next to the IJssel river in Deventer has been outfitted with a number of Infinity’s professional theatre lighting fixtures. TS-260C7 Profile Engines equipped with TLT-1230 Zoom lenses and Irises, TF-260C7 Fresnels with barndoors and TCYC-7 Cycloramas were used by Rolight to provide the desired illumination.
In the MIMIK, a theatre, four movie theatres, and a grand café are merged into a cultural experience. Open all day and easily accessible, its programme aims to surprise visitors time and time again. MIMIK follows up on the success of film house De Keizer (the emperor) and Theater Bouwkunde (Building Science theatre). Combining both with hospitable catering creates a vivid meeting place that ticks all the boxes for current and future generations.
The theatre is fitted with a retractable grandstand and can be

South Africa - When DWR Distribution needed a venue to host the Basic Rigging Training Course in Cape Town, the Cape Audio College in Observatory quickly raised their hand and offered their lecture hall for 15-16 March. This proved a good time to catch up, meet new faces and share knowledge.
"I have been in the industry since 1994, in various guises, and I can say that I wish Robert Izzett and DWR were offering their rigging course back then,” comments Ian Watson, head of live sound at Cape Audio College. “I found it super informative and useful. I will think twice before I set up any piece of gear. I now know that there is a limit to my knowledge, and that limit could be the difference between a successful show and an epic fail. Thanks to Robert and DWR for taking the time to make our industry a safer place. I cannot wait for the next offer."
In the South African

USA - Registration is still open for the New World Rigging Symposium (NWRS), produced by ESTA and USITT, which takes place online 6-8 April. The cost is $99 and the symposium carries up to nine ETCP education renewal credits for re-certification.
The event brings together a wide group of industry experts for a series of panel discussions and live Q&As on video wall rigging, automation and motorisation, performer flying and rescue, and types of ropes.
In addition, a case study will look into how the installation of a tension grid is working in a major facility, a group of structural engineers will answer your questions, rigging pros from the world of motion pictures will talk about some of their toughest challenges, and mental health professionals and advocates will discuss how to be

Spain - Optocore has appointed RMS Proaudio as its new Spanish distributor.
Miguel Ángel Jiménez, CEO of the Seville-based company, comments: “We have known Optocore particularly from the relationship with DiGiCo, which we have distributed for more than 15 years, and we consider their technology to be excellent. For that reason we approached them, and it is an honour to now be able to provide solutions based around their advanced technology in our Spanish market. We know their products to be extremely reliable, and offer flexible audio communication solutions.”
Optocore sales distribution manager, Dawid Somló, is equally upbeat. “It is gratifying that such a serious and experienced company as RMS Proaudio has entered into this cooperation with us, and an honour for us to be an important part of their high level portfolio,” he says. “With Optocore solutions

USA - Meyer Sound will be offering hands-on, interactive demos of its Spacemap Go spatial sound design and live mixing tool at FILO Chicago, a hybrid in-person and live-streamed event for technical artists serving local churches on 11-12 May. The demo sessions will take place between breakout sessions in the spacious lobby area at the host venue, Willow Creek Community Church in the Chicago suburb of South Barrington, Illinois.
“Spacemap Go is the perfect spatial and immersive sound solution for churches,” says Meyer Sound sales manager, west Daniel Rivera. “It is adaptable and flexible and it’s highly intuitive with a short learning curve. It’s also extremely cost-effective, particularly for churches with newer Meyer Sound systems as it leverages the power of their existing Galaxy processors. All they need is an iPad loaded with the Spacemap Go app.”
FILO

UK - Leisuretec, distributor of professional and commercial audio, lighting and video equipment, has unveiled a new corporate brand identity that consists of a new logo, website and style.
The new logo is at the core of the transformation, the company opting for one with a modern look and feel to replace the old emblem. The logo device represents the ‘L’ from Leisuretec, with the levels and waves within it reflecting the company’s passion for audio, lighting and video technology. Meanwhile, the four bars stand for the company’s core values of experience, choice, value and service.
“We are very excited to launch our new logo and corporate brand identity, which consists of a refreshed style, website and refined summary of our company vision, mission and value proposition,” comments Charlie Henden, marketing manager at Leisuretec. “Our previous log

Germany - Rental company CGS Dry Hire has invested in a large number of Robe’s recently-launched Forte LED moving lights, delivered via Robe Germany. These are now available for dry hire at CGS.
These are the first Fortes to be received in Germany and have been purchased for general lighting rental stock - with CGS’ Christian Geyer looking ahead to when the industry restarts, and for a couple of specific jobs that require a high-powered, multifunctional LED fixture.
Geyer, who founded CGS in 1999 whilst still a technology-obsessed teenager and a keen DJ, commented: “Investing in premium brands and solid technology has always been a CGS trademark. It has helped enable us to build the company’s reputation for excellence, and we see Forte as a smart option for rental stock that will help expand our market position both now and for years to come.”
He and h

UK - The ABTT is joining forces with the Association of Lighting Designers to present a seminar, Lighting-in-the-Round on 26 March (Friday) from 2.00pm.
The seminar will feature a number of lighting designers who have worked extensively in-the-round. They will talk about the challenges faced when creating lighting in this staging configuration, some unique opportunities created by theatre-in-the-round and about some of the productions they have worked on during their careers to date.
This webinar is the second of six and will be hosted by Dave Wybrow (director, The Cockpit).
Wybrow will be joined by lighting designers Johanna Town, Elliot Griggs, Daniella Beattie and Tigger Johnson. This webinar is followed by a Q&A session where you will be able to pose your own questions to the panellists.
Tickets for the event are available at

UK - 3LR Lighting has confirmed that it is now the sole UK manufacturer’s representative for Griven. The Italian manufacturer, founded in 1990, produces a range of exterior architectural lighting.
3LR will work closely with Allison Rose, Griven’s UK business development manager, to increase brand awareness and drive new specifications across the region. Particularly renowned for its coloured light solutions, Griven’s range complements 3LRs existing brand portfolio, dovetailing with its interior lighting and control products from ETC and Rosco.
Matthew Lloyd, managing director of 3LR comments, “We were attracted to Griven by its reputation for fixture quality, exceptional optics, and the highest level of colour consistency and uniformity over time. The products are designed and manufactured in the company’s factory in Italy, and exhibit the innovation, flair

UK - Avolites has announced the UK release of its new online learning hub for holistic training on its Titan and Ai software platforms.
The online courses are designed to teach or re-enforce the theory behind using Titan and Ai. The platform offers seven courses to work on from home, with more in-depth, hands on training courses available at one of Avolites in-person Academy sites. The courses are designed so that users can start applying their knowledge directly to a real life example they may be tasked with in a real world environment, as well as build on their current level of proficiency.
Plans are in place to release the leaning hub across other geographies later in the year, when translation of the courses is completed. In this initial phase, the hub is only accessible to UK residents.
The courses allow users to pick their own path to further their knowledg

USA - Audinate’s Dante recently reached an impressive milestone with more than 3,000 different products now incorporating Dante for audio-over-IP connectivity. According to research from RH Consulting, 3,034 Dante-enabled devices are available from 361 different manufacturers as of January 2021. The data from RH Consulting indicates Dante is the protocol of choice in more than 91 percent of the networked audio products currently on the market.
Audinate announced in January that the total number of OEM brands now working with Dante has reached 518, with 133 OEMs currently developing their first Dante-enabled product.
“It’s inspiring to see how many manufacturers and product lines have aligned around Dante,” says Joshua Rush, SVP of marketing at Audinate. “And with 133 OEMs working on their first Dante-enabled product, it’s exciting to think about how much mo

UK - Rigging Team is celebrating its 10th anniversary in the delivery of specialist rigging and technical training services to the entertainment production industry.
Over the past decade, the company has enjoyed steady growth to become recognised a respected provider of rigging equipment and support services. Working across the full spectrum of entertainment production, including theatre, TV, film and live events, Rigging Team has built a reputation for creating “safe, bespoke solutions to projects which others may consider impossible”.
Commenting on the milestone, Rigging Team managing director Adam Searle comments: “We are immensely proud of our achievements over the last ten years. From humble beginnings, we have created a significant resource which supports productions of all size and genre, all around the world.”
Formed in December 2010 as Adam Sear

USA - Obsidian Control Systems’ practice of providing valuable educational resources to lighting designers and programmers continues with the release of a series of 13 training videos covering the NX4 lighting console and Onyx lighting control platform. A training video series covering the compact NX2 lighting controller will be available soon.
The NX4 training series, hosted by David Henry of Learn Stage Lighting, condenses over two hours of content into short, segmented videos to watch at your own pace. Console trainings usually come with a hefty fee, making these complimentary videos consieable value.
The NX4 training series is available at https://obsidiancontrol.com/training_videos. Topics covered include: Introduction to NX4, Patching Fixtures, Setting Up Groups, Working in the 2D Plan, Controlling Lights, Creating Presets, Recording Cues, Using Pixel Mapped V

UK - The Institute of Sound, Communications and Visual Engineers (ISCVE) is re-scheduling its annual exhibition and seminar programme to March 2022, the ISCVEx committee has announced at its recent AGM and Members’ Day.
The new dates for ISCVEx2022 are 22-23 March 2022.
Helen Goddard, president of ISCVE, comments: “With the level of uncertainty surrounding the timescale of vaccinations combined with mixed confidence and appetite for attending events, we feel the pragmatic approach is to take ISCVEx off the calendar for 2021 and reschedule for March 2022. This allows visitors and exhibitors to plan ahead in order to attend, what we are confident will be, the best ever ISCVEx event, with our expanding AV presence as well as our core sound roots.”
ISCVEx will mark its 20th anniversary in 2022 and will offer visitors an engaging schedule of events occurring ov

USA - Wireless microphone systems and audio processing specialist Lectrosonics is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month.
Founded in March 1971 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Lectrosonics products are used in broadcast, television, theatre, film, live performance and music productions worldwide.
The company’s first product was the Voice Projector series of portable PA systems and lecterns whilst in 1975, the first wireless microphone was added to the product line. Shortly thereafter, these products were marketed under the Freedomike trademark.
By the 1980s, Lectrosonics found success in the broadcast market with its plug-on transmitter and compact receiver for electronic news gathering and documentary production. Around this same time, the company’s engineering team had begun working on audio processing equipment targeted at the installed sound market. The

Glastonbury - Proposals have been submitted for a concert at the Glastonbury festival site this autumn. The news comes after it was announced in January that the festival had been cancelled for a second year in a row because of the coronavirus pandemic. But festival organiser Emily Eavis said in a post on Instagram that an application has been made to stage a concert at Worthy Farm in September instead.
She wrote: "For those asking for an update on our plans later this year, we have put an application in for a licence for a concert at the farm in September (around the time we'd usually do Pilton Party). Of course, we've no idea yet whether we'll able to do that, but we wanted to get the application in to be in with a chance. Unlikely we'll have any news for a couple of months - but will let you know right here when we do."
On The Strip - Former West End strip cl

UK - The financial support Video Design has received from the Cultural Recovery Fund, administered by Arts Council England (ACE), has proved to be very beneficial.
Company CEO Alex Leinster explained, “We bid for funding to support the business as we experienced the sudden and near total cessation of all work. The services we provide are a fundamental part of the live music business, a significant multinational and culturally important industry. The ACE funding has enabled us to improve our resilience and preparedness for the end of lockdown by developing and extending our skills and expertise. We have used the time to ensure we are fit and ready for the future.”
Video Design’s grant application was based on their extensive catalogue of past projects including many which involved new and innovative approaches that broke new ground and advanced the industry.

USA - The Behind the Scenes Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Initiative has announced online Mental Health First Aid training will now be available to entertainment industry workers in the U.S at a variety of days and times on an ongoing basis. Mental Health First Aid is a training course that gives you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial help and support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem, or experiencing a crisis, and help connect them to the appropriate care.
Mental Health First Aid is an international training programme that was created in Australia in 2000, brought to the U.S in 2008, and is now in 24 countries around the world. Upon completing the course you will become a certified Mental Health First Aider which is valid for three years.
Mental Health First Aid takes the fear and hesitation out of start

USA - PK Sound has welcomed St. Louis, MO’s Logic Systems to the PK Alliance. The partnership currently finds the two companies working together and leveraging each other’s strengths to navigate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and position themselves for the industry’s resurgence.
“The pandemic has introduced new challenges for all of us. We need to be proactive instead of reactive, and have been strategizing and investing in ourselves to help reignite the live sound industry in a way that serves us all better,” comments Darryl Ross, senior application support for PK Sound.
“Collaborating with partners like Logic Systems has been critical throughout the process. Their industry expertise and vast professional network have been indispensable when it comes to strategizing, exploring new applications and best practices, developing our educational programming, an

India - Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) has named Pink Noise Professionals as its exclusive distribution partner in India. This strategic agreement will help bring the entire EAW product catalogue to the region.
“I am delighted to welcome Pink Noise Professionals into the EAW family as our exclusive distribution partner in India,” says James Bamlett, EAW director of sales, APAC. “Pink Noise Professionals is a young, fast-growing company that is already making an impact in the pro audio industry throughout the region. We are excited to work with the team at Pink Noise Professionals and its extensive dealer network throughout the country. The company’s expertise and resources will help EAW grow its presence in what has historically been a very important market for the brand.”
Pink Noise Professionals Pvt. caters to many industries including pro audio, broadcast, l

Poland - ARX Systems has announced that they have appointed Tommex as the exclusive distributor for the full range of ARX professional USB audio interfaces and signal processing solutions in Poland.
An established distributor with over 30 years of experience in the design, supply and installation of professional audio systems for various types of buildings, sports venues and cultural facilities, Tommex adds ARX to a growing portfolio of brands that include Coda Audio, RCF and Yamaha.
ARX managing director Colin Park says, ‘It’s great to formalise our partnership with Tommex in Poland. Having worked with the team there over the past few years, we feel that Tommex taking on the distribution exclusively is the logical next step and we look forward to growing our business in this region.”

UK - Calibre UK is giving integration and audio-visual professionals an intensive online preview of the soon-to-be announced Calibre LEDFusionPro, billed as ‘a flagship All-in-One direct-view LED display solution’. LEDFusionPro will be officially launched in May 2021 in the Asia-Pacific region and offers ‘an entirely new way to design, prepare and deliver content within hours’.
The webinar will take place on Tuesday, 30 March 2021 at 09:00am GMT. It will give participants: an overview of the direct-view international LED market and opportunities; detailed information about the All-in-One direct-view LED concept; and, a preview of the LEDFusionPro advanced features and benefits.
“As a leading display and image processing technology creator, Calibre UK continually invests in future-forward technologies for high display quality and optimum performance,” said

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